I hope I don't give offense by suggesting mods right off the bat, but I want to know if the 2.5 turbo diesel, as offered in the late '80s W201 (190), has been successfully upgraded for more power. Diesel mods seem to be quite popular these days. I'm thinking along the line of injector and injector pump modifications and maybe an upgraded turbo. I admit being an MB neophite and that I could be on a fools errand. -- Matt

Super-Turbo site, a wealth of info

One of my other loves is Toyota 4x4 trucks and 4runners from the mid '80s. There are web forums at 4x4wire dot c0m and another at marlin crawler dot c0m that I've grown to really like. Very friendly, no sincere question is frowned upon and yet they are a rich source of serious info for hardcore 4x4 hacks. They are a model for friendly web community without any pretentious airs. Maybe toyota people are less "exclusive"?

In any case, in this world of fleeting fashions and easy credit, it is a wise man who seeks out timeless designs and real quality. I've found that in the above mentioned vehicles, I'm hoping to see if I can expand my horizons and make the same connection with vehicles in the MB line.

Thanks for the pointer. -- Matt

If we had a penny for anytime someone asked this...


See the superturbo link above - it'll be spendy, probably comparable with what you paid for the car, but you'll get massive power (big turbo, new intake, new exhaust, bored out injection pump...). Its concieveable that if you have a diesel injection shop at your beck and call they could replicate the results, but as the adage goes - speed costs money, how fast do you want to go ?

Other than that, the conventional wisdom, for your are OR ANY OTHER MODEL MB DIESEL before '97 is - You arent going to get any more power than by tuning the thing properly (valve lift if applicable, timing chain stretch, good compression, clean ALDA line, matched injectors, clean fuel filters and minimal oil consumption - ie- fix whats wrong with the car first, and if nothing is wrong, then its gonna be tough to get more power for reasonable money.

Some look into Intercoolers, but I havent seen performance gains that would make it worth it for me. Some look and have done propane injection systems - definitley power there, but its not free either. Engine swaps are possible, probably the most cost-effective if you can find an engine cheap, but with a 2.5T your more power options are limited (you'd need an OM603 - 6cyl turbo, which is hard to find in good shape and isnt that much more power)

All of these terms have been well hashed out here. I hate to say "do a search", becuase I can't point you to any good threads (other than what has already been done ), but performance options for this car are limited - old school mechanically injected diesels are like that.

Someone else may have options that I didnt think of.

-John

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well, not all of them- the cummins 4b-6b mechanical diesel can be bombed out pretty easily and cheap. injectors, throttle plate, exhaust. than maybe a turbo. ther are people getting over 800 hp out of a cummins 12 valve. no chips, all mechanical. it is pretty funny to see a one ton dually four door blow away a camaro at the strip.

the swedes are pretty good at cranking power out of these old mercedes, but i dont know about your engine, in particular... i do know that you can send your IP to someone over there and they will build it up for ya.

good luck...

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.