So since i had the head off i figured i'd have a go at removing the glow plugs. #1 cylinder has one broken off from a previous owner. Engine did not have a light for it which i thought was strange. I didn't notice it right away when I pulled the intake, I caught it later. Someone hose clamped a good glow plug to a bracket under the intake and connected it. Viola no light. Anyways i used some trans fluid, a mini inductor from work an milwaukee impact driver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFzrkSwJ6LA

So where does one find this "mini inductor", that is an awesome tool?

Great deal on Induction Innovations - MD-700 at ToolTopia.com

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1968 220D, w115, /8, OM615, Automatic transmission.
My 1987 300TD wagon was sold and my 2003 W210 E320 wagon was totaled (sheds tear).

Thank you Shortsguy, what a useful tool!

That was brilliant.

I designed an inductive heating coil for a wire sample heater. used to get little samples of 20ga steel wire cherry red without touching them.

Very cool tool. $599 is a little steep. I'd be tempted to rig this for a few bucks.

https://youtu.be/JsjTwmyDsrQ

OMG they have little premade boards on eBay to do this for $12. No need to build anything. I searched under induction heating board module. Powered by 12v.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

The useful tool costs $391. I thought I was a bit extravagant when I paid $23 for the snapon socket, which works better for removing my glow plugs than my Craftsman deep sockets.

My bad, my eyes were drawn to the MSRP $599. I didn't check the price in cart.

What feature made the snap on deep socket work so much better? Material? Fit?

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

I bought a '98 e300 about 10 and one-half years ago and have changed the glow plugs twice in the last five or six years. The first time I used a quarter inch drive deep Craftsman socket to remove four of the glow plugs and a three-eights inch Craftsman on the other two. The determining factor was the ease of use considering obstructions. I didn't use heat either time but did use liberal amounts of a penetrating oil (P something Blaster).


After the first change, I read several posts by Len Sokolof on the MBCA and this site that recommended an intermediate length Snapon socket for this job, so I bought one. It's model number is 12 Snap-on FSM 12 USA. It is a three-eights socket that is shorter than either of the Craftsman sockets -- making it easier to navigate obstructions. The principal difference though is that it has a sleeve inside the socket that doesn't permit the socket to go any further (deeper) than the hex part of the glow plug. That is an important difference.


The reason it is important is that the glow plugs are recessed in what are essentially tubes. The Craftsman sockets go deeper than the hex part of the glow plug, and I think they bind against the sidewalls of the tubes or against where the glow plugs are seated. I think this binding makes it more difficult to remove the plugs, and in removing them you don't know whether the force being used is due to the binding or due to a seized glow plug. The snapon socket removes any binding effect from that determination.


The snapon socket is well worth the cost.

Note to self: pull the GPs using engine heat before pulling the head.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

Yes, heat works! I didn't have access to the nice tool, so when I did mine, I heated them by running the engine up to full operating temperature and then plugging in the block heater, and working quickly but not too quickly.

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

What's your plan for #1? There are various "special tool kits" with guides and drill bits and such that help with drilling out the remains while leaving the head and the original threads intact.

If you plan to pull the pre-chambers, you will need to removed that #1 glow plug before pulling that pre-chamber.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

This is a good question. Not only did the previous owner break it off they started to try to drill it. Walking slightly into the head. So I don't know if they have sleeve kits for this cylinder head or it is worth it.

Probably time to take it to a machine shop and let them remove it.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

not worth it to me, both down time and mileage on the motor. Car is getting a used motor swapped in.

Low setting on an impact and a hot engine takes the plugs out in less than 30 minutes.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k