5K for OCI is good for synthetic and older motors. No more than 5K. Anything less is a waste of money for synthetic oil. It's a longevity oil compared to conventional oil.

Bumper response:
I'm hoping to stumble upon a part-out or something in the yards. I'm going to head up to Potomac German Auto in Maryland soon for parts for all three of my cars I need.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

3-5kmi is about right for dino oil like the Delvac 1300. If oil consumption is very low (better yet, zero) over 3-5k you could use an extended drain interval with Group IV/V synthetics. I'm using Red Line 10W-40 and 10k interval on my 1987 300D with Accutrack extended-drain analysis, which shows soot % and TBN.

The soot percentage tends to be the limiting factor vs TBN on the OM60x diesel, EGR delete helps keep the soot down. Amsoil HD diesel (AME) is another good option. Try to stick with oils that are CF/CH/CI rated, but not CJ. The newest rating (CJ) reduced the ZDDP additive levels for emissions systems on newer cars. The OM60x doesn't need the emission-friendly oils. If you rack up a lot of miles, with EGR delete, you may be able to push 12-15k OCI's if the UOA supports it. If you use Group III synthetics, expect oil consumption to increase dramatically around 5-7k, which eliminates some of the cost savings (and, makes you think something is wrong with the engine... don't ask how I know.)

Well, the recent spate of near- and below-freezing weather has put a damper on my project, but I did make a (very minor) upgrade. At my last oil change I had ordered a new dipstick seal, but when I went to change it out, I noticed the neck that connects the plastic handle to the dipstick was badly cracked, and figured the the seal wasn't worth replacing. Instead, I ordered a brand new dipstick and swapped it out, The previous dipstick handle was black - as you can see, the replacement has a green handle. I'm not sure if the black handle was the wrong part, or if MB just superseded the part with the green-handled version - but I'm pretty sure the green-handled version is correct, since I pulled the part number off of the EPC, and it has a 602 p/n prefix...in any case, it seems to fit fine. Anyone know the deal here?

My 93 300D had a green handle as well. I'd say there's a chance that the black one may have been incorrect. If you still have it, compare the overall length, and the position of the Min/Max marks. If they are different, my guess is someone replaced it with the wrong dipstick in the past. If they are the same, it could have been a color change mid-production...

Couple of small jobs done today.

First, my B-pillar. When I recovered the headliner & the B-pilllars, I inadvertently broke a tab on the upper end, to which a metal clip mounts and secures the panel to the car (pic #1). As a result of the broken tab, there was no way to mount the metal clip, which left the panel loose and rattle-y.

Well, this seems to be a common enough occurrence that I came across a TSB detailing an official fix. You're supposed to mount a piece of sheet metal, precisely 60x20x1mm, and then use that to secure the clip. The TSB suggests riveting the sheet metal to the B-pillar, which seemed overly-complicated to me. For one, it would require tools that I don't have, but more importantly, it would require that I uncover and recover the B-pillar before and after - no thanks!

So I did the next best thing. I ordered a piece of custom-cut sheet metal, 60x20x1mm - cost less than a buck. Then I secured it to the B-pillar panel with some JB Weld KwikWeld (pic #2), and once it set, I reattached the metal clip (pic #3). Got everything put back together, and now the panel is nice and snug.

Next I finally solved the cupholder issue. PIcked up a Fischer universal folding cupholder. This is very much like the folding cupholders you see all over eBay, but made by a German company that is an OE supplier to many different marques. The cupholder is quite sturdy and well-built, and not at all flimsy like you would expect a folding cupholder might be.

The cupholder comes with drill points on both sides, so you can mount it on a horizontal or vertical surface. I decided to mount it on the center console, underneath the armrest (pics #4 & #5 - closed & open, prior to final mounting). I had to break out my chosen drill points, & then used the included screws to self-tap into the console with a screwdriver. Nice and secure, feels solid even when opening and closing. Best of all, my wife will finally stop lamenting the lack of cupholders, and collecting those drink carriers from Starbucks, lol.

Would have been nice if I could have found one in matching beige, but black is all I could find. Oh well - black goes with everything, right?

Oil change #3 today - hard to believe I've put 9,000 miles on this car already! Nothing too exciting, but I wanted to share a neat find I came across: the Stahlbus oil drain valve. It's basically a permanently mounted drain plug that has a quick connector that mates with a hose connector. Should make a quick and easy job that much quicker and easier, and should really help eliminate oil splatter. I think it's pretty cool - I'm already looking forward to my next oil change!

I tried to link to the product page on ECS, but of course the link got garbled - just Google p/n SB-210211-S-NA if you want to check it out.

Here's something that has bothered me since the first time I popped the hood:


a breather hose covered in dry and cracking insulation, mated to the valve cover with a weepy gasket.

