foreign objects in oil pan are not a big deal, so long as they are larger than the holes in the pickup screen, and so long as there's not enough of them to restrict flow into the pump. i once found a complete mouse skeleton in vw beetle engine, looked to have been in there for years. car ran fine.
don't be penny wise and dollar foolish. a new pump is a few hundred bucks. a new engine is a few thousand, plus the inconvenience of suddenly having no car and a massive repair bill.

which one of these is the more affordable option? with 270k on the odo, you *will* be selecting one of these in the near future....

The oil pump chain was superseded three times on this (VIN#) engine.
General agreement from myself and several automotive engineers that have dropped by to see this = Oil pump chain elongation is the probable cause of this failure, but the vacuum pump bearing failure may have been a contributing factor as to when it occurred.

Best guess after forensic teardown/inspection:
* The oil pump chain shows severe elongation.
* The oil pump drive sprocket teeth are (chain wear) damaged beyond use.
* The crankshaft oil pump drive sprocket teeth need to be cleaned and inspected for damaged.

Here is an example of the oil pump drive sprocket tooth chain wear/damage.
Sprockets: I ended up buying a Nighthawk 450-Page 2: Off-Topic Discussion forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

Related information
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/general-information/163604-timing-chains-dont-last-forever.html

Preliminary parts list:

Roller chain, oil pump, brand "IWIS" is in my opinion the only rational choice.
MB# 0039977494
Pelican Parts - Automotive Parts and Accessories - Porsche & BMW

Sprocket, oil pump drive
6031810112
Pelican Parts - Automotive Parts and Accessories - Porsche & BMW

Oil pump
MB# 6021800401
Pelican Parts - Automotive Parts and Accessories - Porsche & BMW



Possible additional parts needed

Crankshaft gear
MB# 6060520003
Pelican Parts - Automotive Parts and Accessories - Porsche & BMW

Crankshaft Seal, Front
120 997 03 46
Pelican Parts - Automotive Parts and Accessories - Porsche & BMW


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__________________
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Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

Makes me glad that I replaced the oil pump chain and sprocket when I replaced the timing cover a few years ago. At the time I was wondering if it was worth the hassle as the old parts appeared to be fine, but at least now I don't need to worry about it...

Pics of the shiny new chain and sprocket on my OM603.960 motor:

__________________
Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

.

... wow. I bet that sprocket is not supposed to have a diamond shaped hole in the center...
please take some pics of the new gear!

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I don't know. Seems that the tensioner would take up any slack that the elongation may contribute unless the tensioner was down to the spring. With that said, and if there was some wear in the chain, it seems plausable that something could have gotten hung up between the sprocket and chain to break it.

__________________
Jim

Here are damage pictures of the three main, AND one rod bearing.

All taken with a better camera.

CRANKSHAFT MAIN SURFACE.




MAIN BEARING SURFACE.








CRANKSHAFT ROD SURFACE.


ROD BEARING SURFACE.







.

Here are BETTER damage pictures of the oil pump sprocket.








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and all or most of that damage was caused by a ball bearing falling down from the vacuum pump? Or was the more going on?

__________________
Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email (jamesdean59@gmail.com). I might be able to help out.
Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability!

(4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!)


82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
90 560SEL 154k
91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k
93 190E 3.0 235k
93 300E 195k

read some threads where the balls have worked their way thru the screen

New parts have arrived:

* Three new main bearings.
* Oil pump.
* Sprocket, oil pump drive.
* Rod cap bolts.
* Roller chain, oil pump, brand "IWIS".
* Crankshaft gear.
* Crankshaft Seal, Front.

Now to begin flushing the oil galleries.


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Did you find the missing bearing? Is it possible that it did not fall into the pan, but got carried up into the valve cover by the chain and went down a galley in the head?

__________________
Michael LaFleur

'05 E320 CDI - 86,000 miles
'86 300SDL - 360,000 miles
'85 300SD - 150,000 miles (sold)
'89 190D - 120,000 miles (sold)
'85 300SD - 317,000 miles (sold)
'98 ML320 - 270,000 miles (sold)
'75 300D - 170,000 miles (sold)
'83 Harley Davidson FLTC (Broken again) :-(
'61 Plymouth Valiant - 60k mikes
2004 Papillon (Oliver)
2005 Tzitzu (Griffon)
2009 Welsh Corgi (Buba)

Still looking for it.



.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

Bought a 40+ year old one ton engine stand, NONE of the new 750 - 1200 pound rated stands survived more than 12 hours before bending..

The crankshaft is out.
Aluminum fragments from the failed pump where found in the oil oil galleries.

This is an old trick.

I will be soaking the crankshaft bearing surfaces with "Easy-Off oven cleaner".

There is a light coat of ALUMINUM on three of the crankshaft main bearing surfaces..

Here is a thread that describes the simple procedure.
Aluminum stuck on crank, chemical to remove it?


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Ha! I put an OM603 (longer/heavier) on a Chinese stand rated at 1000 lbs during my timing cover fiasco about 7 years ago. It bent forward enough to scare me into propping it up with a bottle jack and assorted wood as shown here and here. I later picked up a 2000-lb rated stand which is dead solid with an M119 mounted (here), but I haven't yet tried an OM603 (think it would be ok though).

I'd definitely recommend looking for an older, preferably US-built stand, like you had to do. If buying a new Chinese stand, get one rated at least double or preferably triple the expected load (i.e., 1500-2000 lbs rating, for most MB motors). Then you'll have even more fun when the mounting tubes are too short and you have to pull the flywheel to get the engine to bolt up (on some motors, like the M119). Don't ask how I know...