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Sprocket with the stray plastic offered up to it for an exact fit.
Head off, exhaust valves bent, pistons and bores ok.
The actual offending piece found, nicely minced up, just inside the block side of the timing case.
With the head off it can clearly be seen that the IMS rails are black plastic and therefore not the culprit.
I removed the other scavenge pump and rocker cover. The scavenge pump was not seized, and everything in there looks great.
That cover was sealed with clear silicone, whereas the bent side was sealed with black. Someone has been in there before - I wonder if the stray bits were from a past episode? Is there any other possible origin for the plastic?
What brand head gasket was used in 03/04? I presumed they'd use Elring. This one is marked, so far as I can make out, VD
If something has happened to this engine in a past life, it was at least 6 years and 40,000 miles ago.
Today I pulled the engine and set about removing bank 2 cam cover, along with the water manifold, to enable removal of the guide. The guide was broken. How this was able to migrate to the opposite side of the engine and disable bank 1 is beyond me.
Based on this, I'm going to replace the IMS bearing, reco bank 1, reassemble, and reinstall the engine.
18 months later and having been written off in a fire in the meanwhile, the car runs again.
We ended up purchasing a parts engine, supposedly a 3.2, which actually turned out to be a 2.7. The plastic bits, all of which were melted, ended up on the 3.2. We replaced the IMS bearing with the pelican parts offering. Two 3.2 cams had a little corrosion, so after much deliberation, we elected to fit the 2.7 cam set, which on paper should give a bit more grunt down low. Memory can be a deceitful thing, but it certainly feels more muscular down low, and nothing seems lost higher up the rev range.
Given the failure, it was imperative we replace the timing chains. Unable to locate split chains with a master link, and unwilling to split the casing, perusing the Iwis catalogue suggested the chain spec to be D67ZN-19 . This is the same specification as for a Mercedes M119 engine, which I know from past experience is available with a master link. We purchased two of these chains, wound one out of the parts engine to check the length, cut the Mercedes chain to length, and wound it through the 3.2. Sure beats splitting the casing, and I have never seen a master link come apart on a Mercedes V8, which has a longer and more highly stressed chain than the M96. These are my own observations, and I am not an engineer - consider this path at your own risk, etc.
The car threw up a tiptronic warning and though it shifted, shifted poorly. Clearing the codes seems to have set it right.
An O2 sensor and the engine bay fan sensor remain to be replaced, along with the soft top and windscreen. We are awaiting the arrival of a new Porsche top from Holland. Evidently a specialist there has a few factory seconds (demister doesn't work) for a very competitive price. In winter, the hard top will be on it, so given the bargain price, it hardly seems worth worrying about a dead demister.
All told, very happy with the result. After everything, it hardly seems real its on the road once more.
If your Mercedes substitute works, you've made a great contribution to the knowledge base. Thank you for sharing with us.
Originally Posted by mb230sl
18 months later and having been written off in a fire in the meanwhile, the car runs again.
We ended up purchasing a parts engine, supposedly a 3.2, which actually turned out to be a 2.7. The plastic bits, all of which were melted, ended up on the 3.2. We replaced the IMS bearing with the pelican parts offering. Two 3.2 cams had a little corrosion, so after much deliberation, we elected to fit the 2.7 cam set, which on paper should give a bit more grunt down low. Memory can be a deceitful thing, but it certainly feels more muscular down low, and nothing seems lost higher up the rev range.
Given the failure, it was imperative we replace the timing chains. Unable to locate split chains with a master link, and unwilling to split the casing, perusing the Iwis catalogue suggested the chain spec to be D67ZN-19 . This is the same specification as for a Mercedes M119 engine, which I know from past experience is available with a master link. We purchased two of these chains, wound one out of the parts engine to check the length, cut the Mercedes chain to length, and wound it through the 3.2. Sure beats splitting the casing, and I have never seen a master link come apart on a Mercedes V8, which has a longer and more highly stressed chain than the M96. These are my own observations, and I am not an engineer - consider this path at your own risk, etc.
The car threw up a tiptronic warning and though it shifted, shifted poorly. Clearing the codes seems to have set it right.
An O2 sensor and the engine bay fan sensor remain to be replaced, along with the soft top and windscreen. We are awaiting the arrival of a new Porsche top from Holland. Evidently a specialist there has a few factory seconds (demister doesn't work) for a very competitive price. In winter, the hard top will be on it, so given the bargain price, it hardly seems worth worrying about a dead demister.
All told, very happy with the result. After everything, it hardly seems real its on the road once more.
Ultimately time will tell, I suppose, but after 1000km and plenty of red line, all seems fine so far.
Chain issues in an old M116/117 Mercedes V8 relate to a stretched chain slapping on a brittle ancient guide (and because of the position of one particular guide, becoming ingested between the chain and sprocket with predictable results), rather than a link or master link coming apart. These use a D67ZN-17, which isn't as strong. The M119 uses a D67ZN-19, and I have good relations with an MB parts person which is why I selected it as a donor. A few BMWs use a suitable chain, as well, but I don't know whether or not they are sold as an open chain with a link.
Anyway, one should undertake to try this only at their own risk.
08-30-2016, 05:45 AM
