I've long admired the Benz... and I do mean lonnnnnng! But until 3 weeks ago I had never owned one. I had recently finished my lastest project, which was searching for, then buying a creampuff 1990 VW Jetta ecodiesel and installing a dual tank SVO system. I felt good about it. The little car was German solid and was fun, but pokey to drive... kinda' reminded me of my old 4 banger Volvos.... Blazoned across the Jetta's back window was a sign that read, "Powered by Vegetable Oil." I had parked at my favorite greasy spoon and that's how I met the woman who owned the Mercedes. Long story shorter: The nice Mercedes Lady said she never drove it anymore and was thinking about selling it. I asked what she was thinking about asking, and she said $400. I said, "Drive it to this cafe tomorrow and I'll have $400.00 in my pocket... A week later I sold my solid little VW to nice a guy from Montana....And that's why I'm now the newbie old guy on this Mercedes forum and enjoying once again butting heads with the learning curve... BTW, my wifes drives an old Lexus LS400 that she's had for years... It's big and very quiet, but try as it might, it aint a Mercedes or even a Beamer!

 

OOPS! I neglected to add, my new old Mercedes is a 1982 300D Turbo.

 

1982 is not old.

 

Oh my god you own a beautiful peice of machinery! Or does it own you? Either way, it must give you an enormous amount of pleasure... BTW, thanks for generous the offer. I'll take you up on it, if I ever learn enough about MB diesels to ask an intelligent question....
Thanks again,
Charlie

 

Hey,

I acquired a 1992 300 SD about 8 months ago. It drives like a dream. I also had a diesel mechanic convert it to ruin on WVO using the Grease Car 2 tank system. I have also owned a 1981 300 SD W 126 which ran great for a Wisconsin car.

Anyways, I'm curious as to how your experience with a grease car conversion will be like if you decide to do so. It is one of the best engines a staight 5 cylinder 3.0 L turbo diesel ever made.

Good luck.

Chinu

 

Hey Charlie! How old is old? I was 40 before I got a Merc, almost 41 now. [sm=happy046.gif]

Kevin

 

I was 14 when i got my MB i am 21 now.

 

Hey Chinu, good to "hear" from you.... It seems these old 5 cylinder mercedes really are bullet proof! Re: Your greasecar dual tank system. I installed that system on a 1990 creampuff VW jetta. I added the veggie fuel temp control, extra tank fuel guage and buzzer for those times I forget to purge and shut off in veggie mode. The hardest thing about it was channeling the heater hose and internal fuel supply from the tank to the engine compartment. It seems to be a great system and I had no problems with it. I live on Fox Island WA. Last week I sold the VW to a nice guy from Montana, I made sure the second tank was full of used veggie oil and the main tank full of biodiesel. I'm sure it was enough to get him back to Montana. However, since the old Mercedes is so much more forgiving I decided to use the single tank system from http;//mercedessource.com . It's a modular design. Although they don't heat the tank, they do connect a heated fuel sump which, using gravity, then heats the oil up to 150 degrees. I intend to set my fuel sump chamber at around 90 degrees as it will be reheated to 150 degrees just before it flows into the injectors. Their veggie management system is a rather elegant component located just behind the left lheadlight, under the hood. Before winter arrives I intend to add a 6 gallon tank in order to purge and start. If I go on a long trip, I'll fill four 6 gallon plastic cans with filtered veggie oil.
Best wishes,
Charlie

 

I'm 72, but my young wife keeps me active! We married in 1980 and I talked her into putting her career on hold. ( clinical psychology ) We launched a 36 foot sail boat and sailed around the Gulf of Mexico for five years... What a hoot! Before that I lived in England, France and Germany and spent some months in Iran, Libia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Greece, Turkey, etc... For the last 20 years I've been a full time painter... portraits, landscapes, abstracts... etc.. My hobbies are writing ( 2 books in print... a novel, Paradise Now and a non fiction, Becoming The Thinker. ) physics, philosophy, sailing, reading, and alternative fuels...Hmmmm, I guess I should add, giving some TLC to my first old Benz....
Best wishes,
Charlie

 

WOW...and I thought I'd been around the world...Germany (3 yrs) with frequent trips to Bosnia, Kosovo & Macedonia and tourist destinations...Okinawa (2 yrs)...Korea...and several homesteads through the US. The military/government affords an individual the opportunity to see lots of cool and exciting places!!!