How easy is it to replace valve lifters in a 2.6 m103?
 

Is it simply a matter of removing the camshaft caps one by one and pressing the lifters out and replacing them with new ones primed with oil? I did a search for a how to but couldn't find anything. Your help would be appreciated!

Thanks

i have never done it, but having read here about others, i can say for fairly certain only that it can be done with the head on the car and it is not too difficult.

are you sure you need to change them?

what symptoms are you having and how many miles etc.?

tom w

Symptoms are noise on startup, almost diesel like that diasppears after about five seconds or less. 160 k miles

It's not a difficult job just be sure to keep the parts with their respective cylinders. Also, I was told to be sure to use OE lifters. I replaced mine with 225K on the clock but I still periodically have noise on startup (switched to Mobil 1 15W-50 and still does it). I thought that perhaps the housing that the lifters fit into were worn but you could still see the crosshatch pattern on these. I guess the preload needs to be adjusted which I may get around to doing some day (like when I repair the leaking head gasket). Oh, you should hear the lifter leakdown on the 112/113 engines---my '01 E55, '01 E320 and '04 SLK32 all did/do it and it's truly awful. I don't understand how MB can't get this right. Mark

i think this issue may be oil sensitive. what kind of oil are you using?

tom w

I think its part oil sensitive and part wear.

I had shell rotella synthetic in for the winter 15w-40... slight tick on startup.

switched over to dino 20w-50 for upcoming summer. tick on startup, slight tick until car really gets warmed up.

switched back over to valvoline synthetic 5w-30 this weekend. slight tick on startup.

this on the 300e, with 161k. car runs great...it is just annoying to hear the tick at startup. I would like to cure that problem, but don't want to spend major bucks...

Using MB spec 229.1 15w40 dino oil (chevron). It was quieter on startup before but don't know what oil was in it because just bought the car. Would like to replace the lifters and the injectors. There is a very slight oil leak at the front, but it's just a little seepage and I'm not sure whther it's the gasket or the chain cover. Ball joints are also worn. I think the injectors are already at the end of their service life as there is slight slowness to fire on first start up hot or cold... it is just fine warm and idles smoothly at the correct speed once running for 20 seconds. The engine is smooth with no tick. It is quite a busy sounding engine though!!! Jobs already done include rear brake discs and front flex disc. Car is in good condition for 1990, perfect leather mushroom interior, diamond blue exterior.

I don't know about the m103, but on the m102 (2.3L 4 cyl) often the "diesel" sound is caused by a worn timing chain that has stretched.

You might try replacing this while you've got the valve cover off.

I don't think it's the timing chain.. it gets quiet after oil pressure builds up.

Don't timing chain sounds also alleviate to some degree once oil pressure builds?

Yes...once pressure is up the slack timing chain sound usually goes away...until it gets REALLY bad :)

I replaced my bucket tappets on my M104 becuase of noise on start up and it did not solve the problem. I suspect there may be a check valve somewhere in the motor that keeps the oil from flowing out of the tappets and, in my case, the oil leaks by this valve. I've owned SAABs with the 16Valve motors that have bucket tappets as well and they all had noise on start up too. It began around 100K miles but the motors ran well until I sold them with over 200K.

I wish I had not wasted my time & money replacing them on the M104 - It is most quiet with Mobil1 0-40, so I stick with it. With Mobil1 50-30, it was either really quiet or really, really loud. I suspect becuase it either held in the buckets (quiet) or leaked down (loud) and took a while to prime 'cause its really goopy stuff.