Raptelan's 1980 300SD

[Big_Richard]

This looks very advanced for the time

[Casey]

It is interesting that no one ever talks about adding an intercooler to a 300DT or 300SD.... I imagine this would have a tremendous effect on performance.

If you want to figure out what I need to do to make this happen, I'd be really interested in doing this to my car.   I was also wondering about a supercharger to overcome turbolag, but it sounded like that would cut into fuel efficiency a lot.  Might still be worth it.  Was the Garrett turbocharger significantly different from the one that's on the car?

[koan]

Thanks for the picture Joe

It is interesting that no one ever talks about adding an intercooler to a 300DT or 300SD....

Take a look at http://www.superturbodiesel.com/, some very keen diesel gents getting up to no good and a C111 info thread.

koan

[Squiggle Dog]

I've ready quite a few threads about people adding intercoolers to their 300SDs but I don't have the links now. I think it's the next step after you can't find anything else to spend your money on!

[jbrasile]

Casey,

Your turbo is a Garrett already, I believe the one on the C111 was perhaps larger. As far as I know superchargers will not work with diesel engines, so much so that even today the most powerful diesel engines are still turbocharged.

If I have a chance I might investigate what would be required to add an intercooler to an SD, I think it might be a pretty interesting project...

It's funny how 116's incorporate cutting edge technology from the C111, the front suspension with zero offset is straight out of the original C111, the turbo-diesel engine is basically the same powerplant, just to name a couple...

Tks,

Joe

[1980sdga]

This looks very advanced for the time

It was!  The 300SD debuted in the late 70's long before everything sported TURBO badges    And it was a diesel to boot. It could have changed everything in the US but GM converted the 5.7 liter gas engine into a diesel and it flopped so bad it gave passenger car diesels a black eye that lasts until this day  Don't know if you guys got them but they were utter GARBAGE!

I marvel at the fuel injected engines you guys fool with as well!

[Casey]

Today I took the car back to MB for the third time in a row to get the transmission leak fixed.  Come on guys, you really need to check your work after it's complete.  "Hmm, customer complained of tranny leak, we've put new seals on and flushed it and replaced the filter for good measure, might be a good idea to clean up the bottom and drive it around or maybe just let it idle or sit parked for a while over something clean and make sure it's not leaking any more?  Nahhhh...."  Hopefully they fix it this time.  Decided to go ahead and have the brake fluid flushed and replaced while it's there.  Dropped it off at 8am - they called at 3:30pm to let me know they hadn't gotten around to even looking at it yet.  I think if I go to MB again, I will be going to one in a different city (closer to where I live and work now anyways), as this one really does not seem up to my expectations.  I just took it back there today because they should have fixed it completely the first (or second) time around...

The other day there was a good rain with wind, and I came out to my car after work to notice a couple droplets of water on the center console.  As soon as I moved my car, water started pouring down my rearview mirror.  Fortunately, my new windshield gasket arrived today, so after I get the car back I'll be taking it somewhere to have that replaced.

Also got a bunch more new parts to put on, but haven't gotten much accomplished.  Last weekend was busy, and I tried changing the other motor mount on Monday only to find that my hex socket won't bite the upper bolt well enough to remove it - it skips around.  Strange as it worked flawlessly on the other side.  I even tried a second set of hex sockets with the same result.  I'm going to try picking up a SAE set and hopefully that does the trick, as all I have now is metric.  Maybe somebody replaced the bolt at some point with a SAE one?  Then there's the engine shocks to tackle.  Brake pads should be easy enough, hopefully.

Even though it seems I have a pile of parts that I'm not keeping up with, I went ahead and ordered a few more - some vacuum tubing and junctions to replace bits that are dry-rotted and brittle on mine (that should enable me to install the new brake booster hose I already have), and the special hubcap clips for the steel-look aluminum rims I have piled in my living room.  I don't have new tires yet, or hubcaps, or know how I'm going to go about painting said hubcaps...  But one step at a time - I'd rather have excess parts ready to go and not enough time/tools/skill to get them all installed than excess time and nothing to do.

