She has finally arrived
11-30-2006, 10:35 PM
#1
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1981 240D
She has finally arrived
It took a couple of weeks to get around to bringing it home, but here she is:
She needs a bit more TLC than I first anticipated. I had to get 2 tires and new wipers just to make her roadworthy, over and above the quart of oil and 1/2 a gallon of coolant.
Mechanically it is like new. Ran as a MB diesel should. Overall I'm very impressed with the car though. 
But I do have some gremlins to work out. First is the trip odometer reset/dash light dimmer knob combo. The dash lights don't work and the odometer works when it wants to (unless you hold light pressure on it).
Hopefully they won't be too hard to find or replace.
Next is the non-existant A/C compressor. They said it "fell off one day" and have lost track of it. Strangely the condenser is also missing.
No doubt the work of those pesky Germans that don't tighten all the bolts. 
Or maybe it was built on a friday afternoon... 
The syncros for 2nd gear are shot, as it scratches often when you shift. I'm thinking about a 5-speed that would swap in, as it sounds like it could use another gear at road speed.
With the exception of the headliner drooping by the back window, the interior is like new. The driver's seat has a couple of cracks, but no tears. I cleaned it up a bit today and I think the dirt/grime was helping to preserve it.
But overall I am in love. Simply a wonderful car.
She needs a bit more TLC than I first anticipated. I had to get 2 tires and new wipers just to make her roadworthy, over and above the quart of oil and 1/2 a gallon of coolant.
Mechanically it is like new. Ran as a MB diesel should. Overall I'm very impressed with the car though. But I do have some gremlins to work out. First is the trip odometer reset/dash light dimmer knob combo. The dash lights don't work and the odometer works when it wants to (unless you hold light pressure on it).
Hopefully they won't be too hard to find or replace.Next is the non-existant A/C compressor. They said it "fell off one day" and have lost track of it. Strangely the condenser is also missing.
No doubt the work of those pesky Germans that don't tighten all the bolts. Or maybe it was built on a friday afternoon... The syncros for 2nd gear are shot, as it scratches often when you shift. I'm thinking about a 5-speed that would swap in, as it sounds like it could use another gear at road speed.
With the exception of the headliner drooping by the back window, the interior is like new. The driver's seat has a couple of cracks, but no tears. I cleaned it up a bit today and I think the dirt/grime was helping to preserve it.
But overall I am in love. Simply a wonderful car.
12-02-2006, 03:06 AM
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1981 240D
Thanks! That is a great resource page. I bookmarked it. I'm going to look at more of those tech articles later. Right now, this girl needs some serious cleaning and detailing. Inside you'd think it was a GM mechanic's car, as grimy as the thing is.
What's the best method(s) and product(s) for cleaning and preserving the leather and other interior surfaces?
What's the best method(s) and product(s) for cleaning and preserving the leather and other interior surfaces?
12-17-2006, 10:26 AM
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2006 E320 CDi, 2008 3/4 Ton Suburban, 2007 "rice rickshaw" Accord 5 speed
LSD vs ULSD
This may be of some help.
12-17-2006, 07:33 PM
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1982 300D VNT, 1980 240D 3.0T, 1982 300TD
Sulfur has NOTHING to do with lubricity. The process that removes the sulfur also takes away some other components that affect it. Diesel has to meet standards before it can be sold from the refinery. Lubricity is one of them.
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12-18-2006, 05:25 PM
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1999 E300 TurboDiesel
Sweetness
Congrats on the 240D. Looks like you have some minor work to do.
Dash lights: I've upgraded the entire cluster on my GF's car to LEDs. The only one that is a pain is the Fasten Seat Belts Light. It stays on very dimly due to bleed current through the cluster "IC" board. My advice there is just to clean it and use stock bulbs. The LEDs that I've used do make the cluster whiter though.
A/C: Oh what joys there are with A/C. Not difficult to work with, just stinking expensive.
Transmission: I've swapped the 4-speed in my GF's 240D with another used 4-speed. For a 5-speed conversion, I believe you will need the 5-speed out of a 280SL along with the front axle shaft, and the shift mechanism with all linkage. The 5th gear is kind of like an overdrive unit on the tail of the tranny from what I've seen. We've found that the 4-speed is great for 60-65mph, but the car gets considerably louder for 70-90mph.
Josh
Dash lights: I've upgraded the entire cluster on my GF's car to LEDs. The only one that is a pain is the Fasten Seat Belts Light. It stays on very dimly due to bleed current through the cluster "IC" board. My advice there is just to clean it and use stock bulbs. The LEDs that I've used do make the cluster whiter though.
A/C: Oh what joys there are with A/C. Not difficult to work with, just stinking expensive.
