Hi,
Never owned a diesel before... but would like to drive something a little more economical (and long-lived) - and diesels just seem so... purposeful. Given my unfamiliarity with these engines, I would definitely have a dealer go over any potential buy, but what can I look for myself before going through the expense of a PPI? I'm looking at the '87 124 bodies. Any general comments specific to the diesel engine/operation/longevity/hassles/etc? I'm pretty familiar with the rest of the car (having driven 124 for a while). Wouldn't mind some feedback from my neighbors up here either... it snowed today in London... is cold really a big bother?
TIA, Nick

In addition... just came across something about a trap oxidizer having to be removed?? I thought they had switched to phasers on Star Trek...

This diesel did come from the factory with a trap oxidizer. Your MB dealer should take it off and replace the entire exhaust system for free.

Ensure that the car has had regular coolant changes, that is every two years. This has an aluminum head and will corrode through if not regularly changed.

You are doing the right thing by having the dealer inspect it thoroughly. Good time to ensure the trap oxidizer has been upgraded, or that the dealer will still perform this free grata.

Good luck,

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Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, manual, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

Concerning the removal of the trap oxidizer,...the dealer will remove it (the large canister to the right of the cyl. head) and replace it (only) with a connecting pipe....the complete exhaust will not be replaced...as Larry Bible is thinking.

I have a 87 300D with the new setup and the exhaust is all new from the turbo to the tailpipe. (Too bad they didn't do this for the cylinder heads!)

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Justin Dobbs (jrd@jrd.com)

Exhaust system renewal is part of the trap oxidizer service campaign; turbocharger will also be replaced, free of charge, if it was damaged by the oxidizer. Campaign is still open in the U.S.

Nick, I had my trap done 6 months ago and it was a complete exhaust system, everything but the turbo, which was OK. If trap had failed before I brought it in and had damged the turbo, this would have been replaced too. It was at no cost to me and they gave me a loaner car for the 1 1/2 days in the shop. This was the first time I had been to the dealer, so it was not because they knew me. I recently received an e-mail from someone (overseas I believe) who did not get a complete system. I do not know why, and he did not reply to my reply.

Concerning the the car, I bought my first Merc, 87 TD a year ago. I love it, love it, love it! So does my wife. A year later, we still fight over who gets to drive it! Performance is great and I expect this to be the most economical car I have ever owned. Coupled with the safety it provides, the W124 diesel is a real winner!

My recommendation is to review the service records!!!!!!! Frequent oil changes are a must (every 3,500 miles), I believe a new chain around 150,000. Look at the transmision flex hose at the front radiator, they should have a metal spiral wrap and not be leaking. If you buy it during warm weather, have the glow plugs checked with an inductive pick up to make sure they are OK. The EGR sytem needs to be plugged (illegal, but essential) and have the intake pipe checked for carbon. I also beleive the belt tensioner pulley typically goes bad around 100K miles. These typically don't fail on the road, but when you take tension off the belt to replace it. You may want to look at the rear flex disc for possible replacement if it has over 100K which most 87's do! I believe this is the same as the gas models. Ofcourse, check for rust, as with any car, especially around the battery. The last thing to check is the hydraulic leveling system, which I believe is only on the wagons (gas and diesels). These systems tend to get ignored. It should receive the regular fluid changes every one - two years. Make sure it really works and that the valve by the rear axles is not leaking. The last thing I would recommend, only if you are buying the car, is to run a couple cans of algae killer through the car and then drain the rear fuel tank, replace the rear screen and both fuel filters. Microbes can live in diesel fuel and at this age, I would recommend it as a preventative measure.

With the exception of rust, and the absence of regular service, and the self leveling system, all the things above are easily rectified, if they are found to be worn and can be negotiatied into the purchase price. If you find all these conditions, I would suspect poor maintnence overall and stay away unless you are getting an exception deal and can work on the car yourself. An independant prepurchase inspection at an experience MB service center is well worth the money. If there are service records, I always like to take it to a shop that has not been serving the car, since they would be reluctant to talk about oversights they may have had. A follow up call to the original maintence shop would then close out all questions, should they want to point out any repairs they recommended and the original owner declinded.

Let us know if you get one!

