There is no room to get in there as is. I need to start disassembling a lot in the front to get a hold of that pulley. How necessary is this step? If I can get to it, clockwise or CCW?

I was ready to buy all the plugs, bolts, Loctite, JB Weld, etc that I need and button this thing up already.

I haven't removed any injectors. Was hoping I wouldn't have to, but none of the other Glow Plugs are in yet. Once I broke off the one, I never bothered installing the new ones yet. If there's a way to just 'blow it out' why don't I just do that in case there is coolant in the pistons as opposed to turning the engine by hand? Is that a possibility?

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Mike Mass
Freehold, NJ

1999 E300 TD 178,000 miles
2007 E320 Bluetec - Sold

1998 E300 TD - R.I.P.

The idea of turning the engine over a few turns, slowly, by hand, is to push out the coolant which may be in the cylinders, without possibly harming the engine. If you use the starter motor to do the initial push out of the coolant, it may hydro lock and cause some damage. If the other 5 glow plugs are out currently, you do not need to remove the injectors. The coolant will be pushed out of the 5 empty glow plug holes and the 13/64 hole. After you turned the engine over a few turns by hand, most of the coolant will be out and it cannot hydro lock anymore and you can then spin it with the starter motor and blow the rest of the coolant out of the glow plug holes.

At 5:00 min mark in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DHD6UoALto Dieselmeken turns the 606 engine with a socket. His engine is out of the car though. Maybe others will have alternative ideas.

Edit: With gloves on, try to grab the power steering pulley and another pulley and see if you can turn the engine. With glow plugs out and not fighting compression, it may be possible.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked