Hi guys,

I'm having a HORRIBLE time adjusting the valves (well, ONE valve) on my buddy's 240D.

Here's the deal - using Diesel Giant's guide, I laid out all my tools (by the way, I've done this on many a gasser, I'm pretty familiar with the procedure).

Everything went very smoothly until the Exhaust Valve on Cylinder #2.

The clearance is REALLY tight- I can't even get the .3 mm feeler gauge in there (all the rest were tight too). I've tried backing off the lower adjusting nut by like 5-6 turns, and then I try and turn the top nut clockwise to open up the clearance. I hold the bottom nut while turning the top one clockwise. To my understanding, this should open the gap. I keep turning the top nut while holding the bottom one still, but no matter how much I turn it, I can't get .3 mm worth of gap on it.

No matter how many times I do this - Hold top nut still, turn bottom nut 5-6 turns, then hold bottom nut still, while turning top nut 5-6 turns clockwise, the gap just seems to be the same!

Augh! What am I doing wrong? The other valves seem to adjust just fine!

Sincerely,

PE

P.S. OK, Now that I came inside and calmed down and had a cold drink and I'm thinking about it, I think that I have a stubborn valve that spins while I am trying to turn the nuts. I don't have one of those fancy wrenches that hold the hex cap of the valve spring still. How can I get around this?

__________________
83 240D - 4 speed manual - Manilla Beige
189K miles, Tachometer mod, cool wooden shift knob from PeachParts, CocoMats, Original factory paint, manual windows, manual sunroof. Starting to add AudioWrap to this car too!

I determined that the stubborn valve that spins while I try to turn the nuts is indeed the case. I don't have a hex-cap valve spring wrench, so I hit the valve, spring and cap with some penetrating oil, and then used a needle nose vice grip to hold the hex cap still while I turned the adjustment nuts.

Not perfect, but it did the trick, enough to finish the job.

Both valves on cylinder #4 were similarly spinning. Hmm. Maybe I should have sprung for a hex-cap valve spring wrench.

Still, anybody have any tips for this that would keep from buying a hex-cap valve spring wrench?

Thanks,

PE

__________________
83 240D - 4 speed manual - Manilla Beige
189K miles, Tachometer mod, cool wooden shift knob from PeachParts, CocoMats, Original factory paint, manual windows, manual sunroof. Starting to add AudioWrap to this car too!

Indeed - there are three wrenches in the valve adjusting set => two for the lock nuts and one for the hex head cap that sits on top of the valve spring.

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Someone mentioned to jam a screwdriver through the spring to keep it from turning. I had one do that one time, and it worked.

Here is the 3rd wrench on e-bay.


HAZET-NEW --MERCEDES -VALVE ADJUSTING WRENCH--30MM--# 2769-3 | eBay

charlie

__________________
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

Yes, if you are able to wedge a screw driver against a cam tower, go that route.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

I always jam something against the spring retainer... I've never had an issue with it not working...

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

OK, thanks for the hints. If I understand this properly, you insert a screwdriver through the valve spring so that the spring holds the screwdriver and the screwdriver is braced against a valve tower so that it doesn't turn?

Anyone have a photo?

Sincerely,

PE

__________________
83 240D - 4 speed manual - Manilla Beige
189K miles, Tachometer mod, cool wooden shift knob from PeachParts, CocoMats, Original factory paint, manual windows, manual sunroof. Starting to add AudioWrap to this car too!

I gonna have to say this - I can't stop myself - I think it is fair to warn you and others that wedging foreign objects in the valve gear is potentially dangerous. I can't prove it - but I see no other way in which the so called Mercedes expert managed to break a valve guide on my engine but I guess it was done by not using the correct tools.



So my warning is be careful if you decide to wedge stuff in there - I think the cost of 3 wrenches is cheaper and a lot less hassle than head off and off down to the machine shop if the worse case scenario "happens"...

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

WOW! That's horrible!

I think that a Hazet valve spring cap wrench is in my future...

Thanks,

PE

__________________
83 240D - 4 speed manual - Manilla Beige
189K miles, Tachometer mod, cool wooden shift knob from PeachParts, CocoMats, Original factory paint, manual windows, manual sunroof. Starting to add AudioWrap to this car too!

Thanks for the Pic Army, never thought it would/could/possibly do that.

That wrench I posted is $59, I have see them cheaper. this guy wants $59 for each one of the 3. that is pricy. there was a guy a few months back that had them for $20 each for the bent one`s.

I picked mine up a few years ago, along with 3 other MB tools for $58. was in the right place at the right time with that deal.

Charlie

__________________
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

Please note - the picture shows an end result of...


...well I don't know exactly what - I can only assume some monkey used the wrong tools and was too rough. How rough? I don't know. My suspicions do fit in quite well with other stuff I found on the car - including the rocker arm sets being installed incorrectly on the head - put the group of two over cylinders 4 and 5 and both of the shafts bow making the rocker arms run on their corners (not on the flat) on the cam surfaces...

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Army, Isn`t it about your bedtime over there? 8:25am here and the sun just got over the tree tops.

I remember that thread where you had all the fits about the rockers being wrong.

Charlie

__________________
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

I found some cheap wrenches, $20.00

Hazet Valve Adjusting Wrench | eBay

$15.00

Hazet Valve Adjusting Wrench | eBay

$35.05

HAZET 2769 - 1 Valve Adjusting Wrench | eBay



Charlie

__________________
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

Hi Charlie,

Thank you, you're always very helpful.

I actually have the correct adjusting nut wrenches, that's not the problem.

The problem was that I had a stubborn valve where the valve kept turning when I was trying adjust the clearance. That's what the "Valve Spring Hex Cap Holding wrench" is for.

I haven't found anything else that is designed to address the problem I just described. Looks like they are around $50.

Sincerely,

PE

__________________
83 240D - 4 speed manual - Manilla Beige
189K miles, Tachometer mod, cool wooden shift knob from PeachParts, CocoMats, Original factory paint, manual windows, manual sunroof. Starting to add AudioWrap to this car too!

wow...
I must say, I do not WEDGE or PRY on anything I have jammed against the retainer... I merely set something in the path of the rotation that prevents the nut from loosening...
care is a must!

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!