Good going George! I've also done the job and I agree it's not much more difficult than doing a B230. Biggest problem was trying to find torque specs and service notes. Biggest hassle was getting all the accessory belts on and off. The moral of your story and many others is 'Don't gamble on delaying 16-valve timing belt changes'.

Without the magical belt tensioning gauge your results are obviously very dependent on a properly functioning hydraulic tensioner (or manual tensioner as in my case). These tensioner can leak or seize with age, so without the gauge and without additional leverage, the tendency would probably be to undertighten the belt, if anything. Although this would go a lot easier on the pulley bearings and bolts, it might be at the expense of premature belt wear and ultimately pre-mature failure. Without the tensioning gauge, the trick is to have some feel for 'normal' belt tension. Unlike the non-interference engines, guess too far off and it could lead to a lot of work or a big repair bill.

By the way, did you replace the oil pump pulley bolt? It's a fairly well known failure point presumably due either to over-torquing or the use of a standard grade bolt where a stronger bolt should have been spec'd.

What method did you use to judge balance shaft serpentine belt tension?

And don't forget to go back in and re-tension the belts after they've fully relaxed with use, sometime in the next 3,000 miles or so.

-Dave '89 740 GLE B234F