2006 Mercedes E320 CDI OM648 Injector Seal Replacement - Black Death 

As an enthusiast, and owner, of several of these beasts; they will ALL suffer this. Anyone who finds your video has gotten there because they have this issue. Your cogent and thorough video is *perfect* for this procedure. Thank you,

Thank you for the video, it helps me to recognise the problems in my injectors. Greatings from Bulgaria, keep doing your staff! Thank you again!

Thanks Zach, for your brilliant video on removing the injector, cleaning & replacing in detail. Very educational. It has given me the courage to service mine with confidence !!

J'ai vécu récemment la même chose (vis cassée au fond sur 1 cm en resserrant) avec un ami mécanicien. J'avais acheté exprès une petite clé dynamométrique car la mienne, une grande, ne démarrait qu'à 20 nm. Il avait commencé à serrer et n'a pas fait attention au déclic de la clé. En effet, 7nm ce n'est pas grand chose. Et il continuait de serrer et commençait à s'inquiéter de ne pas entendre le clic. Moi non plus je n'avais pas fait attention au clic à chaque fois qu'il recommençait à serrer. Cet outil était neuf et je ne l'avais encore jamais utilisé.Au moment où mon intuition me disait il faut arrêter, il venait de casser cette vis que je savais pourtant fragile. A savoir encore qu'il faut très bien nettoyer le filet et le trou, et même repasser un petit coup de taraud, car cela fausse le couple sinon. C'est de là que vient sans doute le problème; Enfin, ce n'est pas très sérieux pour MERCEDES de construire durant des années des voitures en continuant d'ignorer ce problème. Pour la réparation, comment avez vous fait ? Avez-vous mis un hélicoil en M6x1. Quelle longueur fait-il ? Ca aurait été intéressant de faire une video à ce sujet, car le problème semble assez fréquent. On devrait aussi ouvrir le cache culbuteurs et changer tous les joints toriques. Car si de l'huile reste au fond du pas de vis, là aussi le couple de serrage est faussé. Et merci encore pour ces explications très détaillées.

Looking at buying one of these. Trying to gather all the data/risks I can. Really well done. I enjoyed seeing someone take care in the details as well. If I tackle it myself, I take my time and make sure everything is super clean like yourself. Thank you!

Very nice and comprehensive video.. thanks from london

Good video .. I did mine with steps slightly different from you, maybe you can see if some of my steps can help you next time: 1. I pre-prepare the engine ... When the engine is hotI dug out as much of the black tar as possible and used Carb cleaner to clean as much of the injector and surroundings as possible. It's easier to clean when hot since the tar is like treacle that you can "peel" out a bit at a time. Then I drive again and get the engine hot again. That will soften the black tar again or it will get hard. 2. I loosened the hold down very slightly. The pressure from the engine will push the injector up and again heat up all the tar. You will now have a bigger leak. You should probably consider covering with a rag on the injector you are fixing so it does not spray every where. 3. Turn off the engine. Now when the engine is hot, and the injector has been dislodged slightly and the tar is still gooey, you can remove the clamp, lines etc ... from the injector and it should now just wiggle out. If not then you can use the slide hammer tool. You bought the same one that I did that is actually for OM613 (predecessor to OM648). I also had to grind mine down to fit properly. 4. Remove the copper o-ring if it is in the bore. Sometimes need to bend a steel coat hanger to pull it out if it is bad. 5. Blow compressed air around glow plug to prevent dirt getting in. Remove the glow plug while engine is hot. I use the glow plug side to blow air into the cylinder later and blow dirt out of the hole. I also lubricate the glow plug as well since those can seize too. 6. Clean up as you did. I put paper towels down the holes (injector and clamp bolt hole) to soak up carb cleaner. 7. I have a tap and chase the threads on the clamp bolt to clean them out thoroughly and also carb cleaner with long q-tips. Repeated this like 4-5 times. 8. Cleaned out the injector bore with carb cleaner. Plugged the hole at the bottom with a steel plug and o-ring that came with an injector cleaning kit I had. Cleaned out as much as possible. 9. Remove the plug and used 150 grit on a dowel to clean the seat. I have injector seat cutter also, but it doesn't seem to work that well. 10. Clean up the injector with carb cleaner (be careful with the tip). I also used sand paper to clean the injector seating surface as well. 11. Use compressed air to blow into the glow plug area and dirt will come out of the injector port. 12. I used a thicker copper seal ring than the Mercedes one. It will last longer and is a bit softer so should seal better. 13. Insert the injector with the seal ring. 14. Install clamp and bolt (7NM + 2x 90 degrees). 15. install fuel lines and tighten. 16. Cycle the key a few times to prime the fuel system. It should start faster .. only learned this one after my second injector install. Hopefully some of my steps can help you and others .. I keep wanting to make a video but keep forgetting to do it ... Very good of you to take the trouble to do it.

