hey folks
well my 1988 190e 2.3 has been making the slight tapping sound from the engine when running but mainly after a long drive. Well last week after driving 3 hrs i went staright to the mech and had him give it a listen. . he sems to think its something to do with either the lifters or chain tensioner. he was grumpy (his brother just passed) so he simply said it would cost a whole lot and i didnt want to bug him.
I have searched through a few threads on the topic but none had a specific estimate on the hours required to change lifters or timing chain tensioner. The ticking sound isnt all that loud however i want to keep my baby in the best possible shape. So how many hours do you think?
Vehicle: 1986 190E 2.3-16, 1992 190E 2.3 and 2007 GL450
Location: new york city
Posts: 868
First, if you are like me, you treat your car better than you treat yourself. However, we can get carried away pampering our babies.
If you are using Mobil 1 low weight oil, then the heat of the motor may be thinning the oil to the point that a little metallic contact becomes evident after a while.
Oil must remain at 65 Celcius or else the oil temperature light will come on. This happens when there is a low oil condition. Less oil heats up more.
Mobil 1 may be so thin that despite good temperature, it allows tapping noises to occur.
Otherwise, I would estimate a four hour disassembly followed by a four hour reassembly.
of the tensioner or the valves?! Removing and putting in a new tensioner (not the blade just the tensioner takes a max of an hour. I just got done putting an updated tensioner in my car. After i got the right tools life was simple. If its ticking the chain may have slacked caused by many things which do include broken guides and slack tensioner.
First, if you are like me, you treat your car better than you treat yourself. However, we can get carried away pampering our babies.
If you are using Mobil 1 low weight oil, then the heat of the motor may be thinning the oil to the point that a little metallic contact becomes evident after a while.
Oil must remain at 65 Celcius or else the oil temperature light will come on. This happens when there is a low oil condition. Less oil heats up more.
Mobil 1 may be so thin that despite good temperature, it allows tapping noises to occur.
Otherwise, I would estimate a four hour disassembly followed by a four hour reassembly.
Well i use Castrol syntec 10-40 since my last oil change. It still made the noise when i was on regular penzoil non synth 10-40. I was looking at a hayes manual and it seems that i dont even need to remove the valve cover to get to the tensioner? is this right
also what is this that is reffered to as a Lifter? I see cam lobe->rocker arm->hydraulic tappet->valve. where does the lifter fit in?
The tensioner update is pretty easy. I think you need to slacken the drive belt and move the alternator out of the way to get at it...Also see if a 15-40 HD oil helps quiet the engine. I also renewed the poly belt adjustment assy and belt while I was in there. I'd do oil analysis and see if anything is out of the ordinary before I tore into the top end of the motor. Your lifters could "tick" and still not cause any metalic wear to the engine. It could be something YOU hear and 10 other drivers would ignore. Regular oil changes are still the best preventive medicine while you figure the problem out. I run 20-50 or straight 30 in the summer and lighten it up for the winter. 15-40 HD would be a good all around oil for a car with 200K.
Tappets and cam followers probably refer to solid pieces that require valve lash adjustment. Lifters probably refer to hydrulic units that don't require valve adjustment. Ship, Boat... we all know what your talking about.
Vehicle: 1986 190E 2.3-16, 1992 190E 2.3 and 2007 GL450
Location: new york city
Posts: 868
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ignatz
Tappets and cam followers probably refer to solid pieces that require valve lash adjustment. Lifters probably refer to hydrulic units that don't require valve adjustment. Ship, Boat... we all know what your talking about.
The difference is equal to the difference between a pushrod single camshaft motor and an overhead camshaft motor.
A lifter rides on the central camshaft and pushes the pushrods up and actuates the rockers which push down on the spring loaded valves.
On an overhead camshaft motor, the cam pushes the rocker which on one end pushes down on the spring loaded valve, but the opposite end of the rocker sits on a hydraulic tappet.
Oil is used to establish the correct clearance between the metal parts so as to provide a quiet, stable lift point so the valve enters the cylinder for the correct distance and duration to let air/fuel in or exhaust out.
I did my lifters and tensioner in about 3 hours. could have been quicker but engine was still near oprating temp when I started. would sugest to work on cold engine. had some blisters afterwards :-)
Linear Mode
