So a previous co-worker contacted me about his brakes.I checked them out, on his rear drums both of his wheel cylinders are leaking and the shoes are glazed and ruined.
Checked his front brakes, they're OK other than his pads are low, looked at the suspension, both tie rods and lower ball joints are shot, he has uneven tire wear.
Before we left I noticed his car had a misfire, took a test light, hooked it to known good ground ( verified the good ground by having test light on BAT + and made contact with said ground, test light lit).


Anyways, before I did any testing, I explained to him he has a misfire and it's most likely ignition related, but there's a smaller chance it's fuel related, and even smaller chance (close to nill) it's compression related.
The first coil I unplugged and intercepted with a test light made no change in how the engine ran. The arc was so weak the test light had to be less than a mm away to see spark activity.
Tested a known good coil and the spark was vibrant and jumped out of the coil pack socket. Diagnosis done a few seconds, you need a new coil pack sir.
I only removed ONE plug at a time and it ran WORSE after I finished the diagnosis, sounded like two missing cylinders CHRIST, since I messed with the ignition system, I ate the cost of the coil pack in fear I'd loose work from him or worse, he'd bad mouth me. You never know who knows who until it's too late.

He also verified I only removed ONE at a time.

$94 down the drain, but at least I'll break even with the brake job and oil change !

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

How does this have anything to do with Mercedes Diesels?????????

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96 E300d

Whatever is this coil pack thing you speak of?

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The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech

When I worked as a mechanic people frequently asked my why I did not fix peoples cars and get the money for myself. What happened is your case is one of the reasons why.

A friend of mine at work had a Screwdriver sitting on the Fender of a large Diesel pickup truck it fell of onto the starter and started cranking the starter. It also kind of welded itself on. The 2 Batteries were at the rear of the Cab up under the Frame and by the time they got under there the Cables were too hot to handle easily and no one had anything available to cut them.

The Starter got ruined to the tune of $500.

I am told some places have insurance to cover some mishaps but if you use the insurance too much it goes up or you are canceled.

Then there is stuff like it is believed one of our employees belt buckles scratched the side of a 3 year old Cadillac. The Customer was toughly pissed off and my Boss paid.

I am not sure what test light you are using. But, there is better safer equipment for testing the spark.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

The particular trouble shooting issue dose not have to do with Diesels. But, that fact that no matter your best intentions and skill thing go sour sometimes certainly does.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

There is an old saying: "No GOOD deed goes unpunished"


The phrase 'No good deed goes unpunished' is a sardonic commentary on the frequency with which acts of kindness backfire on those who offer them. In other words, those who help others are doomed to suffer as a result of their being helpful.

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96 E300d

I used to do shade tree work. Not worth the trouble now.

Change someone's oil and six months down the line when their tail light bulb goes out or their power mirrors stop working, somehow it's your fault and you need to fix it for free.

No thank you.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

I don't work on other people's cars, but I'll help them out. They turn the wrenches and do the work, I'll coach them through it. If something goes wrong, they break a bolt, or screw something up, it's their issue because THEY did the work. I don't mind helping people, but I'm not going to be on the receiving end of an ass-chewing.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Yeah, it kinda jaded me for a bit, if things like that keep happening I'll throw in the towel.

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

I have a few rules.

1. Don't work for other people unless they ask real nicely.

2. If they ask real nicely don't curse when you tell them no.

3. Don't explain why because of the following two reasons.
A. You don't know them an explanation...
B. It's none of their business.
4. Don't break the rules.

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

Doing good is harder to do then doing bad.

I am going to violate the rules non-Mercedes again.
I spent 3+ hours yesterday installing a new Belt on a dryer. My arthritic bod still hurts from it.
One major issue was caused by me as I was supposed to copy the pic from the internet on how the belt was routed; thinking I could remember of figure it out did not work.
The other issue was if I had the picture method shown on the internet was doing it blind reaching in under the Drum with you head inside of the Drum. The picture is from the opposite side so even with your pic you have to visualize it backwards from the pic and install it blindly. That did not work.
Fortunately this particular model had an 6"x6" access panel in the back but I had to do what I tried to avoid which was not to have to move the Dryer out of where it was and move the Tables and stuff out of the Kitchen to make room for it.

After that it was still though to get the belt over the motor and tensioner. I really needed another 1/4" of belt diameter that was not there.

Getting back to the generic things that screw up a job for you. I came to the job without part of the info I needed. I had to go to the closed library but was able to use the WiFi out side to get the pictures I needed but it costs me more time. When I got home while working on the Drying and looking at the pics I managed to delete both pics (because I was rushing the job along). After a period of vented anger I remember that the pics went to the Recycle Bin where I could recover them and that is what I did.

Then next bad choice was once I saw that it had the Access Panel (you still need to take apart the front of the Dryer to get at the Drum) I should have did what is needed to make room for the Dryer and pull it out so I could get open the access panel.

So my own attitude was a major hold up and that makes it hurt more.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

My Neighbor behind me went to the same Trade School as I did and also took Diesel Mechanics for various reasons he was always hustling for money and fixed peoples cars.

It was clever how he avoided one of the issues. He would tell people to take their Car to someplace like PepBoys or Sears and let them give an estimate as to what was wrong. And they would bring their Cars back and he would fix that. If the other places diagnosed wrong then he was not to blame and his Customers paid for the Parts at Autozone or some similar place so he was not out the parts money.

If people were insistent on my fixing their Cars I told them I was a Diesel Mechanic and they are different. That was normally enough for them to leave.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I don't have enough time to fix my own stuff let alone someone elses. I also have enough other vehicles that none of my vehicles need to be fixed immediately. That takes the pressure off when something goes wrong.

Were I working on someone elses, they likely need it immediately and are only asking for help because they're too broke or cheap to pay shop rates. Broke people are the ones that hold someone else accountable when things don't go exactly right.

One acquaintance was lamenting that he was broke because his client doesn't immediately stop what he's doing and write a check. He always pays but waits until he sits down to pay bills which may be in a week or so. The acquaintance got upset when I asserted that he was broke because he hasen't saved ANYTHING in the last 25 years that he's been working. Now, whose fault is that?

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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.

Final update, I installed the coil pack and the misfire is gone! His car still had rough starting, I had a hunch it was a dirty or defective MAF sensor.

Before I touched the MAF, I explained some cars have a default mode, by running on different inputs in the event of total MAF failure.

I explained if I unplug the MAF and the condition improves, your MAF is 90% likely the culprit.

Turned car off, unpluged MAF, turned car back on, car run MUCH better and started immediately. I redeemed myself and got a lifelong client.

Against everyone's advice, lets so how far down the rabbit hole I go, I'll make money off of it while it lasts.

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

Neighbor and a heater core on a Dodge ram.Theres a weekend I will never get back. But he's a working man with . kids.. kind of hard to say no.also hard to tell him that you don't know how when he seen me keep this fleet of mine running.