Yes, I rotated each lobe to the correct position before adjusting. Thank you for not ruling out the obvious stuff though...leave it to me to make a mistake like that! I do want to tighten the belt and double check all the valves...I feel better about it and it will probably take a third of the time on the second attempt. Question: will the valve cover gasket still be ok? I read that you should replace it every time, but I haven't even driven it more than 50 feet so I'd think it would still be good.

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1980 300SD Turbo Diesel
"Bailey's. Mmm...creamy. Soft, creamy beige." - Old Gregg

You can re-use the valve cover gasket if you exercise basic care. I usually put a small bead of tacky gasket sealer in the groove to help hold the gasket to the valve cover, and also smear a THIN coat on the sealing surface of the gasket before I put the valve cover on and tighten it down.

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 91K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 231K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 196K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 249K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 376K (diesel commuter)

Lacking power at lower speeds; My Car was scary slow with I first got it at low speeds. Once the speed was up it was fine but I dreded having to stop and start over.

What I found is my Throttle Linkages were extremely sloppy and the Pedal Travel was not reaching the Throttle Arm on the Fuel Injection Pump like it was supposed to.

After tightening up the Throttle Linkages it ran normal.

One of the Causes if this can also be the Bell Crank beteen the Accelerataor and the Linkages that is on the Fire Wall. When that wears out it becomes sloppy.

Also if you have a Factory Service Manual each one of the Linkage Rods has a specific Length it is supposed to be adjusted to.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Make sure you have a go/no-go feeler gauge. Make sure you're using the correct gauge. I expect that there are some vids on youtube. Also dieselgiant may have some pics.

Don't go crazy turning nuts until you figure out how it works. The valves should be generally close and not waaaaay out. If there is a huge difference, step back & check your work.

Relax. these things are like precise puzzles and a BFH is not generally recommended for most things. A BFH applied at max velocity can be detrimental to your desired outcome.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

When I first joined this forum, Charlie indicated that I could learn something new every day if I stuck with it. Today's pearl o' wisdom: the abbreviation BFH. Thanks for the laugh. I hadn't come across that previously.

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1968 220D, w115, /8, OM615, Automatic transmission.
My 1987 300TD wagon was sold and my 2003 W210 E320 wagon was totaled (sheds tear).

As far as the feeler gauge, I got the craftsman one that was recommended somewhere - doesn't have the exact .10mm and .35mm measurements, but it has .102mm and .356mm which was purported to be close enough.

Try as I might...I can't figure out what BFH is, though I suspect it has something to do with bleeding knuckles.

Off to recheck those valves and bleed the lines (and if I can find it in my manual, check the throttle linkage lengths) - I'll post another video today. Did those vimeo ones work for everyone?

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1980 300SD Turbo Diesel
"Bailey's. Mmm...creamy. Soft, creamy beige." - Old Gregg

BFH = Big ____ Hammer .

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

Bleed your lines!

Adjusting the valves takes practice....I've been doing it on motorcycles for years so I skipped the learning curve

When you get it down pat you will be knocking it out in about an hour and a half.

Clean the gasket and you can reuse it just fine

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

Ok, so I bled the lines at the injectors (more to say on that), and that was definitely at least part of it. I didn't recheck the valves, because I needed to move it so I didn't have a cold engine to work with. But for a minute there, until I gave it some throttle, it was the quietest and smoothest I've ever seen it in the entire 6 months I've owned it. After revving it up a few times, it's not as smooth, but still better than before. I took it for a test drive around the block (not an Italian tune up by any means) and there is a marked difference in the way it feels. More power for sure.

Interestingly, the biggest difference is it seems to have solved my rough 1st-2nd shifting issue. Before the adjustment, it was shifting late into 2nd, and it was always a really hard shift (if enough throttle sometimes it would even squeal a tiny bit o' rubber!). Now, it shifts normally - earlier into 2nd, and nice and smooth. Several have mentioned smoother shifting after a valve adjustment...can someone help me understand the correlation?

While bleeding the lines at the injectors, I noticed something weird...on two of the 5 lines it would fizz and bubble a little (was definitely air in there) and even squirt tiny droplets of fuel above the tightening nut of the fuel line. On the other three, fuel would just start leaking out below the nut. Is that normal? They haven't been leaking, so...

In the meantime, I'm gonna put the windows back together, check the throttle lengths and possibly try to find a thread on changing belts. I'll post a follow up video soon.

Also, thanks for the BFH clarification.

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1980 300SD Turbo Diesel
"Bailey's. Mmm...creamy. Soft, creamy beige." - Old Gregg

I'll supply remote starter, bent wrenches and point if you want to drive to Mboro. Send me a PM.

You also probably have vacuum leaks in the climate control pods & perhaps other places. Trans is vacuum controlled. Then there is the rack bolt which can cause shakes. Line to alda could be plugged which will affect fuel.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

The valve adjustment could have had an effect on shifting, but most likely the throttle linkage and transmission Bowden cable got moved when you took off the valve cover. Read up on transmission shifting issues if you feel like doing a search. In a nutshell, the vacuum modulator on the bottom left side of the transmission controls shifting firmness, but adjusting the Bowden cable will change when the transmission shifts (sooner or later)

Glad to hear it is working better for you!!

Glenn

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 91K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 231K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 196K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 249K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 376K (diesel commuter)

Engine performance and transmission performance are closely connected. One of the best things I ever did for my transmission was to overhaul my fuel pump.

Does "fuel pump"= Fuel Supply/Lift Pump or Fuel Injection Pump?

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

You guys aren't gonna believe what I did.

My air cleaner bracket was busted, I could tell, so I got under there and took it off and repaired it. (The arms were still good, it had just come apart where they factory assemble the two pieces together, so I just put two bolts through it.) On the 116, it is a PITA to get those in and out, cause there's that hard oil line right in front of where the bracket goes. So I loosened the two bolts where that oil line connects to the turbo unit and it made it much easier to get the bracket in and out.

Except for one thing...I forgot to tighten them back. Watch the video, between 40 seconds and 1 minute, you can see oil leaking out everywhere. Fortunately I only had the engine on for about 2 minutes before I noticed it, but it wasn't before I lost all my oil. I sprayed a bunch of engine degreaser on it, put about 6.5 quarts back in (just did an oil/filter change 2 months ago), and hopefully there's no damage other than pride and time. Geez.

As you can see in the video, it still looks pretty rough, but it's definitely driving better than before the valve adjustment. The smoke from the tailpipe diminishes after it's run for a bit, but the smoke when you open the oil cap seems to get worse as it heats up.

I purchased new injector nozzles about 2-3 months ago, just haven't put them in cause I've been waiting to do the valve adjustment first. You think I should go ahead and do a diesel purge and replace those, or is this continued vibration at idle likely coming from elsewhere?

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1980 300SD Turbo Diesel
"Bailey's. Mmm...creamy. Soft, creamy beige." - Old Gregg

Listening to you crank the engine, one cylinder has no/low compression. That's what's giving you the smoke and rough idle. A leakdown test will tell whether it's a valve or rings.