300 D--Miraculous Transformation

Thanks very much to all who responded during the engine rebuild tribulations that I have described hereon. I appreciate all the advice, it was all good and helpful. The story has a good ending.

I picked up the car this afternoon from the shop, and was told by the mechanic that the injector pump timing advance mechanism had been inadvertently mounted 40 degrees off, causing the injector not to advance on power demand. Today, it worked marvelously, much better power than from the old engine, good acceleration (though I expect better after break-in) and very, very smooth. This is the result that I was hoping for when I picked up the car after the engine rebuild some weeks ago.

Reply to
randallbrink
Loading thread data ...

Congratulations, and we are all glad to see the good ending.

Happily live after... :-)

snipped-for-privacy@mac.com wrote:

Reply to
Wan-ning Tan

Congrats! Timing was off big time!

I was looking around at rebuilt engines and my golly! I can't get over how much people are asking for rebuilt Mercedes engines! Even the 300D nonturbo demands $4500 not inslcuding labor or shipping.

Real insane prices that the engine and tranny is worth more than the car as a whole. At the least I know sources for tranny at very low prices... but I still can't get over the engine part.

Reply to
Tiger

I know a Belgian place with a *new* 560 engine for sale (never been in a car). I wonder what they'd ask for it...

X.

Reply to
Ximinez

Yes, and I can't believe how strong, smooth and quiet the engine is now. I had begun to think I would never see this.

You're right about the pricing of the engines, it's gotten to be unbelievable. A new M-B OEM OM617 used to $3,500 in the crate. Now, you can't get the engine at all, and the aftermarket engines are $7K. That is why I thought the $5K rebuild was a good value for this car. Were it not for the car itself being in mint condition, it wouldn't have been worth it.

Reply to
randallbrink

The money that you are paying for an engine and transmission just blows my mind.

I replaced the engine and transmission in my 1981 300SD (Der Klunker). The tranny was new. It cost $1,770. Total cost installed was $2,822, which included some other work. The engine was used, with some 138K on it. The engine cost $1,900. Total cost to install, which also incuded some routine maintenance stuff, was $3,764. The combo has been working beuatifully ever since, even as Der Klunker dissolves into a pile of rust.

I don't take it to MB shops, independent or otherwise, anymore. Just too expensive. The people at the Jiffy Lube or whatever do an excellent job of changing fluids and filters at a reasonable price. Used to be just changing the oil, etc., cost $400 and more.

Reply to
Gogarty

..>Congrats! Timing was off big time!

I considered a used engine, but in my area, that was not a great option, because by the time I shipped a used engine out here, then it was about the price of a good rebuild. The car is in new condition, and so failing to source a new M-B engine, which was my first choice, I went with the rebuild, and for the first time in a year, am actually glad of it.

Reply to
randallbrink

says...>Congrats! Timing was off big time!

I certainly wish mine were in mint condition. It wasn't the day I bought it but then I intended to keep it only over the summer and dump it. But I fell in love with the cursed thing. Mechanically, it is now in mint condition after the expenditure of countless dollars. Never owned a better car. But we have reached the point where the next $500 bill comes up we walk away from it, maybe donate it to someone who can make use of a perfectly good engine and tranny.

My mechanic at the time located the engine at a yard near Baltimore (we are in New York). Didn't cost that much to transport it from there to here. But this is now all water over the dam.

Enjoy your car. Read somewhere that the '81 to '85 300SD is considered by some to be the best car ever built, anywhere, any time. I don't mind believing that. .

Reply to
Gogarty

I do believe that the W126 300SD is the best car Mercedes ever built, with the 450SEL a close second.

Mine is a W123 300D, but certainly one of the best M-Bs ever. Mine has

218K miles, should easily reach north of 500K with this engine, and it is highly doubtful that I would be able to put that many miles on a car in my remaining lifetime.
Reply to
randallbrink

(Snip)

We have no idea what the actual mileage is on Der Klunker. Sometiem after we bought it some ten years ago, we discovered that a previous owner had switched out the odomoter and installed a 1984 unit, no doubt from a low-milegae wreck. It had about 138K on the bogus odometer, which is well past 200K at this point. However, sometime this summer the odomtere quit so now we have no idea. Looks like a badly kept million-miler, though.

Reply to
Gogarty

It just shows, that, long after they have passed that pristine concourse condition, they still continue to give superb service, comfort and safety. It's too bad we can't buy Mercedes OEM car bodies, like we used to be able to do.

Reply to
randallbrink

I was listening to "Car Talk" from NPR one Sunday and someone had sent in the question, "What is the best car ever made?" The brothers B.S.ed about it for a while and finally settled on the 1985 Toyota Corolla Rear Wheel Drive. I bought one of those new in 1985. It has

278,000 miles on it, and I am still driving it, and it still runs like new, although I did replace the transmission a few years ago with a junkyard tranny because it started to slip out of 2nd gear sometimes.

But I don't agree that it's the best car ever made. I like my 1982

300 TDT better. They both get about 33 mpg on the highway, but the Benz is more comfortable. The AC on the Benz is a lot more powerful. That car stays cool in 100 degree F weather in the blazing desert sun with the fan on a low, silent speed, which can't be said for the Corolla. If you consider maintenance cost the Corolla wins, hands down. That car just goes and goes. I have 432,000 miles on the 300 TDT, so the Corolla has some catching up to do. The plastic and paint on the Corolla are giving out, whereas the Mercedes seems to have been designed to last forever.
Reply to
Paul Fretheim

In my opinion, the three best cars ever made are:

  1. 116 450SE and SEL.
  2. 126 300SD
  3. 123 240/300D/300TD/300DTD Wagon

I believe that in all fairness, the Volkswagen Beetle should be included in any "top five" list as well, as the essence of simplicity in automotive engineering.

Reply to
randallbrink

I believe that in all fairness, the Volkswagen Beetle should be included in any "top five" list as well, as the essence of simplicity in automotive engineering.

Dodge Dart / Plymouth Valiant were also simple and even more reliable than the VW.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

The 70's van was the best VW, and for me the best vehicle ever. It was like working on a meccano set. With a separate body and frame it was way more reliable and repairable than even the beetle.

Reply to
Happy Trails

I didn't know that, probably because I have never owned any Dodge/ Plymouth, but have had many Beetles.

Reply to
randallbrink

.

I've not yet had the pleasure of owning a van, but they seem to be getting quite scarce now. But comments like this make the point that it is a shame that these type of vehicles are no longer being made.

Reply to
randallbrink

I presume that we're talking about the Type 2. The 'Bulli'... :-) Have a look here:

formatting link

Reply to
Cordy

Last time I checked they were still being made in Brazil, and the ex-factory price of a plain window van with one sliding door was US$9,000. $-cyl air cooled and 1600cc (I think).

Reply to
Happy Trails

Amazing. I was not aware of this, but did know that Type I Beetle was still being mfg in Mexico until not long ago. I bought a 1600cc VW engine in 2005 that I believe was built in Brazil.

Reply to
randallbrink

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.