When did YOU learn the virtues of a diesel engine? - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

asnowsquall · #46 12-23-2006, 09:58 AM

Always loved German cars starting with my first car a 1970 VW Beetle back in 1979. First diesel was a 83 300D about 3 years ago. Ran it on a 75%WVO/25% KERO blend for about 750 miles, before selling it to buy a 1997 Suburban 6.5 diesel as we now had 3 kids. Sold that this past summer and now I had a 1992 Bluebird with a 466 in it, a 82 300TD beater, and the most recent a 87 300TD. The fact that you can run a diesel on WVO is just way to cool to me.
Dave

Matt SD300 · #47 12-24-2006, 12:57 AM

[QUOTE=aklim;1366293]Not for $300, it isn't. Not even if you granny it every day.

Get a education on a Cummins 5.9 12V with a p7100 IP ...

aklim · #48 12-24-2006, 01:02 AM

[QUOTE=Matt SD300;1367050]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Not for $300, it isn't. Not even if you granny it every day.

Get a education on a Cummins 5.9 12V with a p7100 IP ...

Fine, you explain it then. Is the truck built with that much margin that you can power it up to that level and not beef something else up? How much power stock? How much now? How much will the lower end of the engine take if you really use it or run it hard? How much will the trans take before it breaks? How much will the rear end hold up? Can you make it all work for $300? Aren't you doubling the output? If so, was the engine designed to do that? What about the trans and the rear end? What are your pistons made of? With that much boost and fuel, I would think that any sustained run might start to wear it thin. I know that I cannot keep the powerstroke EGT at say 1300 for too long. So, if your EGT is getting high, won't you melt the pistons? How will the IP help cool down the EGT?

Don't know if it is that dodge has way, way overbuilt the truck but I doubt it. I have broken enough parts to know that $300 won't get you that sort of power all the way to the ground without something giving. Like I said, it might if you were to granny it and not really push it hard.

soypwrd · #49 12-24-2006, 08:00 AM

First when I bought the F250 diesel. Then when we got the first TDI the economy and power from such a small engine got me really torqued. Then on to the refinement of a MB diesel, which clearly has it all over the rest.

Shorebilly · #50 12-25-2006, 08:18 AM

Folks,

My first real job was at a Gulf "Service Station" in the early '60's. The boss' cousin, a mechanic there, was/had been a trucker.....he used to buy me beer, and tell me about Diesels, and Quadruplex transmissions....I heard him, but I thought, then, that Diesels were grimy, smelly, and useless for Hot Rodding!!!

Then I went to the University of the US Army, RVN, and I became impressed with those old style "deuce amd a half" and 5 ton trucks....the whistlers....and their multifuel capability.....

After surviving my military experience, I attended school for Marine Engineering. Part of my education was Motor/Diesel propulsion and auxiliaries. I graduated and received my USCG 3rd Engineer Steam and Motor License.....but I still thought that Diesels were an inferior means of Power.....leaky, nasty, smelly.......as compared to Steam Turbines and Boilers!!!

As I advanced in my career, and upgraded my License.....I wound up as Chief Engineer Steam and 3rd Engineer Motor....never sailed a day on a Motor Ship.....only used the Motor part of my License while working on the GTS Admiral Callihan......a Gas Turbine.....because the USCG classifies a Gas Turbine as an internal combustion engine!!

Then, I decided to equalize my License, so I went back to school....studied Diesel Propulsion in great depth.....wrenched on a Sulzer training engine....learned about the economic advantages of Diesel propulsion, as well as most of the considerations required in their operation. Got a ride on a Diesel, Sulzer, Container Ship as Observer C/E for 30 days....and then sat for the USCG testing to become C/E Motor......

Now, I had a nice job on an old Steam Ship as C/E.....my company only had 2 Motor Ships, on charter to the Military....so I didn't think much about Diesels, excepting my Emergency Diesel Generator.....until my company purchased some used late '60's era Motor ships from the Germans.....my boss sent me to ride with the Germans as observer, because I was the only C/E available with the License.....he sent several other Steam Chiefs back to school......and eventually I became C/E of a Motor Container Ship. My German counterpart, and I became friends.....and I rode in his Diesel Benz while visiting in Berlin......I was hooked from that point......even though those 700 series BMW's would pass us on the Autobahn!! I purchased the wife an '85 300TD new.....had it serviced at the dealership......she didn't like it.....I was then driving a Buick "Grand National" Turbo.......we divorced, and I got the wagon, she got the Buick......and I got to keep my '53 Ford street rod......

