M103 valve spring compressor?

[Brabus3.6]

Hi,

My car's been consuming a little too much oil for my liking of late so I've decided to treat her to some new valve stem seals . My current valve spring compressor can only be used with the head removed. Does anyone know of a readily available tool which will remove M103 valve springs with the head in place. The genuine Mercedes one is about £200!

Thanks

 

[KLP 92]

Have you enquired about the price of the head gasket for your Brabus 3.6?

I'd sit down if i were you......

I see why you want to change them with the head in place now....

 

[janner]

It would be cheaper to take it to an independant specialist. With the right tools and compressed air to hold the valves it's an hour's job.
Try it yourself and drop a valve into a cylinder and you'll be in big trouble.
Think warm waiting room, coffee, under a hundred quid...done.

 

[Karl]

Why not use the "rope trick" ?
Turn the engine until number one cylinder is on compression stroke ie. all valves closed.
Feed a suitable sized piece of rope down the plughole and turn the engine so the rope fills the top of the cylinder preventing the valves from opening.
You can then compress the springs from the rockerbox and remove the spring retaining collets and remobe the springs to gain access to the valve oil seals.
Replace the seals, spring and collets, turn the engine backwards to release the rope.
I have used this method a number of times. Saves a lot of time expense.

 

[janner]

I've done this myself on an RS turbo, years ago. I managed to drop a collet into an oilway and had to take the sump off to find it.
It's not worth the hassle when it's cheap to pay someone else, especially when you don't have the right tools.

Edit..
Hang on, I see what you mean. That's way too risky!
I first thought you meant turn the engine and use a stiff rope to make sure the piston is at the top to prevent the valve dropping.

 

[Brabus3.6]

KLP my car has been through 2 head gaskets already so unfortunately I'm already aware of their astronomical cost. I'm not losing water at the moment, the oil pressure is good and I had the guides done last time the head was off so I'm pretty sure it must be the valve stems which the same engineering shop replaced. Being an engineering shop they may well not have known of the importance of the different inlet/exhaust valve seals on the M103.

Janner I'd like to know of an independent who'll do the job for £100! I've been quoted £250 and at that price I'm sure I can buy the equipment and do it myself. I notice you're in Devon, so perhaps it just that mechanics in good ol' London town enjoy charging a premium 'cause I know it's not a hard job!

Karl I've seen your rope trick mentioned at other forums and I can see how it would work but I share Janner's risk assessment. I suppose it could be done with 8mm diameter rope though...

If I do decide to DIY, any ideas on a suitable in-situ valve spring compressor?!

 

[janner]

I had it done on a 190E once and I was charged £60. Maybe the M103 engine is much harder? Maybe things are just cheaper here?

 

[Brabus3.6]

Valve Stems Done!

Well Janner you're a lucky guy. I was quoted £400 by an indy and audaciously told the job wouldn't be guaranteed as it's not a full valve job . If they can charge that for a valve stem seal change there must be a lot of people getting totally RIPPED off. George Fraser would've done it for a little over £200, acceptable at least.
I decided to DIY and trust TDC to keep the valves up. I used a universal Franklin valve spring compressor (£45), giving it a gentle tap with a mallet when the valve was resting against the piston to release the collets. Exhaust side cylinder 6 was a b***h though!
The seals that were on there were all the same and not Merc ones but at least the engineering shop did the guides nicely as there was hardly any play at all in the guides. Hopefully now I won't have to top up again, the car was never an oil consumer before the wrong stem seals were installed so I pray it'll return to form!

 

[Karl]

Well done Brabus,
The distance between the piston and the valves at TDC must be very small on this engine.
Job well done.

Cheers

Karl

 

[janner]

Nice one. Should be an end to your problem.
But who fitted non MB stem seals on a Brabus engine Don't let them near it again. How much where genuine seals? Only a few quid I bet?

 

[Brabus3.6]

Genuine seals were only £25. Before embarking on the job I assumed that the engineering shop had installed the inlet/exhaust seals randomly or totally the wrong way around as they'd need to be familiar with the Merc M103 to know it has different stem seals for inlet/exhaust.
On one hand I was relieved to find that the valve stem seals were all non-MB replacement & the same as if they were all genuine I shouldn't have had the VSS as a viable option for oil consumption. I did pay around £450 to the shop though to do the engineering side of the head work, skimming & valve guides (consequently VSS too). Just goes to show you can pay top dollar and still not get an A1 job but at least they've seemingly done the guides properly!!!
Karl, I'm pretty sure that the TDC method can be used on all of the older Merc engines at least. Thanks for the little extra inspiration of knowing someone else had done it without compressed air though! The gap at TDC can be checked though, when you compress the spring the valve drops to the piston but the collets DON'T release. You can then move the valve from top to bottom to see how much room you've got to work with, adequate in this case perhaps more so because the Brabus engine has an increased compressio ratio and hence less cylinder volume at TDC.