installing new injector, noticed ball in prechamber is broken off!!! - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

habraken · #16 03-25-2008, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgkast

I don't know about that...

or

and

or

hilarious! point taken

winmutt · #17 03-25-2008, 10:12 AM

To get back to the thread at hand. I have the necessary tools to remove the prechamber ring, You can make a puller with a 22mm?x1 bicycle crank wrench. Prechambers and injectors should be inspected every 100k. New PC are pretty expensive, I pulled some used ones from pullapart. The ball issue is not that uncommon. I have had 3 balls, gp tips AND PC bottoms go out through the exhaust and the car still runs (smokes when cold). Try that with any japanese car and see what happens.

Maxbumpo · #18 03-25-2008, 10:21 AM

I'd be curious to know if this car has been run on VO in some form, and for how long, and whether or not anyone thinks that may have contributed to the situation. Using ether to start a MB diesel engine is a known possible cause; did you ever use ether?

Ted Daniels · #19 03-25-2008, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxbumpo

I'd be curious to know if this car has been run on VO in some form, and for how long, and whether or not anyone thinks that may have contributed to the situation. Using ether to start a MB diesel engine is a known possible cause; did you ever use ether?

I ran a mix of 75% biodiesel and 25% WVO in summer 2 years ago. that's ome form of VO indeed. I thought I'd be pretty safe with that mix? it was over 70 degrees all that time.
never used starting fluid. it starts right up at any temperature.

Ted Daniels · #20 03-25-2008, 10:31 PM

I took all pc's out. (loaned a tool from my indie) the one with the ball missing was pretty bad. (all others were perfect) ball gone, and a hole on both sides of the 'sticks' that hold the ball in place...
no other damage I think. got a few chambers at pick and pull and all is well now. I did manage to nearly break a glowplug in the process of course, being mechanically retarded

the GP is now bent a little. would that harm any? it went back in ok...

riethoven · #21 04-01-2008, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winmutt

To get back to the thread at hand. I have the necessary tools to remove the prechamber ring, You can make a puller with a 22mm?x1 bicycle crank wrench. Prechambers and injectors should be inspected every 100k. New PC are pretty expensive, I pulled some used ones from pullapart. The ball issue is not that uncommon. I have had 3 balls, gp tips AND PC bottoms go out through the exhaust and the car still runs (smokes when cold). Try that with any japanese car and see what happens.

This may shed some light on what is going on with my wife's car. It is a 1987 300TDt and was running pretty good except it lacked power. It has always cranked well in the cold, even down to 18 degrees. I checked the pump timing with the pump lock tool and it was at 11 ATDC and I adjusted it to about 14.5 and it made no difference. It had also started smoking really bad at cold start and was even more anemic than usual. I checked the resistance on the glow plugs and they were all under 30 OHMS (The FSM says as long as they don;t read infinity they are good) except number three that was at 3200 OHMS. I had a spare and thought I could pull out the bad one and have a new installed in 15 minutes. The lead came off easy enough and I unscrewed the glow plug but could not pull it out. It is tight quarters with the intake plenum still on but I was able to get a pair of pliers in there but still could not pull it out. After playing for a while, trying not to pull of the intake plenum, I ended up pulling the plenum and prying the glow plug out. Here is a photo of the culprit.

The injector lines were also a mess so I pulled them off and pulled the number three injector and prechamber and noticed that the ball was missing. I had a spare prechamber and another injector (untested) and put it in with high hopes that if would stop the smoking at cold start. It did not. I had already done two liters of dieselpurge and that did not seem to help either. I have been super busy lately with other things, but know that before it is all over I will have to pull the intake again as well as all the injectors and prechambers and check them as well as doing a compression test. I am waiting for the compression tester to get here and I am shopping for a pop tester now. It will cost a few dollars in tools and some hours of labor but it will be done right and cost much less than any shop would charge me.

BTW, I was able to vacuum out the combustion chamber very well with my shop vac. When I was cleaning things up after I pulled the prechamber, some junk fell into the combustion chamber and I was could see it in there. I got the shop vac and sucked it right out.

Hatterasguy · #22 04-01-2008, 08:40 PM

OMG that van is horrible!

winmutt · #23 04-01-2008, 10:35 PM

I was able to vac mine out pretty good using some 5/16 hose attached to a vac with some tape.