Re: Mercedes

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Originally posted by Southernyankee
OK, what if I bought one and had a new head installed? How much $ are we talking? Firstborn, or just arm and leg? How do I tell which casting is on the engine?

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I would say it's virtually certain you'd have an original head if you found a car that had not been updated. There are many out there that are running just fine, but apparently the head cracking is something that can just crop up. To have a head replaced will probably cost a minimum of $2000 -- new heads alone are about $1500, then labor to install valves and prechambers and such from the old head. Sometimes new prechambers must also be sourced due to casting differences in the head. It may or may not be worth the expense, depending on the overall condition of the car.

I hear the 6 cyl diesels are not as tough as the old ones, reason being it has alloy heads, which is not very good when being heated up. Even on a gas engine, it can be problem with head warp. Diesels ran much hotter too. thanks to all who contributed.

I have a 1986 Mercedes 190D 2.5 5 speed (US specs - not grey market) and am interested in trying biodiesel in it. Does anyone know whether the fuel lines and injector pump seals are compatible with biodiesel. I've read that biodiesel will breakdown rubber fuel lines and pump seals. The local Mercedes dealer service tech was absolutely no help in whether biodiesel was compatible with any Mercedes cars. Any advice/help regarding your experiences would be appreciated.

dvdnhln, Keep an eye on your inter-injector lines. IF they are original they most likely could use a change out anyway. Viton 1/8 ID - 1/4 OD from McMaster-Carr is the ticket. Have a set of fuel filters on hand and keep an eye on the prefilter to see if it`s getting gunked up. Welcome to the club!

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Originally posted by Southernyankee
Ironic, but true. The sites I have checked are armpit deep in mercedes diesels for $3000 and up. The TDI's start at twice that. I'm not knocking the mercedes. The performance of the 300sdl is very impressive. I have never seen a car that large corner like that. I would just rather get 50mpg than 35mpg.

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That must be why I have one of each... [:o)] I drive the 2001 Jetta TDI to work every day, my wife drives the 300SDL around town. I love to drive the MB since it drives much like the Jetta as far as being able to get around corners, but is a huge car and can carry a ton of stuff. Each has their strong points.

Thanks for the reply. I've filled up with my first tank of B20 to start with. Do you per chance know the size (ID/OD) of the supply and return fuel lines on the 86 190D 2.5 5 cylinder stick shift? Thank you!

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Originally posted by soypwrd
dvdnhln, Keep an eye on your inter-injector lines. IF they are original they most likely could use a change out anyway. Viton 1/8 ID - 1/4 OD from McMaster-Carr is the ticket. Have a set of fuel filters on hand and keep an eye on the prefilter to see if it`s getting gunked up. Welcome to the club!

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Just discovered.... The rubber filler neck on our `87 300TD is melting. I`ve overfilled a few times and it`s taken a toll on this piece that fits around the filler pipe and seals it from the wheel well. I`ll have to get a replacment and be more careful from now on. The B4s are much easier to fill to the brim without overspill with a pronounced gurgling that announces when it can`t take anymore. The MB doesn`t burp as well... or perhaps I`m just not as familiar with it`s idiosyncracies yet.

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Originally posted by jmcbrew
A 300D turbo, running properly, will go from 0-60 MPH in about 15 seconds.

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0-60 300td?

Yes TD_Danny, your 1984 MB 300TD should run 0-60mph in about 15 seconds.

I have a question about hoses and seals on a 1990 Mercedes 350SDL. I am interested in using biodiesel and I am worried that the car does not have synthetic material for those parts. I have asked my mechanic and he is not sure what year they switched. Does anyone know what year Mercedes started using synthetic material for this model? Sorry if this post is in the wrong place, this is my first post on this forum and I wasn't sure how to start a new question without starting a new topic.

Hi, I'm a new Mercedes owner looking to find out if there are any suggestions on switching from using dinodiesel to biodiesel in the car ... hoses have been replaced, so I'm looking to find out if I should slowly increase the ratio of bio-d to dino-d or if I can just start using straight 100b ... other suggestions also highly appreciated ... thanks!

MerryCran Check out this link to past discussions regarding hoses and older Mercedes. http://forums.biodieselnow.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2707 Another option is to use the search function (upper right corner of page) and check out other past postings.