Hi guys,

I need some help. I am going to be changeing the timing chain on a M119 and I would like some information from someone who has done this job. I have a '97 S420 with about 130K miles and I am new to MB's. I have been a DIYer for many years but never worked on MB's. I don't have a shop manual so I will be going only with the limited information from Alldata. I have looked through many of the threads and have not found much that wil be of any help.

I would really appreciate any guidence you guys could offer in my upcoming task. What should I be looking out for? Anything else besides the guide rails, tensioner and fan clutch that I should think about replaceing while I'm there?

Thank you.

Tom

I'd recommend getting the W124 series CD manual set published by MBUSA. It covers the M119 as installed in the 400E/E420 which is essentially the same engine as in the S420. There's also a good amount of information in this forum on what should be replaced and what can wait for later in terms of guides and tensioners.

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

I gave up after seveal attmpts to change timing chain on my 400E, so far this is the only job that I failed to accomplish by DIY.

It took me one day just to remove the valve covers, I failed partly because the extremely tight engine bay of 400E.

As I recalled one member has done this together with his mechanic, he indicated it was not practical for one man to do the chain job, but that's for 400E, your W140 may have more rooms than V8 W124.

__________________
99 BMW 540i 6-speed 110K Km
03 SAAB 9-5 wagon 80K Km
92 400E (Sold) 245K km
Still missing the days with the Benz, it kept me busy.

Are you sure you just don't need to replace the chain tensioner? What noises, if any, do you hear?

I'd recommend spending the dough on a dealer or good indy that would warranty the work because with parts and labor its not that cheap to do....and if you've never done one on a M119, it could be daunting once you get in there. But go for it if you are a good wrench and confident that it'll go OK.

__________________
Jim

1992 500E
2007 CLK63
2003 Audi RS6
2001 Audi allroad