lifters

[aus280]

boys and girls i cannot stand it anymore my freaking lifters are loud as fuck its louder than the bloody exhaust! ive take the rocker cover off had a good look at them they seem to be in good condition. should i go about replacing them? ive tried thicker oil didnt do much how much is a new set in australia

[oscar]

I'd try adjusting the valve clearances first.  What year is your 280? 

The procedure might be different for the hydraulic lifters but go to the Library, open the service manual and look for the link:

05-210 Checking and adjusting valve clearance which covers 280's upto 1976 I think.

[Martin 280s]

Well said Oscar. It does wonders, and suprising a well regulated fuel system brings down some of the 'noise' too. I discovered this after finally getting my carb in tune.  

[WGB]

I always thought noisy tappets was a Mercedes 6 cylinder trademark up until they went Hydraulic.

I presume the 280 motor went Hydraulic in 1976 at the same time as the V8 when the Fuel injection went from D-Jet to K-Jet.

Prior to that it was always considered good maintenance to be able to "hear " the tappet noise as it meant the valves lasted longer with a little extra clearance rather than risk the gap closing up.

This applied to all the SOHC and DOHC motors from the 1950's to 1976.

Bill

[Andrew280SEL]

I presume the 280 motor went Hydraulic in 1976 at the same time as the V8 when the Fuel injection went from D-Jet to K-Jet.

Yep, I second that. Absolutely correct.

[oscar]

That's what I based my presumption on but I'm still looking for a bit of proof to define which M110 engines had what.  I'm sure there'd be a list around somewhere.  That would be the easiest way to check.  Otherwise it's hard to tell without looking very closely at the rocker arms.

Noisy tappets affect my 280s and 350se, both early enignes which rules out it being an M110 only trait, more so a result of non hydraulic tappets in V8's and IL6's I reckon.  And there's truth in what you say WGB regarding noisy tappets being not such a bad thing.  After the 350 was adjusted for the first time in god knows how long, I got more power and noiser tappets.  Maybe "more audible" tappets might be a better description. 

If they're really that noisy aus280, I think there may be an oiling issue too regardless of what you've tried.  the M110 has a different oiling setup to the V8's so I'm not sure how the area is oiled but there may be a blockage somewhere and some dry areas on the camshaft.

[Grant V]

From what I can remember, all DOHC M110 motors have manual tappet adjustment, and only went hydraulic with the introduction of the M103 SOHC motor (260E,300E,300SE).
Getting the tappets quiet on a M110 motor is not that easy, and at best it has a muffled clatter. Tappets should be checked and adjusted every 20 000km.
Check the profile of the cams and the rockers, as these can sometimes wear.

[Martin 280s]

From what I can remember, all DOHC M110 motors have manual tappet adjustment, and only went hydraulic with the introduction of the M103 SOHC motor (260E,300E,300SE).
Getting the tappets quiet on a M110 motor is not that easy, and at best it has a muffled clatter. Tappets should be checked and adjusted every 20 000km.
Check the profile of the cams and the rockers, as these can sometimes wear.

Grant,
I believe you're right there. 'solid' tappets on my M110 and others I've seen too. A friend of mine's W124 whispers in comparison to my old lady. It's not easy to reduce the noise but, it's all part of the charm.

[s class]

OK first off is it a M110 or a V8?

Grant is correct.  All M110's have solid tappets. 

The V8's had solid up to '76, then hydraulic. 

If you have solid lifters, check the clearances.  On my 280SE, I can only just hear ticking on idle with the bonnet open and the engine in a good state of tune. 

If you have a later V8 with hydraulic tappets, then they have collapsed, or you have an oil feed problem.

OK.  Are you sure its tappets and not a stretched chain?  ON the M110, the chain seldom jumps even when very streched, but it can slap against the inside of the tappet cover making a hell of a racket.

If you have a v8 with a streched chain or broken chain guides, be warned it will soon jump and say goodbye valves. 

[Andrew280SEL]

Grant is correct.  All M110's have solid tappets. 

The V8's had solid up to '76, then hydraulic. 

Huh? This is news to me. Mine is as quiet as anything.

[aus280]

sorry havent replied internet shat itself for a while yes its a 280se 78. dohc. ill have a go ad adjusting the when its not raining hopefuly it makes a difference. as for oil issues it gets plenty of it because there covered in it

[s class]

If you need help, I set my 280's tappets yesterday and took a full photo documentation of it. 

[oscar]

Yes! on behalf of every 280er Could you please post em sclass     
Any special tools required?

Something I noticed in the manual regarding replacement tappets was this photo where it says only by the later type with oil hole should be used.  Am I to assume that every M110 has the ability to pump oil towards the rocker?

The second thing was regarding the rocker arms where it says the second version with a 14mm guiding surface should be used. 

Do you guys think the later replacements for both parts have anything to do with reducing tappet noise and maybe the reason Andrew's 280 is so quiet?

As to one of your first questions aus280, lifters cost around $30US approx.

[s class]

Oscar, the stuff you dig up - I never knew there were two types.  My car has, well, whatever it came with.  Given that its a late model, I'll assume it has the pater, preferred version.  I do have a '73 parts engine - which I had the tappet cover off yesterday to 'borrow' some replacement retaining springs.  Pity I never looked at that. 

[Nutz]

Are we sure this isn't ping from incorrect timing or inferior fuel?