Said I would never do it BUT thinking about turning up the ALDA. From what I have read you are to turn it counter clockwise or out to increase fuel -- Right? I know the 350 engine is tuned kinda hot anyway so I was thinking about a 1/4 turn out. Think that would be safe? Car just is not as peppy as it was when new. Used to pull to indicated 121 pretty fast but now it takes a while to do an indicated 117-118. The boost is there as I have a Dawes controller and am about to install a boost guage. There is currrently no smoke when accelerating and slight smoke seen in headlights at night accelerating. Y'all that have adjusted your ALDA please give me your advice. Thanks.

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1995 S-350
370K + SOLD
1952 220B Cabriolet
39K kilometers + SOLD
1998 E300D
310K +
2012 E350 BlueTec
120K

If it isn't broke don't fix it and you can't go wrong.
Your looking for trouble.

Yeah, don't touch it... If your after a few mph, chalk it up to weather, altitude, tire pressure or fuel....

Looks like that's 3 - against and 0 - for. I surely don't want my fuel milage to suffer. I like getting 24 mpg at a minimum. Just want it to do all it is safely capable of doing. (That perfect, reasonable, elusive, red or pearl white mid-life crisis Lamborghini is hard to find) Hard to make a sports car out of a diesel. Just rambling!

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1995 S-350
370K + SOLD
1952 220B Cabriolet
39K kilometers + SOLD
1998 E300D
310K +
2012 E350 BlueTec
120K

oldsouth,

Here's what I would do. Find a replacement ALDA, new or used. Find a g-tech or similar make friends with a shop with a chassis dyno. Mess with the replacement ALDA to your heart's content and do the forum the favor of posting your g-tech or dyno results.

I'm not sure about the 603.97x but on the 603.96s the intake manifold has to come off to access the adjuster on the ALDA. Much quicker to pull the ALDA and add shims or adjust it on the bench.

Come to think of it, if all you're going to do is add shims, then that shouldn't alter the factory setting in a way that can't be easily restored. But make sure you have an objective way of measuring the results. I wouldn't call checking absolute top speed objective.

In a nutshell, do what you must but don't break the seal on your known good ALDA.

Sixto
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

I'll post for doing it.

mine was a slug when I bought it, and a slight twist of the alda made a HUGE improvement. Yeah, milage is down a little. But come on, isnt it worth it?

Just be really careful you dont break it, and make very small adjustments, driving it a few miles between each to make sure before doing anything else.

Sixto's advice is also great.

Oh yeah, keep a log of the adjustments, so you can go back to original if need be!

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Paul
2004 E500 4matic; 72,000mi

I busted the adjustment screw out of an ALDA. The unit no longer sealed (manifold pressure not transmitted to IP) and had virtually no function. As a last resort I packed the vacancy left by the broken screw with muffler patch. By some freak stroke of fortune it functions well now. The turbo and IP work together to supply good power. But the whole ugly mess could have been avoided by me not monkeying with the thing in the first place.