I understand the sentiment, but I do think the guy is trying to do the best he can on a car with which he was pretty unfamiliar. The short of it is, for another $120 or so in his time it looks like we might be back to happy motoring, and if that's the case, we'll still have spent $400 to $600 less than anyone else quoted me for doing the swap.

The long of it is, I called Star Motors in Kansas City, where my dad has always taken his gasser MBs for major repairs and service. (Even trailering them four hours from his home.) He trusts them completely.

Since Emery, the owner and MB-know-it-all, was on vacation, the general manager Ben at Star referred me to a guy named Randy at a shop called Shade Tree, also in Missouri. Randy was *very* comforting.

Randy says the '85 into '83 should've been just a drop-in-and-drive setup, though he doesn't blame the local indy for not knowing that and freaking out when he saw connections that didn't match up. Randy said to stick with the '85 turbo (we have) and the '85 injection pump (likely going back on tonight or tomorrow), setting the timing at 24 degrees BDTC on the compression side, and we should be "darned close ... with maybe a little fine-tuning."

Just leave all the electrical connections to that '85 IP unplugged, because they're enitrely unnecessary emissions stuff that won't at all affect how the car runs. (In fact, I presume, it might even run a little better, as in less-restricted?) ... And, plug-up the vacuum lines on the '83 itself as they now have nowhere to attach at the IP. (With the exception of one plastic line that is for some sort of cold-power switch and is mandatory, or else must be overridden which Randy says he does all the time and could explain to the local guy.)

We could also leave the '83 IP on the car and thus all the vacuum lines for its emissions would have places to go. But the local mechanic is concerned that maybe my IP was faulty (And not the head gasket to begin with! Argh, I don't even want to think about it!) and since the IP has to come off either way to get the timing right we might as well go with the '85 IP that has 70K fewer miles on it.

The local mechanic is willing to tear back into it for $120 and Randy at Shade Tree said my local guy could call him anytime and he'd talk him through any problems.

After all this time and grief, maybe we're just a day or two away ...

__________________
-- 1983 300D, acquired 10/19/2005 at 215,000+ turbodiesel miles ... engine croaked almost immediately ... back on the road at 217,210 with a 144K turbo motor from a donor '85. ... May 2007, replaced radiator. ... Now (2/28/08) about 240K miles and dead due to battery?

Good Luck and Keep us informed!

Thanks for the info and I hope my swap would not be as painful!

As leathermag stated will not a drip test do? I would set the pump by the milli volt method if any conflict. It seems proven to about 1/2 a degree and that might be more accurate as it is an older engine. On mercedes you just set the pump with engine running to the start of the highest milli volt reading as long as it is about 10 milli volts you are on the early plateau. You want to be just at the start of the plateau not some distance along it. Why accumulate tow milage? No reason your guy cannot do that. Any weird voltages like 18 milli volts indicate the pump is not installed correctly. The rented tool is not rocket science either.

I think we'll get it together now that we're going back to the 1985 IP.

__________________
-- 1983 300D, acquired 10/19/2005 at 215,000+ turbodiesel miles ... engine croaked almost immediately ... back on the road at 217,210 with a 144K turbo motor from a donor '85. ... May 2007, replaced radiator. ... Now (2/28/08) about 240K miles and dead due to battery?

Allrighty, the car is back on the road.

It seems to idle kind of rough, with more clatter -- I guess you'd say -- than the old engine that died. In fact, the old engine idled *awesome* right up until it puked. ... Hmmmmm.

But, once you stick the foot in this one, it goes like a scalded cat. OK, it's a diesel, so not like a young, lithe, scalded cat, but more like a little bit pudgy, neutered housecat, but a scalded one nonetheless.

As for that idle, how should I go about tweaking it? Does he maybe *still* not have it timed quite right? ... Anybody want me to call them and hold my cell phone to it so you can see if it's really bad or just my imagination? haha

__________________
-- 1983 300D, acquired 10/19/2005 at 215,000+ turbodiesel miles ... engine croaked almost immediately ... back on the road at 217,210 with a 144K turbo motor from a donor '85. ... May 2007, replaced radiator. ... Now (2/28/08) about 240K miles and dead due to battery?