Has anyone ever removed the balls that seal the end of the oil galleries in a 240D block?

The engine lost oil pressure and scattered bearing particles everywhere. I shut it off soon enough to prevent serious damage, but while apart and turning the crank I have to clean everything up.

Thanks for sharing your experience,

I have. Use about a 3 foot 1/2" steel rod to drive them out from the front of the engine. Of course there are threaded plugs at the front of the engine that must be removed before doing this. For re-installing them I would recommend a non-hardening sealer such as "Hylomar", as one would not want anything to clog an oil gallery/orifice anywhere in the engine.

__________________
Diesel-guy