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Old 01-01-2001, 01:54 PM
someguyfromMaryland
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Diesel Timing Chain Replacement

I have a 1980 300D non-turbo. I replaced the original chain at 216k miles and found the car was still a dog, albeit a friendly dog. 8^). I had measured timing chain stretch at between 5 and 6 degrees, it's hard to get exact without having measured several by mic and then comparing that to the crankshaft position.

The replacement is medium DIY difficulty, IMHO. Be aware that when they say to cover the opening under the cam sprocket when you cut out the rivets, they are very serious. It is also important to understand that if anything drops down that hole when you're replacing the chain, your day just turned brown. You also don't want to try this by yourself; you need help feeding the new chain, puloing the old chain, turning the crankshaft bolt, and keeping tension on the chain as it goes around the sprocket. BTW, I saw no wear on any of my guides and I'm told the biggest factor in guide wear is how religious your oil change history has been. My car was well maintained before I got it and I've changed at 3333 mile intervals with Rotella since 160 k miles.

Plan on giving yourself 2 hours for just the timing chain. You also want to check the valves when you're done since you're putting a new valve cover gasket on and don't want to go through this again sooner than you need to, right?

Mike Yox
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