Should I spend $$ for valve adjustment?
 

I'm trying to use this forum to learn all I can about fixing up the 300D. So far it's gone well. Right now I'm trying to get things running smoother and I'm trying to go through the common procedures. The only thing is, I'm a bit nervous about trying to do a valve adjustment myself. It seems like you need the right tools and it has to be done very precisely. I have a highly recommended Mercedes place here in town that will do it for $140. Think spending the money is worthwhile for a rookie like me who might take 5 hours to do it, swearing and cursing and possibly screwing it up?

You can make or buy the wreches for less than the $140.00. If you take your time and follow the DIY info, you can definitely do this yourself and come away with gained knowledge and confidence in your self (which is priceless). LOL

Ditto on the knowledge and confidence. However all it really takes is a 14mm wrench bent and thinned out in the head. 2 bent wrenches helps but not absolute. And of course the feeler gauges. You will also need a 27mm deep socket and 1/2" driver for it. My first attempt was about 4 hours. Now, excluding valve cover removal, it is about an hour or less. I was able to bend a cheap set from AZ with a breaker bar and a vise.

I've never done one, yet, and not sure if I will or have the shop do it. I'm fairly sure I could get it done, just too busy/too lazy, etc.

That said, $140 seems like a very reasonable price to pay.

Should you spend the money.....No
Do not me afraid of doing this. I do not have bent wrenches
and still do it in about 1 hr. If you have the MB tool kit, you have a wrench to get on the bottom nut. A standard size wrench will work for the top. Here is a link that will walk you through it. NO PROBLEM.

http://www.dieselgiant.com/valveadjustment.htm

good luck and let us know how it goes.....you can do this.
When I did my first one, I was so motivated with how easy it was, I did
my other 300D as well......2 in one day:D.

It really just depends if you want to do it or not. I usually just let my indy do it, for $1-200 it's just not worth messing with for a couple of hours. It also gives him a chance to take a look at everything else while he's in there.

i did it myself and i thought it was very easy to do... the instructions on dieselgiant's website were very helpful... just remember to take your time and do it while the engine is cold and you will be just fine

I bent the wrenches to try this myself but haven't done it yet. I've done the valve adjustment on my Honda, and that was pretty easy. Certainly worth the savings v. paying to have it done.


Question about the third wrench - what does it look like and do I need or can I get away with just the two bent ones?

I agree, if I was working and had a good indy, I'd gladly pay but its good to know how too do it, which I'm guessing you do. You must have made it to Chicago and back OK.

I got Dieselgiant's DVD and watched him do it about five times. After that I felt like a pro, and the job took me two hours, with no serious problems.

Mercedesource will sell you a metric feeler gauge of you buy their wrenches.

Looking back, it did not require all that I spent on it, but it could have, and next time, it won't cost me more than a gasket.

A local clown wanted $350, and I had to supply the gasket. My impression was that he had never actually done this himself.

Yup, I've adjusted a few valves in my life. Now it's just a time/money/agrivation trade off, and I'm usually shortest on time. My indy is very good, I don't mind letting him do some stuff that I could really do myself. In reality, he will do it better and quicker, and has a better chance of spotting any other issues.

I got back from chicago last weekend, but I'm heading back out to toledo in a couple of weeks. The fun never stops. ;)

That's out of line, I think I paid about $150 last time (including the gasket).

I'll bet you could have gotten him down to $275 if you supplied the gasket and the tools!

It's not really a high-risk evolution. Getting the valves adjusted involves more perseverance than precision. Just make sure you put the feeler gauge in the right place. You measure between the cam lobe and the rocker arm, not between the valve and the rocker arm.

I see you are in Santa Cruz. That was the first home of my '82 300D! A Dr. MacDonald owned it there in SC before I bought it in 1992. He would probably kick himself if he knew how well his old car is getting along.

well, it's your money, but learning about the inside of your motor is priceless. I have been a mechanic and mechanically inclined since birth, so it's hard for me to understand those who would rather pay to have something done to their own car... that said those type people sure do come in handy when it's bill time...
if you had a ferarri, I would say paying someone to tune the car would be money well spent. but the 617 Diesel motor is just built for the average handyman to work on.
take a picture of the linkage, pop the rods off, take out the nuts that hold the valve cover on, clean the valve cover and put the new gasket on, let it sit on the new gasket on a flat surface while you familiarize yourself with the innards. look everything over and start testing the space between the cam lobes. be sure and buy the large feeler gauge set with the right thicknesses have a cheapo 14mm wrench ground down to about 3/16" thick and go to town.