diesel-benz-digest Friday, June 24 2005 Volume 01 : Number 1872 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles Derick Amburgey Digest Coordinator Contents: [db] test drove a 2.8L CRD Liberty today [db] the '79 300SD [db] Jim Ange/Prep/Operations/Spencer Press is out of the office. [db] 1982 Mercedes 240D Diesel Sedan 120k original miles - $6500 Re: [db] 1982 Mercedes 240D Diesel Sedan 120k original miles - $6500 Re: [db] 300SD...going for it! Re: [db] 300SD...going for it! Re: [db] 300SD...going for it! Re: [db] 300SD...going for it! Re: [db] 1982 Mercedes 240D Diesel Sedan 120k original miles - $6500 [db] Weird external oil leak 300SDL Diesel Benz Digest Home Page: http://www.digest.net/diesel-benz/ Send submissions to diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Send administrative requests to diesel-benz-digest-request-at-digest.net To unsubscribe, include the word unsubscribe by itself in the body of the message, unless you are sending the request from a different address than the one that appears on the list. Include the word help in a message to stag-digest-request to get a list of other majordomo commands. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 21:46:45 -0700 From: john meister Subject: [db] test drove a 2.8L CRD Liberty today Picking up parts for one of my Jeeps I decided to see if they had any Diesel KJ's on the lot... they had 4. So I took one out for a test drive. the seats were terrible, even more uncomfortable than my Mercedes. ;) terrible lumbar support and hard... the WJ seats are incredible, best seats I've ever sat in... very happy that I have a '99 WJ and a set of WJ seats for my SJ (J10). The performance was acceptable, but not impressive. My '91 300D with a 2.5L Turbo Diesel with 209,000 miles would leave it looking at my taillights. The Benz isn't that much lighter than the Liberty either... Over all it was decent, I'm just spoiled with the 124 Benz, it's a totally impressive setup with a good 0 to 60 time and outstanding fuel economy... at least 30 mpg in town! Fuel economy on the KJ is stated at 21/26 on the one I drove, and 22/27 on a different one... the one I drove was a Sport, automatic. The other a Limited, also an automatic... not sure why the Limited would get better mileage... maybe I'll go back and test drive that one because they didn't get my parts right... :) One thing I'm certain of now... I'm very glad that I went with the 6.2L Diesel in SuperDawg (my '83 J10 Stepside), and that I decided to go with a white paint job. Running the waste veggie oil in the J10 will offset the fact I'll only see about 20mpg in town. :) john ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 21:48:44 -0700 From: john meister Subject: [db] the '79 300SD someone took the '79 300SD to a mechanic today... he really liked the way the car drove and felt, but the mechanic scared him away from it because he expected to have a car that would last him 5 to 7 years... (for $1,200 even. ;) Anyway, the good news is that the compression test was even across all cylinders, but in the bottom 15% of acceptable. The fact that it starts easily, doesn't smoke at startup or ever is enough proof to most of us. ;) john ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 01:00:42 -0400 From: JAnge-at-spencerpress.com Subject: [db] Jim Ange/Prep/Operations/Spencer Press is out of the office. I will be out of the office starting 06/23/2005 and will not return until 06/27/2005. I will respond to your message when I return. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 22:29:38 -0700 From: "Paul Kershner" Subject: [db] 1982 Mercedes 240D Diesel Sedan 120k original miles - $6500 Not mine, but I saw it on Craigslist.com at: http://seattle.craigslist.org/car/80612259.html It is a real beauty. I saw someone was looking for a 300D, so you may want to look at this one. There are tons of pictures - even pics of the undercarraige and under the engine!! Sweet. Someone is going to snatch it up fast. pk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 08:48:19 -0500 From: acordova-at-texas.net Subject: Re: [db] 1982 Mercedes 240D Diesel Sedan 120k original miles - $6500 Quoting Paul Kershner : >> Not mine, but I saw it on Craigslist.com at: >> >> http://seattle.craigslist.org/car/80612259.html >> >> It is a real beauty. I saw someone was looking for a 300D, so you may >> want >> to look at this one. There are tons of pictures - even pics of the >> undercarraige and under the engine!! >> >> Sweet. Someone is going to snatch it up fast. >> >> pk >> >> Wow! That one probably is worth the firm $6,500 price. But that included CarFax ain't worth squat. