The 240 engine is not the only 4-cyl MBZ made. There was a 4 cyl,
5-liter (!) NA diesel truck engine used in Mercedes
airport-shuttle-type busses. A friend of mine has a 309 converted to
a motorhome (it was mentioned on this list for sale, I passed the
info on to him, and about a year ago he bought it) and my brother, a
diesel mechanic, has driven one also. Both report lots of torque and
very satisfactory around-town performance. My friend got high teens
for mileage with his--even as high as 20 mpg on some tanks. They're
really lugging engines, though, meant for slow-speed delivery or
hauling, not highway cruising. I'd rather have that mill in a motor
home any day than a LeSharo 2.2D, which was a small, light-duty
diesel that would actually stall out in first gear on steep mountain
grades.
Dan
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Dan Weeks
82 VW Westfalia 1.6 JX TD conversion, DK trans, 188k
82 Mercedes 300SD, 285k
