Just wanted to do a shout-out--the input from FI and the others on this thread is really helpful for getting a feel for the '80s-'90s diesel cars and their engines. Thanks.

 

I'm happy to see this tread still alive after almost ten years a lot has changed with me in that time. Looking back is amazing! Keep using the knowledge!

 

Yeah, i had a very nice read here

 

To All,


I just found a NAVY/TAN leather 1987 300D, with the W124 body, with 181,000 miles for 1,000.00 in good shape EXCEPT the PO's bird-dog ATE the 2 front seat's leather.
(NO JOKE!)


Can anyone tell me WHICH years/series M-B seats will interchange W/O "redesigning" everything??


yours, satx

 

 

That makes a lawn mower look awefully good.

 

I guess it is time to state the obvious(to me at least). All manner of cars have tried to switch to aluminum heads bolted to steel blocks. This is a design flaw. It is asking for trouble and was a bad idea from the get go. Yes, the manufacturers have been getting better at tackling the head gasket issues from overheated warped aluminum heads but the flaw is that aluminum expands differently from heat than steel. It is weaker and it melts at a far lower temperature. All aluminum engines fare much better but if the car has an aluminum head on a steel block, don't buy it!

 

Nothing is wrong with the turbo versions from 82 to 85 and the author does not offer a reason for his opinion. If you live on flat land and never use freeway entrance ramps, never pass, and never climb a mountain pass the non turbo will suffice. With the turbo you get the same economy and a whole lot more power. If you baby the turbo with superclean oil and never shut it down hot the turbo will last a long time. Replacing the turbo is a 3-4 hour job as I have done it twice. You always replace the two rubber gaskets as well. Put a boost gauge on it at least temporarily and if it tops out at 11-12 you are golden.

 

Diesels can be jackel and hyde cars. I grew up around these cars, my dad was we could say a super fan. I believe he has owned over 50 mercedes diesels through the years of various descriptions. one would be a dog one would be a friggen race car.

Vacuum leaks, valve adjustments, shift actuator cables etc. could all turn a car on or off in a moments notice, some were cold blooded in winter others not.

But the number one thing is that if you go through them systematically, remove and clean the injectors, check your glow plugs, clean the terminals, chase the vacuum leaks, adjust the shift cable. You'll get em to run, but you have to go through everything bit by bit.

Oh and if you swap the manual cooling fan for a viscous coupling you'll get better cold weather performance.

 

I have a diesel Mercedes w166. I often drive it for long distances. I like the way the OM642 engine runs. I think it has no problems and is not fussy. It needs little maintenance, and I like the fact that I can fill it up once in 700-1000 km on the highway. But diesel engines require special maintenance, many people in America don't understand that, that's why gasoline engines are popular here. You need to wash the radiator and the intake regularly, maintain the AdBlue system. By the way, only because of this system, I had expensive repairs and problems in the middle of the road, so I turned it off. Just did it programmatically. And if you decide to do the same, go to the professionals at obdtune.com, it's so hard to find someone here who knows diesel Mercedes as well as these guys.