I've got most everything de-tached.

Best way to deal with the timing chain? Do I HAVE to pull of the entire front end, or doe I split the chain?


The head bolts look to be a standard TORX drive (looks like a t55, correct?)

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

Zip-tie the chain to the timing gear,

Remove the timing gear from the camshaft

Keep the chain tensioned so that it cannot slip a link.

You will need to pull the pin holding the guide rail in the head so that the chain can stay.

Yes Torx, or some call it the generic version: triple square.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Torx are six point bits; not 12.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

good point!



now, I plan on ordering it from snap-on; which tool am I looking for, and what size?

Triple-square sockets are usually female, as opposed to the male style tool I need (shutup, best way to describe...) It almost looks like a spline...

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

nu uh its a tripple square

eagleco and I pulled a 602 head lemme search for the post

see this thread for the MBZ official tool or the alternative

I recommend the official tool because the autozone tripple square makes removing them easy but if you have to torque them down properly the mercedes tool would be most effective. Plus the mercedes tool is like $20

$20 I can do!


Any excuse to go and bother my local Dealership (they know me by name now! and they stockup on fuel filters)

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

Call them and see if they have it first.. if not they will order it in for you. Another tool to add to the rental pool.

I have some filters I've been meaning to pickup for awhile also...



it's a new dealership - I dont think they'll have it.

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

It's either S-K tools or K-D tools that makes a nice set of triple square tools. I bought mine at the local NAPA shop. Nice quality stuff.

SteveM.

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'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner

Went to the stealership, ordered the OEM tool. All of $15.



since today and Friday are the only two nice days this week, I went out and bought the cheap set from autozoo.

Camshaft is gonna get pulled (per instructions from the FSM) to get to the headbolts under the bearing towers. (cheap tool wont reach)

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

Just finished this job myself. Ditto what Babymog said. Getting it out of time concerned me but this procedure worked well. Make sure harmonic balance is TDC and note mark on cam to #1 cam block. Socket, screw, and a nut will get the pins for the guide rail out. $15 for the dealer tool is a good price. Should be 10mm by 140mm long. Just take your time and get it seated in those head bolts correctly. They will take some force to get out. Be careful with the heat exchange hose for the fuel thermostat...metal horseshoe shaped metal hose going around behind the oil filter canister. The union that screws inside the head, 22mm, will come off and there is an o-ring inside you should replace. Mercedes parts breakdown does not show a replacement but the gray o-ring that comes with a head gasket set, about the size of a nickel, works perfectly. When reassembling, take the union off the hose, screw it in, carefully it's soft aluminum, and pop the hose in the backside of it while applying pressure with a big screwdriver. Ask me how I know?...mine leaked after everything was put back together. For fun I checked the price of a new one...$430! Intake had to come back off, etc, etc., etc. Why are you having to pull the head? There are a lot of good post on the subject. While you're there, good time to think about replacing the water pump, IP o-rings, etc. that may be questionable. Good luck!

Really good point on getting the tool seated in the head bolts. The hydraulic resistance of oil in the bolt heads, especially when cold, fooled me a couple of times into thinking the tool was completely seated, ... rocking from side-to-side helps to get past the oil. The same oil helps to lift the bolts out with the tool.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

make sure you remove the head correctly. Also.. You are going to use the official tool to torque the bolts properly

This engine blew a coolant hose and overheated. It ran fine for a few months, and then the gasket gave up completely.


I'm pulling the head off to check for damage and wear, as this engine has 421k miles on it.


apparently there's another 300d like mine forsale locally for cheap, I might just pick that up and turn this into a parts car.

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

A few things to not for anybody else trying this:

- The upper rail has TWO dowels (top dowel is long and came out with visegrips, the lower is a 5mm tapped pull dowel)

-After removing all the regular sized headbolts (using the proper tool, ofcoarse) theres still two SHCS left located inside the head in the timing chain area. Do NOT drop these (they're 6mm allen) as dropping these will require a LOT of work.

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)