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I thought you said it was already riveted together. Or, do you intend to break it and feed it in then reconnect it?
Yes sir, I'm using the method which is the topic of this thread, the new chain is temporarily attached to the old chain and fed through the engine and finally riveted together.
To my understanding any other installation method is 10 times more effort
Just completed second chain replacement. I made one improvement to the process. Instead of removing the cam cover with a slide hammer I used a 1" PVC coupling tapped with a dead blow hammer into the opening for the vacuum pump. I did need to sand a slight chamfer into the leading edge to get it started straight. This was far faster and IMO less risky than the slide hammer route. Improvised cam cover removal tool
So, question for those of you that have already replaced your chains.
Do the new master link pins need to be crimped on BOTH ends?
Or is the new master link already crimped on one end?
Please say "it's already crimped on one end".
I crimped mine only on the one end after pressing on the final side plate. I didn't inspect the other end of the master link to make sure it was crimped from the factory.
And of course, now I have the valve cover back on and mostly re-assembled. So I would really prefer not to take the valve cover back off so I can sleep tonight....
I can look down in the oil cap on my older jeep OM642 and see the chain, but the GL350 I'm working on right now has a splash shield down in there that completely obscures visibility to look at the chain.
Never mind. I think I found the answer. In case anybody else is wondering...
WIS instructions say to press on the end plate and then crimp the one end only. Also a mercedes video I found on youtube (
) shows cam chain replacement on gasoline v6 and specifies crimping only on the one end of the pins.
And I also stuck a borescope down there and looked at thee crimps on every link (at least 3 times...) and couldn't tell which one was the installed link.
Kinda makes sense that the end with pre-installed end plate would be pre-crimped, but I can't sleep with doubt like that...
Not easily. The pins are a press fit through the side plates. It takes substantial pressure to force the master link through the mid plate, and then the final end plate is forced onto the pins from the other side
Thanks. I’m feeling a lot better about it. I agree that it would make sense for the link to be factory crimped. Otherwise there would probably be a significant change of the piece racking in the tool and getting the pins offset.
I’ll take some pictures of my tool modifications and start another thread about how to modify the chain tool so that the intake cam doesn’t need to be removed.
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