Did an ITU on my way to work today while crossing the countryside between towns. A cloud of brown smoke blew forth from my tail pipe which made me think of TV's "Batmobile" (Adam West's version)!!

Usually I just let it rev a little higher until soot starts blowing then I let off. Today I let it run through second and shift to third before I let off. The people I saw drive through my smoke screen where probably cussing that old "Clunker" (They were on their way to Chapel Hill ).

I don't rev it that high often at all, I just had a bee under my bonnet this morning.

Check this video out. Talk about ITU's and clouds of smoke.

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1993 W124 300D 2.5L Turbo, OM602.962
2000 Chevrolet Cavalier, 2.4L DOHC
2002 Ford Explorer, 4.0L SOHC
2005 Toyota Prius, 1.5L

http://www.fuelly.com/sig-us/40601.png

Chapel Hill, shoot, they should appreciate the diesel... But then again, they're more of the Prius types over there...

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

My 84 300 D turbodiesel sees 4K RPM almost every day. I would do it more often and for longer periods of time during my commute, but it hogs gas with the AC on at that speed, and then there is often traffic as well. Cruises around 80 daily, though, which is slightly less than 4K. I've had it for 7 years, no engine problems (KOW).

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84 300D, 303K
71 MGBGT, ?K
96 GMC C1500, 115K

haha... italian tuneup backfired... you should have seen me in my 240d. i would literally hit the rev limiter in each gear every single day get it hot as hell on the way home, drove from california to washington in fourth and the 85mph spedo pegged never let up and that thing runs like a top no miss, compression is very good i allways keep up on the oil and filters (religiously 3k oilchange and filter) I had that engine for 3 years, first time i got it, it ran ok.. previous owner did an "ok" job of keeping it up. but once i got it and revved the hell out of it really cleaned it up.

What alot of mercedes benz maintance guys found was that there were old grandpas that would come into his shop to get service, and they would baby the engines and they would get clogged up and soot filled. but women would come in that floor it everywhere and the engine run like a top because they are constantly clean.

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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.

Our E300 regularly sees 5000 rpm. Runs great and with 4-valves per cylinder, it was clearly designed for high rpm use.

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'98 E300 turbodiesel

They only like "Clean Diesels".

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1993 W124 300D 2.5L Turbo, OM602.962
2000 Chevrolet Cavalier, 2.4L DOHC
2002 Ford Explorer, 4.0L SOHC
2005 Toyota Prius, 1.5L

http://www.fuelly.com/sig-us/40601.png

I've always thought the so called Italian tune up was silly for a diesel. A good two hour trip now and then at 75 or 80 will clean it as much as needed.

The old fashoned Italian tune up that Phil Hill did in the fifties and sixties was when driving a carburated engine which suddenly loaded up because a fleck of dirt was caught in the float valve. A wide open run would run the fuel through the valve as fast as possible and would often blow out the speck.

Or not. The alternative was a DNF anyway so what was there to lose?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

They are engineered for a specific purpose. For the purpose they are designed they are excellently engineered.

For a daily driver I would prefer a Benz but a Ferrari is not a piece of Crap...

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

How many of us can drive 2 hours at 80 mph and not get a ticket???

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1993 W124 300D 2.5L Turbo, OM602.962
2000 Chevrolet Cavalier, 2.4L DOHC
2002 Ford Explorer, 4.0L SOHC
2005 Toyota Prius, 1.5L

http://www.fuelly.com/sig-us/40601.png

I often run for 1-1.5 hour at 60-80, but the diesel doesn't like that sort of use any more.
The SEC on the other hand...

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-Josh
Testing the cheap Mercedes axiom, one bolt at a time...

in my 84 300SD, I do an ITU every day on the way to work. Upon entering the freeway there's a hill and I get second and third to shift at ~4700 rpm. Runs great!

I, too, notice that my engine runs a little rougher after a highway run, but then settles down once I hit the streets. I thought I needed a valve adjustment. My shocks and mounts are new so I know that I'm handling the vibe mechanically. My IP dampener is the new type. The only thing I don't have dialed in yet is the IP timing. Does that have an effect on engine shake? (I'll start a new post on this, just asking.)

But is this a false economy? What toll does the ITU take on the automatic? Shifting at full throttle? Can that be 'good' for the tranny and the engine?

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mjk

'84 300SD 119KMi (Liesl der Diesel)
'84 300D 326KMi when the oil left (former parts car)
'82 300SD 253KMi (new parts car)

Shifting these automatics at WOT will put extra wear on the clutches in the tranny, I believe.

A good run on the highway might cause a tight valve to grow and hence a miss that is noticable after pulling off the road. It would have been leaking on the highway too its just a lot harder to notice.

The running 80 thing depends on your local speed limits. I belive some of the western states have that as the speed limit.

In Indiana we have 70 speed limit but you can generally go ten over without danger of a ticket....not on major holidays though.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

for new members

Thanks for recycling this thread, I have done the ITU on both my mercedes cars when I bought them. My 240D was driven by a missionary in northwestern MT the furthest it had gone in 15 years was 30 miles and slowly at that. It nailed badly and idled rough; after 25 miles with my foot on the floor it idled perfectly and only nailed slightly with 385k on the clock. My 190d 2.2 runs much better after a 20 mile run at 90mph. I did not floor it through the gears as it is has an auto trans. Once I hit 4th I held it on the floor. When I let off the throttle it blew two fantastic lane filling clouds of brown and black smoke befitting of James Bond's austin martin. Now it runs much better.