I've used the lovely search button and read the step by steps on doing a valve adjust on this forum and also the pictorial at dieselgiant, but I don't want to get in over my head. I change filters/belts/fluids, but I've never popped off the valve cover. People seem to indicate this is fairly easy to do, but I'm wondering exactly how easy.

so, on a scale of 1-7
(1= programming stereo and 7= rebuilding the engine) where does this fall?

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85 300D 180k

2-3

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1983 300SD
200000miles

If you can change belts you can do a valve adjustment. It is as simple as taking the valve cover off, rotating the engine with a wrench, using a wrench to lock/tighen nuts on the valves, check clearance with a feeler. It may take awhile the first time doing it but it is definitely easy.

I would say that on your scale it is about a 2.5. For your first time I would plan on it taking 3 hours. After you do it a few times you can get it done in .5 to 1 hour.

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2009 ML320 Bluetec
1985 300CD
1981 300TD

Past Mercedes
1979 300TD
1982 300TD
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1998 E430
1984 300SD
1980 300SD

If you have read the instructions and be sure to bend your own wrenches and you take off the cruise control actuator before trying to put the vavle cover back on 2 maybe 1.5. But not hard at all and the results are usually (with me and my benzes at least) great. Good luck.

Is it a 61x? Use common sense, take your time, understand the assembly that you are adjusting. Some guy a while back backed the adjusting nut off too far, said I dunno, I'll go to the next. His wife bumped the starter for him, piston whacked the valve into the cam and broke the valve =8-0. You can advance the engine with a wrench on the power steering pulley or on the main pulley. Don't forget, turn engine in the operating direction only- clockwise if you are facing the engine from the front bumper.

The bent wrenches look very handy, but I've managed without them. You will need a 9/16 or 14 mm open end wrench that is thinner than wrenches typically are for the locknut (the one between the adjusting nut and the spring keeper) Mine measures .230" or so thick and I wish it was a shade thinner. Cutting an extra wrench short is also helpful. I nicked the flat face of the handle with a hacksaw, and put it in a vise. Either a hammer or visegrips finished the job, I forget.

Various sources have the bent wrenches for $15-60 a set depending. The Hazet 'official' bent wrenches go for quite a bit on ebay if such sauerkraut pornography turns you on.

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

For me, it was about a 1.5. You need to know how to use a feeler gauge, where to make the test, which direction to turn the engine crank shaft, and how to know when the crank is in the right place for a measurement on the valve you're working on... all of which you probably know by now from reading the threads.

There's lots of theories on order of nuts and stuff that confuse things. Just loosen the nuts, make the adjustment on the top one, then tighten them back together.. then measure. Redo until the measurement is right, then move on to the next. The only measurement that acutally matters is what it reads when the nuts have been retightened, so do that, and you can't go wrong.

Some styles of working will get you there faster, and with less loosening/retightening and less turning the engine crank shaft, but they don't make a difference in the fact that the measurement needs to be correct once the nuts are tight again. The order you do the valves, and how many times you go through them is merely personal preference. I do, however, recommend doing a pass through them all to recheck your measurements, and repeat until you get a full pass where you need to make no adjustments.

A set of valve wrenches will make things easier, but I managed to do mine with a couple of 14mm (?) bicycle cone wrenches. My normal open ends would have been too fat to get to cyl #5, and I managed to do it without rounding the nuts even a little bit. Lesson learned.. I'll buy or make a set of valve wrenches next time.

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'83 300DTurbo http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-us/318559.png

Broadband: more lies faster.

took me a lot longer to replace all my belts than it took me to adjust my valves last weekend. the dieselgiant procedure is as step by step as it can get. should be pretty clear what your getting into.

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1996 E300 110,000
1985 300TD 212,000
1980 300D 238,000

Let's put it this way: If I can do it... then you can do it too, I'm sure...

My advice: study the procedure ahead of time (helps to have it printed out), btw. Make sure you have all the tools for the job and then take your time - don't rush. Slow and steady... it's definitely doable.

Good luck -
James

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1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

Considering I have done a dozen valve adjustments and still cant figure how to take my stereo out of demo mode, 1.

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

You can do it. Patience is sometimes needed when you have a keeper nut that wants to stick and change the valve lash clearance every time you tighten it. One thing thats essential for a valve virgin is a simple diagram of the valves from back to front, labeled intake and exhaust. And numbered 1-5. This way you can check off which valves you've already adjusted. It gets just a little confusing the first time because as you turn the engine 90 or 180 degrees, I forget which, the order of adjustment isn't linear, it jumps around. The first time I did mine, I ordered a set of wrenches that came with a new valve cover gasket and a printed diagram. No sweat. Also, in case no one has mentioned it, it's much easier to turn the engine via the power steering pulley than the crank bolt.

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1985 300D Gretchen (Astral Silver) 220k
1983 240D 4-speed Evelyn (Orient Red) 203k


TANSTAAFL