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

[1994Diesel]

Ya, i can drive it with out the vcv, but it shifts horribly late. I cant believe the PO and probably the PO before the last drove the car like this.

 

[Kevin 007]

I have a w123 1980 MB 240D

I absolutly LOVE it!!! It has the 4 speed and providing that you keep your revs and momentum up for hills, it does just fine. And if a 350+ hp pig passes me I just look over at them and smirk and honk when I pass them up the road when they are parked at the next gas station!!!

I have owned 300d's and won't even touch one after a 240D, I can't stand MB automatics, and the simpliclty of the 240 can't be beat. I won't touch turboe'd 300d's either, they are even worse.

In my opinion, nothing beats the 616 block in a w123 car with a 4 speed.

 

[1994Diesel]

I have a w123 1980 MB 240D

I absolutly LOVE it!!! It has the 4 speed and providing that you keep your revs and momentum up for hills, it does just fine. And if a 350+ hp pig passes me I just look over at them and smirk and honk when I pass them up the road when they are parked at the next gas station!!!

I have owned 300d's and won't even touch one after a 240D, I can't stand MB automatics, and the simpliclty of the 240 can't be beat. I won't touch turboe'd 300d's either, they are even worse.

In my opinion, nothing beats the 616 block in a w123 car with a 4 speed.

If i could find a manual trans i would throw it in the car in a heart beat. It seems that the junk yard around here that have MBs crush them with in a week, so i need to be frequent with my visits and quick to act.

I found an 84 turbo 300D and there were keys in it, so i tried it, and it turned over! it even tried to start. I asked how much for the whole car and they wouldnt give me a price cause they dont sell them. I was told to grab what i wanted cause they crush them quickly.

 

[The Warden]

If i could find a manual trans i would throw it in the car in a heart beat. It seems that the junk yard around here that have MBs crush them with in a week, so i need to be frequent with my visits and quick to act.

I found an 84 turbo 300D and there were keys in it, so i tried it, and it turned over! it even tried to start. I asked how much for the whole car and they wouldnt give me a price cause they dont sell them. I was told to grab what i wanted cause they crush them quickly.

You ought to come up here sometime...M-B's are more common and last longer, although I don't remember the last time I saw a 115 (most are 123's or 126's). I imagine a tranny out of a 123 240D would work, although you'll still need to source the pedal assembly and shift linkage and any other chassis-specific parts.

Kevin, FWIW, I ran turbo 617's in three cars (an '85 300D, a '79 300SD, and an '83 300D that will be sold to a friend shortly) for 9 years and 100K miles and they did me well and actually got better fuel economy than a 240D automatic that I borrowed for a month or so. The 116 SD lost Reverse, and both the SD and the gold '83 were pretty badly neglected by the previous owners, but s far as basic transportation goes, I have no complaints and contend that the turbo 617's an excellent engine...although Ill give you that the 240D's simpler and easier to maintain.

I still contend that, if you're mechanically inclined and short on $$ and can tolerate accessories (climate control, cruise control, etc) not working, an M-B diesel is the most economical car you can own. At the same time, if you want every last little thing to work, it'll quickly get rather expensive...

 

[1994Diesel]

I am disgusted after visting EVERY single junk/scrap/auto salvage yard here on the central coast. Over the last two weeks i have seen only three mercedes diesels after looking in 15 yards. I got to watch the 84 get crushed today... they wouldn't let me touch it but i stayed around and looked at 7.3L IDI stuff until they crushed it. Made me sad.

I got laughed at by most people i asked about ANY Mercedes. It makes me so upset, i feel like starting a German auto salvage yard.

I almost gave up on this project today, but then i got a hold of the vacuum modulator Mercedes part number. I punched it into google and found one for ~$60 with free shipping. Its funny, i find myself getting most of my parts on the internet now. Thats probably why no one bothers with auto salvage anymore. They just crush cars as soon as they get them.

 

[The Warden]

That really sucks ...all I can say is that it's at least a bit better up here; may be worth a trip up here sometime? You may also try L.A....

Also, for parts suppliers...I recommended a few sites earlier in the thread, but just in case the post got lost in everything else going on, I'll bring it back up...they're really worth the time

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.

 

[1994Diesel]

It does suck, but hey, i will keep going back each week for now on to save any good Mercedes parts from the crusher.

I will possibly be going up to San Jose this weekend. Any German auto yards up there?

 

[1994Diesel]

It does suck, but hey, i will keep going back each week for now on to save any good Mercedes parts from the crusher.

I will possibly be going up to San Jose this weekend. Any German auto yards up there?

