Lessons learned--Timing Chain 89 560sl

[Hatebreed]

Just finished the replacement of chain, guides, tensioner, and oilers. The guides were no problem at all. I fabricated a puller using a flat piece of steel, nuts, and bolt. I would highly recommend the purchase of the chain loader tool! I did not use the tool and had some difficulty. Also, have a buddy with you. This is not an easy task to do alone. I work in aircraft maintenance and broke some cardinal rules..... mark everything.... and take your time!! At one point, I had to fish the chain out of the engine with a bent coat hanger! The timing marks on my engine are not clearly marked. The left side has several marks which left to many minutes of head scratching. I used an online maintenance manual that did not clearly illustrate the marks or position. After some deductive reasoning, I have everything installed and running excellent. The lesson learned is a 4 hour job took 2 days.......because I was in a hurry and rushed the job.

My car has 108,000 miles. The tensioner arm was worn all the way to the metal. The stretch was 12 degree's. The cam oilers broke like they were made of glass. After the job was complete, I performed a compression test of the cylinders. All eight were excellent.

The moral of the story is......Take your time and get it done. This is an easy job but don't get cocky like me!

[bwostosh]

Congrats, As a former jet engine Ohaul machinist, I know you can do anything, With time and brains.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by Hatebreed

My car has 108,000 miles. The tensioner arm was worn all the way to the metal. The stretch was 12 degree's.

I just changed my chain and tensioner. Chain appeared to have 7 deg of stretch. But guides still looked good. They are original (1972) and therefore, the old type.

Surprised that a later model with less mileage would have worn that much?

[Lexxani]

Hatebreed, how did you reset your tensioner?

[Hatebreed]

Purchased new Febi tensioner. Came pre-set to 90Nm. The unit came with supporting data as to the torque and certification. I read a post were someone went through the trouble to check the load and found it to be a waste of time. As to installation, as per maintenance manual.