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 09:05:38 -0500 From: acordova-at-texas.net Subject: Re: [db] 300SD...going for it! Quoting bree kna : >> well, from my perspective anyway, "Yay!" I've been >> reading this digest and wanting these machines too >> long...tomorrow I'm buying a '84 300SD. It has 211k >> miles, looks great inside and out, and it has fairly >> good maintenance records. >> >> Now, it's up to the digest to tell me what to expect >> as a first-time diesel owner. The seller told me it's >> definitely a community. But, along with that type of >> info, I'm also new to the maintenance of a diesel...So >> what am I in for??? >> >> Thanks! >> Brian >> >> Woohoo! Sounds like a good one. Prepare yourself for never being able to settle for any less of a car in the future. Regular maintenance for these is basically to change the oil and oil filter religiously, and to adjust the valve clearances every 15,000 miles. Oil change interval varies with driving style and conditions and with the chosen oil. If you use conventional oil, we recommend Chevron Delo400 15W-40. Second choice would be Shell Rotella T, also in 15W-40. These are also recommended by Mercedes (see http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html). For average driving style and condition, anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 miles between oil changes is probably appropriate. You can also go with synthetic oil if you want. Mobil Delvac 1 and Amsoil are appropriate, and can allow you to easily double the oil change interval, perhaps even more, although they are more expensive. While debates over the benefits of synthetic oils may rage on for years, it is usually accepted that they help this generation of MB diesels start up in colder weather. If it gets much below freezing in the winter, say into the teens, you may want to consider using synthetics, although it's not essential. Other than that, I think fuel and air filters are probably 30,000 mile items. Coolant, brake, and transmission fluids every two or three years. Get correct OEM filters. From Rusty, for example, (www.buymbparts.com) they're not really more expensive than aftermarket filters, but your car will be much happier. Drive it hard. These motors only make enough power for this heavy of a car if you use most of the power the motor can make. They seem to have been engineered with this in mind, and the systems stay cleaner and smoother when driven hard than when driven softly. In fact, if the one you're getting has been babied and you drive it with a heavy foot, it will probably start idling smoother and giving better power and economy over the next couple months. That's probably enough from me for now, or I'm going to convince myself to buy that 240D that Paul just pointed out. ;-) Alec Cordova Taylor, Texas 89 300CE, 188K ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 09:46:25 -0500 From: acordova-at-texas.net Subject: Re: [db] 300SD...going for it! Oh, and if you want to try doing some of the repairs yourself, these are pretty good cars for it, especially given the usual hourly labor rates for qualified Benz mechanics. These are one of the last generations of Benzes on which a home mechanic can be productive. You may find Chilton's or Haynes manuals. Don't trust them. The official MB factory manuals were originally published in several books, then converted over (in a fairly primitive manner) to CD based sets. You may still be able to get a 126 chassis manual set from MB (is it 1-800-FOR-MERC?) or from some of our regular online sources for around $125. You can also find them on eBay, some legitimate, some just copies of legitimate sets, for various prices. There have been some updates to the CDs slipstreamed out, so a new set may have a few more tidbits than a used eBay set. One downside of the MB manuals is that they seem to be targeted to someone already at least minimally familiar with MB work, but they are consistently correct, particularly where they list torque values, etc. And adjusting the valve clearance is fairly straightforward as long as you have a few good wrenches. You can buy some specifically made for this, or just find some thin offset open-end wrenches. You can also check the timing chain for stretch while you're adjusting the valves. It's also fairly straightforward. If the chain has stretched no more than about 5 degrees, there's no particular need to replace it. They don't tend to fail for other reasons. Alec ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 15:54:56 +0100 From: Stephen Rigley Subject: Re: [db] 300SD...going for it! Is there a write up somewhere on how to adjust the valve clearance? (apart from in the MB manuals ;-) ) Cheers Steve On 6/24/05, acordova-at-texas.net wrote: >> >> And adjusting the valve clearance is fairly straightforward as long as you >> have a few good wrenches. You can buy some specifically made for this, or >> just >> find some thin offset open-end wrenches. You can also check the timing chain >> for stretch while you're adjusting the valves. It's also fairly >> straightforward. If the chain has stretched no more than about 5 degrees, >> there's no particular need to replace it. They don't tend to fail for other >> reasons. >> >> Alec ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 10:16:21 -0500 From: acordova-at-texas.net Subject: Re: [db] 300SD...going for it! There might be something in the articles on mbz.org, but I can't seem to get there right now to confirm. I seem to remember they had a good writeup about tweaking the ALDA on OM617 engines to get the most out of your turbo. Alec Quoting Stephen Rigley : >> Is there a write up somewhere on how to adjust the valve clearance? >> (apart from in the MB manuals ;-) ) >> Cheers >> Steve ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 15:17:58 +0000 From: dieseljohn-at-comcast.net Subject: Re: [db] 1982 Mercedes 240D Diesel Sedan 120k original miles - $6500 I know why this thing looks so familar to me... it's the EXACT same color scheme that my 1980 Olds Cutlass LS with the 5.7L Diesel had. :) That caramel color top does look a bit odd on the benz though... someone was inspired by Olds I guess... :) john >> Not mine, but I saw it on Craigslist.com at: >> >> http://seattle.craigslist.org/car/80612259.html >> >> It is a real beauty. I saw someone was looking for a 300D, so you may want >> to look at this one. There are tons of pictures - even pics of the >> undercarraige and under the engine!! >> >> Sweet. Someone is going to snatch it up fast. >> >> pk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 12:22:11 -0400 From: "Dan Trusz" Subject: [db] Weird external oil leak 300SDL Hi all, I have put about 6000 miles on my '87 300SDL since April (that is also when the heads were redone and new top end).... This past weekend something weird happened.. as I was driving I noticed my oil pressure falling a bit instead of 3 bar at 70MPH, it was at 2Bar. When I was idling at a light, I smelled oil. I pulled to the side and saw that the engine was covered on the driver side in oil. I mean sprayed everywhere, (near the injectors and the oil filter area) even the top of the valve cover had oil on it. I noticed that the EGR value at the top of the valve cover had come out and the seal broke. So I went to Mercedes and got a new EGR valve seal. Filled the car with oil, cleaned the engine and it ran great (I did only city driving). Then I drove it on I-95 and once again, after about 10 miles, the oil pressure fell and oil was sprayed and I filled it up with oil. I couldn't find a leak. I took it to my local indie and he spend the day looking for the leak. He found that the valve cover gasket was leaking and that two seals around the injection pump were leaking a little bit of diesel. He replaced the valve cover gasket and the seals. I picked up the car yesterday morning. No leaks. Engine clean. The car ran great.... but after about 2 miles it lack power and started 'missing', being rough and 'bucking'. At lunch I took it back to him and he fixed that problem. Last night I picked the car up... no leaks...the car ran like it was new....plenty of power... I know my indie (who takes GREAT pride in his work) tested the car around town and ran it all afternoon. I took it on I-95 and was going about 65-70MPH and noticed that the car was losing oil pressure again.... I thought it was my imagination. I got off at an exit and smelled oil. The exact issue happened again... oil sprayed.. I had to refill with oil, and the engine was really rough...... I drove it back to my indie and he is stumped. So am I. He was been working on MB since the 60s and is very trusted with Rolls-Royce, BMWs and MBs. He looked at it this morning and said, this shouldn't happen...... Does anyone have any ideas? The coolant is fine, no oil in coolant.... the car starts perfect. No coolant in oil. I am stumped. help please........... - -Dan- http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #1872 **********************************