Thank you Charlie & Sleepstar! I'm getting there but still so far away, it seems. I got the diagonal bar out of the way but there was a hose & pipe in the way so I took the hose off of the pipe & antifreeze came out! Unbolted the pipe from the wheelwell & it's out of the way(it goes up to the firewall-what is it?)

Sleepstar, I have a manual trans so the dipstick isn't there but to take the starter out that way(where battery tray is) it looks like i will have to get exhaust pipe out of the way. I am self-proclaimed "spacially challenged" so until I free the starter & start trying it this way or that I won't know for sure.

IF I have to take the intake manifold off what am I up against when trying to put it back on? I've never dealt with actual engine stuff before...just the stuff around it(starter, alt, a/c comp)...and never really anything major like this on my MB. I'm assuming there's a gasket?

I am waiting for the liq. wrench to kick in on the 17mm bolts that hold the starter bracket to the engine. I got everything else freed up & realized that the 10mm bolts attaching this bracket to the front of the starter weren't going to free the starter b/c it's wedged in w/ the bracket in place...a little forethought would have made me realize that. But, as you can tell, i'm wingin' it here!