verry nice job.. well explained and helpful :)

Thanks for this, mines just started throwing it out on No6, No2 leaked slightly for years so going to do the lot, you're bolt snap hopefully saves me doing the same

Great video! You show the procedure for removing the diesel return lines which is very nice. Some people recommend using the honda 2.2cdti seals. They are 0.3 milimeters larger in diameter and 0.5 milimeters thicker and last longer.

Excellent explanation

Omg , I would have had palpitations when that bolt snapped, good on you for getting it out , job well done, all the best to you 👍👍

Nice Video. For someone who admits they are "not a mechanic" you did a great job ! , would have been nice to have shown how you managed to removed the snapped bolt, that cannot have been easy. The black death was invented by Mercedes, pretty much every one of their diesel engines will develop this problem at some point, very often on cylinder 1 for some reason ? . For anyone else attempting this I would have one piece of advice though, ALWAYS use genuine Mercedes parts. Good job though :)

Best vid out there ! Keep up the amazing work mate :)

Thanks for sharing this video of all the steps you took. I'm looking into getting an older sprinter van and It's nice to go into it feeling prepared. Not to beat a dead horse here, but I do think you ought to compare your torque wrench to another known good torque wrench, or invest in having have it calibrated. Torque wrenches are very important precision tools, especially for component mating surfaces that are comprised of different hardnesses and that will behave differently while enduring extreme temps. There needs to be a precise measure of torque so you can have confidence the torque stabilizes over time, keeping those injectors properly seated with equal force on the seals--which will hopefully prevent premature recurrence of the leaks. I agree with others here in what looked like a much greater torque than 7nm (roughly 62 inch pounds)... which is a pretty light torque, and just about right for a bolt shank of that diameter. I hope this doesn't sound judgmental and shitty on my part... I'm grateful you shared a very thorough and informative video... I'm just a big advocate of using torque wrenches. Having said that... if i were in your shoes under those circumstances and not getting my torque wrench to click, I'm sure I would have done the exact same thing and snapped the bolt... so these things are easier said than done, especially as the audience...

Hey man what a great video!! Easy to follow, including tool links. I have 2 that I m going to have to fix and I had to dig for about 2 hours to get all the carbon build up out. Do you have part numbers for the bolts and seals? Your video makes me confident that I can do it. Although the broke. Bolt is horribly scary

Thank you, very helpful!

Great video, very helpful! If interested, I can share my airmatic experience on my S211 E320 CDI...

A common solution is to replace the seals with ones meant for a Honda accord 2.2 diesel injector. They are slightly thicker and made from softer alloy providing a better seal longer lasting seal

You should also use some ceramic grease on the injector

Very helpful

The black death is one of the easier to fix issues on this engine. So IF you see a used E320CDI with this problem (and many owners think thats the end of the life of the engine) it is entirely possible to get a good price on the car due to this "HORROR" around the injector....but it is not the end of the world. Be patient with a stuck injector, it WILL come out! Hot engine, etc etc...

Great job

Nice ideo and good work. The Mercedes CDI started injectors problems with the 6mm bolts, and the fire rings. So every time an injector is remove the Bolt and O-ring mus be replaced. Taxi drivers knew this problem and the remedy for them was to replace the 6 mm bolts by new 8mm, That work must be done by specialist precision repair shop. I had this problem 3 times in same car, and decided to take the 8mm modification, and never again. My E320 CDI is 22 years old with 200.000 miles and the engine works brilliant. Mercedes engineering is not perfect and they keep using the 6mm bolts for many CDI engines along many years. Metal pieces before break elonge loosing resistance, and cannot be used any more. So bolts replacement is mandatory. Best regards

Very good job

very good my brother

My heart went, when that bolt sheared. 😱

good job, very good you put new bolt , they are not reusable ,if you reuse them next time you try to loosen them up they will break and you are in big s.it. they are made of special steel which works like a spring ....

