Robert - I have a 1983 TDT wagon. I sold my 77 300D to my father. So with these two in the family, and both running on SVO (and biodiesel for start up and shutdown in my case), and blends of biodiesel/diesel, etc. I can tell you the following:
Yes, avoid the ones after 1985. In fact, try to get an '83 or earlier, with the cast iron head. Turbos are nice for the extra power, but cost considerably more than the 240D or 300D, to buy and to repair. The engines are very tough. The cars are nice to drive as you know. The Bosch inline is considered to be the most tolerant of SVO, if you go that way instead of biodiesel (not a bad thing to consider, if you are already concerned about being a "biodiesel slave".) You get used to the acceleration. The turbo is quite a lot quicker. There should be four gears working on the four speed automatic. They tend to shift into 4th early, you can lock this out by using the "s" position until up to speed to get better acceleration without holding it all the way to the floor. Also good for city driving to keep the revs up and minimize carbon buildup (esp. if on SVO) It is not unusual for the car to start out in 2nd gear and go 2-3-4, unless you floor it, in which case it will drop into 1, start out in 1, give you more acceleration across that intersection, and then go 2-3-4. They will turn 3000 at highway speed (70 miles per hour). Higher reving than you might expect - sort of halfway between a pickup and a VW. Biodiesel WILL cut the soot by around 50%. If the car is putting out much soot, check the air cleaner, compression, and all else before buying. It could be in need of an inexpensive air cleaner - or a megabuck rebuild. If all is well maintained and compression good, there should not be a lot of soot except maybe on a cold start - after that there should not be a lot - if there is, beware. Rough idle on older Mercedes 5 cyl. turbo is pretty common, and a fun hobby to sort out. I am still getting mine set up for that one. Injectors checked, compression very good, valves set...still a bit off...injection pump rack bolt is next on the hit list. ---- Unless you really need a crew cab, I would advise against it. It is a thirsty, unwieldy thing with way more power than you will need. (unless you are planning to go into the house moving business). My business partner has one, and a Jetta, and the truck sits at home a lot. The Ford ranger Mazda engine will be very tough to get parts for. Not recommended. The Chevy's are hit and miss. Some are ok, some not. Same with all vehicles. All diesels can be expensive to repair...or very trouble free. They tend to run very well - or not at all. Ed B. www.biofuels.ca ----- Original Message ----- From: "robert luis rabello" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2001 7:45 PM Subject: [biofuel] Diesel Engines Available in North America > > > Hello everyone! > > While the atrocities were happening in New York and Washington, I was in > Baltimore for a convention. During that time, I visited a cousin who owns a > repair shop in Silver Spring, Maryland. Many of his customers drive older > Mercedes Benz sedans--many of them diesel powered. My uncle bought a full sized > 1985 turbo diesel through this man for $5 000, and I was impressed with the > quality of this machine when I rode around in it. I have a couple of > observations upon which I would appreciate your commentary. > > My cousin told me that if I'm interested in Mercedes diesels, that I should > avoid anything built after 1985. He complained that the quality of many parts > declined seriously during the 1986 model year, and the reliability of the engines > likewise suffered. Have any of you experienced this phenomenon, or do these > remarks reflect the bias of this particular man? > > Secondly, while the car itself was comfortable, it suffered from the > traditional "diesel malady" of mediocre acceleration, coupled with voluminous, > sooty exhaust. At highway speed, the engine was turning nearly 3 000 rpm, and > sounded like it needed overdrive! Perhaps it's not fair to compare an older > vehicle like this to one with a more modern engine--especially given that the > full sized Mercedes is likely a rather heavy car. Have any of you experienced a > diminishing of the "sooty exhaust" in an older diesel engine running biodiesel or > svo? > > (As an aside, my interest in diesel engines was initially "sparked" when I > managed a truck repair shop for my father in law. The 10 liter Cummins N14 and > Detroit 60 series computerized turbos were the dominant engines of choice back > then--they ran clean, produced tremendous torque, and most of them lasted well > over 800 000 kilometers before requiring an overhaul. This is the kind of > performance I'd like to see from automotive diesels!) > > Also, the Ford Ranger came with a 2.3 liter turbo diesel made by Mazda for a > few years. Does anyone have any experience with this engine? The 6.2 and 6.5 > liter GM engines have a poor reputation, but some people I have spoken to say > this is undeserved. I found a full sized Ford crew cab with the 7.3 turbo for > $11 000 this weekend, and though I like the crew cab, I believe making biodiesel > for an engine that big will make a slave out of me. (I like the four cylinder > Ranger I have, but it's gasoline powered.) > > Your comments will be appreciated! > > robert luis rabello > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> FREE COLLEGE MONEY CLICK HERE to search 600,000 scholarships! http://us.click.yahoo.com/ujOgTC/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
