Cgi timing chain

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Rob66

New Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
4
Location
Birmingham
Car
C180 cgi
Hi, our 2010 c180 cgi blue motion needs its timing chain changed, I have been told in order to do this the top of the engine and sump have to be removed with a cost of over 4k (more than the car is worth) this obviously seems crazy to me for something that wears and would need changing at some point anyway. Has anyone had the same issues. Any advise would be appreciated
 
Pretty common issue on the engine. Take it to a specialist and repair costs with genuine Merc parts would be around 2k.
 
For a quote from a trusted specialist, contact Jay at Mercland in Nuneaton:


02476 386327
[email protected]

Mercland are one of the sponsors of this forum and have great reviews from members.
 
Hi Rob66, a very common fault on this engine. MB did not actually plan it to be a 'wear item' as such, they have been known to fail on cars with a full MB main dealer service history just as they have failed on cars that have not ben well looked after.

It is a bit of a lottery with this engine, many reports of no trouble after 200K+ mileage and others blowing up in less than 100K miles. Do not ignore it, more than a few perfectly good cars have been written off when the chain jumps a few teeth. Google ' M271 cam chain' . I believe the diesel and petrol, both turbo and supercharged shared the same suspect cam chain/sprocket arrangement.
 
For a quote from a trusted specialist, contact Jay at Mercland in Nuneaton:


02476 386327
[email protected]

Mercland are one of the sponsors of this forum and have great reviews from members.

Hi Rob66, a very common fault on this engine. MB did not actually plan it to be a 'wear item' as such, they have been known to fail on cars with a full MB main dealer service history just as they have failed on cars that have not ben well looked after.

It is a bit of a lottery with this engine, many reports of no trouble after 200K+ mileage and others blowing up in less than 100K miles. Do not ignore it, more than a few perfectly good cars have been written off when the chain jumps a few teeth. Google ' M271 cam chain' . I believe the diesel and petrol, both turbo and supercharged shared the same suspect cam chain/sprocket arrangement.
Had the car for 9 years, mainly main dealer service until last 3 years. Hardly spent a penny on it in all that time. Just not worth spending 4k on. After reading comments I'm getting more quotes. That's for the reply
 
Had the car for 9 years, mainly main dealer service until last 3 years. Hardly spent a penny on it in all that time. Just not worth spending 4k on. After reading comments I'm getting more quotes. That's for the reply

On this late M271 variant, it's usually the hydraulic tensioner that fails. So a replacement kit will include new timing chain, tensioner, and guides.

New camshaft sprocket wheels are not usually required on the later engines, but these may get changed based on condition following inspection (i.e if the teeth are worn).

In any event, do not drive the car or start the engine with a stretched timing chain, it could lead to valve-to-piston contact in which case the engine will be beyond economical repair.
 
I have been told in order to do this the top of the engine and sump have to be removed
I'm interested to know why the sump would need to be dropped to change the timing chain?
 
I'm interested to know why the sump would need to be dropped to change the timing chain?
You and me both, obviously I'm not going to pay the 4k to repair it so may never know. Probably going to scrap the car which is a shame for a 55k miles merc but financially its not worth doing. Currently waiting on new quotes
 
It does seem crazy. I'm interested as I currently run a C180 CGI, albeit the later M274 1.6 engine version
 
It does seem crazy. I'm interested as I currently run a C180 CGI, albeit the later M274 1.6 engine version

The 274 engine doesn't seem to have that problem!

Ernie

The worst that will happen is the you'll need a new thermostat.

But just before you breath a sigh of relief, it's a complex part with built-in electronics that sits in an inaccessible part of the engine... :(

~£800 from a dealer (parts and labour), or half that at a specialist.

Still, it's better than £2K for a new timing gear.....
 
The worst that will happen is the you'll need a new thermostat.

But just before you breath a sigh of relief, it's a complex part with built-in electronics that sits in an inaccessible part of the engine... :(

~£800 from a dealer (parts and labour), or half that at a specialist.

Still, it's better than £2K for a new timing gear.....
Well that's OK then 😄 Gone are the days when a thermostat was 2 quid and it took 10 minutes to change - and that included the time to make a cuppa.
But seriously, does anyone know why the OP was told the sump must be dropped? Still trying to get my head round that.
 
Well that's OK then 😄 Gone are the days when a thermostat was 2 quid and it took 10 minutes to change - and that included the time to make a cuppa.

...which was the case with the M271 engine on my W203.
 
But seriously, does anyone know why the OP was told the sump must be dropped? Still trying to get my head round that.

Does the garage that quoted £4000 think there are there are chain driven balance shafts in the sump that share the same crankshaft sprocket as the cam chain ? The 1.6 engines didn't have balance shafts at all but the C180 jumped about between 1.8 and 1.6 several times so the OP's engine may have them.

Not only would I be getting a 2nd quote for the work but I's also want a 2nd diagnosis of the problem and what is needed to be done.
 
The worst that will happen is the you'll need a new thermostat.

But just before you breath a sigh of relief, it's a complex part with built-in electronics that sits in an inaccessible part of the engine... :(

~£800 from a dealer (parts and labour), or half that at a specialist.

Still, it's better than £2K for a new timing gear.....
Yes...and I had that on mine, fortunately still under warranty. On mine, it triggered the EML. After being in and out of an East Coast Dealership 3 times, Arnold Clark in Grangemouth diagnosed and fixed it.

Ernie
 
Does the garage that quoted £4000 think there are there are chain driven balance shafts in the sump that share the same crankshaft sprocket as the cam chain ? The 1.6 engines didn't have balance shafts at all but the C180 jumped about between 1.8 and 1.6 several times so the OP's engine may have them.

Not only would I be getting a 2nd quote for the work but I's also want a 2nd diagnosis of the problem and what is needed to be done.
OK, that would explain it. Thanks! 👍
 
Yes...and I had that on mine, fortunately still under warranty. On mine, it triggered the EML. After being in and out of an East Coast Dealership 3 times, Arnold Clark in Grangemouth diagnosed and fixed it.

Ernie

That's odd. The fault that came with the EML on my car was very specific, it said 'the coolant temperature is below the coolant thermostat specified temperature (P012800)'. Difficult to misdiagnose.....

(There was a WIS TSB that said to try and update the engine ECU software first, but in my case the software was already on the latest version)
 
That's odd. The fault that came with the EML on my car was very specific, it said 'the coolant temperature is below the coolant thermostat specified temperature (P012800)'. Difficult to misdiagnose.....

(There was a WIS TSB that said to try and update the engine ECU software first, but in my case the software was already on the latest version)
I think the problem was that initially they tried the update which didn't work, later realised it was the thermostat and tried to avoid the job given the time it takes, even though it was still under warranty.

Ernie
 

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