I had avoided replacing the parts, because I has read somewhere that the breather hose itself was prohibitively expensive from the dealer, and that the rubber gasket was difficult to remove and prone to breaking apart. Well, wrong on both counts. I picked up a new hose and gasket for the princely sum of $23.83, shipped. The hose itself just pops right out, and the gasket was still fairly pliable, makes me think it must've been replaced at some point. Still, the new one is obviously in better shape.

In any case, the new tube is much less of an eyesore, and the new gasket should keep the valve cover dry (not that the old one was leaking a heck of a lot, but still). Only complaint is that the original tube seemed much mor contoured than the replacement, like it was designed specifically for this engine. Not sure if it started out that way or just hardened with age, though.

The new PCV tube looks great. Definitely worth the few bucks to replace, I've done that a couple times myself.

I hadn't seen the Stahlbus drain before, thanks for sharing! Here's a link at Amazon for people who are interested:

https://www.amazon.com/Stahlbus-Drain-Valve-M14x1-5x12mm-Steel/dp/B01AMXAVX0

The forum blocks URL's to ECS Tuning (and, almost every other online auto part vendor) which is why we can't post a direct link there. Price is same as Amazon anyway.

My dipsticks kept shrinking, regardless of the color; it must have been excessive heat or something. The damn things would get shorter and shorter and eventually would no longer reach the oil like they're supposed to. I kept having to find longer and longer ones. The car must have otherwise been a lemon because the engine eventually ceased up some unknown reason.

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http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/l...aman/Fleet.jpg

Peach Parts W124.128 User Group.

80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

I took last week off for a "staycation" and thought I'd get around to some engine work. I wanted to start with injector nozzles and hopefully get around to the wastegate conversion and EGR delete, but alas, I got stuck at injectors.

I decided to get a head start on Sunday by doing a Diesel Purge, something I've heard a ton about since joining this forum but have never gotten around to. It took me a couple of minutes to visualize exactly what went where, and to understand the fuel path, but I got everything hooked up together without too much fanfare and started running a couple of cans through. That's one of the things I'm enjoying about owning this car - the first time I popped the hood, I really had no idea what I was looking at, but I feel like I'm very quickly learning where everything goes and what it does, and it's really quite an easy car to work on, for the most part.

Anyway, the purge went through just fine. I made sure to vary engine speed with the throttle cable, and I'll be damned if the motor didn't sound a little happier on the stuff. Then I changed the fuel filters out, both the inline prefilter and the spin-on filter - which, by the way, is a huge PITA to R&R - there's just no clearance for the damn thing to get in and out, and the whole time you're struggling with the thing, fuel is spilling onto your driveway. Anyway, got that done and took the car for a spin around the block. It felt peppier! I'm sure to some degree there is a placebo effect, but it really did seem like it made a difference, but not an earth-shattering one - just a little better.

Got back home and set about pulling the injectors. I started by loosening all the injector hard lines, both from the injection pump side and from the injectors themselves. If you know these engines, you know that the lines are bundled together with plastic brackets which help to dampen vibrations that would otherwise stress and damage the lines. Well, of course these brackets are so brittle they crack if you look at them wrong, and I did break a couple - I figured I'd just replace all of them (before and after below):


There's something deeply satisfying about replacing old, worn out parts with brand new - even seemingly trivial things, like gaskets, bushings, even fluids. I don't know, maybe I'm a weirdo.

Next I pulled the fuel return lines between the injectors; about half of them pulled neatly away from the barb fittings on the injector bodies, the other half just split apart. Injectors came out one by one - Was able to get #1-2 & #5-6 out without too much difficulty, but realized that there was just no way to get a socket around #3 without removing the charge air ("crossover") pipe, which I was trying to avoid. Well, it turns out the charge air pipe is a super easy R&R, and I should've just started with that in the first place. Oh well.

With all the injectors removed, I went ahead and pop tested each of them. To my surprise, the first three all tested between 1900 and 1950 PSI, which I understand to be right around factory spec for new nozzles. These injectors all had plastic collars indicating they were Bosch remans, so maybe they were replaced not too long ago. I worried that I might be swapping in new nozzles for nothing, and would not be solving my nailing at idle problem. But, the next two injectors popped at 1700 PSI - well below spec and definitely out of balance as a set.

Now I just had to crack them open so that I could clean 'em and replace the old Bosch nozzles (I assume #265s) with new Monark #314s. But - these things were tight! Now, I was working with a clamp-on tabletop vise and an adjustable wrench (don't have a 27mm open or box-end), which I'm sure was a big part of it, but still. I considered heading down to the hardware store and picking up a proper bench vise, but then I would have to build a bench to put it on! Granted, it was a good excuse to do so, but I'm moving in a couple of weeks and didn't think I should be acquiring too much more stuff in the meantime.

