I heard some things i hope arn't true...

[1994Diesel]

Hello all

I usually roam around the ford idi forum but im hear to ask about a car that I'am set to buy.

the car is a 1976 mercedes diesel w115, pretty sure its a 4 cylinder. I was pretty stoked to go pick it up for $600 bucks

I'm not sure if its a 220 or a 240

...until i ran into someone who claimed to have oned one just like it from that year, he was bashing them like no other, saying they WONT climb any hills and you can not find parts for them what so ever. Telling me to save my money and walk away from it!

All i want is a car that gets good mpg for the summer. Im not looking for a hp monster...

I hope this guy is wrong, but thats why i came here because im sure you guys know your stuff.

Trying not to make this long, but what do you guys think?

 

[BioFarmer93]

Yeah, getting one that old does make parts a little harder to find.. See if you can find an '82-'85 300D, pretty much bullet proof motors with any care at all. You will be running down the occasional vacuum leak though.

 

[1994Diesel]

Im afraid a 300D is out of my sights at the moment. I havent seen any on cl around here. Ive been waiting around to get the chance to buy it but they guy i ran into that was bashing the '76 mb really rained on my parade.

Because of the price alone, i think i may just buy the car.

 

[towcat]

220 or 240d?
neither have any power to speak of, but will get you there. if it is a manual trans, you will climb a steep hill a little faster than what a snail would.
parts avail is about the same as any older Benz, a little harder to find but not impossible. have I owned both? yes. would I do it again? yes.....but only if I was faced with an obnoxious commute every day.

 

[1994Diesel]

220 or 240d?

Its a 240D, Judging by the interior i would think it is safe to assume the odometer has only rolled over once. It says 30,000 miles now. I thinking $600 a good deal.

The only think that really bugged me was the radiator having straight water in it.

Other than that everything else looked like it had been taken care of.

 

[1994Diesel]

Does anyone know if there is any truth to the statement that the w115s have a tendency to rust from the inside of the door because their is no primer inside of it?

 

[The Warden]

Does anyone know if there is any truth to the statement that the w115s have a tendency to rust from the inside of the door because their is no primer inside of it?

I haven't played with the W115 chassis any, but it wouldn't surprise me...that said, unless it's been on the coast for most of its life or it isn't a California native car, I wouldn't be too worried about it.

As far as parts are concerned...I don't think parts for the 115 are as easy to find as the 123, but I wouldn't call it impossible, either. http://www.peachparts.com and http://www.autohausaz.com are two good sources of parts.

For $600, if it runs and drives, I'd grab it...if nothing else, you could clean it up and resell it for double the price Is it a slushbox or a manual? 240D automatics are just about the slowest-accelerating cars on the road, but the good news is, once you get up to speed, she'll sit at that speed all day long if you ask her. As far as acceleration goes, you may want to read this...that may give you an idea of what to expect

 

[m67tang]

don't forget to check mercedessource.com for needed parts.
Without knowing the cars history or maintenance I would be concerned.

The doors do rust from the inside out. The weep holes plug and that gets it going.

 

[1994Diesel]

cool, this is good info. Thanks guys.

I was wondering why i have never heard or seen anyone turbo charging these non turboed 240d's

 

[1994Diesel]

cool, this is good info. Thanks guys.

I was wondering why i have never heard or seen anyone turbo charging these non turboed 240d's

 

[The Warden]

cool, this is good info. Thanks guys.

I was wondering why i have never heard or seen anyone turbo charging these non turboed 240d's

The main reason is that there's more different between the turbocharged engines and the n/a engines than the hair dryer. The turbo 300D also has oil squirters under each piston and sodium-core valves, and the injector pump is also different. Also, the manifolds are different and there aren't any turbo manifolds out there for the 240D.

If you want a turbocharged engine, you're best off either looking for a 300D or seeing about swapping an OM617 in place of the 616 that's in there now, although I'm not sure how easy/possible that will be since the 115 chassis never came with a turbocharged engine, so space might be tight...

 

[1994Diesel]

ok, that makes sense.

I think i may buy the car, if im ever not satisfied with the power i can always install a methanol injection kit and or a propane kit.

I did a little of reading on these 240Ds and from what i found Mercedes actually tweaked the prechamber nozzles to add for a better swirl and burn in the later 70s models. I wonder if that would be a worth while mod.

 

[The Warden]

ok, that makes sense.

I think i may buy the car, if im ever not satisfied with the power i can always install a methanol injection kit and or a propane kit.

I did a little of reading on these 240Ds and from what i found Mercedes actually tweaked the prechamber nozzles to add for a better swirl and burn in the later 70s models. I wonder if that would be a worth while mod.

I honestly don't know; I haven't looked closely at the 240D's...I drove one around for a while, but I've only actually owned 617 turbo powered cars (two 300D's and a 300SD). I DO recall that the prechambers can be replaced with the head still on the engine, but I don't remember what exactly's involved and I could be mistaken in any event. I imagine you'll gain some, but probably not all that much..even the 123 240D's weren't exactly known as powerhouses. I don't know if anyone's tried methanol or propane in one of these; it'd probably be fine if you used it in moderation...I would also suggest a pyrometer.

FWIW if you ever look into an engine swap, the n/a 617 was available in the 115 chassis in '75 and '76. I don't know how much space there is in the engine compartment; the 617 will fit length-wise, but I'm not sure if there's enough space on the side for the turbo and associated plumbing. Also, keep in mind that the oil filter assembly's different between the 115 and the 123...IIRC the 123-style oil filter assembly will not fit in a 115 car due to a subframe crossmember, so if you ever decide to do the swap, you'll need to change over oil filter assemblies (which IIRC isn't all that difficult with the engine on a stand).

Hope this helps some...post pictures!!

 

[1994Diesel]

I honestly don't know; I haven't looked closely at the 240D's...I drove one around for a while, but I've only actually owned 617 turbo powered cars (two 300D's and a 300SD). I DO recall that the prechambers can be replaced with the head still on the engine, but I don't remember what exactly's involved and I could be mistaken in any event. I imagine you'll gain some, but probably not all that much..even the 123 240D's weren't exactly known as powerhouses. I don't know if anyone's tried methanol or propane in one of these; it'd probably be fine if you used it in moderation...I would also suggest a pyrometer.

FWIW if you ever look into an engine swap, the n/a 617 was available in the 115 chassis in '75 and '76. I don't know how much space there is in the engine compartment; the 617 will fit length-wise, but I'm not sure if there's enough space on the side for the turbo and associated plumbing. Also, keep in mind that the oil filter assembly's different between the 115 and the 123...IIRC the 123-style oil filter assembly will not fit in a 115 car due to a subframe crossmember, so if you ever decide to do the swap, you'll need to change over oil filter assemblies (which IIRC isn't all that difficult with the engine on a stand).

Hope this helps some...post pictures!!

Hey thanks for the advice, i was thinking about the possibility of a future engine swap....

The water/methanol injection should work pretty well in moderation. I have read about the consequences of too much use.

I would love to install a pyrometer by the way!

I will take pictures when i get it. I am working on trying to get a trailer arranged to get it home.

 

[m67tang]

Concerning Turbo's,

I asked a mercedes specialist mechanic / owner and was told do not add turbo to non factory turbo MB diesel engines. Unlike IDI's or cummins there are too many things on the cars not able to withstand increased power. this includes- transmission, rear end, engine rods, head bolts ....