Did you ever find a way to pull those plungers? I just worked on mine and they were in real tight, so much that I didnt want to bugger it. I ended up taking to top half of the valve off and cleaning them the best I could.

Same deal, metal plate was not stuck, but the top of the plunger would not come off.

Thanks.

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Treetops
06 E320 CDI 127K Miles
87 300TD 231K Miles

99 E300 269K Miles-Sold