Timing Guide Rail Replacement
 

Well today I pull the valve cover to see why I all of a sudden have a chirping sound when the engine is running. Well I find that the Timing Guide Rail plastic part of the guide has seperated from the actual metal pivot piece! So I order a new one. Now my question is how in the heck do you get the old out and the new in? Can it be done without taking off the whole front of the engine including water pump and timing cover? If so does anyone have steps to follow for best practices to do this? :(

This is for the 190E 2.3 8V!

You'll need to pull the front cover and my adivse would be you replace ALL your rails. If one snapped, the chances good that all the others are Quite brittle as well. Also a great time to replace your chain and tensioner...get the timing back in spec.

Jonathan

Timing is perfect and already did the other rail and tensioner when I did the head gasket! So the lower rail and this is all that is left! My problem is what is entailed in pulling the front cover? Does the Head have to come off and does the oil pan as well? I have replaced the water pump before so I know how to get the front end all apart! Also did the head gasket as well! But I do not want to have to go out and buy a head gasket set again and go through all that just to get a little piece of plastic and metal back in this car. Personally I am quite sick of the stupid crap that happens to these things. Everytime I think I am done something else happens. It will be a never ending saga and makes me want to dump both my Benz's, especially the W203 since it will be out of warranty soon!

It is a lot of work to replace the chain guide rail, but you won't need a new headgasket to do it, Just a tube of MB timing cover selant, deadly stuff, but works like a charm :)

xp

You Can leave the head in place according to the WIS (21 pages worth of info on doing the guide rails..). I would get new seals for the timing cover cam.

I'm surprised a new rail let go on you so soon:-/

IMHO, this is a rather rare occurance you have come across.. So don't get to down on it just yet..I would however ditch your 203..owning any new MB w/o a warantee is sketchy at best!

Here's a link to the image as the limits here are quite low:

http://jono.mbfans.net/190Rail.jpg
Jonathan

I am wondering if the metal will guide the chain fine. I would think it would last longer than the plastic and wear less anyhow! I may start it and see if the tensioner comes out enough! Almost looks like an engine swap would be easier than this timing chain rail. Although I have done 2 head gaskets on 2.3 8 V engines and the last one only took me 5 hours to do so you would think this would go much quicker. My issue is the damn oil pan has to come off! That just seems a little much to replace an $18 part that should have had an external bolt or pin and could easily be slid out the top without removing anything! Makes me wonder what the Engineers were thinking when they did this!

Well, the metal alone will probably work, but this part does wear - what do you want in your oil pan - metal shavings or plastic dust? I replaced my arm in an 86 560SL and I had wide grooves 1/3 of the way through the plastic exactly where the chain was. I think that's why MB went to the plastic overlay, the wear issue and possibly noise.

Well, last time I did an M103 head, took 2 and a bit to get the bugger off, but that was Pushing. Just using the metal part of the guide will Not work. You'll beat the chain to pieces. You Need the plastic on there.

Best of luck!

Jonathan

I have the replacement on the way. I did start it with just the metal and did not like it so she will be replaced immediately. Just have to figure out how to get the crank pulley bolt off by myself on an automatic without much trouble. I have no problem dismanteling half the engine, it just seems assinine to me the way they designed it since it is a $20 part that needs what looks to be a few hundred bucks in labor if it was taken to a shop. If I knew exactly where the bolt that holds it on was I would drill through the timing cover and get the bolt out and then plug the damn hole up so it does not leak! Why they could not have an external bolt there is beyond me! Have them for the other rails! Oh well, just grumbling!

Can someone help me out here. I have been looking at the Maint CD and it shows how to replace the whole unit and also just the plastic top piece that I need! Can anyone verify that the plastic can be snapped back on? I did notice that looking at pictures of the part that it seems to have two tabs on it, one to hold it in place at the top and one to lock the bottom on!