From owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Tue Feb 19 21:35:56 2008 From: diesel-benz-digest diesel-benz-digest Wednesday, February 20 2008 Volume 01 : Number 2669 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles Derick Amburgey Digest Coordinator Contents: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill RE: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill 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: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:03:59 -0800 From: chuck goolsbee Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill >believe it or not Kia and Hyundai have mastered quality... the Koreans >got serious about it... Indeed. The improvement in Korean cars over the last 10 years has been mind-boggling. Too bad they only sell gasoline cars! - -- - --chuck goolsbee 02 Jetta TDi & 06 Liberty CRD arlington, wa, usa ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:08:39 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill yes, amen to the gas problem... toyota has some Diesels but they're rare... speaking about veggie oil, there's 15 gallons waiting. ;) ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On Tue, 19 Feb 2008, chuck goolsbee wrote: # >believe it or not Kia and Hyundai have mastered quality... the Koreans # >got serious about it... # # Indeed. The improvement in Korean cars over the last 10 years has been # mind-boggling. # # Too bad they only sell gasoline cars! # # ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:11:16 -0800 From: Kevin Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill And that's probably the large part with my 05 ram - it was HEAVILY used by the previous owners, and I don't think it got quite the attention it deserved. The only reason I keep the bugger around is that I've mistakenly convinced myself that once I finish dealing with the stuff the DSPO messed up, I'll have a nice truck. It's just taking a while to get there. On Tue, Feb 19, 2008 at 07:44:42PM -0800, Bruce Caruthers wrote: > Actually, almost all of the issues it has had were > from lack of maintenance by previous owners. Now > that those have almost all been fixed, it is well > within what I consider "normal wear and tear" in > frequency and degree. > > I've gotten as high as 46mpg (regularly 31), and > the only remaining issues are the locks problem > (posted a long time ago about that) and the > windshield leaking slightly. We use it regularly, > and are quite happy. Wish it had a little more > oomph going up hills on the highway, but other than > that, we've enjoyed it on our road trips. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:12:31 -0800 From: chuck goolsbee Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill >speaking about veggie oil, there's 15 gallons waiting. ;) Got your note earlier. I have about 10 gallons of BD for you, I'll drop it off later this week and pick up the WVO. BTW, my last two batches, made up from the old Blue Moon oil I got from Bruce, came out looking *perfect*. Very clear. Should be ready for use by late March or early April. I'm starting to get this process down. =) - -- - --chuck goolsbee 02 Jetta TDi & 06 Liberty CRD arlington, wa, usa ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:18:21 -0600 From: "Alec Cordova" Subject: RE: [db] The Butcher's Bill Here's a thought: The upcoming Hyundai Genesis full-sized rear wheel drive sedan (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/08/detroit-08-preview-2009-hyundai-genesis- shakes-things-up/), if they were to offer a decent, modern turbo-diesel V6. Hmm. Alec > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net > [mailto:owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net]On Behalf Of chuck goolsbee > Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:04 PM > To: diesel-benz-at-digest.net > Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill > > > >believe it or not Kia and Hyundai have mastered quality... the Koreans > >got serious about it... > > Indeed. The improvement in Korean cars over the last 10 years has > been mind-boggling. > > Too bad they only sell gasoline cars! > > -- > --chuck goolsbee > 02 Jetta TDi & 06 Liberty CRD > arlington, wa, usa > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:28:07 -0800 (PST) From: Jim Hoffman Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill I hear ya, my '99 Cummins has been sitting for three months now because of the stupid engineers that thought it a good idea to require removal of the hub/bearing assembly to remove the front rotors! A simple brake job came to a screeching halt when the hub was rusted solid to the control arm and refused to come loose. I've finally got it off after splitting the hub in two and using a slide hammer to remove the last stubborn part! It's 7 degrees w/wind chill of about 15 below. Tomorrow even colder. Hopefully by the weekend it will get warm enough out there to put it all back together. Jim - --- Kevin wrote: > If it's any consolation, I'm considering offing the > 2005 dodge ram with > cummins. While it hasn't been anywhere near as bad > as your wagon, it's > certainly gone through more than its share of repair > money, and seems to spend > a lot of time parked because I'm mad at it. > > It's sad when you have this big, beautiful truck > sitting in the yard, and > you grab the keys to the 20 year old 140 hp chevy > just because you don't feel > like dealing with the dodge... > > On Tue, Feb 19, 2008 at 09:11:47PM -0500, Mike Frank > wrote: > > I find that this car is extraordinarily unpleasant > to work on. The > > problems are complex, and often involve more than > an usual amount of > > skinned knuckles. Anything that involves a check > engine light is > > impossible to diagnose without the Mercedes > computer modules. So I am > > dependent on mechanics, which is an unfamiliar > position for me. If an > > independent could slice the cost in half, is it > really worthwhile to > > keep a car