Thanks for the advice on skipping the new injectors, I'll heed it.

She's coming close to 200K, and I've been running Delvac 1 in her since I got her 5 years ago with 160K on the odometer. And she's seen nothing but ASTM B80-B100 in that time also, so I'm interested in seeing what the injectors look like when I pull them. At about 170K Tim Freeh checked the timing chain and thought it was tight and in good condition, but all of your suggestions will be highly considered if/when I settle on a piece of property I've got under contract.

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300TD W124, Two VW TDI Passat Wagons,Cummins Ram 250, Kubota Tractor
23 cylinders sipping the sweet sauce of the soy bean

I was going to say if you give Delvac 1 a chance it will usualy clear up ticking lifters. By a chance I mean 30k miles, but sometimes it doesn't. It made mine a bit better but 2-3 were still ticking away, so I changed all 12.

Don't bother with new injectors, have your currant set tested and repair as needed.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

What Dave M/gsxr discovered is as the head gasket fails between the timing chain cavity and the #1 cylinder, bits of gasket find their way to the oil passages in the head and restrict oil flow to the lifters. Possibly even send debris into the lifters. Unfortunately that means pulling the head for a thorough cleaning.

Since you're paying someone to do this, replace all the lifters. If you were doing it yourself and your time is worth $5/hr, you can press on each lifter and replace only the spongy ones.

Sixto
87 300D