Where does one get the offset key? Are they available in multiple degrees of offset? Are they very expensive?

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1984 300 Coupe TurboDiesel
Silver blue paint over navy blue interior
2nd owner & 2nd engine in an otherwise
99% original unmolested car
~210k miles on the clock

1986 Ford F250 4x4 Supercab
Charcoal & blue two tone paint over burgundy interior
Banks turbo, DRW, ZF-5 & SMF conversion
152k on the clock - actual mileage unknown

They are available on this site. Just click on "buy parts." They are available in multiple degrees of offset. I think they are around $10 or so. Cheaper than $120 for a new chain.

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

This site, Mercedes dealerships and most any independent repair shop can order them.

And easier to install too!

__________________
1984 300 Coupe TurboDiesel
Silver blue paint over navy blue interior
2nd owner & 2nd engine in an otherwise
99% original unmolested car
~210k miles on the clock

1986 Ford F250 4x4 Supercab
Charcoal & blue two tone paint over burgundy interior
Banks turbo, DRW, ZF-5 & SMF conversion
152k on the clock - actual mileage unknown

I cannot located the article in the CD FSM that covers this operation and removing the chain tensioner.

Does anyone know if it is on the CD offhand?

dd

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

05-215.pdf

Pretty sure you can do it without removing the rail.

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The tensioner is what needs to be removed.

The tensioner itself, or just the spring? It looks like they are just removing the spring in the FSM. but then again they remove the rail in the FSM too.

Just making sure...

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

the spring, then the entire tensioner. If you have a ratcheting tensioner, it will not recess enough to provide slack. Although you may not need much for this job.

FI has an older engine and I do not know which vehicle you are referring to. The ratcheting type is found on later models - as a rule.

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Thanks guys. Im still fairly confused here as to exactly what needs to happen. This is my only car right now so it has to be a smooth one-session job :-)

This all is for the 85 300D federal.

If I remove the spring and tensioner only (not the upper slide rail), can I slide the big gear forward enough to get the woodruff out and swap the new one in? This sounds like the method being used in Scott98's original post. He makes no mention of the slide rail. but he is following the FSM.

What exactly is the impact puller talked about in the FSM to extract guide rail the roller bolt?

dd

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

I slid the sprocket all the way off. I removed the tensioner also. Can you just remove the spring? Removing the thermostat housing makes getting the tensioner back in easier. Not saying it's correct, it's the way I did it.

I just removed the spring to change mine.

most likely. Removing the spring prevents the tensioner from advancing beyond its current position and possibly allowing the tensioning cylinder to come out of the housing if something were to happen.

you should be fine with simply removing the spring as a precaution. If you find that you need more slack to get the key out, remove the tensioner (unlikely)

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do an advanced search for the same procedure by the member 'zeke' - this will give you a good idea of how much play you will need.

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