Hi Guys.

I know stuck Glow plugs in the 606 has been discussed endless. But here is a new one:

As the title suggests I drilled too deep when trying the extraction process. I was following the method where you tap the body of the GP so you can install a hardened bolt into the body and slide it out by tightening a nut down the bolt. But I never got that far.

When I was drilling out the center of the GP, I must have went right through the tip on the GP. I went so deep that fuel started to flow up into the Glow Plug chamber. What is behind there? Did I just completely ruin this head, thereby ruining this car?

By the way GP still stuck in there. The tap/bolt puller method didn't work for me.

Thanks in advance.

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Mike Mass
Freehold, NJ

1999 E300 TD 178,000 miles
2007 E320 Bluetec - Sold

1998 E300 TD - R.I.P.

you would have had to drilled through the aluminium head material to hit the injector. even then, not much fuel would come out and i would have been very difficult to drill through.

more likely, and much more seriously, it may have been coolant!


Pull the injector. thats only reasonable next step after checking with a good light source if you can see the "mixing' ball in the prechamber through your drilled hole.

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Ouch. I'm not sure what is in line with the glows on the 606, but are you sure it is not coolant?

I'd guess you can put a fork in that head...unless you got lucky and drilled into one of your injectors?

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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.

Im almost 100% sure it's fuel.

Now you guys have me doubting myself. I certainly know the difference between diesel fuel and antifreeze. But the entire garage had already stunk of fuel, PB Blaster, WD 40, etc from doing this. When I drilled through too deep and the fluid filled up the GP port, I went with the assumption I drilled right thru the tip of the GP and I saw fuel.

But I guess it is possible I wasn't drilling perfectly straight and went through the wall of the aluminum head.

Let's stick with the assumption it is fuel. If that is the case, what is just beyond the tip of the GP? Because at this point I am thinking of retreading the port, plugging it up and run on just 5 GP's.

My concern with this is that clearly fragments of the GP (metal shavings, broken ceramic tip, etc) will be left in there, If I drilled straight back too deep what else could I have damaged? Will these fragments fall into vital areas of the engine like the cylinder, pistons, etc?

__________________
Mike Mass
Freehold, NJ

1999 E300 TD 178,000 miles
2007 E320 Bluetec - Sold

1998 E300 TD - R.I.P.

I would pull the injector to find out. At minimum, you can find out if the glow plug tip is still in there.

__________________

All Diesel Fleet
1985 R107 300SLD TURBODIESEL
2005 E320 CDI (daily)

LOTS of parts for sale!


EGR block kit
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/355250-sale-egr-delete-block-off-plate-kit.html

1985 CA emissions 617 owners- You Need This!
Sanden style A/C Compressor Mounting Kit for your 616/ 617 For Sale + Install Inst.

Sanden Instalation Guide (post 11):
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/367883-sanden-retrofit-installation-guide.html

There is not enough fuel available in the injector to fill up the glow plug port. It would have to fill up the pre-chamber and the cylinder before it flowed out of the GP hole.

__________________
Greg
2012 S350 BlueTEC 4Matic
2007 ML 320 CDI
2007 Leisure Travel Serenity
2006 Sprinter 432k
2005 E320 CDI
1998 SLK230 (teal)
1998 SLK230 (silver)
1996 E300D 99k, 30k on WVO
Previous:
1983 240D, on WVO
1982 300D, on WVO
1983 300CD, on WVO
1986 300SDL 237k, 25k on WVO (Deerslayer)
1991 350SDL 249k, 56k on WVO - Retired to a car spa in Phoenix
1983 380 SEC w/603 diesel, 8k on WVO
1996 E300D 351k, 177k on WVO

The injector is made out of steel. Not sure of its Rockwell hardness, but pretty sure you would have to put some 'umph' into your drilling to go through it. Even if you hit the injector, there's a tiny amount of fuel in it, and even if the fuel could "flow" through it just sitting there, not sure there's enough in the line to somehow weep downwardly, although gravity would certainly move whatever fuel from high to low. Take a paper towel to sop up the fluid and then do a smell test. I agree a little bit of diesel or other similar fluids can stink up the garage where everything stinks like diesel, especially once it gets atomized and in the air.

I don't think the injector is inline with the glow plug.

Beyond the tip of the glow plug is the opposite side of the pre-chamber and then the head casting. If you could drill through the pre-chamber wall, you would hit coolant.

__________________
-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

You can easily tell if you drilled through the glow plug with a gauge ruler made out of a chopstick from Chinese takeout, lining your measurement to a glow plug on the bench.

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Ugh. It's more than a 'little' fluid. I guess I am mistaken and I really stuck coolant. So head is shot if that's the case? Can't just plug up the hole and run it on 5 GP's?

I will pull the injector and do the smell test to double check. But it sounds like you guys have convinced me.

If the head is shot I am going to just sell the car for parts at this point. I have no one to do a head replacement for me and if I can't even handle changing some GP's, I certainly am not going to try and tackle a head removal.

__________________
Mike Mass
Freehold, NJ

1999 E300 TD 178,000 miles
2007 E320 Bluetec - Sold

1998 E300 TD - R.I.P.

Coolant in the combustion chamber means you can't run it. If coolant is coming out of the glow plug, it is also filing the cylinder and draining past the piston into the oil.

Per dimensions of the glow plug in this ebay listing New Genuine * TRIDON * Glow Plug TGP For Mercedes Benz E300 D E300 TD W124 W210

28 mm is the portion of the tip that extends into the pre-combustion chamber, from the flare to the glow plug hex (assumed where it snapped off) is about 2 x 28 mm. 56 mm is 2.2 inches. Did you drill more than 2 inches deep?

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I'd find the best machinist around and pay him to come look at it. They have some pretty cool repair kits for similar situations to this. Don't for a minute think you are the only person who has done this (whatever it is).

I cannot see any source of a lot of fuel except your injector return or supply lines. Could it be running down from above?

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

My thoughts go out to you .I did a job on my Granada v6 once .. I had a leaking freezz plug that was weeping .It was going in to the engine as i was removing it .So i put a small 1/16 hole in it to screw in a self taping screw,to use it to pull it out with .Well i did it went right in the water jacket of number 6 cylinder.So head off was the only way out. Bite the bullet and remove the head . It looks to me , that diesels are a pain in the butt.