Kind of lost you. I didn't state exactly how I did it. I thought I followed the book: i.e. manual pump the "lift pump" as you slowly turn the crankshaft, until the output changes from a continuous flow to ~1 drop/sec flow. All I said was that I see a very quick change from a good flow to almost no flow in about 1 deg on the crank, so trying to count drips seems silly and I doubt the special "overflow tube" shown helps much. There are many special tools shown in the M-B manuals that are either "no longer available" or "never existed". Ever seen a cylinder-sleeve removal "self-made" tool in person? Same for the Mopars I also work on.

It was hard for me to move the crank just a little bit. I had to hit a long wrench with the palm of my hand a few times to budge it, hopefully in not more than 1 deg increments. Therefore, I can't keep pumping continuously, so tweak the crank, pump, watch the flow, repeat. Perhaps I could get more finesse on the crank by putting the wrench on the crank bolt, but been there (can't see the marks while underneath), so I wrench the p.s. pulley bolt pulley like most people do. Some here fuss about that, but it isn't their car.

My recommendation is that if you have a later IP pump with the position sensor, it it shows the factory 23-25 deg BTDC timing, better to leave it alone rather than try for the 26-28 deg some here recommend. I didn't notice a difference in performance by advancing it. It will mainly help mitigate timing chain wear over time.