Hi there new member here, but not to the diesel family. I am 17 and drive an 87 300D Turbo, its a great car although its been somewhat of a "lemon" as far as reliability goes.
Anyway this is by far the best forum for Benz there is. I registered so I could get my questions answered finally. Could anybody tell me at what rpm my turbo begins to spool up and at what rpm it delivers full boost? Also i've read about a procedure in my illustrated Mercedes guide book that talks about restoring the factory turbo to proper bar, which as I understand is essetially psi boost. Anyway I hope to help this diesel forum grow and prosper to that of the performance padduck, especially after seeing Carlsson's tuning chip for the C220 CDI on motor vision. Now I am going to work on my "signature" to this site. Thanks in advance diesel family.

Welcome Elliot,
I cannot answer your questions, but someone will. I just wanted to let you know about the search feature at the top of the page. It is a wealth of information. I also just wanted to mention, that we diesel folk just won our freedom from the fabulous tech help forum. We had a poll to pick a new forum and diesel won. Eventually everyone will start posting diesel questions here instead of the Tech help forum. I think Bill is working on getting us listed right below tech help. Right Bill??? Just kidding.

Welcome!
 

Just to make sure I have it straight in my head...You have a 87 300D. That would be a W124 with the 5 cyl. 2.5 liter diesel, right?
I believe the turbos usually get it on around 2000rpm. I forget the pounds of boost...nothing to wild though from what I remember.
Don't worry, you'll get more, and better answers than mine, I just got here first, when I really ought to be in bed instead, dreaming of V8 CDI turbodiesels. :D (and W108's):)
-Larry

Elliot,

Your car has the OM603 motor, 6 cylinder type. Boost delivery is somewhat vicious compared to the earlier 5 cylinder diesels. Our neighbors own an '87 300TD wagon and I have noticed on their car (and customers' cars at the shop) compared to my 300SD, that the boost is usually running max bar at around 2,200rpm. But unlike the older 617 motor, it comes on strong so be careful if you're on slick roads, the back end will easily come unglued if you step on it! I've actually also noticed a little "lag" even when running on the highway, which might also contribute to the strong instant delivery. When you first accelerate while cruising at 70mph, for instance, there's a second until you have acceleration boost and then it hits strong! The older diesels are somewhat smoother in that respect, but otherwise, the engine in your car is an engineering marvel as far as diesels go. In it's day (and even today) it was the quietest and fastest (back then) diesel production car in the world. I am still impressed with the 603 motor to this day, although be wary of oil consumption. I've had to put a number of cylinder heads on those engines. Also, one last thing, I'm assuming your car has had the trap oxidizer modification done. Look under the hood on the passenger's side of the engine, you should see a straight pipe with an "aluminum foil" coating on it. If you see a big, cylindrical thing in there, make immediate plans to get that car to the nearest dealership for the modification to be done (at Mercedes' expense!). Ok, good luck with the car, I hope we will be able to help you to get the most enjoyment out of your car!

Looks like I failed... :(
 

Well, at least I knew it was a 124 :p
So, I got a D- Thats what I get for drinking and typing! :D :p
-Larry