I've found that most car problems can be cured by getting rid of the faulty nut behind the steering wheel.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

And put the Nut behind a wrench?

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I always just tighten them well, but not as hard as I can. If you put to much torque on it over time the nut will flatten. This causes problems and the valve wrenches you have wont fit

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1981 300SD 512k OM603

I suppose if the spring retainer were to spin along with the valve stem, it could conceivably unscrew from the nuts and fall in. But, I think you'd hear a tremendous amount of hammering and nailing as the piston bangs the valve flat.

Well, just thought I would try my first valve adjustment and I was convinced I could pull her off with regular tools, but looks like I really need the Hazet set.

Just can't get in there with the two 14mm ones I have. Wasted an hour trying.

The large 30mm nuts keep spinning, and a screwdriver usually won't hold them. What am I in danger of, if that nut has moved some? Does that move the valve? I'm only talking like a 1/4 rotation or so...
What are those darn things for anyhow?

Is is possible to loosen too much and turn that top 14mm nut off the top of the threads/valve? How concerned should I be about turning those? When they are loose, they are very loose, move em with my finger...

It seems like a fine art getting those nuts to go the way you want...

I now have everything apart and am trying to source the darn wrenches in Portland

It is gonna be a long day...

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Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

I have read that people can do the adjustment with regular wrenches. I have never seen it done, but with the air cleaner removed I do not see why you could not do the valve adj from the passenger side.

I have some "homemade" ones that were going to be too expensive to make on a large scale due to shop time and labor.

Others have removed the hard lines from the injectors and the IP to gain clearance. The bent wrenches were designed to go over the hard lines.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

99 W210 E300 Turbo Diesel, chipped, DPF/Converter Delete. Still needs EGR Delete, 232K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Gone and still missed...1982 w123 300D, 1991 w124 300D

I stick a 17mm or so wrench head between the cam tower and the spring nut to keep it from turning. It is very possible to turn the nut off the valve you will then be taking the cam off to fix. You shouldnt have to turn it more than a 1/2- full turn usually. You really dont need the Hazet, you do need to bend one of the 14mm and then make the head thinner.

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

Got her done!
Thanks to a kind soul who lent me the wrenches...
She isn't idling as smooth as I had hoped, but definitely more power.

I would not recommend starting this job w/o the right tools. Took me a full day to do what might of taken a half day, first time through. Next time I bet it is less than 2 hours.

Thanks y'all!

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Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

One of the member said something like only wimps need to use the Hazet type wrenches to do the valve adjustment. The wrenches are expensive but they also hold there resale value and having the wrenches makes your job easier. If the job is easier you will not keep putting it off.
I am a wimp X3. Hazet short handled + 1 homemade short handled. 2 Heyco wrenches and 2 hazet wrenches.

The short handled one was helpful on the last cylinder otherwise I prefered the long handled pair.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I read that post about not needing the wrenches. That is the kind of talk that lost a half day of my time today.

Next time I see folks bragging about how easy something is w/o the right tools, I will take it with a grain of salt.

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Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

I also remove the hard lines from the Fuel Injection Pump and injectors when I remove my Glow Plugs and plan to continue to do so. A lot of people don't; more power to them.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

There is a tab on the valve spring retainer that sticks into a groove in the threaded area off the valve stem; this would have to break of before it could rotate by it self.
If interested see page 5 of the pdf the arrow pointing to the tab on the Valve Spring Retainer blocks the view of it but you can clearly see the groove on the valve stem.
http://www.pauldrayton.com/uploadfiles/merc/Service/W123/w123CD2/Program/Engine/617/05-250.pdf

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I have the Hazet wrenches, bought them off e-bay a few years ago along with 4 other wrenches for about $54.00 .

Even after I had the wrenches it was a couple years later I decided to do
the adjustment myself. if the car was at my indie for something, I would say to go ahead and do the valves. but it was $100.00 or so. so finally I woke up and decided to do it. slow learner.

I wish Gear wrench made a wrench for doing this job, that would be slick.

Charlie ☺

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

That's why I was suggesting that the spring retainer would have to rotate as well. I still don't think it would, though. It and the stem would have to rotate without the nuts... Just throwing it out there for intellectual contemplation.

Then again, I guess it doesn't matter how the overall length is extended, nuts up or stem down. In any case, the initial horror story of worst case scenario just isn't going to happen, IMO & experience.

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1982 300CD Petrol/Black Leather

How do you replace the lock nut (counternut, as mentioned in the manual)?

Do you just take out the spring that holds the rocker arm and everything will just come loose?