You should have cleaned the threads of the bolt as they build up with gunk as if you don’t this happens! Next time clean the threads with parts cleaner and cotton buds! Till they come out clean then run a tap through it 1time! Then the torque can register on your torque wrench!!! You need the exact torque as if it’s to tight the bolt will stretch and not hold the injector at the required torque during warm up!! And it will fail within a few weeks!! Get a good torque wrench and clean the threads!! These are key to being successful at fixing the issue! Hope this helps!!!

Great video, I am doing one right now. I think you set your wrench incorrectly 7nm is only about 6 foot pounds. That is a very low value and should have been reached at little more than a snug turn. Followed by two quarter turns and you would have been fine. Glad it turned out good in the end.

Think you missed the part about tightening to 7Nm and then a QUARTER turn on top, you turned it another full 1-1/2 revolutions!! Your very lucky you managed to get that bolt out.

Zach. Thanks for posting this. I have an 05 cdi with 133k. No visible carbon yet but getting ready to do this job preventatively. Did you use a nm torque wrench or a ft.lb or inch lb conversion one?

Thank you for great video! I actually new that you will break bolt, to much tork I’m curious how did you get out broken bolt? You should break (LOL) it again and film it how to remove it. Thanks again!

Question, can you get in there before removing the fuel line with say air? Or is that not a good idea? I was thinking blow out as much as I can first, then pull the lines, then brake clean it as good as I can and proceed with removal.

how were you able to get the extractor within such a tight space? I did the same thing but it is very tight for space - can you let me know the specific extractor, tools you used and what sizes?

Thanks for the video; I would change all of them if I were you.

First, I would stay with OEM retaining bolt. Secondly I would't go with the specified torque for the bolt since it is obviously of lesser grade steel. I am amazed that no after marketing manufacturers came up with complete kit for servicing injectors and Black Death prevention/treatment. It seems that every DIYer uses his own technique and improvises his own materials.

Nice job, fair play to you for taking on such a job. Is yours the IL6 or V6 engine, thanks. I have a chuffing injector right at the rear of the engine. After watching your video I feel I can undertake this job. Does the slider and re seat kit come to much money? Thanks

the seal curve must be down nice vid!

I believe your seating copper washer was incorrectly torqued at the factory. Thanks for showing us the washer. Probably one in a million to have that washer show up like that. They must install those injectors VERY quickly at the factory with fancy electronic torquing tools.

Thx

Quick question, in case of a very bad Black Death, can I just replace the valve cover with the injectors attached to it instead of cleaning it?

Zach - I busted off an injector bolt in the head on my number 1 just like you. I over tightened to 9nm by mistake. What did you extract your broken off injector bolt with?? Those bolts seem very hard and since you had success I'd like to use the same type of extractor.

Can you tell how you solve the problem with the broken bolt and what kind of solvent you are using to clean so gut the sludge? Also can you provide the length of the bolts ? I bought car with a broken bolt for the injector bracket and over this broken piece the genius "master" make a tread into the valve cover 8 . mm tread and bolted the injector bracket to the valve cover. Very "smart".So I will be very thanks full if you provide this valuable info. I will try to fix this problem some how . Thanks in advance.

After this leaking goes on for a while it turns into whats called "Black Death"...sounds ominous but is actually not a huge problem UNLESS you cannot remove the injector! So, If this starts happening, it is easy to see and you should rectify the problem promptly, and chances are the injector comes out EASILY even without buying the removal tool. So take heart, order the new retainer bolts, they are NOT EXPENSIVE use a torque wrench and put this back together, after cleaning etc! Nothing to be afraid of. And ..in addition I was surprised to see that the original retainer bolt was so loose it was ALMOST HANDTIGHT, if you can believe it. After I put everything back together I keep checking around the injector but it is shiny and clean just like it should be! What a relief! Oh and do yourself a favor by sealing all the diesel orifices with something to keep dust out!

