Hello all , great site ,have a question regarding my 97 e420 , have a noise coming from front of motor drivers side behind the belt tension er as near as I can tell,not at the bottom or the top mid level checked lifters they looked good, oil tubes are good ,no cracks or clogs took car to local MB guru or that what it said on his business card (40 years exp ) told me it was timing chain had my doubts , but hey who I am to argue with a guru , anyway 1 k later ,(new chain ) same noise,any hints here ? car has 211k , well looked after , the guru now says its piston slap , and if it is , anyway to check , as in pulling wire going to that plug and starting car or what, sorry for long post , thanks in advance.

you should take up that "guru" on his BS. should have taken it to a few other shops before settling in on one guy that "CLAIMS" experience and get a general consensus on what it could be. just dont mention if the timing chain was done or not and see what they would say.

just the chain was changed? if it was, the rails and tensioner should have been changed as well. if it didn't fix the problem, then you should have at least gotten a huge discount because his diagnosis was apparently a lie to pay his rent.

piston slap? please. from what? i've never heard of piston slap on a m119 with 200k miles

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Allen Kroliczek
Oak Grove Autosport | Oak Grove Autosport
01 G500, 82 300TD, quite a few more.....

Thanks for your reply, tensioner and rails were all changed , , back to my question , how to diagnose piston slap ,or what the noise maybe, thanks , and mileage 211 kilometer's or 170,000 miles .

Kane, how did you check the hydraulic lifters to ensure they were all OK? Did the tech use genuine MB parts (timing chain, tensioner and guide rails)?

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Fred Hoelzle

Kane,

I have quite some experience with the M119. Piston slap? NO. When you did your diagnosis, was the serpentine belt off? Make sure it is, and trace the noise, if any. Chances are, its your timing chain. I have two cars with the M119, and they both make timing chain noises. One was even replaced, it did quiet it down a little, but low and behold, still did make the noise. Ive learned to live with it. To do the timing chain "right", there are MANY little rails and plastic pieces to be replaced. You could even get so anal to the point where you could replace the worn sprockets as well. At that mileage, I would just live with it. Just my 2cents.

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93 300D 2.5 Turbo, Black/Palomino 273K
09 E350 Black/Black 41K

Hello again , and thanks for the replies , serpentine belt was removed for initial inspection , and timing chain ,tensioner and rails were all replaced with MB parts, perhaps your right I should just live with it , new car to me , just sad to hear that noise , also any hints as to why the power steering pump is not working , has fluid, was working when it was at my house now the MB mechanic says its not , don't trust him any more , so if you have hints i would appreciate it , thanks again Kane