I have 2 Mercedes, '81 and '82's. I have fought the tight spaces, and realize there must be a better way than what I'm using, which is basic ratchets and open ends. Are there specific sizes or combinations of, say, long handled wrenches, pivot head wrenches or even flexible drill motor type set-ups that would allow me to get to these little boogers in a less miserable way than I'm using now? Any special tools that you all have purchased that I could buy? (Where-how much?) I'll throw in the same question for valve adjustments, too. Thanks for any suggestions! Lee

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"Knowing is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do." Goethe

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1951 Chevy 3100

2003 Indian Chief Roadmaster

1983 GMC 1 ton Dually

1982 Chevy 1 ton Dually, service body (sold)

'90 GMC Suburban 6.2 "SS Veg-Burban"
(single tank WVO\diesel conversion) SOLD

'81 300D ~ Mama's car...my job (now my car)(but still my job) SOLD

'83 300sd ~ rescue car SOLD

2005 Ford Taurus (Mama's new car)(NOT my job!)

I just did some glow plug work yesterday and did not feel frustrated.

I have learned to take off the injection lines for easier access.
I just take the 17mm connectors off at the pump and the injectors.

Even if you do not take off the lines, the GP's are 8mm nuts for the wire
and 12mm for the plug itself.

I use 1/4 inch drive tools with extension and a wobble type end or a universal.
Using this I can get in and loosen the nut then the plug.
The 12mm I use for the plug is deep socket.

I still wiggle my hands in to take out and insert the plug and nut.
Much harder to do if you have large hands.

When I tried open end or box end it was more difficult for me.
So now it is sockets.

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80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250

I leave the hard lines on, and use gear wrenches. On #5, I move that hose out of the way, and disconnect the throttle linkage thing to gain access.

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83 SD

84 CD

A 12mm ratchet wrench would be helpful for the GPs. Order a GP reamer from Diesel911 in the For sale section of this forum. Great tool!

John

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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
2002 F250 powerstroke with Plantdrive WVO conversion
1983 300SD 190K miles ,sold
2006 E320 CDI

to get them out easier let the engine get hot or you could have trouble getting them out. if you dont let the engine heat up then use some PB blaster, if you dont use any of these steps you run the risk of the glowplug breaking of in the head, just some extra insurance.

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http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...titled-1-3.jpg
1981 300d

PB Blaster every few days for about 2 weeks before I did them.And GEAR WRENCHES.

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Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
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Do I miss being a service advisor ???

I assume by the years of the cars, they are either 240Ds or 300Ds, or 300SDs or a combination of those. Those would all be 616 or 617 engines. On those I use a "gear wrench" as noted already - on of those Sears Craftsman 12 mm combination wrenches with a ratcheting feature on the closed end. I have never had a glow plug on one of those beasts break off in the head, and am not sure I have even heard of that happening. The later, aluminum head Diesels, especially the 606 series seem particularly susceptible, but they are mid and late 1990's machines.

The cited tool takes most of the access issues and makes them moot. The last cylinder on a 5 cylinder (next to the firewall) may be difficult even with this wrench - I have never done this on a 5 cylinder so I don't know.

Good luck, lots of ways to get this job done and none are really difficult. Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

I did mine in 2 hours without removing anything other than the throttle rod -one that comes thru the firewall and a vac line or two. Figured the less I disturbed the better. That 2 hours also contained a cig break or two as well.. And #5 wasn't that bad. JimmyL lent me his reamer.

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Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
-
Do I miss being a service advisor ???

Gear wrenches. I can change them out in 20 minutes without removing anything but the plugs. Never had a problem with #5. Put rags down between the block and IP and block/oil filter housing to catch any falling nuts/plugs/wrenches.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

How many time did you have to do it, to get it down to 20 minutes? I'm impressed.

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1987 300TD 309, xxx 2.8.2014 10,000 mile OCI


Be careful of the toes you step on today, as they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. anonymous

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter won’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

Hey, thanks alot everybody! Yep, I forgot to mention that the 81 is a 300D and the 82 is a 240D. I changed the 2nd from the front and the rear on the 240 the other day (My daughters 4 cylinder), which were leftovers from the two that I didn't put in the wife's 5 cylinder, due to frustration and mostly cramped wrists and fingers. As in my 6.2 Suburban, I've found that they're probably a lot tougher due to the fact that some previous owner didn't want to do it at all. They're always easier the second time, before they've had time to antiquate and "become one" with the engine. The 240's seem to have less room to move my hands under the curved injector tubes. I was working with 1/4 and 3/8" ratchets and small open end wrenches. Seems the wobble joints were just a tad too long. Thought maybe a long handled ratcheting closed end might be the ticket. Now for my question out of ignorance-(this always seems to hurt more when I thought I knew it all already . What exactly is a 'gear wrench'? Is it the open end/ratcheting closed end that I have been using? I've got a set, but they A) are standards, and B) sure seem like they could be longer for the sake of ease in the very short cranking radius that I'm working with. I do have, as I said, sets of 1/4 and 3/8 metrics. Anybody have any suggestions on other stuff, such as swivel head open/closed ends, or nifty specialty tools that I also don't know anything about? It seems I see a lot of posts mentioning "get the 'tools' ". Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, and you can bet I'll be asking a lot more questions. And I'm waiting for the gear wrench answer.

__________________
"Knowing is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do." Goethe

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1951 Chevy 3100

2003 Indian Chief Roadmaster

1983 GMC 1 ton Dually

1982 Chevy 1 ton Dually, service body (sold)

'90 GMC Suburban 6.2 "SS Veg-Burban"
(single tank WVO\diesel conversion) SOLD

'81 300D ~ Mama's car...my job (now my car)(but still my job) SOLD

'83 300sd ~ rescue car SOLD

2005 Ford Taurus (Mama's new car)(NOT my job!)

Don't forget to put some type of Never-seez compound on the threads of the new plugs so that they are easier to remove the next time.
When I remove my glow plugs I always remove the fuel injection lines (with a 17mm crowfoot and a flare nut wrench). For me this is faster in the long run. If I did not do it this way I would need to have a small bag of those 8mm nuts before I start the job. Even with the fuel injection lines off I have managed to loose 2 nuts in one year.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Ive done it in the same fashion with good luck. The stubby gear wrench was the key.

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Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

I remove the hard lines. Doing it the other way is tough if you have large hands. I can do it maybe in twenty minutes, or, not much more.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.