Did you bleed the air from the injectors? Simply loosen the nut above the injectors where the hose goes from injector to injector. When you loosen them a bit, fuel will come out a bit, let it come out for a few seconds, then re-tighten. Do that for each and every injector.

If that doesn't do it, clean your injectors. They're not that hard to clean.

Of course once you clean your injectors, you're going to have to re-bleed air out of the hoses again. So if you were going to clean your injectors anyways just to be sure you got everything, you might as well do them first.

My 603 is exhibiting what I assume to be lifter noise -- but I have noticed a slight hot idle oil pressure fluctuation. Maybe +/- 0.1 bar around 1.75 bar. Mine is way loud cold, and really quiets down when hot (to the point it can hardly be heard after 30+ minutes on the highway). I'm planning to replace the lifters and re-nozzle the injectors next month.

What did your pressure fluctuation look like?

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RenaissanceMan Labs: where the future is being made today.

Garage:

2017 Chevy Colorado Diesel (nanny state emissions)
2005 Volvo S40 T5 AWD, 77k
1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D turbodiesel, 4 sp auto, 156k - 28.7 mpg
1996 Tracker 4x4, 2 door, 16v, 3 sp auto. 113k - 28.6 mpg

WARNING: this post may contain dangerous free thinking.

The engine still sounds great and pulls better than ever. I did a diesel purge on it last week and WOW! What a difference! So much more throttle response.

Anyway, to answer your question about the oil pressure fluctuation renaissanceman. Mine would bounce rapidly between 1.5 and 2 bar once the oil was warm. If it is just a small fluctuation, it may be the gauge acting up. The oil pressure gauge in my friend's 190D goes crazy sometimes at idle when the engine is warm and it has a new oil pressure sender.

However, if it is very consistent and if you have more than one lifter ticking like crazy when the oil is warm, then that warrants further investigation.

New lifters aren't too expensive and if the ticking persists after putting new lifters, then it's almost certainly a head gasket blown between cylinder 1 and the oil passage to the lifters and cam.

__________________
1998 E320 Wagon

1992 300D 2.5 TURBO

1991 560SEL M119.960

1986 300SDL TURBO

1992 500SL Parts Car

1991 420SEL Parts Car

Great info. I have no ticking when hot, only when cold. I already have new lifters waiting to go in...we'll see if that solves the problem.

__________________
RenaissanceMan Labs: where the future is being made today.

Garage:

2017 Chevy Colorado Diesel (nanny state emissions)
2005 Volvo S40 T5 AWD, 77k
1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D turbodiesel, 4 sp auto, 156k - 28.7 mpg
1996 Tracker 4x4, 2 door, 16v, 3 sp auto. 113k - 28.6 mpg

WARNING: this post may contain dangerous free thinking.

If the lifters are only ticking when the engine is cold then they are just worn or gummed up. Be sure to follow the FSM exactly. Including blowing compressed air into the oil passage at the back of the cylinder head. It will make a bit of a mess, but it can clean out any sludge that may have accumulated in there.

Also, the chain tensioner should screw in by hand all the way until it seats against the head. I screwed that up the first time, but I got off easy... I only had to run a tap through the threads to fix it.

__________________
1998 E320 Wagon

1992 300D 2.5 TURBO

1991 560SEL M119.960

1986 300SDL TURBO

1992 500SL Parts Car

1991 420SEL Parts Car