symptoms:

intermittent very bad rattling-knocking at front of the engine.

intermittent loss of belt driven accessories.

the car got hot on me on the way home and the belt is still on.

luckly my father in law was able to flat be it home. I am speaking of my 1990 300D which to this piont has never failed me. I have owned this car for a year put at about 20k miles on it with no real trouble till now.

Mine did the same thing a number of years ago and yes it was the harmonic balancer.

How many miles are on the car?

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

how ugly of a job is it? did you have any damage on your crank? I saw the pic of your SD I'm assuming that you also have a OM60x.

I was lucky in that there was no damage to the crank (That's pretty amazing considering that I drove with it doing that for quite a few miles....)

It's not too bad of a job but a few things have to come off (Belt and fan) i'm guessing a W124 would be the same.

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

Stupid question? What is the harmonic balancer? Where is it?

dont give up, it could also be the bolts fro the pulleys and not the balancer. hopefully you didnt drive it too far.

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

It is a donut at the front outside of the crank that attaches to the crank then the pulleys attach to it. It is split construction with rubber isolating between the two steel or iron halfs. It is made to absorb vibration and harmonics.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Shouldn't be too terrible a job in the 124, provided your crank isn't damaged.

The fan, belt, and shroud will need to come off at a minimum. You will want to have a new key on hand for the crank, and a new front seal is a good idea also.

The fromt of the car should be a good foot off of the ground for breaker-bar clearance.

Tightening torque for this bolt is 340nm IIRC, so if you're fairly strong and have a way to lock the crank (there's a crank locking tool, check the DIY forum / tool rental program and someone might have one) it can be done without an impact. For a reference, when torquing mine on an engine stand, I lifted the front half of the engine and stand off of the ground.

Also, the balance is not pressed onto the shaft / not tapered, I have been able to remove the last two by hand after the bolt is out by rotating it back/forth against the key (a fraction of a degree) as I pull it off. A couple of large screwdrivers or prybars to pull it off evenly might also work, but if it spun on the crank and seized or scored the crank it might need a bit more to pull it.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

How about a picture?

I suggest looking under parts above.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Thanks for the info. I have removed many harmonic balancers in the past but never on a diesel and never on a MB. I did search through the archives and saw some pretty nasty damage pictures that got me nervous. They also were all on OM617 and people were cussing these "pins" up and down about ho hard they are to line up. I have never run into any pins before when replacing a balancer. I am leaving for my father in-law's shop pretty soon I will let you know how thnigs go.

My machinist is a very very skilled and experienced man of 62 years with most of that time running a machine shop. I say this because when putting together my 617 a couple of months ago, even though he has built a half dozen of these for me and others I had to order him a second set of pins because he buggered up the first set.

They are very tricky to get on without damaging them.

That's why most engines with trouble with them have been rebuilt already.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

On the 60x it is a different arrangement, with a key on the shaft.

The difficult part IMO is getting the key into the balancer as it slides on, and not pushing the key into the abyss, I had to start several times to get it to line up and that was on an engine stand in a well-lit garage.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Here is a picture of it. Doesn't look too bad, has a keyway slot.

http://www.unitcat.ru/mercedes/7/1/F/602962/586/03/015/

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

Wow the pin thing sounds like a pain, yet I still look forward to getting a W123. Sorry I have no pics I didnt have a camera and I forgot my phone. Anyway the end of the crank is a little taperred and the balancer is completely wallowed out and the key is gone. The crank is a kind of ugly but I am confident that it will hold a key and that there is enough meat toward the back of the snub to hold a new balancer true. My major problem now is that I need a balancer. Does any body know if an OM603 Balancer would fit? Or if there is anywhere I could get a new one that isnt the stealership? I am desperate, this car is my primary sorce of transportation and I need it back on the road quick.