No worries at all there.

However, I was putting the new breather kit on and there is one hose I hadn't seen to remove...the one that goes into the valve cover. Well, it was brittle and snapped leaving the only the ring of rubber (now brittle plastic) in the rim of the opening. I couldn't pull it up and it fell down inside...

To make a looooooong story short I used heavy tweezers and a coat hanger to fashion a loop and then after hooking onto the wayward piece I then closed the loop so I wouldn't lose it inside. I decided the only way to get it out without leaving broken pieces inside was to use the tweezers to stuff a shop rag in around the piece and fashion a sort of cradle wrap so that when I did pull it out all of the pieces would be inside the cloth.

I think it worked but some pieces went flying out of the cradle when it came through so I don't know for sure yet if I got it all out...I jammed to work and picked up a small mirror to use as is or break it up and take a piece, glue it to the coat hanger or whatever so I can tell if I was successful.

Do you think using this method will be enough to tell or have I just screwed the pooch? I can't imagine having to go further back in.

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1991 300SL 71K miles young

I don't think there's a direct path from the breather compartment in the cylinder head cover to anything importnat, and, so, I wouldn't bother too much if you don't get out every last piece of rubber.

Really?! ...really, really? Whew! I thought I was hosed for sure...I'm going home to knock this thing out of the park and get on with life...er, get on with researching the oil cooler hose job, vacuum lines and EGR plate on my 85 300D.

Thanks man!

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1991 300SL 71K miles young

Another option: If you have a shop vac (one that you don't mind sucking a little oil into), you can jury rig a fine nozzle with parts like a turkey baster, drinking straw, and duct tape. That will allow you to reach into the valve cover without removing it and suck out any small pieces of breather tube that fell in.

The top of the engine is absolutely filthy - mine is very clean in comparison.

I'd check that your breather lines aren't leaking.

And I thought my cloth cradle was the cat's meow of ideas...

You know that old adage about throwing things away and then needing them? Well, I just threw away a portable "Shark" vacuum that I just NEVER EVER use (I think they had an ad where they suspend a bowling ball in mid-air) and then took it back in. I'll find an A/C plug somewhere and use it...sweet idea...


I was replacing the breather lines on my way back from cleaning the intake manifold but agreed it is disgusting.

I sure could use some expert advise on how to best get this engine to look like yours does ...it arrived to me in this condition two months ago. I have done the best I could with the drivers side of the engine and need to work on the top/passengers side now that I have the ports sealed up again.

Already used a can of GUNK foam and everything still looks tinged with grime. Still have a can of Citrus GUNK (that stuff actually stinks worse) and a can of Black Magic....plus some brake cleaner.

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1991 300SL 71K miles young

BTW, city or united?

Wrap up:
A big thank you to everyone who posted. I couldn't have done it without you. (I know it wasn't a rebuild but for me it might as well have been)

Finally put this project to bed about 6:00PM Pacific...I did my best to see if any of the breather pipe had dropped in and decided that the cloth cradle had contained the pieces. Finished putting all the elements back in proper order...hammered the battery for awhile till the air was purged from the fuel lines and took her for a spin to pick up a cohiba, a pismo cut of choice steak and a bottle of Clos du Bois North Coast Merlot 2004 (let that wine decant an hour and shazaam!)

This thread was the culmination of a number of projects needed on my recently purchased 95 E300D:
- Replaced the OVP (overvoltage protection relay) to correct sudden rough idle, loss of tachometer, hard shifting and loss of cold A/C
- Took both soot caked manifolds to a machine shop for hot bath cleaning
- Replaced all the intake/exhaust/transmission vacuum lines
- Replaced fuel lines that resembled "Newkie Brown"
- Swapping out the breather kit
- Re-aligning the injector lines with new clips (this was no simple feat)
- Attempting to use off the shelf engine cleaners to clean an absolutely filthy engine and housing...abandoned and finding professional steam cleaner. (the concrete mixers under the engine housing did keep the carport in my apartment complex clean)

After all this I can't say noticed a huge increase in performance but I know it was necessary to establishing a good "base" on my new obsession and the shifting is soooo much smoother. I'm really interested to see what happens to my mileage as I figure that will really give me an idea of whether I need to go back in soon or not.

More pictures will follow either later tonight or tomorrow.

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1991 300SL 71K miles young

A few more images

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1991 300SL 71K miles young

Starting to clean up nice! MPG should be low 30's.

Actually, I was already getting low 30's!

It looks like I didn't get all the air out of the lines. It started and died this morning...then started up and ran on the second try...never had that happen before. Is there a best search term to find that info quickly?

I forgot to mention before that I'm going to make an appointment with Mr MB in Tarzana to have them survey the 95 and make any fine adjustments that they feel are needed. After reading all the glowing endorsements I can't wait to get it in to them in fact. They may have a suggestion for who can steam clean the engine. Once the 95 is set...I'm going to go back to where I intended to start...the 85 300D and use it as my learning vehicle. LOTS to do on it.

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1991 300SL 71K miles young

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/attachments/diesel-discussion/46737d1186414629-606-910-manifold-cylinder-head-please-evaluate-pictures-topcylinderhead1.jpg

I'd check the quality of the seals on that plastic separator. On mine, one of the pipes had split. I clamped it tight but it wasn't good enough, so I used self-amalgamating tape and it doesn't leak at all now.

Looks to me as though all that grime is from oil vapour. You can usually see it collecting on the tops of the injectors.

Mine is the turbo variety so quite different to yours, the intake and EGR valve is completely different.

BTW, I don't support either, although I live about 1 mile from both training grounds

Good to stay neutral then!

You really dont need a steam cleaner. I did mine basically with Castol degreaser and paper towels. I dont prefer high pressure stuff in an engine bay. Hose pressure maybe. The foaming engine gunk does well with a simple hose rinse.

I paid the dealer to check my IP timing, just to ensure it was close. $90.

If you are talking about the item circled in blue that is the accursed piece that snapped off at the orifice into the breather area leaving an inner rim of itself when I removed it for its replacement...well, it is no longer for this world and that Elvis has left the building.

I wish I had been more attentive in taking pictures on my way out from replacing the injection clips and re-aligning the hard injection lines. I forgot to document the new breather kit in place...(including new Elvis, of course.)

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1991 300SL 71K miles young

On mine that picture would show a long pipe heading to the right, eventually turning out of the engine cover and into the turbo intake. You can see it here:




Does yours not have that pipe, or have you just removed it for the picture?

Parrot,

On a N/A 606, the breather dumps the gunk into each individual intake port - just on the manifold side of the inlet manifold gasket.

On your turbo engine, there's boost pressure at this point, so, you would end up with the crankcase being pressurised to boost pressure. I would expect the engine's oil seals to last all of a few hours!

So, on a turo engine, the crankcase smog is fed to the inlet of the turbo, which then distributes it evenly to all cylinders.

Going back to the inlet valve recession, I don't know why the rear of the engine is more at risk - is it heat, or do those ports on a NA 606 not get as much lubrication from the crankcase smog. It might be interesting to see if any turbocharged OM606 engines have the valve recession problem - although I don't know if the valve seats are the same material in a turbo cylinder head.