87 turbo diesel 6 cylinder ??? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Biglex · #1 09-25-2006, 03:33 AM

found a 300D with 250K miles, but I have heard the turbo diesels are not as good in the long run. Also the 6 cylinder has the aluminum head so isnt gonna stand an overheat. Anyone have any thoughts on this type of car?

Hit Man X · #2 09-25-2006, 03:53 AM

That a turbo diesel isn't good in the long run compared to what? A MB or BMW gasser pretty much will last the life of the car...

Do you plan to run the vehicle at 120°C often? I'd sure hope not. I've had mine to ~95°C a few times at some WOT 4th gear pulls topping it out on the freeway... nothing broke.

The 603 is far more complex than a 617, HVAC is more advanced, slightly more difficult to replace Glowplugs, etc.

Search on SDL or 603, you'll read for days.

gsxr · #3 09-25-2006, 02:13 PM

The 1987 300D (W124) is an awesome car, far more advanced than the older W123 chassis. The OM603 engine is very robust, and our friends in Finland have been able to triple power output (450+) using custom turbos & intercoolers. But the 603 engine is not quite as "bulletproof" as the older iron-head OM617, which was pretty hard to kill. I've owned several of both and I have no interest in going back to the older chassis OR engine.

Here's a buyer's guide for the 1987 300D/TD that you might want to read:
http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/articles/124.1x3_buying_tips.txt

s_nease · #4 09-25-2006, 09:23 PM

For some reason mine has decided to not want to shut off after the key is turned off. Must open the hood and use the manual shutoff. HELP...

gsxr · #5 09-25-2006, 09:46 PM

Simple - either lack of vacuum at the shuoff pod on the injection pump, or the pod is bad. Usually it's the pod, unless you have a cracked or broken vacuum line to the pod (should be a brown colored line).

If you have to replace it, save yourself a lot of grief and remove the ALDA first. It's almost impossible to R&R the shutoff pod with the ALDA in place. Trust me. BT, DT, have the scars to prove it. Here's a pictorial on how to remove the ALDA:

http://www.w124performance.com/images/OM603_injection/

The round white/beige object in front of the ALDA is the shutoff pod. If yours is original, it may be a round metal can. To test it, apply vacuum to the pod with the engine running, it should kill the engine immediately. Or test with a Mity-Vac, if it won't hold vacuum, it's bad.