Hello,

New to MB, and diesels, but always wanted one...thought they were high priced....but I found an '85 300TD turbodiesel sedan, (california emissions package, 200,000 mi.) The turbo doesn't work, -no power to speak of at all on test drive. A/c not working, door locks/fuel door inop....No rust, good body/interior for the age.(What would you pay? He's asking 3700.) I want a daily driver I can put the family in, and for me to commute to work & back -(High mileage car) BTW, no emissions test where I live in AZ.

The owner tells me I can get an '82-'85 non-california model manifolds, turbo and exhaust pipes for around $500 (parts) and take off the ca. stuff. Does anyone see any problems with this? You all seem very smart in this area....I'd sure appreciate anything you have to offer!

Thanks,

Richard
delavrich@yahoo.com

 

whyare calior"kalifornia" version diesel MB bad?????

 

Forced,

Thanks for the great info!

You say:'higher maintenance costs and has some expensive CA specific parts simply......'

Are there engine internal parts that are not common to the '82-'84 diesel engines? Or can I simply remove everything from the manifold on back, to replace it all with earlier model manifold, turbo, exhaust system? Would power and mileage be restored?

I am very inclined to try this in order to get a diesel turbo Mercedes...they seem pretty scarce around here. If I decide to go ahead, is there any internal engine damage that I should have checked out by a good shop before buying? I found a shop that will do a 'complete inspection' for $100.

Really appreciate your help & knowledge!

Richard
delavrich@yahoo.com

 

I have similar questions and am also a new W123 owner so please excuse my newness to all of this

Is it necessary to replace everything from the manifold back or can the filters just be removed and call it a day? If so, what part of that chain constitutes just the particulate filters?

To be honest, I'm still not sure if I have the CA model or not; the door sticker does say "non catalyst" but someone else who eyeballed the engine bay thought that the air filter looked funky and surmised that it was the CA emissions model.

This is what the intake side looks like if anyone else would like to weigh in:





[IMG]local://upfiles/28574/BB14607BE1694A4BB74214863E970DBE.jpg[/IMG]

 

Excellent, thanks. Time to start hanging out at junkyards again =)

 

call MB and give them the vin # the recall is still active. Free

 

forced i found the data

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