Drove up to Pennsylvania last weekend to check out another 1980 300SD parts car.  Was hoping to find something fairly decent at the asking price but it really wasn't.  The seller was willing to sell it without the engine and tranny for $750 but the interior was in worse condition than I'd hoped.  Plus I don't really have anywhere to keep a non-running vehicle for long.  It also was not the same color as I was really hoping it was (it was not bamboo tan, it was a brown, but a lighter brown than the tobacco shade of mine - hadn't seen that before).  The seller was a really friendly neat guy though who hoarded Mercedes (probably had over a hundred of them and piles and piles of spare parts on his property - he's currently trying to downsize and has lots of very basic eBay listings for the vehicles).  Didn't see any other W116's though he mentioned working on a 6.9 and possibly having a source for manual climate control parts.  He was really impressed with the condition of my car, which was nice.  I put together a wishlist of things I'd want off the parts car or that he could otherwise come up with and E-mailed that off today.  Hopefully I can get a decent deal on a lot of the larger parts that I'd like, such as new driver-side doors, trunk lid, bumpers, window regulators, etc. and be able to just drive up again to pick them up.

[Casey]

This looks very advanced for the time

It was!  The 300SD debuted in the late 70's long before everything sported TURBO badges    And it was a diesel to boot. It could have changed everything in the US but GM converted the 5.7 liter gas engine into a diesel and it flopped so bad it gave passenger car diesels a black eye that lasts until this day   Don't know if you guys got them but they were utter GARBAGE!

My landlord drives a new BMW 335d.  It is a VERY powerful car (265hp - I've driven it), while getting significantly better gas mileage than mine, even with his rather aggressive driving style (averaging over 35mpg).  If you want to change anybody's negative opinion of diesel, just have them give one of those a test drive!

[jbrasile]

Casey,

I doubt that someone changed the engine mount bolt to an SAE, I think they are either a 17 or 19mm. Try to find a socket that will grab the side walls of the bolt and not the corners. I have a set of Metrinch sockets and wrenches and it just works great on damaged bolts.

Shame about MB having to do this 3 times for you. It's like I said before, most dealer techs were not even born when your car was new and sometimes they lack the experience to work on our older MB's. Hope you can get it sorted, it's amazing how dealers have practically zero quality control...

Will be placing your order with The Classic Center tomorrow.

With regards to modern diesels, technology has come a long way,  9 out of 10 new cars sold  in Europe are diesel powered. When is the US going to wake up and embrace this fuel as a very good alternative to gasoline? We tend to drive a lot more in America than in Europe so it makes perfect sense.  Nowadays emissions for diesel vehicles are equal or better than those of the same car powered by gas, mileage is usually 25-40% better, performance is astonishing, noise practically non existent. Going the hybrid way is so lame in my opinion, fuel consumption improvements are marginal, maintenance will probably be more intensive and expensive as the cars get older, you have more stuff to dispose off once the vehicle has ended its life cycle, etc, etc....

Tks,

Joe

[Casey]

Going the hybrid way is so lame in my opinion, fuel consumption improvements are marginal, maintenance will probably be more intensive and expensive as the cars get older, you have more stuff to dispose off once the vehicle has ended its life cycle, etc, etc....

Not to mention that performance and driving pleasure are sacraficed entirely.

[Casey]

I doubt that someone changed the engine mount bolt to an SAE, I think they are either a 17 or 19mm. Try to find a socket that will grab the side walls of the bolt and not the corners. I have a set of Metrinch sockets and wrenches and it just works great on damaged bolts.

I'm not referring to the big bolt on the bottom, but the smaller ones on the top (there are two).  You have to use a hex driver (like an allen wrench) to get at them, and that's what's skipping.  I have no idea how I can get the damn thing out if an SAE won't do it, because the outside of the bolt is round and it's surrounded by the raised edges of the motor mount besides.

[koan]

You may have to get brutal with that stubborn bolt. Banging in a slightly larger torqx type driver or drilling it out and using an ezy-out on the remains if you have access.

It shouldn't be rusted as there's usually a bit of oil sloshed round there.

Timely reminder to make sure socket head bolts are clean and free of rubbish in the hole and the bit is fully in before undoing them (not to suggest you didn't of course).

koan

[jbrasile]

Ok, now I know what you mean, we are talking about the two allen bolts on either side of the mount right?

Spray some WD-40 on them and with the allen socket correctly and fully inserted in the bolt and a long extension, give it a couple of blows with a hammer, that usually does the trick. If they are stripped or close to being stripped you are going to need new ones

914019 008000 - $0.81 each

Tks,

Joe

[Casey]

Spray some WD-40 on them and with the allen socket correctly and fully inserted in the bolt and a long extension, give it a couple of blows with a hammer, that usually does the trick. If they are stripped or close to being stripped you are going to need new ones

914019 008000 - $0.81 each

Can you throw a couple in with my pending order please?  They're cheap enough I might as well.

[jbrasile]

Done!

Tks,

Joe