Help ! Trying to pull the head off my OM603 for the first time .....

[jbrianfoto]

Never done this before. I'm needing to get the head off my 87 300TD - probably a bad gasket, maybe worse.

The FSM has been really good so far, but now I'm stuck. I have unbolted the exhaust bracket from the transmission mount, and removed the exhaust pipe clamp back there too - but the FSM states to 'remove the exhaust pipe at the manifold'. The first place I can see to do this is where the exhaust bends up to the engine, there are three studs that clamp the lower exhaust pipe to the bottom of the turbo/mainfold. But those three bolts are VERY hard to get to and are rusty. Is this the only place to do this? I don't have air tools.



Here is a shot from the bottom of the car, looking up at the exhaust pipe where it joins the bottom of the mainfold.