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Deezel
87 300TD, 160,000 miles
72 280SEL 4.5, 250,000 miles

The reason that the trap oxidizer campaign includes a new exhaust system is because the t/o is replaced by a catalyzer. I've seen '87
diesels with the t/o removed while retaining the original exhaust, but I'd bet that it wasn't done by a dealer. Modifying a car to
bypass EPA emission rules is a serious offense these days, so it is not likely that
a reputable shop would do it. If you have a question as to what is covered in the campaign, call 1800-FOR-MERC and they'll tell you.
By the way, the '87 diesel is exceptionally smooth running, has good power, is quiet at cruise. In fact, I wish my '95E300 had the same engine as my '87 wagon! I've found that parts are reasonable and repairs are affordable provided you find a tech who really knows these cars.

Complete exhaust pipe replacement on the 124s is due to the addition of an oxidation catalyst in the system. On 126s, the front pipe only gets replaced.

Note on this recall that it is a one-time-per-car recall that is ownership and vehicle history independent.

I would strongly recommend that anyone that has this recall done needs to do 2 things:

1) If there is evidence of turbo damage, then I would insist on borescope analysis of the cylinders.

2) I would ask the service department if you can keep your old exhaust pipe after it is "checked off" by the zone service representative. The dealership will "tag" the pipe, the rep will check it, and it will then be tossed. Ask them if you can have it after it has been checked off. If they will let you keep it, then you have a temporary backup in case your new oxidation catalyst pipe gets plugged up in the future.

Finally, on the potential purchase of the 603-equipped 124, the early 603 heads (86 & 87) are weak around the bolt area, and are sensitive to heat (a trap oxidizer contributes greatly to this given its proximity to the head).

These engines perform very, very well, but I would factor in the above and would go as far as to suggest that you should explicitly include in your purchase decision the potential replacement of the head at some point.

Richard Easley
Waco, Texas

Thank you all so much. It's good to know what, in particular, to ask about when checking out a new (new?) car. Well, hopefully I'll be adding a diesel to the stable soon.
What sort of mileage are you guys getting?

One more thing - is this trap oxidizer easy enough to spot? Sounds like it's about where the precats are on my m103 - maybe even higher up?
Also, any info on what to 'listen' for? All diesels sound broken to me!

Nick...the trap oxidizer sits to the right of the engine (looking from the driver's seat)..a "foot-long" canister nestled between the cylinder head and the heat/noise shield. I believe the Canadian version of the update only includes the installation of a pipe to replace the removed trap oxidizer,...and the turbo-charger if it is determined that pieces of the trap have been ingested......

HELLO ALL I JUST GOT MY TO REPLACED I LIVE IN CANADA BUT THE DEALER HERE WAS ONLY PREPARED TO DO HALF THE JOB THEY WOULD PUT A THROUGH PIPE NO TURBO IF DAMAGED NO NEW EXAUST I TALKED TO MB CANADA BUT THEY JUST SEREVED ME A BUNCH OF B.S. ABOUT THE EMISSIOMS LAWS BEENING DIFFRENT(THEY ARE THE SAME)I THINK WHAT THEY ARE DOING HERE SHOULD BE HIGHLY ILLEGAL REMOVING AN EMMISION CONTROL AND BYPASSING IT, I TALKED TO THE MANAGER WITH POST OFF THIS SITE BUT NO JOY THAT IS ALL THEY WOULD OFFER TO DO AS A FAVOR, I'M GOING TO FOLLOW IT UP WITH ENVIRONMENT CANADA. I REALY HAVE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR ALL THE HELP FROM THIS SITE .

Nick,

I just got my first diesel this past summer, an '87 300TD (W124), and have been very pleased. The car is very refined and well engineered. A real pleasure to work on. The dealer did the whole trap oxidizer and I've done most of the other work.

This model has 143 hp 6cyl turbo diesel that is quite and drives great. I think it makes a good first diesel without having to pay the price for the late '90s models. No wagons though



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-Mike
'87 300TD Turbo

Is the diesel six cylinder engine in '86 and '87 124 and 126 bodies the same engine? Do they both have an aluminum cylinder head?
I always wondered how an aluminum head could be bolted on an iron block since the coefficient of expansion of aluminum is 3 times that of iron. Something has to slide somewhere and that doesn't sound good.
Since I've been thinking of buying one of these cars, that aluminum head may affect my decision.
P E H