If anyone's still waiting, 9 days later the only oil in #1 is in the piston valve and glow plug recesses. Any oil that could get to the rings is gone. The jury's still out on whether the ring gap is wider than spec or the bent rod messed ring contact geometry.

#2 is at 48mm. Less than 5% of of the piston surface is exposed. Someone asked about the measurement getting bigger rather than smaller. I'm measuring fluid surface from the deck, not the top of the piston.

The 3.5 is close to coming out. Just about everything is off the block. Only the oil filter housing and bell housing bolts remain. The bell housing bolts would be easy to get to from above but there's a brass conduit for the starter cable that's inconveniently in the way. Fortunately I have an impact wrench to remove the IP timer bolt since the head's off. Unfortunately the impact wrench won't budge the crank pulley bolt

Anyone have a starter ring gear lock to lend/rent?

Should a .971 come with a new design vacuum pump? The one on my car is the old style

Sixto
93 300SD

Old style IP vs. New style? My 92 300Sd has the inline IP. SO did my 1987 300SDL.

Sixto
93 300SD

OOPS!! What is the "new" design" vacuum pump?

Steve

I don't know what's different but I hear it includes a bearing that is either less prone to failure or less likely to come apart when it fails.

It's identifiable by having 4 screws into the front cover vs no screws in the previous design.

Sixto
93 300SD

Here is a link you all may find interesting. This person says the MB 6 cylinder diesels bend rods due to the injection pump.

http://www.benzdoc.com/td.htm

I haven't read a post about a 603.96 bending a rod... on any forum. A few have sent a rod through the block.

Interesting through about the pump. Delivery valve sticks open and floods the combustion chamber? Why predominantly in #1 and #6? Wouldn't that blow the tiny return hoses?

Sixto
93 300SD

is needed to replace the rods, the pump, the injectors??? I saw where a pump itself cost over $4,000.00, unless he was talking about a rebuilt or used pump. If it keeps going like it is; somebody is going to write that having a flat tire causes bent rods. Almost all of the other components have been blamed in one way or another and if not directly, then indirectly. I wished he could have elaborated a little more as to how the IP causes bent rods, since he saw this problem from the inside having been a Mercedes Benz dealer mechanic. However, him stating the rod being steel and the piston being aluminum did re-raise a thought in my mind, since logically, an aluminum piston should bend before a steel rod that it is connected to bends without damaging the aluminum piston first before a rod would bend. Which brings me back to the question of could it be the PISTON tilted or bent and the rod is still straight, but just looks bent or is assumed to be bent based on looking at the piston in #1 and #6 cylinders and seeing the piston's tilt toward the front? Also, how can at least five documented 603's on this site alone, have the exact same #1 and #6 pistons be bent, IF there isn't ONE SOURCE and cause of the problem, whatever it is?

BenzDiesel