Answering my own post since it's been a couple of days. I'll have a compression tester and a set of new heat shields in my greasy little hands today. Compression tester to make sure there's still a valve on 2E before I try adjusting anymore. My set of 3 hazet tools will be here today as well so I can properly hold the spring cap.

The rest of my valves rechecked correctly, very closely to what I had set them at, slight changes from 35 miles of driving with a fuel filter full of powerkleen (carbon??).

Have a line on a local 300D (not a CD) but another 617 turbo car with 86k claimed close to accurate miles on it. A bit pricey but if I've got no compression in #2 I'm going to pick it up as a driver for now and eventual parts car.

SNIPPPERSSSS<<<>>>>

Oke. that third tool did the trick, even though it's not discussed in the DG how to (but is in the shop manual), if there is a really bound up valve spring cap like mine, you've gotta have the tool. Pressing a screwdriver against it didn't work, not really room for vicegrips, and wow did it make the job fast. 2E was VERY tight, I didn't do a compression test before, but I had to go quite a few turns to get gap.

Torqued my injector that I'd removed earlier with a new heat shield. Bled that line. Engine was just a sec slow to start and smoked like they were having a sale on Lucky Strikes at the old folks home. Took off for a drive, killed all the insects in fields with the cloud that came out. 20 minutes of driving later came back, engine nice and smooth, no smoke. Turned off the key, shut right down, started it up and it fired right on the click, no smoke, seems like a happy camper.

Now all I have to do is find out how to hook up a real tach so I can set the idle properly.....and then troubleshoot the cruise control.

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Eric, CPO, Submarines, retired.
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Mine: '68 Corvette LS1/4L65E, 83 240D, 2000 GMC 4x4, 08 FLSTC Anniv
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