Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Diesel Discussion

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12-05-2008, 04:16 PM
Chad300tdt's Avatar
Benzless Scoutmaster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 4,001
Thumbs up I Polished Gladys's Valve Cover Today

I adjusted the valves on Gladys today and thought I'd polish the valve cover while it was off.

Before:


After:


Before:


After:


Before:


After:


It took about an hour to polish it. I used 0000 steel wool and SimiChrome Polish

I used a pad of steel wool to rub the polish in and a clean steel wool pad to buff it to a shine. It worked very well.

__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-05-2008, 04:22 PM
KarTek's Avatar
<- Ryuko of Kill La Kill
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Bahama/Eno Twp, NC
Posts: 3,258
Looks good! Hey, if you go after it with a polishing pad on a buffer, it'll look like chrome. Did you spray it with clear so it keeps it's shine?
__________________
-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-05-2008, 04:24 PM
79Mercy's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 4,131
Loos good, im going to do it to mine sometime soon.

Chad, that brake fluid is looking alittle black.
__________________
1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-05-2008, 04:30 PM
Chad300tdt's Avatar
Benzless Scoutmaster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 4,001
Quote:
Originally Posted by KarTek View Post
Looks good! Hey, if you go after it with a polishing pad on a buffer, it'll look like chrome. Did you spray it with clear so it keeps it's shine?
Nope, I didn't clear coat it. If figured I'll just buff it out every time I do a valve adjustment. Now I have to polish the TD's valve cover, but I have like 12,000 more miles 'til then.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 79Mercy View Post
Loos good, im going to do it to mine sometime soon.

Chad, that brake fluid is looking a little black.
Yeah, I'm making my rounds on baselining all the fluids. Next up is PS flush and filter and brake flush. I already have all the stuff to do it. The power bleeder makes brake flushes a joy.

The coolant looks green in the pic, but I just flushed the system and replaced the thermostat last week. I used MB coolant when I refilled.
__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-05-2008, 05:02 PM
rrgrassi's Avatar
mmmmmm Diesel...
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Royse City Tx
Posts: 5,177
Time to get rid of the Cali emmisions now to make that valve cover pop!

It looks good!
__________________
RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-05-2008, 05:29 PM
Jeremy5848's Avatar
Registered Biodiesel User
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sonoma Wine Country
Posts: 8,402
My polish results

Looks good. I would like to hear from those who have successfully clear-coated a valve cover after polishing. My recollection of Japanese motorcycle engines in the 1970s is that the clear-coat would start to flake off after awhile and the resulting patchwork looked terrible. Perhaps coating compounds are better? A local shop recommends powder coating but the process is fairly expensive.

Now that Gladys is shiny, you will find that a touch-up every time you do a valve adjust will keep her looking good while not taking anywhere near as much time as the original polish job just took you.

And it will look better if you remove EGR and all of its plumbing. And get rid of that ugly black oil cap.



Jeremy
__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Last edited by Jeremy5848; 12-05-2008 at 05:56 PM. Reason: Add photo
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-05-2008, 05:36 PM
pizzachef's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Cumberland, PA
Posts: 833
Sweet

And I don't care what people say about the california setup, I like that you can see the turbo
__________________
1985 300TD-euro 352,000 mi
1974 240D (1?)52,000 mi - has a new home now
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-05-2008, 05:45 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: OH
Posts: 177
looks good chad......

by the way, how is the cup holder project going?
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-05-2008, 05:57 PM
Chad300tdt's Avatar
Benzless Scoutmaster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 4,001
Thanks everybody.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 56speedster View Post
by the way, how is the cup holder project going?
Slowly but surely. I'm still working on the original w123 orders. I'm doing 15 of those and I'm bringing them all along together on each step.

