The plunger rod that ALDA presses on is not stuck. It has a stiff spring and moves smoothly up and down under the firm but gentle pressure of my thumb.

The plumbing that lives under the air cleaner (it operated the EGR and the ARV) has now been removed and all the associated vacuum plumbing cleaned up. I just received the rest of my order from Phil (including the vent fitting in the side of the VCV, thanks gsxr) so I can finish replacing the vacuum connections that need replacing. That should be done over the weekend.

While working under the air cleaner, I noticed that the 603 engine in the 1987 W124 model appears to have an air flow sensor. Is there a failure mode involving this sensor that might produce the "gutless wonder" feeling I get when I drive the car? If it were jammed or something it might restrict air to the turbocharger. I assume the air flow sensor talks to the Electronic Diesel System but am not sure how much the 1987 cars had in the way of that electronic stuff.

I should be able to report tomorrow or Saturday regarding the 0-60 time. We are at about 200 feet MSL, by the way. Nice, thick air. The speedometer seems to be accurate. I have a GPS in the car at the moment anyway since there is an odometer problem (it stops working intermittently) that appears to be at the root of the lousy fuel economy. With an accurate reading from the GPS, the around-town fuel economy should be somewhere in the low to mid 20s (on B100 with 2 ounces of Redline 85+ per tankful) -- we'll know in a day or so 'cause the tank is getting down.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .343,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 148,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 177,300 (2026 projected)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 668,300
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970