My problem is fuel fouling, not oil. #2 is covered in black powdery soot after only a few miles of driving. When I first start the car from cold, after running about two minutes, I hear a "click" and the idle slows down. Then it starts to run rough and emit black soot from the exhaust. It sounds like the a/c compressor kicking on, but the compressor is not plugged in and has no belt on it yet. There's a nice black patch on the ground under the exhaust and smells like raw gas. Once it warms up the black stuff goes away but still misses. Even with a fresh plug in it. Really strange. She still seems to run fine anywhere above idle, with a slight stumble initially. This car did sit for almost two years before I got it, only started occassionally. Any idea what the "clicking" could be? Are valve stem seals a difficult diy job? Special tools required? I've done complete rebuilds before but not on Mercedes. I guess I'm a little intimidated by the prospect of digging too deep into thing. But hey, it is a project car!!

P.S. dkveuro,
I'll probably see Ironzy on Monday. I'll pass your message to him. He's still working bugs out of his GTI. He's got it running but having issues with plumbing for the turbo. His 300 seems to be running pretty good although he's been complaining of a slight miss at idle. He had valve seals replaced last year due to smoke on startup.

__________________
U. S. Air Force Air Traffic Controller
"U gotta keep 'em separated!!"