Had some time to devote to the benz today after getting some parts ordered up.

Finally got around to doing the valve adjustment! I had been going back and forth about making my own wrenches but I just didn't have the time or tools to make a set. A few of you in this thread (thank you BTW) said it was possible to do it without the bent wrenches. Well, you were completely right.

Being the cheap bastard I am, I decided to give it a go once the gasket came in. I had no problems with the standard wrenches, but can see where the proper wrenches would make it easier. I lucked out and actually had a thin 14mm wrench for some VW stuff, which worked great on the bottom nut. I used dieselgiant's idea for a check off sheet, which was really helpful.

On the very last intake valve, the valve itself must have been spinning. I couldn't get it to release from the nut. I ended up getting some PB blaster on it and using a pair of vice grips to work the big valve spring retainer nut (or whatever its called) back and forth, then hold it while I slowly turned the adjuster nut. This is when the bent wrenches would have really been nice, along with the third wrench to hold the big valve spring retainer nut.











All the valves but one intake where tight. I'm ashamed I waited this long to do the job. But wow, what a difference it made. As soon as I started it up I could hear a difference. Much faster start, smoother idle, and much better throttle response. I took it down the road after warming it up and took her through the gears. It really was a slug before.

Also did the monovalve repair kit since the heater was only working at idle. I went with the MTC one ($15 from peachparts) even though I've read people haven't had much luck with them. Its working now, but we will see how long it lasts.





old vs new


old vs new, note the cheap, wrinkled seal on the new MTC part. And torn seal on the old.







Also did the following:

-replaced the air filter
-changed the oil and filter
-wiper inserts
-replaced the instrument cluster bulbs (Osram 3W)
-attempted to replace the left side gauge pod (wrong parts)
-cleaned the corroded and inoperative rheostat (works now)
-rust encapsulated some surface rust below the battery tray
-attempted to fix the intermittent odometer going out issue

No pics of that stuff since its pretty boring. I followed dieselgiant's tutorial on the odo thing but did the best I could when getting the locktite into its spot where the gear rides. Wasn't really enough room to really get it in there, so we'll see - its working now but who knows.

Again, thanks to all those who have posted tutorials and answers in discussions. Next up is cooling system flush, oil pressure gauge, and full detail hopefully.

__________________
'83 300D - 261K | '97 Jetta - 209K | '63 Rivera - 22K | '86 C30 Dually - 105K

WTB: W123 Passenger doors - preferably Brown!