I currently have w115, w116, w126 (1st and 2nd generation), and w123 consoles to use for mockups and will be offering holders for all of them. I'm still waiting on a w124 console too.
__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 12-05-2008, 06:03 PM
Chad300tdt's Avatar
Benzless Scoutmaster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 4,001
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeremy5848 View Post
Looks good. I would like to hear from those who have successfully clear-coated a valve cover after polishing. My recollection of Japanese motorcycle engines in the 1970s is that the clear-coat would start to flake off after awhile and the resulting patchwork looked terrible. Perhaps coating compounds are better? A local shop recommends powder coating but the process is fairly expensive.

Now that Gladys is shiny, you will find that a touch-up every time you do a valve adjust will keep her looking good while not taking anywhere near as much time as the original polish job just took you.

And it will look better if you remove EGR and all of its plumbing. And get rid of that ugly black oil cap.



Jeremy
Nice Jeremy, Looks like I'll have to clean up my heat shield too.

Where can I find the metal oil cap? The small amount of looking I've done has only shown me more black plastic caps. I don't get to junk yards either if that's where you get them.

As soon as I have some cash, I'll be buying the trap bypass tube from Jon and I'll do some of the other stuff at that time.
__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 12-05-2008, 06:08 PM
Jeremy5848's Avatar
Registered Biodiesel User
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sonoma Wine Country
Posts: 8,402
Yeah, mine came from a junkyard. I doubt that they are available new any more but I never asked my dealer. I'm sorry that I do not have a spare metal oil cap to offer you. BTW, what kind of fuel cap do you have?
__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 12-05-2008, 06:16 PM
Chad300tdt's Avatar
Benzless Scoutmaster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 4,001
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeremy5848 View Post
Yeah, mine came from a junkyard. I doubt that they are available new any more but I never asked my dealer. I'm sorry that I do not have a spare metal oil cap to offer you. BTW, what kind of fuel cap do you have?
Both my w123's have the metal fuel cap. Do they fit the oil filler hole? I see metal fuel caps for sale everywhere.

BTW, the more I look at your engine compartment, the more polishing I see you've done. I have a lot of work to do to catch up.
__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 12-05-2008, 06:18 PM
79Mercy's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 4,131
chad, i'll grab you a metal oil cap and send you for free next time I go to the junkyard.
__________________
1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

Last edited by 79Mercy; 12-05-2008 at 06:27 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 12-05-2008, 06:20 PM
Chad300tdt's Avatar
Benzless Scoutmaster
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: North Wales, PA
Posts: 4,001
Quote:
Originally Posted by 79Mercy View Post
chad, i'll grab you a metal oil cap and send you for free next time I got to the junkyard.
You rock Mercy.
__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 12-05-2008, 06:36 PM
Jeremy5848's Avatar
Registered Biodiesel User
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sonoma Wine Country
Posts: 8,402
Cap

The fuel and oil caps look very similar. Didn't I read somewhere here about someone trying to use one for the other and it leaked? The fuel cap has a Mercedes star stamped into it but the oil cap says "OEL" and also has a Mercedes star.

I found (when I first had my 123) that the clean/polish job was so big that it just got discouraging. So, I adopted the policy of doing a little bit every time I worked on the car. It has taken two years to get what you see and it's nowhere near done. There's always something else.

Examples and hints:
(a) when changing oil, polish the oil cap and the filter housing cap.
(b) when doing a valve adjustment, polish the valve cover.
(c) as a project (most 123s need this), remove the battery and clean/repaint or replace the battery tray. Clean underneath and around, remove rust and seal/paint as needed. Remove and polish the heat shield ('85 CA only, I think) between battery and turbo.
(d) when replacing headlamp bulbs or otherwise working in that area, be sure to clean the sheet metal under the headlights and be sure the water drain holes aren't clogged, it's another good place for rust.
(d) '85 CA trap cat replacement (for testing purposes only) is a good time to clean the right side of the block and install a block heater (if you can get the dam' plug out). Replace the turbo oil feed line gasket and the turbo drain pipe gasket and rubber grommet while you're in there. Also polish the turbo and remove/block the EGR valve and all of its plumbing, including the vacuum control valves on the left fender, making that fender easier to keep clean. While the air cleaner box is out, clean it up and make sure all of the rubber is in good shape.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:59 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page