Valve adjustment OM615, 616, 617 FYI. - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

whunter · #1 02-06-2014, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROLLGUY

I have had to deal with this a few times, and I just used a big screwdriver by wedging it between one of the flats of the hex and the cam tower. It worked fine every time...Rich

I do not recommend this.
Too much side pressure can break the valve guide.

.

Adriel · #2 02-23-2014, 06:59 AM

I don't have time to read all 11 pages, as finally getting sleepy (thus why I am writing this at 4:40 in the morning!), but the first post is what I needed. It seems, note the word seems, Diesel Giant has the position of the valves wrong, so was invaluable! I can also understand it better!

Got in Monday to go to class and was having trouble starting. What I now know is she was telling me she wanted a vacation and have her bother fill in.

Once started, sounded like one of the valves was loose, which I have had too much experience with (air cooled V.W. engines pull head studs when over heated). Second warning. Then something didn't feel right. Third warning.

Lesson to your autos and what they are saying! That is how I caught a rag that I somehow forgot in the engine compartment and got entangled in the belts (thought I got everything and ran through the list in my head and missed it in the visual check).

Anyway, number on intake had a loose adjuster and number three intake I could move the rocker! The intakes were adjusted as exhausts and vis versa!

Not sure how that happened, as checked three times! So this time did the valves one at a time and spent more time double checking I the diagram and the adjuster was good and tight. Prior to the first adjustment, was clacky and loud, which can be heard on the videos. Now it sounds different, maybe smoother and less metallic? A dream to lesson to! Would there be harm in checking the valves every 5,000 to 6,000 miles which is the same interval for the oil? I find it so therapeutic and if it keep the clatter down, I might even do it sooner!

denissca · #3 09-11-2014, 05:37 PM

Bought it last year and put about 7000 miles since then. The engine got progressively more shaky and power was inadequate even after diesel purge, ALDA adjustment and new engine mounts.
I knew it was time for valve adjustment since i have no idea when the previous owners done that (if ever). The car has close to 160K miles now.
When i took the engine cap off i found out that there was no clearance on some of the valves at all, some were off and some were OK.
Since almost all of them kept rotating on me and i had nothing handy to jam them, adjustment job was hard. So, on some of them i did increase the clearance and some of them i did not.
However, i was VERY surprised when i assembled it and started the engine.
I did not have issues starting it on a hot summer day but when running it smoked a lot worse, shook a lot worse and i lost even more power. The question is, how did the engine operation go from bad to worse?

vstech · #4 09-11-2014, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denissca

Bought it last year and put about 7000 miles since then. The engine got progressively more shaky and power was inadequate even after diesel purge, ALDA adjustment and new engine mounts.
I knew it was time for valve adjustment since i have no idea when the previous owners done that (if ever). The car has close to 160K miles now.
When i took the engine cap off i found out that there was no clearance on some of the valves at all, some were off and some were OK.
Since almost all of them kept rotating on me and i had nothing handy to jam them, adjustment job was hard. So, on some of them i did increase the clearance and some of them i did not.
However, i was VERY surprised when i assembled it and started the engine.
I did not have issues starting it on a hot summer day but when running it smoked a lot worse, shook a lot worse and i lost even more power. The question is, how did the engine operation go from bad to worse?

It's hard to say. I HOPE you didn't break any valve guides but if you braced or attempted to you easily could have...

denissca · #5 09-12-2014, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

It's hard to say. I HOPE you didn't break any valve guides but if you braced or attempted to you easily could have...

If i broke those valve guides would it not be obvious to me that i did that?

One thing i did not do right is to have a cam lob at exactly 1 o'clock position in many instances. I followed the manual from Kent Bergsma (mercedes source) who recommended to use starter (turn on ignition key for a short time) to move the shaft. This way is hard to have cam lobe aligned perfectly the way it should. So my suspicion is that my clearances are really much bigger than they should because of it. Does this make sense? Would the car behave this way on the much bigger clearances than spec?

leathermang · #6 09-12-2014, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denissca

....... I followed the manual from Kent Bergsma (mercedes source) who recommended to use starter (turn on ignition key for

The accepted recommendation is to turn the engine by using the nut on the end of the crankshaft.
You need to have the cam in the proper position to set everything right.
Go back and do it right... then report the results...
at this point you are at that ' garbage in , garbage out ' idiom that used to be applied to computers...

denissca · #7 09-24-2014, 12:05 PM

Yesterday i worked on it again. After taking the cap off, i found that clearance were non existent for almost all of the valves. This explains the heavy smoke, loss of power and a crazy vibration.
This time i rotated the engine using power steering pump nut. Then set cam lobes in right position and did the nut adjustments close to the spec. After assembling things together, i started the engine. And... Success! Thank you, Jesus!

Diesel911 · #8 09-12-2014, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denissca

If i broke those valve guides would it not be obvious to me that i did that?

One thing i did not do right is to have a cam lob at exactly 1 o'clock position in many instances. I followed the manual from Kent Bergsma (mercedes source) who recommended to use starter (turn on ignition key for a short time) to move the shaft. This way is hard to have cam lobe aligned perfectly the way it should. So my suspicion is that my clearances are really much bigger than they should because of it. Does this make sense? Would the car behave this way on the much bigger clearances than spec?

Depending on where the Valve Guide brakes it allows Oil to get past the Valve Stem and into the Engine and that might show up as smoke.

You can hook up a remote Starter Switch to the Wire Terminal Block that I have been told is under the Battery Tray on your Year of SD.
I used the Remote Starter Switch when I did My last 2 Valve Adjustments but on My year and Model the Wire Terminal Block is easy to access as it is on the Fender Well.