Water pump on my 1983 300CD was leaking coolant from the weep hole so I'm in the process of swapping it out with an OEM water pump. During re-installation, I noticed that the pulley that attaches to the water pump and cooling fan rubs against the crankshaft dampener during test fit. I believe the pulley is pushed completely onto the boss of the water pump and I don't think I bent it during removal. Any thoughts on why I'd suddenly have a collision between water pump pulley and crankshaft dampener? Thanks.

Can the pulley be installed backwards?

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

Definitely not. It would be off by at least 3 inches.

Long vs short pump?

__________________
- Greg -
1973 220D, The Prodigal Benz
1974 240D

How to tell the difference?

compare old parts.

I could have been more specific. The W115 240D I have uses the long water pump. I've worked on W123s that use a shorter, stubby pump. I'm not sure which engines in which chassis have which pump, but it's obvious when you put them side by side. Where'd you buy your new pump, GE? Pelican is pretty good about making sure you get the right part for your rig.

__________________
- Greg -
1973 220D, The Prodigal Benz
1974 240D

I must have the shorter pump. I measured against the new pump and they are the exact same size.

I took another look at the water pump pulley today and turns out it was actually pretty bent. I went to the junk yard and found a W126 with an OM617 from the same year, however the pulley on the W126 was slightly smaller in diameter and a little bit skinnier. I pulled it off anyway and noticed that it was stamped with the MB insignia and had a 617 part number on it. The old one that I took off my car did not have the MB insignia on it, which I thought was strange because there are very few parts I've ever seen on these cars that aren't branded with the 3 point star. I'm wondering if the pulley on my car is the original or if someone slapped it on there over the years. I think I'm going to install the new smaller pulley on the car and assuming I can adjust the tension sufficiently on the belt, just see how it does.

Here is a side by side photo (old on left, new on right):

Yup. Thats one of the "upgrades " you could do from parts of a w126 to w123s. Some other parts include front brake disc and calipers and with some mods the brake booster, rear window regulator, condenser and condenser fan.

__________________
'85 300D Cal 280,000 miles
'14 GLK 350 60000 miles

be careful. all the turbo motors have double pulleys and take slightly narrower belts which will slip on the pulleys designed for single belts. I think I have a good single pulley if you need one.

__________________
[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.

Both old and new pulleys are double belts. My motor is a 617 turbo.

2 Vacuum Pumps destroyed timer Bushing Identified as the problem
http://www.mbca.org/forum/2013-12-29/why-are-these-vacuum-pumps-being-destroyed

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Link goes to a main page. What is the article about?