Scariest thing I've done on a Merc diesel is remove the stuck glow plugs in my OM606. I used an impact, and despite the fact that I know it is the better way, I was still on pins and needles until I got them out. Is there any OM606 owner who doesn't fear the glow plugs?

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Remember, Safety Third!
'99 E300 Turbodiesel, '82 300TD, 1996 12V Cummins Turbo, '94 Neoplan - Detroit 6V92TA

I attempted to change out an a/c damper actuator on a Chebby Cobalt. Once I got the dash cover off and saw what was involved I buttoned it back up. Seems the actuators in these systems are a weak spot that start "clicking" when they go bad. Don't seem to cause any issue, just noisy.

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Jim

For Mercedes related:-

I go along with the W123 / W126 front springs experience for the you're going to loose your nuts kind of scariness but there's also the when will it stop turning to dust experience as you merrily test the integrigty of the rear wheel arches with an angle grinder and wire brush attachment.


Then for the first time you do a timing chain / timing belt there's that "did I really do it right?" feeling as you imagine you can't turn the crank anymore!

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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!

Scariest: Flat tire on a 966H loader. The scary part was that it happened just outside the ECP of a COP in Afghanistan. We ended up having to pull the tire and wheel, leave the loader where it was, mount a new tire on that wheel back at the FOB, and then convoy back out to reinstall it.

Longest: Installing a '79 360 V8 into a '63 Dodge Dart. I started the project in 1994 and didn't get it done until '97.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Scariest was changing the rear end out on my old Ranger. It fell off the jack stands onto the backup stands during the process.

I've never done front springs and it's one repair I might not be willing to do myself, even with the right tool. I think of it -- and all the gruesome possibilities -- whenever I'm mulling over repairs my cars will one day need.
Of things I've done, the most intimidating was definitely the rear subframe/suspension rebuild on the W124. Different kind of scary though ... well, I was pretty terrified I was going to knock the car down on myself. But mostly it was scary because I didn't think I could do it, at several points in the project. For that reason it's one of the things I'm most proud of in my life.
I'm also scared of anything that could involve fire (which is a lot of things) and anything that could lead to runaway. I'm actually scared of almost everything. Not sure why I picked this hobby.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

Misthreaded timing chain tensioner on a OM648 V6 diesel in a Sprinter, that took some head scratching.

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600SEL '91
300E 4Matic '88
240D '83
280SE '77
350SE '73
The most complex systems can fail in the simplest way.
Contra verbosus noli contendere verbis, sermo datur cunctis, animi sapientia paucis.

i don't believe in the lord! He's never bought me a Mercedes Benz.

Adjusting Delorean doors and removing Delorean torsion bars. I've done around 5 adjustments and removed torsion bars around 10 times. Only had a hand in breaking one rear window. Torsion bar bracket would not come off the bar due to a mushroomed edge and helper slipped and -chink- went the tempered glass. Thankfully it was tinted.

Strange, that looks like MY spring compressor you are using, Kris.



Most terrifying repair? Installing a TransGo shift kit for my first time years ago.

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

James,

Just tie off the spring with a short chain so that if it gets away from you it won't go far enough to do serious bodily damage.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

being underneath a cab over on heavy duty jack stands, and having a 100 psi steer tire blow up while I was playing with the steering adjustments.

Had to take the day off was so nervous after that. Explosion rocked the entire truck on the stands

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

I haven't had any truly terrifying ones, though when I was tearing apart my parts car last year I came face to face with a couple brown recluse spiders which was a bit unnerving. That was while tearing it down to the firewall, which was not a very fun job. (The car and spiders are long gone now though!)

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

I've inflated my fair share of split rim tires over the years. Always some question involved with those.
I did watch a guy weld a hole in a gas tank after running the exhaust from a running car into the fill neck of the tank. He said, no oxygen no explosion. He was right. I was nervous.

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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

Uhhh nah. I'm not seeing the resemblance.

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Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email (jamesdean59@gmail.com). I might be able to help out.
Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability!

(4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!)


82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
90 560SEL 154k
91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k
93 190E 3.0 235k
93 300E 195k

Scariest: Suby on a jackstand, torqued on an axle nut by pulling straight up on a breaker bar. Open differential, so the opposite wheel, on the ground pulled the car forward and BANGBANGBANGBANG, the stand collapsed. I wasn't under it, but I take care to use redundant support, and not to linger under a car.

Most motivated: 77 SAAB 900 outside, tucking a 3 ended radiator hose under the manifold and onto the water pump. Saw the sun heading down and felt the cold setting in, my hand got flatter & longer.

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?