Affordable clones of the specialized MB dealership cam-timing tools are now avalable for the independent garages and DIYers who need to replace an OM 651 timing chain or remove the head for any reason (head gasket, reconditioning valvetrain, etc).
This is of course in Europe only for now since many 651-equipped taxis and courier vehicles are out of warranty due to milage and a lot of owner-operators aren't too keen on paying dealership rates for repair work.
Unfortunately, the fact that a cloned dealership tool like this exists and is available lends credence to the concerns about the timing chain on the 2.1L engines being an inherent weakness in the engine design (at least for the passenger-car single chain versions, see post #2). The market responds to demand -- if an engine has no real weaknesses (or has very few examples in existence like a Ferrari), then the aftermarket has no reason to mass-produce specialized tools to repair it.
Once a sizable number of 4-cylinder Sprinters start passing the 100,000 mile mark in North America its likely that these tools will become more readily available Stateside as well. I'm going to guess that a set like this will cost around $100 shipped in a couple years, which will make maintenance more affordable for 4-cyl owners.
This is of course in Europe only for now since many 651-equipped taxis and courier vehicles are out of warranty due to milage and a lot of owner-operators aren't too keen on paying dealership rates for repair work.
Unfortunately, the fact that a cloned dealership tool like this exists and is available lends credence to the concerns about the timing chain on the 2.1L engines being an inherent weakness in the engine design (at least for the passenger-car single chain versions, see post #2). The market responds to demand -- if an engine has no real weaknesses (or has very few examples in existence like a Ferrari), then the aftermarket has no reason to mass-produce specialized tools to repair it.
Once a sizable number of 4-cylinder Sprinters start passing the 100,000 mile mark in North America its likely that these tools will become more readily available Stateside as well. I'm going to guess that a set like this will cost around $100 shipped in a couple years, which will make maintenance more affordable for 4-cyl owners.
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