Transmission: I've swapped the 4-speed in my GF's 240D with another used 4-speed. For a 5-speed conversion, I believe you will need the 5-speed out of a 280SL along with the front axle shaft, and the shift mechanism with all linkage. The 5th gear is kind of like an overdrive unit on the tail of the tranny from what I've seen. We've found that the 4-speed is great for 60-65mph, but the car gets considerably louder for 70-90mph.
Josh
12-21-2006, 11:49 PM
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2006 E320 CDi, 2008 3/4 Ton Suburban, 2007 "rice rickshaw" Accord 5 speed
where did you guys find all the parts?
Congrats on the 240D. Looks like you have some minor work to do.
Dash lights: I've upgraded the entire cluster on my GF's car to LEDs. The only one that is a pain is the Fasten Seat Belts Light. It stays on very dimly due to bleed current through the cluster "IC" board. My advice there is just to clean it and use stock bulbs. The LEDs that I've used do make the cluster whiter though.
A/C: Oh what joys there are with A/C. Not difficult to work with, just stinking expensive.
Transmission: I've swapped the 4-speed in my GF's 240D with another used 4-speed. For a 5-speed conversion, I believe you will need the 5-speed out of a 280SL along with the front axle shaft, and the shift mechanism with all linkage. The 5th gear is kind of like an overdrive unit on the tail of the tranny from what I've seen. We've found that the 4-speed is great for 60-65mph, but the car gets considerably louder for 70-90mph.
Josh
Dash lights: I've upgraded the entire cluster on my GF's car to LEDs. The only one that is a pain is the Fasten Seat Belts Light. It stays on very dimly due to bleed current through the cluster "IC" board. My advice there is just to clean it and use stock bulbs. The LEDs that I've used do make the cluster whiter though.
A/C: Oh what joys there are with A/C. Not difficult to work with, just stinking expensive.
Transmission: I've swapped the 4-speed in my GF's 240D with another used 4-speed. For a 5-speed conversion, I believe you will need the 5-speed out of a 280SL along with the front axle shaft, and the shift mechanism with all linkage. The 5th gear is kind of like an overdrive unit on the tail of the tranny from what I've seen. We've found that the 4-speed is great for 60-65mph, but the car gets considerably louder for 70-90mph.
Josh
01-09-2007, 09:43 PM
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2006 E320 CDi, 2008 3/4 Ton Suburban, 2007 "rice rickshaw" Accord 5 speed
where is the engine shot (photo)?
It took a couple of weeks to get around to bringing it home, but here she is:
She needs a bit more TLC than I first anticipated. I had to get 2 tires and new wipers just to make her roadworthy, over and above the quart of oil and 1/2 a gallon of coolant. Mechanically it is like new. Ran as a MB diesel should. Overall I'm very impressed with the car though.
But I do have some gremlins to work out. First is the trip odometer reset/dash light dimmer knob combo. The dash lights don't work and the odometer works when it wants to (unless you hold light pressure on it). Hopefully they won't be too hard to find or replace.
Next is the non-existant A/C compressor. They said it "fell off one day" and have lost track of it. Strangely the condenser is also missing. No doubt the work of those pesky Germans that don't tighten all the bolts. Or maybe it was built on a friday afternoon...
The syncros for 2nd gear are shot, as it scratches often when you shift. I'm thinking about a 5-speed that would swap in, as it sounds like it could use another gear at road speed.
With the exception of the headliner drooping by the back window, the interior is like new. The driver's seat has a couple of cracks, but no tears. I cleaned it up a bit today and I think the dirt/grime was helping to preserve it.
But overall I am in love. Simply a wonderful car.
She needs a bit more TLC than I first anticipated. I had to get 2 tires and new wipers just to make her roadworthy, over and above the quart of oil and 1/2 a gallon of coolant.
Mechanically it is like new. Ran as a MB diesel should. Overall I'm very impressed with the car though. But I do have some gremlins to work out. First is the trip odometer reset/dash light dimmer knob combo. The dash lights don't work and the odometer works when it wants to (unless you hold light pressure on it).
Hopefully they won't be too hard to find or replace.Next is the non-existant A/C compressor. They said it "fell off one day" and have lost track of it. Strangely the condenser is also missing.
No doubt the work of those pesky Germans that don't tighten all the bolts. Or maybe it was built on a friday afternoon... The syncros for 2nd gear are shot, as it scratches often when you shift. I'm thinking about a 5-speed that would swap in, as it sounds like it could use another gear at road speed.
With the exception of the headliner drooping by the back window, the interior is like new. The driver's seat has a couple of cracks, but no tears. I cleaned it up a bit today and I think the dirt/grime was helping to preserve it.
But overall I am in love. Simply a wonderful car.