Ultimately I came across a few threads mentioning forum member greazzer as the guy to rebuild injectors. Luckily I was able to get a hold of him very quickly by PM, and made arrangements to have him rebuild my injectors. His price is extremely fair (less than the cost of a pop tester), and I wish I would've known about him from the outset - would've saved me some time and money. So for now, the car sits in the driveway as I wait for rebuilt injectors to arrive, which should be sometime this week.

What's crazy is that greazzer found a small (but not that small!) pebble in one of the injectors (see picture below). It's too large to have traveled through a fuel line, so it must've made it's way in there during assembly. But how? And why? It boggles the mind. In any case, the car is sure to be running smoother with this thing removed:


In the meantime, I've noticed a slight but persistent fuel leak under the car. I thought the fuel return line to the main filter was leaking, but it remains securely plugged with a golf tee every time I check. The IP looks a little damp, so I went ahead and screwed in the hard lines finger tight, but the leak seems to persist (it may be slowing, or even stopping, not sure). I'm going to reexamine more closely once I have everything put back together, because as long as the injectors are removed the integrity of the fuel "circuit" is compromised, but I'm wondering if maybe my DV seals are bad. It sounds extremely common, and it's possible that I didn't notice the leak before due to the belly pan being in place.I also wonder if somehow the Diesel Purge could've caused leaky seals? In any event, I'm going to hold off with the diagnostics for now and just get everything buttoned back up before I look more closely for a possible fuel leak. Just waiting for parts at this point.

Like I said, I had hoped to get to the wastegate mod and EGR delete this week as well, but the weather took a turn for a worse after our glorious Monday, and I really didn't want to be spending any time down on the ground, working underneath the car in the rain. Next time.

I am so kicking myself for not taking "before" pics of my injector bodies, but believe me, they were covered in several coats of surface rust and the threads were all mucked up with layers of gunk. Suffice it to say, they did not look like this:


Quality work by our own greazzer, and extremely affordable to boot. Super fast turnaround, too - I contacted him on a Tuesday, had my injectors in the mail on Wednesday, and had them back in hand the following Wednesday. This without any prior discussion or planning, with parts traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast and back. Highly recommended.

Took me a couple of days to get everything back together, working slowly after work, between dinner and cleaning up and getting kids bathed and put to bed. Finally I was ready to turn the key and crank the engine and...it cranked...and cranked....and cranked...

I was expecting this. Same thing happened after changing the fuel filters after the Diesel Purge; I knew there was air in the system, and that the OM602 is supposedly "self-priming," but I would've felt better with a hand pump all the same. I tried not to crank for more than 10 or 15 seconds at a time, then I looked in the manual and it said not to crank for more than a minute (!), so I became a little more persistent and finally the thing started.

Idle is definitely smoother, but also quite loud. Sort of metallic pingy as well. Maybe 50 miles later and it seems to be not as bad, or maybe I'm just used to it, but I understand there might be a break-in period for the injectors. No big deal. Power delivery is absolutely smoother and more refined. Any improvement over time is just gravy, as far as I'm concerned.

One thing I'm bummed about is the car is still taking a few too many cranks to start. In fact, it's taking longer now than it did before the job - I don't know, maybe there's still air to bleed out of the fuel system. The glow plugs are all new, and the glow plug relay is getting good voltage from the battery and pushing it out to the plugs, so it's definitely not a preglow system issue. I feel like the top of the IP is still a little damp, and I wonder if the DV seals (and maybe even the lift pump) are going bad and I'm looking at a low fuel pressure issue. The weird thing is there are no signs of fuel starvation once the engine is running - never close to stalling, power output seems good, etc.

Overall, I really enjoyed this job. I think it gave me a vastly superior understanding of what is going on under the hood in this thing, as well as a lot of ideas about what to do next. I was sort of thinking about moving on to suspension work this summer, but I think I have some other ideas instead. Stay tuned!

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Oh - other news: I've been scouring the interwebz for any sign of NIB tail lamp assemblies, specifically the post-facelift smoked style. I just think that new plastic lenses would look so much better than faded, sun-damaged ones, especially with the brand new headlamps and indicators up front. Additionally, I'm getting an annoying bulb out light, and the tail lamps are on the fritz - they work okay when driving, but as soon as I step on the brakes, one of them goes completely out (bulbs and fuses are new - I'm hoping the problem is in the bulb holder and not the wiring harness).