Some holes are really nasty but others can be real nice!

When the injector was leaking did the car was start difficult , and was smoke and misfiring until warm up?

My car sounds loud, the engine sounds loud w211 2005 e220 model. Do you rekon injectors need replacing or something else.

This is eazy when they are bosch, i have an OM646 EVO and it uses delphie, as soon as you try to remove it, it breaks into pices. I sent theme all to service since the return plastic pipe broke as well...

Do you have to bleed off fuel pressure before disconnecting the fuel lines?

Hello, how was the process of removing the broken screw?

Please use pipe wrench don’t use open wrench to loosen or tighten fuel line. Thanks for video

I used the seat cutter same kit and same size as yours but it didn’t get all the way to the bottom, only around the edge right on top of the seat.

Where do I get o rings?

Jeeso... I have always maintained torque settings are the work of the devil.. Far too many anomalies. You got seriously lucky getting it out!

Is there any reason why you can’t leave the covers off?

What size seat cutter

IF you try to use this general MB injector slide hammer puller with this particular claw (modified as here); it will not work with the CDi Sprinter 5 cylinder or 6 cylinder models due to the lack of head room above the injector (Cylinder 3,4,5) and the extra height length of the slide hammer bolt. So try the kit (CTA-1094) on Amazon that has the unmodified claw and get a shorter 16MM X 1.5MM bolt of length 90MM and 120MM to clear in the space above the injector. When you remove the stretch bolt-used grind a bevel at bolt end 40 degrees and chase the threads with that to remove crap in threads (easy does it). Use a smaller welding rod with bent end and paper towel to clean crap from bottom of bolt hole. Same approach on injector hole and bottom landing where copper washer seats. Keep fishing crap out til there aint no more. That little mirror she keeps in that black Coach purse; use that to see what youre doing.

@28:44 it clicked! That was 7NM!

You can actually hear the click at 7nm 🙂

Do you know what 7 NM is??? It's 5 ft.lbs.!!!!

The injector seal has a bow/belly...you didn't say which way the go ... which way do they go???

It is an engine, not a motor, diesel engine, electric motor, but that said I don't understand why it twisted off in the head? Were you not tightening to spec?

You have spend so much money on the extractor tool. And you didn't need to. I have removed a much more difficult injector just by twisting the injector with a 29 mm wrench. But nice job anyway.

Where are the links to parts?

I do not understand, you already knew 7 Nm and 2 90 degrees has to be applied but you failed to do so, why?

I would feel better buying ONE $40.00 BOLT, if necessary to be confident, that is was made of strong enough METAL to... NOT break in half, as that bolt did! I would also consider cleaning that bolt HOLE... extra well, to remove any gunk in the threads, before installing that Bolt! JMO Good video.. THANKS!

Why not to change all of them?

u did say 7Nm but it looks like u do 70Nm ;)

You needed a quarter inch torque wrench

Use a longer t40 next time

Why you need a torquewrench? You know how much 7 newtonmeters is?? Its nothing and you broke the bolt😂

The Bolt gets 7nm. Your Hole wasnt cleaned well and you compressed the dirt and overtorqued the bolt.

Your torque wrench was the problem. You have to use a small torque wrench that reads only on inch pounds. One that reads foot pounds isn’t appropriate for this job and isn’t completely immaculate. 7 nm is a VERY low torque.

17 new dont use the big cheap that goes to 25 kilo

7Nm is not tight at all. I don’t think your torque wrench works

17 mm by 7 like what bru be more clear

Why ? you not buy Mercedes parts? That bolt never should of broken. IDI PARTS sounds like cheap chinese crap. Thanx letting us know never buy from them.

Bad perfomed repair, no ceramic greas jused, bolt not correct torxt , need = 27 nm en not 270 nm.

When that spanner slipped I stopped watching

You say 7 mn. But you make min 30nm. I habe this Problem you must vuy a kit for the raipair. Helicoil

You forgot to put the ceramic grease on the injector body, so it be easier to remove next time!