Broken timing chain in 300SDL
 

Extremely nice car...until it went bang. Timing chain snapped. Local garages all say I must replace engine. True? Bend valves, probably. What's the odds of bent rods?

can I just pull it down, maybe a head job? Can't find a used engine, can't afford a new one from Benz.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I am unsure if your engine was destroyed or not.

I am wondering however- was there any noises from the engine? No warnings that the chain was going? I am wondering because I am considering a couple of V8 mid 80s Mercedes that I am unsure of when the chains were changed. Thanks for any help.

A lot of knowlegeable people here. I am sure someone will be able to answer your questions. Good luck!

Welcome to the forum. There is quite a bit of info on the 603 engine over in the diesel forum.

I would certainly pull the cam and the head and check for damage on the top end. If the head is OK (not cracked), the repairs will not be overly costly.
In all likelihood, the bottom end is fine. One of the fellows on the diesel forum recently bought a 300 SD with the 617 engine and it had the same problem. He had to fix some cam towers and replace the chain but it was not very costly to do.

I'm not sure of your experience with the 603, but it requires a specific sequence to remove the cam, otherwise you will break it.

You are probably aware that the aluminum head does have issues with cracking and it would be vital to have it properly checked and restored by a qualified shop.