the head is ready to come off. intake/exhaust manifolds are off. I have never done this on a vehicle with a timing chain. whats next?

if the intate and exhaust is off congrats...

remove the transmission dip stick and then go to the front of the motor..

remove the shock absober to the right...

remove the distributor,
remove the rotor,
then use a T30 to remove the rotor mount that connects to the cam shaft.

then remove the metal cover which is the top portion of the timing chain..

its best to turn the engine to top dead center.

now use some twist ties and tie the chan to the gear and remove it..

then comes the worst part and that is the plastic timing chain guide on the right.... if you figure it out then let me know..

the top snaps off and the stud is suppose to be pulled out with a puller...

if you break it its only 10 bucks... good luck...



i just got my head reworked for 180 bucks...

its best to turn the engine to top dead center.
ok

now use some twist ties and tie the chan to the gear and remove it..
ok
then comes the worst part and that is the plastic timing chain guide on the right.... if you figure it out then let me know..

you mean the passenger side? I think I'm supposed to retract it with the allen key on the passenger side also. right?

the top snaps off and the stud is suppose to be pulled out with a puller...

the top of what snaps off? and should I only buy the head gasket from the dealer?

if you break it its only 10 bucks... good luck..

If your facing the motor then the thing on the left side
exhaust side is the tensioner.... its the thing on the drivers side
which is the bear... its a plastic guide that has a stud in the head..

oh its really tough....your best bet is probably just to break it..
but let me know how it goes...

you can leave the tensioner alone...

i took a broom handle and laid it across the hood fender to fender then
took a plastic tie and held the gear up in the air with the timing chain still on it and with tension...

the only problem is the plastic timing chain guide. on the other side.

thanks for the info. I will see what I can do here and keep you posted on whats happening. I appreciate the help.

I know its too late now, but you could have pulled the head with intake and exhaust manifolds in place. Be carefull to remove the head by losening the head bolts in reverse order from the tightening pattern. The head gasket must be allowed to seal under a no pressure environment. So when you are ready to start the engine, do it without replacing the radiator cap. Allow the engine to run for 10-15 minutes at operating temperature while the sealant printed onto the new head gasket melts.

yea I knew I could have taken them out as one piece. the parts were really filthy so I decided to give them a good cleaning. I dont see why I would have to take out the chain rail on the drivers side. could I not just remove the cam sprocket with the chain on and keep tension on it as to not lose timing at the crank? would this cause problems during reassembly? and thanks for the no pressure seating tip. I did the heads on a v6 and should have known that before.

oh hey and where would I be able to find this tightening pattern? I'm also clueless about how much torque to apply to the head bolts. I read somewhere to replace the head bolts also as they get fatigued.

When I bought my gasket set it came with the tightening sequence and the torque settings. It was a elrich set.
There is a test for replacement of the bolts based on length but I just replaced them you need 14 and they are less than $2.00 each from fastlane, so why not.
If you check braingears.com you can find the sequence there I bet.

__________________
“Fundamentally, sustainable development is a notion of discipline. It means humanity must ensure that meeting present needs does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”--- Gro Harlem Brundtland


1989 300se 250,000
1983 BMW 528e 100,000
1999 Olds Alero 80,000

These pretzels are making me thirsty.

elrich set huh? I read to only buy a dealer gasket because they are updated. I would have bought it online as it is much cheaper than the stealership. thanks for the tip, I will check braingears. so there is no way to do this without removing that chain guide on the intake side huh? I have not broken anything as of yet and would hate to start now. it will happen though, as is life.

I'd buy a dealership gasket- this is something you don't want to do twice over $20 or so.


Michael

__________________
Michael McGuire
83 300d
01 vw A4 TDI
66 Chevy Corsa
68 GMC V6 w/oD
86 300E

The elrich set is updated as well. Have used them several times on different vehicles never any problems. Who is the manufacturer for the MB set?
Anyway he/she will have to buy the whole gasket set not just the headgasket.
But my point was to just buy the new bolts, less than $30.00.

__________________
“Fundamentally, sustainable development is a notion of discipline. It means humanity must ensure that meeting present needs does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”--- Gro Harlem Brundtland


1989 300se 250,000
1983 BMW 528e 100,000
1999 Olds Alero 80,000

These pretzels are making me thirsty.

I am definitely buying the bolts. I would rather buy the gasket set because it comes with intake, exhaust gaskets, cam seal, head gasket and prob another thing I am forgetting. I also would not like to do this again over $20 bucks. I do not know if the oe ones are updated as well. if somebody knows please tell me.

so I'm going to try and not remove the outer chain rail listed in above conversation. oh and I was not able to find anything at the mb.braingears site. the links were all dead.

LEt me put it this way-

MB warrenttee's their parts. So even if you buy the same gasket from Elring or MB the difference is simple. If it leaks, you can take your car to the dealership and they will fix it the second time(parts and labor).

Measure the bolts and re-use if they are within spec. The aircraft mechanics do this all the time-not a big deal. Never had problems with re-useing a bolt that was within spec. That why there is a spec for re-use!


Michael

__________________
Michael McGuire
83 300d
01 vw A4 TDI
66 Chevy Corsa
68 GMC V6 w/oD
86 300E