Got a 1980 240D today..... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JimmyL · #1 11-19-2006, 12:41 AM

Well I finally have a standard tranny Mercedes 240D that doesn't have the back bumper sitting directly under the back glass!! (poor Scar)
Before I start, a huge THANKS to WhiskeyDan for being my wing-man on this trip. A giant help, and good company......

Started off being a brisk morning in the Dallas Ft. Worth metroplex. Temps in the high 30's. Dan got over to the house (in his VW diesel pickup!!) a little after 9:00. I showed him my jalopy fleet for a while, and we then left around 10:00a.m., headed for Austin.
I was going for a 1980 240D that the owner said had a bad motor. It had had an oil leak for awhile, and he said it must have gotten low and damaged rod bearings, or something "down there". Body paint and interior in decent shape. Well, I have Scar, which has a good little motor in her, so decided to abandon my 300D project in favor of putting a good 240D motor into a 240. OK......
Got to Austin just after 2:00p.m. (had to stop at WhataBurger). Car was in a small car shed/garage, so we pushed it out and onto the street.
We used a combination of Dan operating the come-a-long and the owner bumping the starter while in gear to climb onto the trailer. (I was supervising...

) You will see a pic of Dan down on the ground helping to secure the chains. I'm the chubby guy just standing there.....

Got the car back to the DFW area slightly after 8:00 p.m. or so (had to stop for Mexican food of course when we got back).

Backed the car off of trailer using the starter bump-in-gear method, when the thing accidently started. Man, did it sound awful! Quickly turned it off. Well, we decided why not just start if and drive off of trailer? Can't hurt it worse probably, and the trailer hitch on it was digging into the driveway pavement, so needed the umphhhhh.
Welp, started car, sounded like a spoon caught in the disposal

, so I gave it throttle to get off the trailer, and unstuck from the driveway. Well, with higher rpm's, horrible noise went away!!!???

So, drove it to parking spot and lifted hood. Dan listened and pointed his overly manly flashlight to see where noise coming from. Low rpm's, horrible noise. Horrible! High rpm's, no noise!
Welp, it is early in the process, and it was dark, but we noticed two things:
1) Air cleaner studs broken, and air cleaner was banging against hood padless hood
2) AC compressor has at least one bolt, and possible 2 missing, and was being banged around by the belt.
The idle cable knob is gone, and car idles very low without manual help from throttle. Engine mounts might be weak also, but it was dark, but at idle, with very low idle, it was a thrashing machine, and rattling items 1 & 2 listed above.
Final word of course is not in, but I am cautiously optimistic. Tires all match, and were way better than the kid said they were, interior was trashy but isn't trashed, and paint is pretty decent (repaint). Battery worked OK, even after a fair amount of driving car via starter. Had a little cd player too.
New trunk seal, new door seals on all 4 doors. Windshields, front and back have supposedly been re-sealed. Two new shocks in trunk, and new-in-box rear springs also. Split in drivers seat and door pockets missing (what will I hit my foot on getting out?)
Driver door won't open from inside, passenger window regulator issues also.
Overall, I am most happy, even if I have to go ahead and put other engine in it, but am hoping not. Oil filter housing has a good leak at block, and will need to be removed and new gasket installed.....

Thanks so much WhiskeyDan for the help.
And my Lord did we see a bunch of W123's today, and a few W126's and W116's. Our heads would snap about the same time......

JimmyL · #2 11-19-2006, 12:50 AM

Couple more pics this evening after getting back to the home court. It was rather dark, so not very good quality from flash.......

BTW, I hated to miss R Leo's bale stacking wing-ding, as we got pretty close to there, but there just wasn't time for the detour.....

arcticathlon · #3 11-19-2006, 01:02 AM

i would kill for those sun visors in that 240D...

79-240d-project · #4 11-19-2006, 01:07 AM

Nice find! The exterior looks pretty darn nice. Hard to tell from the pictures but is that Maple Yellow(paint code 606)? It has a passenger door rear view mirror, nice. A little tlc and that will be a nice car again. Hope things turn out well on that motor.

JimmyL · #5 11-19-2006, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcticathlon

i would kill for those sun visors in that 240D...

You'd pretty much have to.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by 79-240d-project

Nice find! The exterior looks pretty darn nice. Hard to tell from the pictures but is that Maple Yellow(paint code 606)? It has a passenger door rear view mirror, nice. A little tlc and that will be a nice car again. Hope things turn out well on that motor.

Paint code is 681, Manila Beige

** edit**
4 sp

#6 11-19-2006, 01:19 AM

The question on my mind is obvious, 4 or 5 speed?

Jim B. · #7 11-19-2006, 01:42 AM

That's a classy looking ride. Especially with the painted hubcaps on it.

Once you get the 240 engine out of "Scar" into that car, you'll be ready to plug 'n' play!!

It's a great feeling to snick through the gears on a 240D W123 manual. I like those cars a lot, but you really feel the automatics are slower on the hills, if they are steep like some in N. Calif it gets scary goin' up them.

Personally, I'd really like to have a rust free W123 euro 300D with manual everything and cloth seats, but with ABS, a signal red one would be great!

Hit Man X · #8 11-19-2006, 03:13 AM

Well well... things play out for the best sometimes! Hopefully my 500SE or whatever it is now will be the same

bgkast · #9 11-19-2006, 03:23 AM

Looks good!

t walgamuth · #10 11-19-2006, 07:10 AM

it looks clean. it sounds as if you must have bought it "right". it also sounds as if it might not be hurt much. good luck on the engine.

the rest of the car looks very nice. it looks kindof yellow for manila beige though. but that could be just the photo quality.

it doesnt really look like maple yellow either.

tom w

300SDog · #11 11-19-2006, 07:18 AM

Oil filter bracket probly just needs tightening (8mm allens?) not a new gasket. And if it was me I'd cut the A/C belt off, replace the air filter housing mounts and just start driving it everyday - then draw your own conclusions regarding engine performance/longevity.

Previous owner sounds like he gave up on the car and couldnt figure anything out. His "dead engine" diagnosis sounds like bunk. Nice score snagging an excellent 4-spd 240D that will probly run another 100k miles at least. My guess is it's the engine mounts that brought down the rest, not a dead engine at all. Meanwhile decent running 240D engines with less then 250k miles will soon be getting scarce. Are you sure you want to swap engines and throw away a perfectly good running 616?

(edit: And its interesting the PO replaced cosmetic door seals while neglecting the engine compartment.

Shorebilly · #12 11-19-2006, 07:18 AM

G'mornin',

Looks like you got a steal.........let us know what's up with the motor.....sounds as if a few bucks worth of nuts and bolts will quiet it down.....give it an oil change, and drive it a bit.....why go thru all of the labir of an engine change, if you don't have to......just save the engine/tranny from your ol' "Scar".....and anythin' else that may come in useful.....scrap prices are up at the moment.....

SB