500K Timing Chain - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

pat201 · #1 04-10-2012, 07:15 PM

I did some reading about the timing chain and I found that they should last at least half million miles. Is that so?
How many miles you have with you current timing chain? I was just curious if anyone went over 500K miles with a timing chain.
PAT

vstech · #2 04-10-2012, 07:47 PM

200K and you better be checking it regularly... 350 and they are likely toast, and have taken out the gears that drive it... 500... unless driven in the extreme light duty mode, and REGULAR oil changes with synthetic, I just don't think so...
not without some serious stretch that is.

wildest · #3 04-10-2012, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pat201

I did some reading about the timing chain and I found that they should last at least half million miles. Is that so?
How many miles you have with you current timing chain? I was just curious if anyone went over 500K miles with a timing chain.
PAT

Where did you read that? I'm always curious about Mercedes diesel, and W123 in particular, information.

vwbuge · #4 04-10-2012, 08:39 PM

I have pretty extensive service records on my car from the PO and myself. I noticed no record of replacement. I checked for stretch on mine when I adjusted my valves (at around 275,000 miles) and I found stretch within tolerance.

I now have close to 330,000 miles on what I suspect to be the original. I am thinking more and more about replacement with guide rails soon just to be on the safe side.

thatguy · #5 04-10-2012, 08:55 PM

A buddy of mine is hovering around 400k on his original 617 turbo chain, but that car has had fanatical oil changes and routine maintenance, not synthetic oil, but religious 3k dino changes. Still, I sure wouldn't want to push it that long myself, I always wished Mercedes did timing gears like my 7.3 and the 5.9 Cummins, but my 606NA chain was changed by the previous owner only 50k miles ago so I'm set for at least another 150-200k.

pawoSD · #6 04-10-2012, 08:57 PM

The engine in my dad's SD has about 190k on it and the chain has over 7 degrees of stretch. When I got my SD with 207k on it, it had ELEVEN degrees. It was replaced 110k ago and the new chain has less than 1 degree of stretch, due to my obsessive 5k synthetic oil changes since then.

317k and still going strong!

We are changing the chain out on my dad's this weekend.

thatguy · #7 04-10-2012, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

The engine in my dad's SD has about 190k on it and the chain has over 7 degrees of stretch. When I got my SD with 207k on it, it had ELEVEN degrees. It was replaced 110k ago and the new chain has less than 1 degree of stretch, due to my obsessive 5k synthetic oil changes since then.

317k and still going strong!

We are changing the chain out on my dad's this weekend.

It's really impressive the amount of problems fresh and regular fluid and filter changes will negate, I've found most of the problems on my Mercedes were simply due to massive neglect on behalf of the previous owners, enough to have probably ruined any other car all together. If people would just keep those things fresh and clean, they'd be surprised at how reliable and trouble-free these rigs really are.

mach4 · #8 04-10-2012, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatguy

It's really impressive the amount of problems fresh and regular fluid and filter changes will negate, I've found most of the problems on my Mercedes were simply due to massive neglect on behalf of the previous owners, enough to have probably ruined any other car all together. If people would just keep those things fresh and clean, they'd be surprised at how reliable and trouble-free these rigs really are.

Regular oil/filter changes is probably the #1 thing to maximize longevity with any car.

JamesDean · #9 04-10-2012, 09:45 PM

Interesting correlation between chain life and oil change frequency.

My one 300SD doesnt get driven very much, only 2,000 miles in the last two years. Its due for an oil change based on how long its been sitting, I wonder how that is all effecting the timing chain on it. I checked it and it looked like about 5 degrees of stretch based on the 'line-up-the-mark-read-the-balancer' method.

barry123400 · #10 04-10-2012, 10:56 PM

Timing chain wear is the most sensitive component to oil change frequency of any mechanical part in the engine,.

Jeremy5848 · #11 04-10-2012, 11:01 PM

Our 1996 E300D (W210, OM606NA) has 284,000 miles on what we believe is the original timing chain. The three former owners kept up the maintenance including regular oil and filter changes (dino oil). When we got the car at 249,000 miles I switched to Mobil-1 TDT 5W-40 synthetic. A year or so ago I pulled the valve cover, probably the first time it's ever been off of the engine, to inspect the chain. Here is a link to the thread that I posted in this forum at that time. As you can see, the engine still looks new inside.

I agree with the other posters -- keeping the oil clean is the single most important thing you can do to help your engine live a long, happy life. As an aside, I'll note that this applies to all of the various lubricating and operating fluids in the vehicle, from coolant to brake fluid.

For example, this same E300D has a damaged power steering pump that doesn't work very well at parking lot speeds when you really need it. This is probably because the POs never changed the power steering fluid. It's not 100% their fault -- none of the Mercedes services call for changing the PS fluid, so the dealers and shops didn't do it! I changed the fluid several times after discovering that the existing fluid was black with age. It's "better now" (Hi there, Stan Laurel) but the damage is done and one of these days I'll have to replace the $500 pump.

Jeremy

compress ignite · #12 04-11-2012, 01:11 AM

Jeremy,

All the credit is due to the 30+ K miles on Mobil 1.

You Know it didn't look that good @ 284K !

Clemson88 · #13 04-11-2012, 05:46 AM

I changed my SD's chain two weeks ago. The odo shows 287,000 miles and had not worked during the 6 years I'v owned the car. I'm guessing it has somewhere in the 350,000 range with the original chain. If the chain had ever been changed it wasn't recorded.

I dunno, perhaps I overreacted when I changed the chain, tensioner, tensioner guide and slide rail. It might have made it to 500,000. I just didn't want to find out so I spent the 200 bucks.

pat201 · #14 04-11-2012, 07:23 AM

I did read it at a Australian website a while ago.
I am the original owner of a 99 w210 which currently has almost 260k on the clock and still goes strong. I just finished a 2,800 miles trip last week.
I was thinking to replace the rear bearings. The front ones were replaced not long ago when I reached 250k. I also replaced for the second time the outer tie rods at the same time. The only issue that I see with this car is that has started to rust throughout.

vwbuge · #15 04-11-2012, 08:01 AM

Are you guys replacing the guide rails also? Is there a write up with pictures anywhere on here?

I want to do mine soon and I want to do it myself.