Changing 230SL timing chain

[saygold]

I ordered a new timing chain for my 230SL from Caliber Motors.  It came as one complete loop, rather than the expected "rope" with a master link.  Is there an easy way to install the new chain as recieved?

Note:  I do have my cylinder head off (again).

Thanks in advance for your help.

Best regards,
Ken
'66 230SL (euro, 4 speed)

[ja17]

Hello Ken,
No way to install an endless chain without removing the crankshaft! This must have been a mistake by Caliber. Call them and have them order a master link for you or replace it with a "open" chain.

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[lurtch]

Hello Ken , This summer I changed my timing chain using this lash-up that I designed. This job requires a lot of finesse and can be kind of tedious. My car is chocked precisely under the suspended sprocket. The black pipecleaners that I used to differentiate the new from the old can be seen if you look carefully. This is helpful for a progress check,  because you will be under the car ratcheting the crankshaft around. One note: the exact final position of the master link is not critical, as long as you have the cam lobes in the correct TDC location. The manuals all show it at the 12:00 on the sprocket but it really does not make any difference . It can be connected anywhere along the top sector of the sprocket. Good Luck with the job, Regards, Larry in CA.

Download Attachment: changing-camchain.jpg
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[Benz Dr.]

You can get a master link and grind the pins off one link to split the chain.
 If I don't have any help when replacing a chain I use plastic tie straps to hold the chain in place against the cam gear while I feed in the new chain. Takes a bit of time and several tie straps but it's fool proof ( well..... almost)

Dan Caron's
 SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
 slbarn.mbz.org
  1 877 661 6061

[rwmastel]

Ken,

If you're new to timing chain replacements, these links might help:

http://index.php?topic=661
http://index.php?topic=3451
http://index.php?topic=4021
http://index.php?topic=3525

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[saygold]

Rodd,

Thanks for the information.  This is my first attempt on changing a timing chain.  I read Joe's forum about installing your chain and that got me started on changing mine.  I have had the car for about 20 years so it's about time to replace it.

Thank goodness for all of the members who help out beginners like me!

Ken
'66 230SL (euro, 4-speed)

[saygold]

My missing master link arrived today and I am replacing the timing chain.  I got the original timing chain apart - the dremel worked like a dream.  I had a lot of room under the hood with the cylinder head off. I tied individual strings around the end plate, center and remainder of the link that I split.

The existing timing chain looked to be original.  It has the "curved" links, while the new one, although a complete loop, is oval.
 
The $64 question:  what is the safest way to connect the old chain and the new one before turning the engine over when installing the new chain?  I have a master link with the "c" clamps, but I did not want to use the clamps until the new chain was on.  Is it safe to use the existing link and just keep everything tight?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Ken
'66 230SL (euro, 4-speed)

[ja17]

Hello Ken,
This may seem scarey to you but this is what I do; Hook the new chain to the end of the old chain using the old master link (in this case the link you ground off. Install this link and the center plate but not the end plate or any clips. And go to work! No chance of things working loose in one revolution. Be sure to use the center plate it is important.

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[Benz Dr.]

Put lots of rags in the chain case opening while you hook chain ends together or install E clips. It's VERY easy to drop something into the frnt of the engine. Worst case is if a part falls in between the crank gear and the timing chain. You may be able to fish it out with a magnet, ( if it metal ) but if you start the engine without knowing there's something in the front of the chain case it could cause some serious damage.
Anything small that falls on through should pretty much stay at the bottom of the sub pan ( oil pan ) and not cause any problems. You wouldn't believe what I've found inside of engines. Oil bottle caps, lots of broken engine pices, chain rails, tools like screw drivers aand the best one of all......


Women's panties! ( yup that's right )

I asked the owner how something like that got into his engine and he said with a very red face,
  'Ah, well.... er.... um...  You see it was like this. I lost the oil filler cap when we stopped for fuel. I put a liter of oil in and forgot to put the cap back on.'
 
Yeeeesssss? I said.  WE??
 
' Well, I.. ah...yeah..... I had this girl with me....... and ah, well she said she smelled something bad - maybe smoke or something? I think your car is on fire is what I seem to remember her saying.
 
