Rick,

I am always awed by how they designed that cover to be so hard to get out, without the use of modern CAD tools. Seems like you can always get it out, but you are correct - it seems like the way you get it out depends on some variable affecting the parts or something. Like the clearances change around with temperature or the thing responds to which thumbscrew you loosen first.

I was going to attempt to describe it more thoroughly, and decided against that. I use too many words just describing obvious things, and figured I wanted to do something else tonight, too. This just seems to follow that old German saying,
"Warum so einfach wen es leicht kompliziert sein kann?" or "Why so simple when it easy to make it complicated?"

Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)