I am contemplating doing the valve seals on my 1990 190e 2.6 when it gets warmer (about April in Chicago) what special tools are needed and aproximately how long does this procedure take? I have the manual on cd rom.

One of my techs did valve guide seals and resealed the upper timing cover yesterday. Based on all the other work he did, I would say it took him about 3-4 hours. We probably billed 5 (I didn't see the ticket). The book time for the seals alone is about 3 hours.

To do it in these times you will need a way of putting compressed air through the spark plug hole (to hold the valves up) and a way of depressing the valve springs. Otherwise its all just common hand tools. I don't know if they have pictures but the valve depressing tools can be purchased here: http://www.baumtools.com/

I did this years ago on a VW scirroco. To get the compressed air in the cylinders, just "gut" a spark plug and weld on an quick disconnect air fitting. If you don't have a welder, ask around, a friend should be able to do it in 5 minutes!

I was a teenager when I did this DIY job and was when I really started to like working on cars, especially tackling jobs that needed "special tools" that I would work around. While this is not brain surgery, you should some basic experience under your belt beyond just oil changes. If you get stuck, just put in a post!

Have fun!

I am in the same situation needing to replace the valve seals. The spark plug trick I have done with other cars in the past. However, compressing the spring is different. If you buy the tool for $200.00 you are halfway to the cost of having a pro do it. Are their any cheaper valve spring tools or alternatives?

David

I just did mine on my 91 190e 2.6. The spark plug widget was done with epoxy instead of welded (just make sure it's long enough). The valve spring compressor was something like $30 or so, it was the type that grabs the bottom of the spring. The only problem was getting the spark plug wires off, I think it was their first time. I also suggest a magnet to fish the keepers out. Be careful when taking the rockers off, sometimes the hardware will stick to the rocker cause or wetting from the oil and could drop off at an inopertune time. You might also want to change the plugs while the're out.

Valve Seal Replacement
 

I replaced the seals on my 88 300SEL in two evenings after work. (6hours approx). It is a tedious job and assuming that the 2.6 is similar to mine (103 engine), the lifters are very easily dropped into the oil risers. Be care of that. I was able to use a universal valve spring compressor which worked well.

If you can use a universal valve spring compresser, it will cost you about $50 (NAPA). YOu can use an air chuck on the cylinders. However, you can also keep the vales up by putting each pistion TDC when are working on that particular set of valves. I would advise thi spractice anyway. If the cylinder leaks down while you are working on a valve, you could lost it in the cylinder.