Re: [diesel_mercedes] Valve Adjustment Adventures

 

Mark - My second car was a 1930 DeSoto 2 door with a rag top - what great memories. Bought it from a mechanic for $35 in 1958. First car was a 1950 Olds with hydraulic lifters. My neighbor had the 38 Chevy with the push rods needing the valve adjustment.
 
brian from laverne, ca
Mary (195K)  Martha (280K)
1983 w123 300d's

From: "Mark in Lakewood, CO" <beeser750@q.com>
To: diesel mercedes <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2012 7:54 PM
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Valve Adjustment Adventures

 
Stove Bolt Six.

I was trying not to go pre-War.  But, I suspect that some of our more, uh.., experienced members may have owned and worked on cars from the '30s and '40s....

(My dad learned on his '30 DeSoto, flathead six.  That car was 3-years older than he was.)

Mark in Lakewood, CO

From: "BStromsoe" <bstromsoe@yahoo.com>
To: "diesel mercedes" <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2012 8:44:44 PM
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Valve Adjustment Adventures

 
Mark, you left out the 1938 Chevy six banger I learned on.
 
brian from laverne, ca
Mary (195K)  Martha (280K)
1983 w123 300d's

From: "Mark in Lakewood, CO" <beeser750@q.com>
To: diesel mercedes <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2012 7:04 PM
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Valve Adjustment Adventures

 
Caitlin,

I'm sorry to read you didn't have greater success on adjusting the valves.  And it occurred to me that for most of us, the Mercedes iron head diesel was not our first experience at setting valve lash.  I suspect many of us learned on air-cooled VW bugs, slant-six MoPars, Ford 200s or something French or Italian or British (possibly even a British motorcycle).  All simple, push-rod engines.  Even later overhead cam engines, like Honda Civics or Mitsubishi-built Dodge Colts are pretty easy to set the lash.  You need maybe two wrenches, sometimes one, or a wrench and a screwdriver.  Heck, even MB's own overhead cam gassers from the 50's-60's required only a single wrench to twist the pivot point at the cam follower (aka, rocker arm).  (It requires a special, crows-foot style wrench, supplied by Hazet, but, a single wrench, non-the-less.)

On those cars, you aren't working with valves that turn on you, or, rarely, such thin gap gauges that can crinkle up.  You know, with certainty, when the gap is correct.


Mark in Lakewood, CO

From: "CaitlinDean" <tinymachine@gmail.com>
To: "diesel mercedes" <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2012 12:03:30 PM
Subject: [diesel_mercedes] Valve Adjustment Adventures

 
Let's just start by saying "you win some, you lose some" ;)

Maybe next year?
Caitlin
Santa Fe





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