 UH HUH (It was all I could do to keep a straight face)

 SO.... well, you know..... I had to find something to plug the the hole up to keep the oil from flying out, know know? ( He seemed to be getting a bit defensive at this point, but  hey, the story was getting interesting so I pressed on )

 So what did you do ?

Well, I looked in the trunk but it was dark and I couldn't find anything that would work or fit. There's was no way I was ever going to find the filler cap and I really had to get her home.

 'Who was this pillar of virtue and beauty, anyway? ' I asked. ( Very sweetly said, I might add)

Oh, she's my wife now...... Let's just say she offered them ( her nickers ) as a way to fix the car so we coould get home. So I used them to stop the oil from coming out.

 Interesting.....  I offered.

 'Oh, very..... in fact, I thought she was so cool that I knew right there she was the one for me. We used the car for the wedding and our honeymoon ', he added.

 'That's nice ' I said.

So, when did you get married?
10 years ago......
Ah, so you mean to tell me that you had underware inside of your engine for the last ten years!?
 YUP, I guess so. Got home and they were gone. I figured they flew out. Never gave it another thought.... until now. ( he sensed a front page story )

 'OH, your secret is safe with me ' I assured him.

( yeah, right. hehehhehehe hehe )


Dan Caron's
 SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
 slbarn.mbz.org
  1 877 661 6061

[ja17]

That's a good one Dan,
It must go in the W113 "Hall of Fame"!

It reminds me of another strange incident. Had a customer who just bought an old Mercedes V-8. He didn't know enough about cars to check the oil. One day he was blowing down the highway about 80 mph with no oil in the engine and heard and bang and the car stopped running. When he loocked in his rear view mirror he saw something bouncing on the road. Not knowing what it was, he stopped and picked it up then came to see me. He lifted it to show me and asked in all seriousness "is this something important?" Clutched in his greasy hand was an oil starved and twisted connecting rod from his engine!  When I told him how serious it was he left his car in despair and I never saw or heard of him again!

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[Cees Klumper]

Ouch!
Funny stories for sure.
Reminds me of the time I drove back from vacation time in the South of France in my Triumph Spitfire. When the alternator seized (bearing trouble) we 'shorted it out' (with the alternator out of the fan-belt-loop, we needed to rig up a shorter 'fan belt')with:

First: our tent rigging ropes: they lasted a reasonably long while, say, 100 miles

Then: our sneaker laces: these lasted only a very short while

Thirdly: the pantyhose donated by a French lady going to church on Sunday morning: these lasted about 500 miles! In fact they lasted all the way to Brussels, where we:

Finally: picked up another pair of pantyhose (figuring this was the thing) which brought us all the way back to the North of Holland

Now with the alternator out of commission, we had to use electricity very sparingly. Luckily, it did not rain much (windshield wipers), the hand/emergency brake sufficed for most of the 1,000 mile drive (avoiding using the brake lights), and the only time we just had to use the indicator lights was on a very busy roundabout, somewhere in Belgium. Leave it to old Lucas "Prince of Darkness" electrics ...

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[DavidAPease]

Cees,

Would it be inappropriate to ask how you talked the French lady on her way to church on Sunday morning out of her panty hose?  :oops:

-David Pease
'66 French 230SL

[Cees Klumper]

Not at all David - it was like this: we (four 19-year olds with 2 Triumph Spitfires, not a common vehicle in 1979 France) were sitting on the side of a provincial road on the summer Sunday morning with the hood up, wondering what to do next now that all our tent- and shoelaces were spent, when a car stopped alongside. In it was a family on their way to church. The husband inquired about our situation and, when learning about the exact problem, did not say anything to us, walked over to his wife, spoke with her and the next thing we knew she was taking off her pantyhose in their car. He helped us convert it into a fan belt and off they (and we, after profusely thanking them in our best French) were.

I have since learnt that this is actually a fairly well-known fix. Still, I now always drive with a spare fan belt in my Pagoda ...

I have other, similar stories on the Triumph I owned for two years (about breaking down and having to be as resourceful as McGiver) but only one on my Pagoda, which I have now owned for 6.

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[ja17]

Yes Cees, I know this fix also. I always carried a spare set of pantyhose in the trunk of my car. The wife was very concerned after finding them one day! [:0]

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio