Successful Valve Adjustment! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

zu! · #1 03-25-2009, 11:00 AM

Hello:

Just wanted to report on a successful valve adjustment that I did on Saturday. Took me FIVE hours to do it once, check it twice and finally after a frantic call to Bens Lover to ask 'how does the damned valve cover go back on??!!!@@%%##@',

i managed to do it.

Yep, my back is still sore, but I have this satisfied feeling that won't go away. When I finally got back into the house, my wife took one look at me and said, so...you fixed it eh? She could tell by the big grin on my face

I also wanted to try the Mobil 1 approach. A little bit of frustration as the Lordco jockeys were trying to sell me one Five Litre Jug + 3 1 Litre bottles (I wanted extra, just in case a lot leaks out) for $112.00 not including tax!!!

I found out that Walmart had it for $41.99 a 5 L jug. I bought two.

Initial indications are that I should have done this a long time ago (the Mobil 1 as well as the valve adjustment).

The morning startup is amazingly quick. Its like half a crank! I always thought my Merc started up good. Well, it starts up better now. I feel like there's a little more smoothness in takeoff, but that could be my imagination. I know for sure I will see increased fuel economy, just by the fact that my car has gone over 300 km and its still at the half-tank mark.

After a cleanup, the engine looks really nice now. Did mention that I had forgotten to close the cap properly for a week? Yep, the whole engine bay was covered in oil. This was before the valve adjustment. I'm not sure if I tightened the valve cover properly as I don't have a torque wrench that goes less than 30-foot pounds. Still, the bloody oil seeps out of the breather at the valve cover anyway, so what the hell.

In conclusion, I can say that if I can do it, anybody can.

oldsinner111 · #2 03-25-2009, 11:04 AM

Good for you,it will get faster each time.I remove my cruise control and move it.Makes it easier to remove and replace cover without losing gasket.

bgkast · #3 03-25-2009, 11:49 AM

It's a pain to get that valve cover back on sometimes!

zu! · #4 03-25-2009, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsinner111

Good for you,it will get faster each time.I remove my cruise control and move it.Makes it easier to remove and replace cover without losing gasket.

Remove the Cruise Control eh...now why didn't I think of that! I was following the FSM method and had a devil of a time trying to put the valve cover on and get that last linkage underneath the hard fuel lines. That's the one that the FSM advises to remove...connected to the firewall.

Good idea! I will do that next time for sure!

JimmyL · #5 03-25-2009, 12:48 PM

Nice job Zu! Glad to know that my back isn't the only one that is trashed after a valve adjustment. Of course, my back is trashed before the valve adjustment too.....

It is quite the feeling of accomplishment working under that valve cover with all the manly German steel and oil everywhere. I'm often convinced that I actually know what I'm doing. Then I hear Lance and BC and others talk about things I can't even identify as English, and am put back in my place rather quickly.
Think I might try Mobile 1 on the Bat and the white wagon. China has too much of a thirst for oil to use it in her. Don't know if Smash uses oil yet. Doesn't appear to, but I can't use Mobile 1 in everying..... $$$$$$$$

zu! · #6 03-25-2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyL

Nice job Zu! Glad to know that my back isn't the only one that is trashed after a valve adjustment. Of course, my back is trashed before the valve adjustment too.....

It is quite the feeling of accomplishment working under that valve cover with all the manly German steel and oil everywhere. I'm often convinced that I actually know what I'm doing. Then I hear Lance and BC and others talk about things I can't even identify as English, and am put back in my place rather quickly.
Think I might try Mobile 1 on the Bat and the white wagon. China has too much of a thirst for oil to use it in her. Don't know if Smash uses oil yet. Doesn't appear to, but I can't use Mobile 1 in everying..... $$$$$$$$

Yeah, its true what they say, the back is the first to go

In my case, I think that my poor eyesight is also partly to blame. I could not see really well and so had to lean over real close to look at what I was doing. With one daughter holding on to the work light and telling me when "12.00, 12.30...its one-o-clock daddy!!" whilst I pulled on the power-steering nut...well, it was fun to say the least. And yes, it did look daunting at first, and when I finally got the valve cover off, I wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew!

Still...I am actually looking forward to the next valve job. I think its not that hard (now that I've done it). I do believe the Mobil 1 is good, just by the driving difference I feel now (or maybe that's the valve adjustment?) but I am hopefully looking at a longer oil change interval for the car...hopefully saving some of that precious money I don't have.

My old Merc doesn't really use a lot of oil. In fact for the mileage (413k) its doing pretty good. I think most of its leaking out somewhere as I have lots of oil on the floor. So I am slowly going to be cleaning up all the leaks.

vstech · #7 03-25-2009, 02:54 PM

if it's been a while since you did it last, you should do it again in 150 or so miles. the tight ones will have to seat themselves into damaged seats, and since you adjusted them correctly, they will wear tight again. plus the gasket will be nice and soft still.

peterhardie · #8 03-25-2009, 03:43 PM

I actually know better. I have been miserable about maintenance over the past year, and I put lots of miles on my wagon. Not a hint of problems starting this winter, so..........

Bent an exhaust valve last weekend, no compression in cylinder three. I road-tested each cylinder to figure out which one was the offender, thought I might have an injector spilling fuel. Pressurized it when I got home, and air was blowing out the tailpipe.

Just got the head off to find the bent valve. Threads on the stem and nuts fried, and a sliver of the valve stem at the threads broken off somewhere. I'll try to take a pic.

My tech says that's what happens when you don't adjust them when you're spozed ta.

Lesson learned. AAARRRRGGHHHHH!!!

Usually do it at my tech's garage. I am ordering a set of adjustment tools today!

peterhardie · #9 03-25-2009, 03:46 PM

and.... uh..... yeah, my back is trashed too!

snookwhaler · #10 03-25-2009, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

if it's been a while since you did it last, you should do it again in 150 or so miles. the tight ones will have to seat themselves into damaged seats, and since you adjusted them correctly, they will wear tight again. plus the gasket will be nice and soft still.

+ 1

I did mine a few weeks ago when I picked up the car. All of them were super tight. I have run about 600 miles on the adjustment and I am about to do them all again to ensure everything is right.

charmalu · #11 03-25-2009, 05:43 PM

As many times as I have had the valve cover off, I still don`t know why it doesn`t just lift off.

Putting it back on is another special treat

. Then tying to keep the gasket on w/o falling off is a challenge.

I reuse the gasket as many times as I can, just clean out the groove with brake clean, and the valve cover. Clean off the head with some brake clean on a rag where the cover sits. so far no leaks.

AS far as torquing the nuts down, I just hand tighten, doesn`t take much.

Charlie

daw_two · #12 03-25-2009, 08:20 PM

Jimmy and Charlie --- you guys could save your backs if you moved up a notch to the 603 engines. You know, they have hydraulic lifters and there's no adjustment on the valves, right?

79Mercy · #13 03-25-2009, 08:24 PM

^^thats right

I just adjusted the valves on my M110. Only 3 of them needed attention.

kc kid · #14 03-25-2009, 09:01 PM

How often do the valves need ajusted . I have a 85 300 SD . I have put 8500 miles on it since I bought it . I plan on putting alot of miles on it in a very short time ( 800 ) a week maybe more .

79Mercy · #15 03-25-2009, 09:10 PM

every 15,000 miles they should be checked.

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