amanonfire

If the valves are bent it might be cheaper to replace the entire engine than have all the work required done to rebuild the head and deal with whatever damage the timing chain did. The cost of an engine is higher, yet the labour is far less.

Tri-Star

Man sorry to hear about this. I would def opt for the c32 engine and ecu or maybe a v6

Hogger

That's me in the other thread that Glyn referred to.
I got my head from Mike at Metric Motors in Canoga Park, CA. for $750, he has engines too. Then it's just a matter of getting a chain, tensioner, guides, and new gaskets. The work isn't hard. You can save a LOT by doing it yourself. Swapping an engine would be more expensive, but an easier job.

BF_JC230

What I would like to know - is - did "something" cause this...

Drag starts...one high RMP, constant high RPM, no oil changes, diesel fuel top off, etc...

How many miles on the Engine?

Boom vang

Changing the chain involves several specialized tools in order to take off the chain or to assemble it. What are you using as I can't imagine that it is even worth purchasing for a single event, the diagram that Glyn posted listed several MB tools that none of us would have and thought that this repair is for the stealership or an MB independent

Hogger

I haven't had to buy any of the MB special tools, and I've got the engine all torn down ready to put it back together when my parts show up. Timing chain, and balance chain removed.
I have had to buy a few tools that I didn't have, like a long set of needle nose pliers, a cheap chain breaker(which I didn't need), a 27mm socket, and an E-socket & star bit set. All from Harbor Freight for around $35.
The only thing I'm thinking I might have a little issue with, is linking the chains together, but I have an idea that might work.
It's not that hard.... Really, it's not.

Boom vang

taking apart is easy, it is linking the chains without the proper tool can be difficult, I know from linking a bike chain without a good tool can be problematic and sometimes you end up with a stiff link

ncmudbug

I know you say it's easy, Hogger, but from where I sit, it looks more than I'd want to tackle. Keep up the good work!

JD203

yes i definitely have a forum of great people to help me along the way, and helping me it's definitely doing so. thank u so much for all your help peydiddy. i really do appreciate it.

JD203

my car has 97K in it. i blame myself because i waited til i had it checked out. the check engine light would come out, then it would be gone after a few days. sometimes the car would idle roughly, and starting up the engine would produce some kind of weird noise, rough sounding. all i thought was maybe from a cold start. i should've had it checked out as soon as the engine light came out. very expensive lesson to learn.

JD203

i was at the shop this week, and went through options on what kind of motor we're going to get. i also pitched the idea on upgrading the engine and performance possibilities for my car. i also mentioned the c32 or c55 engine swap. he said it would be possible but it would not be a good idea in the long run. i also plan on keeping my c230k for a long time, so i opted with a lesser mileage M271 engine. we also discussed my future plans for the car which includes minimal performance upgrades and goodies. i am now somewhat relieved and over the state of depression that i was in(thanks to this forum).

it is nice to find a performance shop that doesn't just see u as a giant dollar sign. this guy takes the time to explain every single detail to u about how and what went wrong as well as how the whole thing works in general. ROMtech also treats my car as if it was his own. i never felt this confident on a performance shop ever. but then again, i never had this much work needed for a car. we'll see how it goes. i am actually excited on how things are going to unfold in the near future. i am waiting on a call from him to pick out engines based on mileage and price.

JD203

yea, but i heard it's more to it than just dollar signs and swapping it on there.

Hogger

That's a good stretch on the chain. Looks just like mine did.
Good luck, and keep us posted.

JD203

yea thanks hogger, i bet u didn't need a new motor because u didn't NEGLECT it!!!! LOL.
yea i'll keep everyone posted, thanks. o, if u look closely on the intake cam sprocket(that's what it is right? sprocket on the driver side?), u can see the chewed out teeth. sux. it was a tooth off TDC, but the other one was way off.

ncmudbug

It sounds like you have a good shop! I only hope they are as good to you as LILBENZ230's shop is to him. I'm really anxious for your post when you pick up your car after they've fixed it! Good luck!

LILBENZ230

CELs, rough idle, and it sounds like you had the classic chain rattle at cold start. I hope everyone with an M271 really pays attention to their car at cold start.

I have right at 133,000 on my 2005. I change the oil every 13,000 miles with Mobil 1 0W-40 only. I check the oil level on a regular basis with dyno mode and even if it is not prompting me for oil, I keep it topped up to the exact 5.5L it calls for. Even if it is at 5.3L, I top it up. It'll go through about .5L in 13,000 miles.. damn good for a car driven like I drive it and at that mileage.

I urge fellow C230K owners to do the same. And listen at start-up. You can replace the chains and tensioners fairly cheaply.

amanonfire

Holy crap that is a lot of play. I wouldn't think a chain could stretch that much - yikes. Did the tensioner fail?

saespyder

I wish you the best buddy. I needed a full top end rebuild a few months ago and it was nearly as stressful as what you're going through now. On the plus side, a lower mileage engine might actually save you money down the road, especially if you replace common wear items like everyone had mentioned.

To be honest, adding performance parts at a time like this seems like you're just looking for a potential headache down the road. If something goes wrong off the jump it seems like it'd be harder to diagnose.

Lilbenz, I forgot you mentioned that and was charged $250 for the chain itself last week. I was PISSED when he showed me the invoice.

Glyn M Ruck

A lower mileage engine at a good price seems a good deal in this case. In some cases it's a matter of better the devil you know than a total unknown from a scrap yard.

Make sure they give you some kind of warranty on the new engine to make sure it has no latent defects.

JD203

yea man, the tensioner might have failed. that's the little plastic/rubber thing between the sprockets under the chain right? i actually didn't have one on there when they we took the valve cover off. don't know how it happened.

JD203

NEGLECT(what i did) = not doing any of the above = timing chain F up!

please fellow w203 owners, learn from this costly mistake.

JD203

thanks for the support seaspyder, i appreciate it buddy. roughly how much did the top end rebuild cost u? just curious.

JD203

i haven't contacted the shop since as i've been busy with work and figuring other stuff out that ties into this whole messed up situation. anyway, i'm gonna stop by the shop after work tomorrow to see what's up with my car. i will definitely keep u all posted. peace!

JD203

yea i know, thanks for the advice Glyn M Ruck. yea most of the engines i've been looking at do have these warranties. but what about after it expires, are these expensive to renew? or apply for a new one? thanks boss.

JD203

did u need a new engine too? how did u deal with it?