Unfortunately, the style I'm after seem to be NLA (from any manufacturer), which is weird because there are plenty of the older style to be had. I finally came across a set at Adsit, a company I'd not heard of before, and went ahead and ordered them. I figured what would happen was I would get an email a day or two later saying that the lamps were NLA and the order would be cancelled - since that is exactly what has happened to me with at least three other vendors I've tried in the past six months. Instead, and much to my surprise, I got notification that the item shipped!

In the meantime, I had read up a little bit on Adsit, and it seems like they have a pretty awful reputation. But I crossed my fingers and hoped the correct parts would arrive. But of course, I open up the box and what do I see? A pair of Depos with orange turn signal lenses. Great. So now I need to deal with aftersales support from this notoriously non-return-friendly company. I think I see a chargeback in my future...

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Bob, for the 94-95 rear taillights - I assume you were trying to buy complete assemblies with reflectors, lenses, and bulb holders - correct? Have you tried to buy OE (Genuine MB)? Not sure if those are available though. OE lenses only are available new but priced to the moon at over $450/pair from discount dealers. Ouch.

Alternately, it appears you may be able to get the Euro-style rear 94-95 lenses which are very, very similar to USA and priced somewhat more reasonably. Availability is still a question though. Might have to settle for a clean pair of used ones?

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

You're correct, I'm looking for complete assemblies. I have tried several sources for the OE parts and come up empty-handed - the order always gets rejected during processing as NLA.

When I reached out to Adsit about the mistake, their initial response was that they "corrected" the order based on the VIN I provided. I actually remember being worried about that when the site asked for a VIN, but I sort of assumed that they would contact me to verify any changes. Anyway, they decided to do the right thing, and send out the correct parts, along with a return label for the others.

I guess it remains to be seen what I'm really going to get - I assume Depos, which is fine, given the lack of any other available brands, apparently. Not my first choice, but if it's all there is, I'll take it and be happy about the new plastic lenses and rubber seals. Part of me remains skeptical, because I haven't even seen any complete Depo assemblies available anywhere else (just lenses).

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It's been a very busy spring for me, but an exciting one, as we just bought a house a couple of weeks ago! Still getting settled in - the garage is a mess, and there are a million different things begging for attention and money at the moment - luckily, the car is a solid driver at this point, and I can afford to take my time and just keep doing things bit by bit.

I did find time today to make some progress with the tail lamps. I've been plagued with a bulb out light on the dash for months - the entire passenger side assembly would go dark when I pressed the brakes, and I was starting to get comments from acquaintances wondering if I knew I had a brake light out. It was annoying and embarrassing! I changed bulbs, fuses, checked connectors and contacts, applied dielectric grease - nothing helped. I sort of got used to the light on the dash and moved on to other things.

Then I found a set of facelift tail lamp assemblies being sold by Adsit. As I mentioned before, the order arrived, and they had mistakenly sent the pre-facelift set with orange indicator lenses. No bueno. But they resent the order and got it right the second time, and I returned the wrong parts. But when I looked more closely at the parts, I realized that the "assemblies" included the lens and reflector only, not the bulb holder! Besides the fact that I felt a little ripped off, I was doubly annoyed because this meant that new tail lamp assemblies wouldn't fix my bulb out problem - I would have to find and fix what was wrong.

So I checked and rechecked the ground. I cleaned all the contacts, again. I took apart the pin connectors, made sure the female ends were firmly seated in the housing. Nothing worked. Finally, I touched the grounding strip on the bulb holder with a pair of pliers and simultaneously touched the lower bulb strip - bingo! The ground was bad in the bulb housing itself. I used the same pliers to apply a little force to the strips and bend them back toward each other - an easy fix.

But I was still left with my old lenses. They didn't look bad, really, just a little tired:


Besides the faded plastic, the rubber gaskets sealing to the body were in really bad shape:


The new ones aren't exactly the same as OE - they're more of a true smoked lens, without the OE pinkish hue. The new rubber and plastic really pop (especially in person):


So, six months after fitting new Euro lamps and indicators up front, I have new lamps in the rear. It feels good!

One kind of frustrating thing, though, is I realized a little later that the new tail lenses and reflectors are also Euro-spec: the reflectors don't have the cut-outs for the rear side markers! Looking back, I have seen Euro and US assemblies before, but never knew what the difference was. I don't know if I care one way or the other about the side markers, but the bulb holders I have are definitely US-spec, which leaves me with a couple of choices:

1. Use the US bulb holder with the Euro reflector - but this means either leaving the bukb installed and risking melted plastic, or removing the bulb and living with the bulb out light again.
   
2. Using the US reflector with the US bulb holder - this probably makes the most sense, but it means that I paid way too much thinking I was getting entire assemblies, and instead will be using only new lenses.

I will probably test out both reflectors side-by-side and see if I prefer one look over the other (no side markers seems cleaner), but the reality is that finding just Euro bulb holders will probably be impossible.

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