I've read a few of the threads on changing the timing chain on the 617 diesel engine. Some of the things have worried me and some make it look like cake. It otherwise sounds doable, but it seems that the hardest thing will be is to find someone to help me do it. Would this be something that my wife could help me with even though she has little mechanical knowledge?
Anyone have some other good advice before I tear into the engine? Is there a thread or site that basically shows how to do it step by step? So far I haven't found it. As many of you may know, this is for my '85 300D.
Thanks.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

~DJ~

Its not a bad job, take your time and be very careful not to drop anything down inside. I am sure after you read a few threads you wont have any problems. The hardest part for me was figuring how to get the little plate on. Its a tight fit and requires a little fiddling around. I wound up using a body dolly and a punch to get the plate over the pins. I used the dolly and ball peen hammer for peening, no problem.

__________________


1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

Do you have a copy of the MB shop manual ? I would not do it without having it at hand....
Also the Haynes has better pictures... so having both is really nice...

Be sure to remove the tensioner before rolling in the new chain. Clean it and reassemble per the FSM after installing the chain or you'll overtension the new chain.

You'll need to remove the thermostat housing to remove and reset the tensioner assembly. Consequently, you will need a thermostat housing gasket (not the o-ring). Now is also a good time to replace the bypass hose ( I think that's what it is called) that comes out of the bottom of the t-stat housing.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Randy is referring to the ' ratcheting tensioner' which only works one direction after being placed into the engine.... so you have to take it apart, depress it , clean it, and put it back... at which time the oil pressure in the engine , each time you start up the car, will advance it to the next available 'detent'....

There is also an inexpensive spring that goes with the tensioner. Its a wear item and I think a dealer only part.

As some of the other threads have suggested, the chain is pretty strong, its the rails with the plastic on them or a failing tensioner that can take out your engine. Make sure you replace these items as SOP.

If you have an extra car, then you can take your time with this project.

Definitely change the bypass hose too while you are in there.

If you dont have the chain tool, you'll have fun taking off the old master link and keeping all the metal shavings out of the engine!!

Make sure you understand the master link, the different colored plates and how they are to be assembled. The interior plate has holes that are slightly larger than the holes on the outermost plate. The interior plate is designed to slide once the master link is put together properly. The outermost plate should fit tightly onto the end studs and the studs crimped so the plate will not slide back off. This is what the chain tool does well, although a ball peen hammer and a solid piece of steel acting as an anvil will also do the trick (if done carefully).

__________________
84 300DT Puke Yellow. Totalled after 438,000
84 300DT Orient Red. 169,000 (actual mileage may vary)
2002 Explorer EB (wife's)

' ratcheting tensioner'

Heres kind of a side question. Why is this ' ratcheting tensioner' not used on the 616? It was suggested to me to use one when I needed a replacement.

Have a good day all .... Steve

I tore down a 617 block this morning and dropped it off at my local automotive machine shop (Cassidy Automotive - Macon, Ga) for I imagine will be a resleeve job. Hauled it down there in the trunk of the '85. Wish I had read the post earlier I would have tried to get some pics.

Replacing the chain is a job that you and the wife should be able to do if she can follow verbal instructions. My 10 yr old is turning into my mechanic. He removed all the studs from the engine today while we were tearing it down. He is learning about the "tedious" part of this work. Today he learned all about using two nuts to remove a stud.

__________________
Jim

lietuviai, No , I do not think you should ask your wife to help you on this.... even if she is a certified mechanic.... I believe the little warning in the shop manual about " keeping tension" on the chains which have been put together is almost impossible to do ... thus she will feel bad when yall attempt it and it does not work out correctly....and it won't have been her fault...
You should rent or borrow or make ( it is a pretty simple tool ....obvious what the parameters are ) the tool which keeps the chain from disengaging with the cam sprocket...
And put a pulley attached to the roof of the work area... with a cable attached to about 30 lbs of something.... like a kid or pet.... or cinder blocks.... and use this as what keeps your chain in tension as you install it....
This advise complements of a 30 year one man shop..... girls are for bringing Iced Tea, looking pretty, calling 911 (OUCH) and providing incentive for Leaving the Welding area at the proper time....( which is anytime they say the words " leave the welding area" ).
Don't worry about Eric's ' metal shavings' comment.. there is a picture in the manual... duct tape and old sheets... you just cover everything, grind it off, and take the protection off...Be sure to use a magnet to remove the steel before putting them back on your bed....
Steve, I think the 616 has an oil tensioner.... are you saying it does not ratchet ?

Wow, hope you got the flame suit on if any of the female members read that. My aspiring-equine-surgeon-wife is way too good with a scalpel for me to say something like that.

__________________
Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

This was in reply to his asking if she should help on the Engine.... this is their job WITH RELATION TO THE SHOP..... not an all inclusive job description...
At no time should a significant other be working on something as dirty and exasperating as a car.... and should not usually be within hearing of the person actually working on it....
Only one person out of two should be " in the trenches" ... the other should be ready to comfort ( and bandage ) them when they can't take it any more...
While you ( the mechanic ) are cursing the engineers or the Previous Owner.... she needs to be preparing a " soft place to land" in the current Pop Psy language...

Leathermang's my new frikin' hero. Seriously. Thanks for the grin, pal. That said, if your wife gets gratification out of helping you, and isn't the super sensitive type, go for it! It can be a really bonding experience. I know that's how some of my best friends got that way, from helping me, or me helping them with greasy, bloody, frustrating projects.

Oh, how do I know which engine I have? 616 607 568 lmnop? (Broadening my MBZD knowlege a step at a time.)

__________________
Ash Peltier - tools, truck, tales
---------510-331-4118-----------
1982 240D - (272,000)
1998 Honda VTR1000F(RT) Superhawk Freeway (58,000) "Madrid"
1996 Toyota T100 4x4 (84,000) "Mary Kay"

My problem is that I have bled plenty and there's still lots to be done.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

I hate to be the one always asking these questions, but have you checked your chain stretch? I don't remember you saying that the chain has been verified to be worn.

Take the valve cover off, rotate the crank in the correct direction until the marks line up on the cam. Then read the stretch in degree off the crankshaft.

If you have less than 5 degrees of wear in the chain, changing it will do absolutely no good.

A pure waste of time and money.

240Joe

240Joe,
I am assuming that I have enough stretch to warrant a replacement. I tried to change the injectors and the car only ran worse. The IP needed quite a bit of advancement in order to get it to run halfway decent with the set of injectors that I tried using. I then reinstalled the old injectors and was able to return the IP to its original setting and the car ran like it did before trying the new injectors. Those injectors which I had tried using were calibrated. The valves are adjusted to spec as well. I don't know what else it could be.
Thanks for your concern about wasting my time and money, both of which are in short supply at the moment.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012