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New to Mercedes forum, could use some help..

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  panzerbenzer 
#1 ·
Hello, nice to meet everyone. As stated Im new to the Mercedes world.. not new at all to the car world... Ive been building street rods, quarter mile cars, replica vehicles, and trick vehicles for many years, not to mention jetskis and jet boats. I run my fathers collision repair shop, and work on all makes and years, every day. So Im fairly good at mechanics and figuring things out.

Anyways, this last week I purchased a 1997 280c AMG Sport, silver, extremely clean, 89K miles. 6 cylinder, automatic. It had a blown headgasket, result of broken plastic coolant fitting at rear drivers side of firewall.
No problem, I thought, Ive done dozens of headgasket jobs, on audis, VWs, even a few Porsche, so how bad could a Mercedes be, right? Hmmm...

I tore it down, with few to non problems, had the head checked out, and went about to put everything back together. Im TD on crank, My cams are set correct, and I have exactly the same amount of links between cam sprockets as before I took apart, everything I marked with paint pen is all lined up...
Heres the PROBLEM: I go to put the tensioner back in through the hole by the alternator, but as I tighten it in... it makes the timing chain EXTREMELY tight....

I have checked timing numerous times, turned over by hand, etc, etc, tried the "clutch" sprocket (drivers side cam sprocket) both ways... nothing changes.

I spent several hours today trying to figure it out, googling it, etc... finally a friend told me about this Forum for Mercedes owners,, so here I am.

Should I have not taken the tensioner out? Or???

Thank you in advance for any help.
 
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#4 ·
the tensioner is hard to describe. are you saying it wont physically fit back in its hole? when i replaced my tensioner only, i had issues getting it back in, but once you compress it and get it in there it will be under the spring pressure. im guessing yours is out all the way. if you want to understand the tensioner a bit better i can post up some instructions for removing and installing the tensioner.
 
#5 ·
thank you very much, I would like that. The tensioner screws into its hole behind the alternator easy enough with two hands (one pushing it in, one starting it into its threads)..then I put a ratchet/socket on it... the problem is as it gets almost entirely screwed in, it is putting so much tension on the guide plate it pushes against that it tightens the timing chain up ALOT... the chain becomes VERY TIGHT.. which concerns me,,,
As stated before, everything else about this head gasket was very straight forward and I could have had this all back together with a total of less than 5 hours into it. But Im held up at this point now. My timing marks are all on, I didnt strip any bolts (used proper tools for everything) it was no problem, not fun, but nothing out of the ordinary..

But I dont know whats going on now with this tensioner. If by removing it I allowed it to completly expand is there a way to compress it again, in a vice perhaps or????

PLEASE!! I need to put this back together and no one in my area knows anything about these cars.
 
#6 ·
Well, I no longer think it has anything to do with the chain tensioner....as I took that apart yesterday, to find its a simple spring loaded mechanism, I see no adjustment in it. Also I installed it with the spring and rear allen cap setting on the bench (so completely collapsed) and the chain still gets to tight.
I went ahead and took off the entire front cover down to the oil pan, to get a good look at the path of the chain as it goes down and around the crank, and I find nothing out of the ordinary.
I have searched and searched, and finding nothing on the internet. The only thing I changed in this equation was the head gasket... is it possible the Benz shop sold me a gasket to thick???
I can find no reason as to why the chain is to tight now. Any MB Mechanics on here have any ideas or anyone???? Bueller? Bueller?
Seriously guys, Ive built all sorts of radical vehicles, if I have to take a car to a shop, which its looking that way, then its goind down the road, and my stay in the Mercedes world will be short lived.
 
#8 ·
what I ws told was that the tensioner plunger needs to be pulled from the housing body from the front..the body is then screwed into the block then you need to put the plunger spring and filler piece in all one. I had the same problem and I tried to turn my crank and my chain was soo damn tight that I couldnt even turn the crank..
 
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