Originally Posted by DieselAddict

This something that I did last night, and I was pleased that my timing was spot on and I didn't have to adjust it. The Haynes manual has a good description of the drip method, much better than the link provided by dannym. In fact I believe that linked procedure has flaws in it and seems amateurish. They're rotating the engine from the bottom and they're afraid to remove the delivery valve and spring which is what you're supposed to do. BTW I tried the bubble method first and I couldn't get any air to come out despite nearly blowing my brain out. I found the drip method a lot easier, it's just a little messier. Generally I followed the Haynes procedure except that I didn't rely on the 1-drop-per-second crap. I found that if you wait long enough the dripping will eventually slow to that rate at many different degrees of rotation. IMO the thing to look for is the last degree at which you can get solid fuel to come out by priming the hand pump. Beyond that the flow will quickly start getting restricted. That's your timing point.

That said, timing on an MB diesel engine is not routine maintenance! It can only get out of spec if the timing chain significantly stretches or if some incompetent mechanic tries to "tune" the car.