that costs thousands to run, and spends > about a month each > > year off the road? > > > > Mike Frank ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:52:24 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill excellent. I hope to have my big Jeep working by then too. ;) john ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On Tue, 19 Feb 2008, chuck goolsbee wrote: # >speaking about veggie oil, there's 15 gallons waiting. ;) # # Got your note earlier. I have about 10 gallons of BD for you, I'll drop it # off later this week and pick up the WVO. # # BTW, my last two batches, made up from the old Blue Moon oil I got from # Bruce, came out looking *perfect*. Very clear. Should be ready for use by # late March or early April. I'm starting to get this process down. =) # # ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:54:41 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill 7 degrees? yikes... that's colder than my freezer. :) it's 45 deg, we have clouds again, that means I won't have to deal with any frost in the morning. :) ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On Tue, 19 Feb 2008, Jim Hoffman wrote: # I hear ya, my '99 Cummins has been sitting for three # months now because of the stupid engineers that # thought # it a good idea to require removal of the hub/bearing # assembly to remove the front rotors! A simple brake # job came to a screeching halt when the hub was rusted # solid to the control arm and refused to come loose. # I've finally got it off after splitting the hub in # two and using a slide hammer to remove the last # stubborn part! It's 7 degrees w/wind chill of about # 15 below. Tomorrow even colder. Hopefully by the # weekend it will get warm enough out there to put it # all back together. # # Jim # # --- Kevin wrote: # # > If it's any consolation, I'm considering offing the # > 2005 dodge ram with # > cummins. While it hasn't been anywhere near as bad # > as your wagon, it's # > certainly gone through more than its share of repair # > money, and seems to spend # > a lot of time parked because I'm mad at it. # > # > It's sad when you have this big, beautiful truck # > sitting in the yard, and # > you grab the keys to the 20 year old 140 hp chevy # > just because you don't feel # > like dealing with the dodge... # > # > On Tue, Feb 19, 2008 at 09:11:47PM -0500, Mike Frank # > wrote: # > > I find that this car is extraordinarily unpleasant # > to work on. The # > > problems are complex, and often involve more than # > an usual amount of # > > skinned knuckles. Anything that involves a check # > engine light is # > > impossible to diagnose without the Mercedes # > computer modules. So I am # > > dependent on mechanics, which is an unfamiliar # > position for me. If an # > > independent could slice the cost in half, is it # > really worthwhile to # > > keep a car that costs thousands to run, and spends # > about a month each # > > year off the road? # > > # > > Mike Frank # ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:21:11 GMT From: "jasonbassett-at-juno.com" Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Heheheh. Actually, the difference between your cars sounds like a classic case of IP adjustment differences. No 2 IPs are set the same from the factory, so some give more fuel (hence more power, less mileage) than others (less power, better mileage.) He could probably turn his up, if he knew how, and make it more like yours. J - -- john wrote: more oomph up hills? I need to test drive that, mine gets me in trouble going up hills, really... :) that's where I got my only speeding ticket in the last 20 years.... with shadowfax... 46mpg!!! wow, you have a light foot... best I've done is 39.75mpg. :) maybe you can give me lessons on how to drive for economy... :) ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On Tue, 19 Feb 2008, Bruce Caruthers wrote: # Actually, almost all of the issues it has had were # from lack of maintenance by previous owners. Now # that those have almost all been fixed, it is well # within what I consider "normal wear and tear" in # frequency and degree. # # I've gotten as high as 46mpg (regularly 31), and # the only remaining issues are the locks problem # (posted a long time ago about that) and the # windshield leaking slightly. We use it regularly, # and are quite happy. Wish it had a little more # oomph going up hills on the highway, but other than # that, we've enjoyed it on our road trips. # # -bkc # Lynnwood, WA # (his) '76 MB 240D [W115.117/616.916] # (hers) '92 Toyota Celica GT # (ours) '93 MB 300D 2.5 Turbo [W124.128/602.962] # # # On Tue Feb 19, 2008, John Meister wrote: # > # > must have, my '91 has been surprisingly free of issues... # > bruce's lower mileage '93 has had it's share of woes... # > # > # > On Wed, 20 Feb 2008, jasonbassett-at-juno.com wrote: # > # > # I guess so! Did all their good engineers quit in 1991 or what? # > # # > # J # > # # > # -- Mike Frank wrote: # > # # > # Looking for a decent '87 Diesel wagon # > # # ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:23:40 GMT From: "jasonbassett-at-juno.com" Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill Ooooh! Somebody wasn't thinking very good on that one....... J - -- Jim Hoffman wrote: I hear ya, my '99 Cummins has been sitting for three months now because of the stupid engineers that thought it a good idea to require removal of the hub/bearing assembly to remove the front rotors! A simple brake job came to a screeching halt when the hub was rusted solid to the control arm and refused to come loose. I've finally got it off after splitting the hub in two and using a slide hammer to remove the last stubborn part! It's 7 degrees w/wind chill of about 15 below. Tomorrow even colder. Hopefully by the weekend it will get warm enough out there to put it all back together. Jim - --- Kevin wrote: > If it's any consolation, I'm considering offing the > 2005 dodge ram with > cummins. While it hasn't been