I wouldn't worry about it - just be GENTLE when turning the setscrew. It should turn fairly easily. DO NOT force it if it seems to stop turning.

__________________
Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

Yes your lines to the switchover valve are backwards. These are the proper order, but like dave says, i don't think they matter.

Attached Thumbnails

   

__________________
Jason

00 Subaru Legacy (fun wagon)
96 Nissan Sentra (disavowed)
82 300SD (garage queen, will run again hopefully)
87 300DT (Gone: 10/15/2010)

Guys thanks so much for all your help, I'll let you knwo what the outcome is when I get around to it tomorrow!

I've been following this thread along and there are a couple of things I need to say here. The smoke that is produced with the ALDA at full out is NOT carbon buildup as previously stated. It is soot from fuel that is not completely burned. Diesels can get carbon buildup, but mine is run at 65 mph or over every day and it still smokes.

Remember that fiddling with the ALDA is changing the pollution setting that the factory set to comply with EPA regulations and therefore could be considered illegal. If you live in a state where emssions are tested your car will NOT pass. I know everybody does it, but be careful if you have to test your car annually. The ALDA will not stand up to a yearly fiddling. In addition your fuel mileage will drop somewhat.

__________________
Old age and treachery will allways overcome youth and skill!

1993 S500
1984 380SL

If your car was running at factory spec and you richen the ALDA, the above is true. However almost all 15+ year old Benz diesels with virgin ALDA's are running WAY too lean, and turning them up will not increase pollution, nor decrease MPG. A properly adjusted ALDA will make very little smoke at WOT and will NOT lower fuel economy. If you get a lot of smoke or a MPG drop, it's too rich - turn it down.

Point one: ALDA's are bench tested while installed on the fuel injection pump at the factory.

Point two: Most people do not have the equipment or the ability to remove the entire fuel injection pump assembly to do a bench test.

Point three: any adjustment that a shadetree mechanic would do would be of the hit or miss variety with a heavy emphasis on miss.

Point four: making more than a couple of adjustments to an ALDA will most likely damage the delicate mechanism.

Now, as I said earlier everyone does it, but you should know the drawbacks before you start. I'm not trying to insult anyone but you should know that I fooled with the one on my 300SD and promptly received a ticket for pollution violation from one of our Northeastern states that I was traveling through.

I only state information that I received from Dr. Marshall Booth who is an advisor for diesels for MBCA and has forgotten more about diesel injection than I will EVER know.

__________________
Old age and treachery will allways overcome youth and skill!

1993 S500
1984 380SL

Ah yes, I know Doc Booth well from the MBZ email lists. Sharp guy! The ALDA is not nearly as fragile as you might think. Have you ever dissasembled one and rebuilt it? I have. Photos are on my website (URL below). They're not fragile. And while bench calibration is definitely the preferred method, I'd bet you can get within 90% of factory calibration spec (or better!) if you PROPERLY tweak it. Dinking around with a heavy hand on it, and/or not knowing what you're doing, yeah you can either break it and/or get too rich (smoking/polluting/wasting fuel). It used to be more risky to damage an ALDA since there were few available used, but now they are pretty common & cheap, in case anything bad happens. I've messed with at least a half-dozen with nothing but positive results. YMMV, etc...

Photos of ALDA internals:
http://www.meimann.com/images/mercedes/OM603_injection/

DaimlerChrysler:
Thank you for your concern....That really is very helpful to me, however, Florida is no longer having vehicle exhaust testing. Therefore, I am not in the least worried about that. But to answer or comment on your concern, my car is now smoking less to none than before I fiddled with the ALDA. Before, I could see the black smoke coming from the back while stopped at a traffic light in the headlight beams. Last night after tweaking the ALDA, I could not even see a hint of smoke comming from the exhaust, so in all fairness, I thin k I did the environment a favor by tweaking the ALDA a bit. Also, my fuel econonmy is AWESOME. I am now at 300 miles driven, and has not reached 1/4 of a tank yet.

GSXR:
Many many thanks to you and the rest of the guys who chimmed in and guided me through all these little adjustments. I took her out yesterday to strech out her legs, and boy let me tell you. I have not seen that car perform like that ever! She was great on the highways. I was even passing cars and changing headlight beams for them to MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!!!! LOL LOL. I felt like lowering the window and scream to them YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT ITS A DIESEL AND NO IT ISN'T SLOW!!! LOL LOL. The fuel mileage has shot up at least 50%. This is really unrealistic to me, I am just very thankful. It really is driving like a real car now. Oh! excuse me,....like a real automobile. :p I do have a question though....Out of curoisity, I re-bypassed the SOV and I felt the car have alot more power. Is this normal, or is my SOV toast??? Should I replace it?? Let me know. Again thanks!

Congrats! If you feel more power with the SOV bypassed, it is probably plugged, at least partially. I'd consider replacing it. About your fuel economy, there shouldn't be a huge change. I'd almost wonder if your fuel level sensor happens to be acting up by coincidence? Be careful, if you get 400-500 miles and it still reads half tank, FILL UP... don't run it out of fuel...! Usual MPG on your car should be upper 20's on the freeway if it's in great shape.

Let me understand this, you got a ticket in a state that you were "traveling through" for an emission problem? So you were pulled over and had your emissions and emission systems checked? Just asking because it makes no sense. By the way, tampering with emissions systems is illegal unless it is done to keep the vehicle emissions within specs. This is why 80s Chevys with carbs can have the air/fuel plugs knocked out of them, to adjust them to keep them in spec. So simply having a plug or cap removed is not always a violation of law, as long as it was done to keep the emissions within there specified values.

Be careful, if you get 400-500 miles and it still reads half tank, FILL UP... don't run it out of fuel...! Usual MPG on your car should be upper 20's on the freeway if it's in great shape.


GSXR:
No I wish I were getting that kind of mileage. I am bearly getting 400 to a tank. I just refilled with 13.8 Gallons, and had run 295 miles. which brings be at about 21 - 22 mpg. I should be getting better than that shouldn't I? Then again, I have been kinda having fun with the accelerator these past couple of days. But no, the fule guage is exactly where it needs to be. Thanks for watching out for me!!