Hi Casey, 1) I think I originally received the wrong seals, and mistakenly thought the next set of OE seals was was much better. The first set may have been gasser seals instead of diesel. I'm still not positive what happened there. Either way, the cost difference is minimal, and given the complexity of this job I would still recommend OE seals. I am curious to know if the aftermarket seal kits include the plastic installation tubes or not (these protect the seals as they're installed). Photo here:
http://www.w124performance.com/images/OM603_head_replacement/valve_seals.jpg 2) I bought the Sir Tools valve spring compressor. You need 3 pieces - the bridge, the handle, and the foot. There are no instruction and half the battle was figuring out how to use the stupid thing. It's complete junk (the metal bends if you look at it the wrong way), but it does work. If I was expecting to do more than one valve seal job (on any Mercedes engine), I'd seriously consider springing for the OE dealer tool kit (at >3x the cost). Photo of all 3 pieces is here: http://www.w124performance.com/images/tools/valve_spring_tools.jpg Details on that OE tool kit, which works on a bunch of engines, is in this PDF: http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/tools/OM60x_valve_tools.pdf =) -Dave M. > ------------------------------ > Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2005 12:40:05 -0800 > From: Zeitgeist <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [MBZ] OM603 smoking ban > > > So, in an effort to diagnose and (hopefully) fix my OM603's excessive > blue smoking problem upon acceleration, I picked up a cheap rebuilt > 350 SDL turbo on ebay ($150), thinking it might stem a source of oil > entering the intake stream--it didn't. My recent compression test > didn't reveal any anomalous readings in any of the cyls, especially > #1, which had been thought to be a candidate for a breached chain > vault leak--it wasn't. So, now I'm back to valve stem seals as the > prime culprit. Anyone know who's the best tool source and brand name > for the valve spring compressor used to get at the seals while the > head is still installed? I seem to remember Dave M saying to only use > MB stem seals. > > Any other thoughts? > > btw: I was able to re-clock the turbo and significantly shorten my IC > plumbing, while installing a bigger breather setup. I'll post pics > and a write up on Rusty's web forum. > > Casey > Olympia, WA
