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Originally Posted by a2t
Wow, Im sensing there’s not too much respect for the W140 diesels on here!
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I just bought one a month ago...but it was considerably less expensive than the one you're looking at. I really like the car and although there's a lot of bashing sometimes you just put up with it. I'm notorious for buying things / cars other people hate....like Peugeot, I've owned 504's 505's and even a 604, all diesel powered.
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Originally Posted by a2t
Ive seen these come up on autotrader/craiglist/fleabay and they usually disappear quickly so I figured they must not be too bad.
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I watch these places too and they do disappear, but no one can ever be sure why...sold? pulled ad? Who knows, but I agree, they do disappear quickly for some reason.
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Originally Posted by a2t
I have no way to diagnose the possibility of bend rods on a test drive, and the owner isn’t disclosing any type of massive oil consumption issue (is there anyway to tell?)
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nope, neither did I, but I looked at the blow-by (or lack of in this case) and the smoke output from the engine and decided that it wasn't a problem yet.
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Originally Posted by a2t
Aside from that, what other issues are a major concern? Someone mentioned evap housing – is that a typical costly failure ?
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Besides the self-destructing evap housing (around $5k to have someone replace) the wiring harnesses were manufactured a little too biodegradable for their own good so some of the underhood harnesses disintegrate and create a cascade failure in the electrical system. I've inspected some of mine and found the wiring to be fine so who knows, but others on benzworld complain of wiring decay. Also there are some problems with the soft-close pumps, the lock pumps, the Bose amplifier fries easily and at a minimum costs about $225 (or more) to repair. Front suspension wear causing vibration at speed is an issue for some.
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Originally Posted by a2t
What else? Im not too bothered by the engine issue, an OM603 can be swapped in if need be down the road.
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The better install is the OM606.xx engine.
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Originally Posted by a2t
As I mentioned, the body and interior are very nice and all electricals seem to work fine. Its black, Im tempted … It would be perfect for 3 car seats across the back and my frybrid system.
I have a garage and am somewhat mechanically inclined, I was able to maintain my 87 300D and install a frybrid wvo kit for 60k miles so Im not afraid to dig into it. But I don’t want a money pit either.
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I would definitely not buy it if you intend to use a frybrid system. The admission from Benz regarding these failed engines centers around the low US cetane level...unofficially. If you go to a WVO system, which I DO NOT advocate, you'll be running a cetane level even lower, which could accelerate engine failure. There are better candidates for WVO systems than the W140.
Good luck
Steve A