These motors our very high compression like any diesel and when started cold a vast amount of damage is done. For a diesel to reach its maximum lifespan in means of miles it must be run continuously. All the diesels that go the miles are not started and shut off a lot. Look at locomotives; they are not even shutoff to change oil. Big boats are not shutoff often either and we all know semis make long trips without being shut down. Besides loosing compression when the motor is cold because the valves and rings have not seated you also loose your oil on your top end. For a diesel to go as long it can it must be run for long periods of time!

Perhaps that's why the car with the record for most miles is that M-B diesel that was used as a cab! As we all know, most of the time in Germany those cabs are never shut down. In fact, many times they are shut down just for maintenance work. They are simply kept running as drivers take turns in driving them.

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1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver

Exactly......and I guarantee you that is not how this car lived its life......

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Can you imagine the drivers seat! Yikes!

All I know is, my benz is bad enough sitting in it for 2-3 hours and it's a w126 and not as heavily used as a cab (atleast before I got it )

I guess seat comfort is a very subjective thing.........My '79 300SD has very firm, but still comfortible seats, and I have been in mine for 4 hours straight at times...comparred to my old seats in my honda that gave me a backache after only 2........can you imagine the smell from all the sauerbraten farts......

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Well his ad is extreme. He's got a "buy it now" for $2750. Maybe not too bad. I bet he'd take $2000. cash. You think it'd be worth that?

I think its worth $500 sight unseen, anything more would need a personal inspection.........................

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Let's be clear, any car in the world can go 1 million miles or more if you keep throwing money at it!

I don't mean to burst KRAWSCZN's bubble but ships do not keep their engines running continuously. I have worked on everything from 30 ft. shrimp boats to 560,000 ton super tankers and can say with pretty good authority that most shut down the engines unless they are either under way or standing by.

All large ships, except Diesel-electrics, are direct driven, i.e., they have no gear box or clutch. This means that they can't idle the main engines w/o having the propeller moving. Not a good idea when you are tied to the dock. Direct coupled engines start either in forward or reverse. The do this through an air start system distributor valve that selects the piston that is either on the way up of down and applies 300psi (usually) air to that piston. Some older mostly European ships have variable pitch props which allow the main engines to run full speed and the prop to be feathered in either forward or reverse. Still, when manuvering is through the engines are shut down.

Newer ships, like many cruise ships, have gone to Diesel-electric. The engines are coupled to a generator which in turn powers an electric motor attached either to a propeller shaft of to 'Omni-thruster' of 'Azerbod' unit. These units look like the bottom of an outboard motor. They can swivel 360deg. This ability has enabled the ships to get rid of bow thrusters and tugs for docking.

Regardless of the system main engines are basically not kept running if for no other that fuel costs and wear. When docked the engineering crew usually does maintenance work in the engine room. Having the ME running whiile trying to over haul a gen. engine next to it is very hard, and noisy.

You are right in that continuous running is easier on a Diesel than start and stop but big ships non't keep their engines running all the time.

Hehe! My dad and I used to drive a '65 Freightliner (Cummins 220 & 6-digit odometer that had already rolled over once) that you didn't dare shut-down because it usually wouldn't restart.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

I know that when I went on a cruise they left the cruise ship running the whole day when we where on the islands. I am just curius of how long they will sit before it is decided they should be shutoff?

"DISCOUNT GERBILS YOU SAY? Were they abused Gerbils? Were their teeth pulled and toenails yanked ? Why are they discounted?"


Yes, all that, and they were very very smelly.

I'd say this is the equivalent of selling someone a yearling Thoroughbred and telling them "These horses win you millions of dollars!!! Some have earned over $8 million dollars!!!" Well, he's not lying, it COULD happen. Could being the operative word, and it's geared at people who are very, uh ... optimistic. If your horse happens to be Cigar, Skip Away, Alysheba or John Henry, then great ... but it's more likely to be one of the other 10 billion Thoroughbreds that never earn a nickel.

Personally, I plan to take my car over a million miles.

I might have to run behind it pushing really hard for the last 500,000 or so, but ... nothing wrong with a little dreaming.

[QUOTE=BodhiBenz1987] Well, he's not lying, it COULD happen. Could being the operative word QUOTE]

Yeah, and he also COULD be full of shi!

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

I would presume they would shut the main engines as soon as they drop anchor wouldn't they? The generators are already supplying the power to the ship unless they have redundancy with the main engines. I can see why the engines need to be shut off in terms of financial reasons. Those diesels are presumably burning gallons per second so probably with today's realtime technology their accountants can monitor their overhead cost from a wifi notebook!

I used to work aboard a 85' research vessel here in LA and it ran two old Caterpillar engines that have been running 9 months a year for 40 years which I find quite impressive. The redline of 1500rpm's and a max cruise (a blazing 10 knots downswell! ) of 1200rpm's does make sense in terms of extreme longevity. The main engines only provided propulsion and were shut off upon docking or anchoring and the twin generators provided power which were run alternatingly (to balance the wear and fuel level in the port and starboard fuel tanks) to provide electrical and hydraulic pressure to the winches.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k