can i do these without professional help?

[dmon]

1. how can I replace or fix my ignition switch
2. where and how can i replace my glow plugs
3. if i plug my diesel into an eletric socket will that bring new life to my glow plugs.
4. should i leave it to a professional to replace my gasket on my engine?
Again i would like to say thanks to all the good advice i've recieved so far. i would like to totally cut out the middle man and learn to do as much repairs as I can without spending all my cheese.

[janko]

1. and 2. do a search. well covered topics. may want to include glow plug relay and fuse in search.
3. i assume you are connecting to a 120 volt ac to power the block heater. not related to glow plug circuit.
4. depends on the gasket in question. valve cover - easy. head gasket. requires knowledge/experience, tools and determination.

[Alan Hamm]

Reading this link might answer you question about whether you should try and whether saving some money is worth the risk if things go wrong.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=87174

You have heard the joke about "how much does it cost to change a clutch? About half as much as it costs if you tow me the car and all the parts are in a box".

[Rick Miley]

The spirit of this board is primarily to provide information to help people do this themselves. However, that is especially difficult when one doesn't know the correct terms for things or the questions to ask. Of course, we all have to start someplace, and the best place to start is with some books. I'd suggest a book on basic auto repair, followed by a Haynes manual, and the official repair CD from Mercedes-Benz.

I suggested the Haynes because they have lots of pictures and, while they do have their faults, they're much more newbie friendly than the MB stuff. I'm not sure if they make one for the W126 - if not, then get the W123 version. It won't be exact, but will be close.

[Stevo]

OK, I,m curious now, what gasket are you talking about? Not a head gasket I hope. As far as the car being "plugged in", all the heat you can get will help. We have a long way to go here before we can really help you much. What car do you have? Like Rick said, the Haynes manual would be a good basic place to start also do a search to get an idea what your getting into. These things you can do but you need to give us a little more info.

[dabenz]

dmon, you're in a good place. Everything there is to do has been done by somebody here. And yes, you can do almost everything on your list (which gasket?). All you need if you're a beginning wrench is: 1) determination (somebody built this car so somebody named me CAN fix it), 2) patience (stop if it gets confusing or some part seems stubborn), 3) willingness to ask questions and listen to the answer (some jobs really should be done by an expert), 4) willingness to laugh at yourself (everybody makes mistakes; it's the stubborn ego types that repeat their mistakes).

Here's what I'd do if I was new to wrenching, especially on a diesel:
1) Get a diesel book. Marine Diesel Engines by Nigel Calder (ISBN 0-07-009612-0) is for marine (boat) engines, but in the end diesel engines are diesel engines and this book starts at the beginning, or how a diesel engine works.
2) Get the owners manual for your car.
3) Get service manuals for your car. The folks who pay for this web site sell the manuals on a CD, which is cheaper. Buying stuff from here keeps this web site going.
4) Get the basic tools first, and the best you can afford. They'll last through your grandchildren, and you'll be amazed at what you can do with just basic tools.

If cheese is money then you must be from Wisconsin.

[MT_Wessels]

Dmon, As a fellow newbie I will just add my $0.02. I also had worn out glow plugs a while ago. It seems that it takes a cold winter to make one aware of those five important plugs. I found that plugging in the block heater certainly helped me get started in the morning. It will not improve the GPs performance as such, but you might get the car started. I got to a point where I had to keep my MB plugged in the whole day. I changed the GP myself without any problems. Do a search in this forum and you will get all the advise you need. I used a lot of WD40 on the old GPs and SLOWLY screwed them out, half a turn out, quarter turn back in. The last thing you want is a broken GP sitting in your engine. A magnetic "wand" is also a must for those tiny screws.

[Hatterasguy]

dmon is it the SDL your talking about? If it is the intake manifold and injector lines need to come off. If you don't need this car every day and you can get away with parking it for awhile than give it a try. I just did glow plugs and if this is your first try at wrenching it will take you awhile. But its a good oppertunity to clean out your intake manifold and block that EGR. As long as you take your time and don't force anything it's not too difficult. I would recomend doing a search here and try to familiarize yourself with the proper names of the parts/systems invovled in this. That would help us alot with future questions.

[dmon]

you guys are the coolest. i'd like to write so i wrote a poem for yall.

i thought i knew my Benz
but not better than my new friends
when i'm confused and feel i'm about to bug out
they say take it easy and take the glow plug out
after that my car rides greater
another advice was to change my Alternator
changed it, i did and it put up a fight
now i have a new problem with my internal lights
once again i got good advice
now i'm ez riding in my drop top benz on a hot summer nite

for yall
thanks a million

[Alan Hamm]

A "drop top" SDL?

I know you are being creative. Great Poem.

[dmon]

Originally posted by Alan Hamm
A "drop top" SDL?

I know you are being creative. Great Poem.

well it sounded good