Hello, I've had my 81 300TD for a few years now, (about 200k+) but have spent most of my time working on it and have only put about 5k on her. She's a driver, but presents herself pretty well & am looking to get the old girl sorted for the long term. Developed a tick last fall & immediately parked her as I suspected the vacuum pump. Pulled the pump yesterday, rocker arm tip bearing scattered, balls gone. End play on shaft is .33mm, well out of spec. I know I'm looking at minimum replacing shaft bushing and gaskets, as I do have a relatively low mileage SD from which I can scavenge parts. I've tried to plow through posts here to get an idea of what I'm up against, but still a little skittish about tearing her down. I'm gathering that I need to pull the injection pump, valve cover & tensioner to remove timing device. Probably set engine to TDC before I go any further?
I was going to have the injectors rebuilt & balanced anyway, is now a good time to do timing chain & guides? I did check it for stretch when I adjusted the valves and it was good. No idea if it was ever changed. Will pulling the radiator give me enough room to do all this with the engine in the car? I'm pretty handy, but have to say these little diesels are intimidating. Are there any good write-ups on doing this bushing and what's involved or should I just stick with the manual? I would imagine just about everyone has to deal with this at some point. Any guidance will be appreciated Thanks, Mike