anywhere near as bad > as your wagon, it's > certainly gone through more than its share of repair > money, and seems to spend > a lot of time parked because I'm mad at it. > > It's sad when you have this big, beautiful truck > sitting in the yard, and > you grab the keys to the 20 year old 140 hp chevy > just because you don't feel > like dealing with the dodge... > > On Tue, Feb 19, 2008 at 09:11:47PM -0500, Mike Frank > wrote: > > I find that this car is extraordinarily unpleasant > to work on. The > > problems are complex, and often involve more than > an usual amount of > > skinned knuckles. Anything that involves a check > engine light is > > impossible to diagnose without the Mercedes > computer modules. So I am > > dependent on mechanics, which is an unfamiliar > position for me. If an > > independent could slice the cost in half, is it > really worthwhile to > > keep a car that costs thousands to run, and spends > about a month each > > year off the road? > > > > Mike Frank ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:34:58 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill I hadn't thought about that... but I like beating those coffee can muffler equipped hondas... :) john ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On Wed, 20 Feb 2008, jasonbassett-at-juno.com wrote: # Heheheh. # # Actually, the difference between your cars sounds like a classic case of IP # adjustment differences. No 2 IPs are set the same from the factory, so some # give more fuel (hence more power, less mileage) than others (less power, # better mileage.) He could probably turn his up, if he knew how, and make it # more like yours. # # J # # -- john wrote: # more oomph up hills? I need to test drive that, mine gets me # in trouble going up hills, really... :) that's where I got my # only speeding ticket in the last 20 years.... with shadowfax... # # 46mpg!!! wow, you have a light foot... best I've done is 39.75mpg. :) # # maybe you can give me lessons on how to drive for economy... :) # # ----- # ---------------------------------------------------------------------- # Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold # http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** # ---------------------------------------------------------------------- # # # On Tue, 19 Feb 2008, Bruce Caruthers wrote: # # # Actually, almost all of the issues it has had were # # from lack of maintenance by previous owners. Now # # that those have almost all been fixed, it is well # # within what I consider "normal wear and tear" in # # frequency and degree. # # # # I've gotten as high as 46mpg (regularly 31), and # # the only remaining issues are the locks problem # # (posted a long time ago about that) and the # # windshield leaking slightly. We use it regularly, # # and are quite happy. Wish it had a little more # # oomph going up hills on the highway, but other than # # that, we've enjoyed it on our road trips. # # # # -bkc # # Lynnwood, WA # # (his) '76 MB 240D [W115.117/616.916] # # (hers) '92 Toyota Celica GT # # (ours) '93 MB 300D 2.5 Turbo [W124.128/602.962] # # # # # # On Tue Feb 19, 2008, John Meister wrote: # # > # # > must have, my '91 has been surprisingly free of issues... # # > bruce's lower mileage '93 has had it's share of woes... # # > # # > # # > On Wed, 20 Feb 2008, jasonbassett-at-juno.com wrote: # # > # # > # I guess so! Did all their good engineers quit in 1991 or what? # # > # # # > # J # # > # # # > # -- Mike Frank wrote: # # > # # # > # Looking for a decent '87 Diesel wagon # # > # # # # ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:35:49 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: Re: [db] The Butcher's Bill that's why kevin should give me the cummins engine from his so I can put it into another Full Size Jeep... I think it'll need a bit more than 2" of lift to fit however. :) ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On Wed, 20 Feb 2008, jasonbassett-at-juno.com wrote: # Ooooh! Somebody wasn't thinking very good on that one....... # # J # # -- Jim Hoffman wrote: # I hear ya, my '99 Cummins has been sitting for three # months now because of the stupid engineers that # thought # it a good idea to require removal of the hub/bearing # assembly to remove the front rotors! A simple brake # job came to a screeching halt when the hub was rusted # solid to the control arm and refused to come loose. # I've finally got it off after splitting the hub in # two and using a slide hammer to remove the last # stubborn part! It's 7 degrees w/wind chill of about # 15 below. Tomorrow even colder. Hopefully by the # weekend it will get warm enough out there to put it # all back together. # # Jim # # --- Kevin wrote: # # > If it's any consolation, I'm considering offing the # > 2005 dodge ram with # > cummins. While it hasn't been anywhere near as bad # > as your wagon, it's # > certainly gone through more than its share of repair # > money, and seems to spend # > a lot of time parked because I'm mad at it. # > # > It's sad when you have this big, beautiful truck # > sitting in the yard, and # > you grab the keys to the 20 year old 140 hp chevy # > just because you don't feel # > like dealing with the dodge... # > # > On Tue, Feb 19, 2008 at 09:11:47PM -0500, Mike Frank # > wrote: # > > I find that this car is extraordinarily unpleasant # > to work on. The # > > problems are complex, and often involve more than # > an usual amount of # > > skinned knuckles. Anything that involves a check # > engine light is # > > impossible to diagnose without the Mercedes # > computer modules. So I am # > > dependent on mechanics, which is an unfamiliar # > position for me. If an # > > independent could slice the cost in half, is it # > really worthwhile to # > > keep a car that costs thousands to run, and spends # > about a month each # > > year off the road? # > > # > > Mike Frank # ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #2669 **********************************