I will make this very brief...

I messed with the Lambda tower adjustment (trying to lean out mixture) and now the car won't start. I went to the max counterclockwise and even clockwise (I think it maxed CW). Messed with it some more and to no success. Then pulled spark plugs to check for flooding, rich smell was present, but then again the car has always ran rich. At this point I am going to let the car sit for several hours in case it is flooded.

Now...I am pretty much screwed since the car must be running in order to set the lambda tower adjustment (found a post on here about that) or, is it absolutely going to the indy?

Thanks in advance everybody!

Edit: Car is a '89 300E

I assume you were adjusting it while it was running, right? If so, then it would have started to stall either way, going CW or CCW.
When adjusting the Duty Cycle, you need to turn the adjustment very slowly until the correct measurement is reached.

Just curious, how could you reach max. adjustment?

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1993 190E 2.3
2001 SLK230
1971 LS5 (454) Corvette Convertible

Well you can't just go from max to max. Try taking it all the way lean and then richening it one full turn at a time until it starts. Then, once it's warmed up, make your fine tuning adjustments while the car is running.

Right. What I mean is that I turned counterclockwise until I couldn't turn anymore and the same going clockwise.

Ok, just to be triple sure, counterclockwise is LEAN, correct?

I will try your suggestion out marlinspike!

Thanks you guys! Keep 'em coming!

It is possible that while adjusting, you forced the airflow plate down and it is binding/dragging. This might also be the cause of your rich idle, the plate might not be returning to rest.

Get down to the airflow meter, lift the plate gently and check for free-smooth movement. If the plate is dragging on the sides of the opening, you will need to loosen the screw in the center of the plate and re-center the plate.

Don't get too rough with loosening/tightening the screw.

The plate should also be within the narrow part of the opening when at rest, that adjustment involves bending the clip on the spring IIRC. It is all outlined in the FSM.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Yep, counterclockwise is lean. There's probably no point in going all the way lean, just a waste of your time, I guess start off one full 360 rotation towards the rich side from max lean.

Sounds good.... How 'sensitive' is the adjustment? Are we talking about 1/16th of a turn can mean the diffrence in a running / non-running engine or would taking it in 360 turns be ok?

I think running vs non-running maybe is like 3/4 of a turn, but, once you get it running, 1/16th of a turn does make a material difference in the mixture.

How does one safely remove the seal ball on the tower?
Once the ball is out, is the adjusting screw directly exposed or is there another layer of tampering prevention?

You can cut the tower off with a hacksaw just below the ball, then you can put the allen wrench in, push down and turn the adjustment screw.

*Be sure to put down protection to clean up the shavings when you cut the tower off.

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1993 190E 2.3
2001 SLK230
1971 LS5 (454) Corvette Convertible

clockwise for rich, yes? Should I monitor EHA current in the process or go for Lambda (pin 3)?

You may want to start with fresh spark plugs also. Give yourself the best chance of starting without having to overcome fouled plugs too.

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1987 W201 190D

Quick update: Started out by going all the way to max LEAN then backing out 360 of a turn and trying to start the car. Did this around 10 times, maybe more, each time turning the hex key clockwise or rich before cranking the engine. Still no success. At this point I am letting the car sit for the next hour to let whatever gas that may have flooded the engine dissipate and then doing the routine over with 180 or 'half' turns of the hex key. *fingers crossed*

Some advice.... Pull the plugs. Not familiar with your particular engine, but disconnect the primary wires from the coil so it won't spark. Crank the engine over for 10 seconds or so at wide open throttle with the plugs out and a rag over the plug holes. That'll help clear out a lot of the "flooding." Then put in NEW spark plugs. Reconnect the coil and everything else. Then start with your full lean - 180 degree turns again.

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1987 W201 190D

Yea, actually did that before giving it another go to get whatever was trapped out of there. Anyhow, seems like the screw that does the adjusting at the bottom is stripped? There's no feel of engagement or that slight resistance when turning anymore. I tried for a good 20 minutes just trying to get that damn screw, I even tried 2.5mm, 4mm and similar SAE allen wrenches. Next move is to get a new 3mm and give it another shot. If that fails, it'll be time for a new lambda tower.