Crankshaft movement

[menesesjesse]

I,m tearing down a car that has a lot of issues and I have come across this and need some opinions.  At the crankshaft pulley the crank can be push in and out about a 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch.  I don't think this is normal on a 280 motor. What are your thoughts and where should I check things?   The motor appears to have been rebuilt but not really well by some of the issues I see.  Thanks

[Dave H]

Something off there...crankshaft endplay should only be .004"-.007"
Search on this forum for thrust bearing wear , or crankshaft endplay posts.

[stickandrudderman]

I saw an engine recently that had been "rebuilt". Whoever rebuilt it had installed the thrust bearing on the wrong web......

[Shvegel]

It just so happens I have my 90,000 mile  280SL M130 engine upside down in my garage with the crank resting on just the lower bearing shells.  I measured the end play and it is .15mm or .006 inches with the original bearing shells in it.  The thrust bearing is on the third journal back from the front of the engine.  I bet the thrust bearing either isn't there or as Stick found it on one he did is on the wrong journal.

[Tyler S]

Just a note on the subject; vehicles with manual transmissions tend to have more thrust bearing wear than automatics. Every time the clutch is depressed it loads the thrust bearing.

[Benz Dr.]

Cranks have a natural tendency to move forward as they run so you may find more wear on the back portion of the thrust bearing.

[menesesjesse]

I was told that the car ran well but I would question that.  I am thinking the thrust bearings are shot.  the motor doesn't have a serial number so I am thinking it was a factory replacement at one time. I think I will be pulling this motor instead of trying to nurse it to life. Previous information says it has only 130-140 psi on the cylinders. I would say this is a tired motor.  Different question for the 280 motor.  We're the heads shared with the 280 SE motors or is it telltale when you see 280 SE on the head.  Thank you everyone.

[114015]

Jesse...,

You have been long enough a member here to know that or to have read about this.   

Why don't you just do a quick search?

Basically, there are two series of 280 M130E engines used in our Pagodas: early and late.
The shape of the headgaskets and combustion chambers are slightly different...

https://www.sl113.org/wiki/Engine/CylinderHead

... but there is no difference between M130 sedan versus SL engines a such with regard to the big components (shortblock, cylinder head).
The differences between SL and SE are:
- engine arms
- fuel injection pump set up (and numbering)
- tach drive on the SL engine
- and camshaft (sharper for the SL) on non-US versions: 170 bhp instead of 160 bhp.

That's all.


Best,
A.