 

[The Warden]

There aren't any yards that specialize in German cars, but there are Pick-n-Pull's in San Jose and in Newark that typically have a decent selection of M-B's. In my experience, the one in Newark is larger and better-equipped, and it isn't TOO far north of San Jose

 

[Michael Fowler]

Justin,
I am late to the discussion, but applaud your determination to drive your 240D. I had one in W123 form, and loved it. I describe the acceleration as "stately". It helps to drive with an expression of smug super-confidence, just so people think, " He could drive faster, but he is so self-confident that he doesn't feel the need to show off."

PS, The folk over at Peach Parts ( yeah-stupid name, but the founder is in Georgia) are excellent on all things MB diesel related. Just stay out of "open discussion" unless you are a Christian-hating Progressive/ Socialist, or have very thick skin, and just want to argue.

 

[1994Diesel]

Justin,
I am late to the discussion, but applaud your determination to drive your 240D. I had one in W123 form, and loved it. I describe the acceleration as "stately". It helps to drive with an expression of smug super-confidence, just so people think, " He could drive faster, but he is so self-confident that he doesn't feel the need to show off."

PS, The folk over at Peach Parts ( yeah-stupid name, but the founder is in Georgia) are excellent on all things MB diesel related. Just stay out of "open discussion" unless you are a Christian-hating Progressive/ Socialist, or have very thick skin, and just want to argue.

300D by the way

Thanks for the applause, i really do like this car. It hasnt been to much work to get it going, but to restore it, that is going to take me years probably.

 

[RustyBolts]

I know I'm late to the discussion, but as far as your late shift complaint goes, I may have another rabbit you can chase.
Does it have a switch under the accelerator pedal?
If so, then these two videos from mercedessource may help.
http://www.youtube.com/mercedessource#p/u/22/qGNHF-qd_Ms
http://www.youtube.com/mercedessource#p/u/19/zyMELI4yh-M
Hope this helps

 

[1994Diesel]

UPDATE; It shifts through all the gears, but slips from second to third and does not down shift upon full throttle.

I have yet to adjust the vacuum modulator though. Hopefully that clears up the issues.

I want to thank you all again for helping me out. This is a cool car and I'm having fun.

A remaned alternator is on its way from amazon for $68 with free shipping.

The glowplug controller has obviously failed and im certain that it is the root cause of all the other problems. I would like to by pass it with a push button set up. I dont think it will be as easy as grounding out the glow plugs by completing the ciruit with a push button. Maybe utilize a starter relay of some sort?

 

[The Warden]

The glowplug controller has obviously failed and im certain that it is the root cause of all the other problems. I would like to by pass it with a push button set up. I dont think it will be as easy as grounding out the glow plugs by completing the ciruit with a push button. Maybe utilize a starter relay of some sort?

I have no idea about going to manual glow plugs, but you can swap in a later system...get the wiring and relay from a 1981 or later W123 300D. I don't know how easy it will be to convert a 115 to this system, but I did this with my W116 300SD and it worked quite well for the few times I ran the engine between that swap and the tranny failing The newer system is pretty trouble-free in my experience.

Re: the downshifting, as Rustybolts pointed out, does this car have a kickdown switch? It's basically a momentary switch under the accelerator pedal, that is supposed to electrically downshift the tranny if it doesn't downshift for other reasons. Since your tranny's been replaced, that may be a function that wasn't carried over, so even if the 115 chassis didn't originally have a kickdown switch, your tranny may be wanting one...

 

[1994Diesel]

I have no idea about going to manual glow plugs, but you can swap in a later system...get the wiring and relay from a 1981 or later W123 300D. I don't know how easy it will be to convert a 115 to this system, but I did this with my W116 300SD and it worked quite well for the few times I ran the engine between that swap and the tranny failing The newer system is pretty trouble-free in my experience.

Re: the downshifting, as Rustybolts pointed out, does this car have a kickdown switch? It's basically a momentary switch under the accelerator pedal, that is supposed to electrically downshift the tranny if it doesn't downshift for other reasons. Since your tranny's been replaced, that may be a function that wasn't carried over, so even if the 115 chassis didn't originally have a kickdown switch, your tranny may be wanting one...

Hmm, that is a thought to consider, doing that swap.

These cars are hard to come by in the junkyard though.

There is a kickdown switch, i cant recall if it kicked down into first once or twice when driving it. I think i should check the connections again because i did disconnect it once to trouble shoot the shifting problem early on.

There are two wire connected to this kick down switch. I dont see any harm in wiring up a toggle switch instead . It would save me money so i dont have to buy a kickdown swithc and i can have full control of the kick down. I would like to do this so it takes off in first rather than second gear.