I just got a 1994 S320 that belonged to my father and have been doing some work on it to bring it up to top condition. I've replaced the head gasket following the information in the DIY section to cure the oil seepage. I wanted to perfrom a compression test but not sure how to crank the engine without damaging the ignition system. The service manual says to use the Mercedes Benz special tool (001589762100). Apparently this tool hooks up to the X11 diagnostic port and cranks the engine. The manual warns not to crank the engine at the ignition/starter switch to perform the test. So I wanted to know how others crank the engine without the special tool or using the ignition switch? Can I use the ignition switch if I disconnect the crank position sensor? Will something be damaged if I just remove the plugs and crank from the ignition switch?
Thanks!
Dan

You can use any remote start switch. Perusing these threads and others I see that people recommend pulling the CPS, disconnecting power to the coil, and even pulling all fuses related to the engine computer to avoid fault codes. You also don't want fuel being injected while you're testing.

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Prost!

Thanks Hirnbeiss,
I disconnected the CPS and fuel pump fuse and just turned the engine with the ignition. I didn't get any fault codes after starting the engine. I was mainly concerned with causing damage to the ECU.