hi there
do I have a fun one for you...


I recently got a 1982 mercedes 300td

it wasnt doing so good, and there was an engine knock ... but I thought I could handle it.



its sadder yet simpler to post this in retrospect:
knowing that the engine knock I've been hunting for this whole time was the vacuum pump bearing working its way loose and finally going on a rampage inside the engine on the highway



as I understand the aftermath:

the engine crunched the ring and spit it out and seem to have skipped timing. as a result it will now only turn manually part of the cycle. The chain from what I can see seems to still be intact.


the million mile question:
can I just loosen the cam shaft sprocket and try to bring it back into timing to get a clearer idea of what else may have gone wrong?
what are other ways to check for possible problems short of removing the head?



thankx in advance for any help


S