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glow plug rattling in my pre-chamber + mechanic woes

Started by sandygears, 01 August 2008, 01:44 PM

sandygears

'story of a poor mechanic' or 'bad decisions i've made since owning my car ('80 300SD turbodiesel)'

please read with amusement!

my #5 glow plug was smoking, literally. i had a 'new' mechanic look at the car. he changed 4 and 5. charged me extra 'cuz part of #5 was burnt into engine, so he said, so he had to spend extra time drilling out enough room to put in the new glow plug. he showed me the old one - he told me he couldn't get all of the old one out.

as i drove the car the few blocks from his shop to my home, a loud thwacking noise began that was very very new, and got faster when i accelerated.

took the car back to same mechanic who told me something was wrong with the fuel injectors and sent me home. i wish i had asked in the beginning (1) if he has mercedes tools and (2) how familiar with my car he is. i already knew he wasn't, stupidly, since he had no clue what i was talking about when i mentioned the vacuum system.

wonderful wonderful mechanic (whose shop is perhaps too far from me) enlightened me this afternoon that the knocking noise is most likely the leftover old glow plug stuck in the pre-chamber.

of course, to clean out the pre-chamber, i need special mercedes tools. a special socket wrench and slide hammer.

now, i wish from the first moment i got my car i had insisted on finding a mechanic extremely familiar with old mercedes, and given the car a once over all the way. instead, i've dragged it in repeatedly to a trusted friend mechanic's shop - who treats me fair, but i know old mercedes diesels aren't their specialty (they weren't familiar with the vacuum system either).

is everyone on this forum an amateur or diy mechanic? does anyone bring their cars into mechanics - and if so, what are your criteria for using a mechanic?

i can't find or don't know of anyone in palm beach county, florida who works on old mercedes (besides specialty european shops who charge $80-100/hour for shop time). if anyone knows someone, or lives around me and wants to 'help' me, please contact me. thanks!