For the remainder of my career I was primarily a Motor Chief.....but was the only Chief in the company who would sail on either Steam or Motor ships.....because as an Engineer, in my opinion, the objective was to keep the "Lights Burnin' and the Screw Turnin'", regardless of how the fuel was burned.......

I retired a bit over 10 years ago as C/E of a RO/RO (Roll On/Roll Off) ship.......have worked in a couple of jobs since retirement one was a Fuel Injection Tech.......I also have delivered Yachts......and worked around some Offshore Racing Power Boats.....now I do my best to live a sustainable lifestyle, Solar, Bio-Diesel......non GMO farmer.......

I hope that y'all weren't bored with this essay....but you asked....

SB

I could go on typing for hours with ship "Sea Stories".....what's the biggest piece of engine that you have seen thrown through the crankcase wall???

rkerste219 · #51 12-25-2006, 02:32 PM

First time I saw a Diesel, 1959 at the age of 12. It was on my Uncle's fishing boat and he had a 671 Detroit Diesel. This was a left over from WWII and still runing strong in 1970 (the last time I went to Alaska). Loved the fact of no spark plugs, etc, loud and at cruising speed, turned 1500 RPM's. Later on another fishing my, they had a CAT D10 (again left over from WWII) and this one ran wide open from Seattle to Ketchikan at 950 RPM for 73 hours.

Other fishing boats still had gas engine, slower and hard to start in cold wet weather.

Saw my first MB Diesel (1967 in Seattle) and from then until this year, I always wanted a Diesel Car. I did get an Isuzu Diesel pick up, but this still was not a Diesel.

My 1981 240D , 4 speed manual, is the slowest car I ever drove, but will not give. I always knew from just reading about cars thru the years, that the 240D's are about the best MB ever made.

bob 1981 240D

kerry · #52 12-25-2006, 03:01 PM

In 1977 I bought a 68 Camaro with no engine. I wanted to install a diesel but couldn't find a used one so I put in a 250 Chevy and forgot about diesels.
Then in 1999 I was looking for a cheap way to tour Europe for a few summers and decided to buy a European motorhome. In looking at what used MH's were available over there, the only models that had anything in common with models in US were Mercedes. The Ford, GM, French and Italian chassis were never imported to the US. I wanted a model that had similar engines on both sides of the pond so I could gain some mechanical experience with it over here. Since diesel is a lot cheaper on the continent, I settled on a Mercedes diesel and bought a 1985 307d just outside London, from the internet, sight unseen for $1800. I flew over, picked it up, fell in love with the 616 5spd and decided I had to have one in the US too. If the 616 could power a 22' Class A motorhome for 125k miles and still be running strong, then it should run forever in a car. We used the motorhome for 3 yrs in Europe, sold it via the net, but diesel has been in my blood ever since.

pj67coll · #53 12-25-2006, 05:20 PM

As a kid in South Africa aged about 8 I remember an uncle of mine who owned a farm buying a 240D 4 speed manual. He was a Mercedes diesel fanatic and subsequently bought a 300D. I remember my father joking with him about it sounding like a tractor. I had wanted one ever since. But I had to pass thru three gasser MB's and twenty nine years before I finally managed to acqire my first Mercedes Diesel here in Phoenix. 81 240D, 4 speed manual.

- Peter.

TheDon · #54 12-25-2006, 05:53 PM

I've been around diesels since I was born since my dad is a truck driver. When ever he would visit me(divorced parents) I always wanted to look at the engine or go for a ride in his truck. I was hooked at the age of 3 on diesels. That really didnt come back until i was 15 and looking for a car. I almost bought a 1953 VW beetle Oval window for 3k (in decent shape). I passed up on it because the engine seized when the owner went to move it when i was to test drive it.

Then school started and i was in my 3rd period class (global studies... 10 of the higher thinking students study the world as it is now)... the teacher said he read an article about a guy a couple towns over that was running his 70's era mercedes benz on vegetable oil. I thought that was interesting so i looked it up. I went to 4th period (engineering 2) and my instructor said im doing a project on alternative fuel.. so i picked biodiesel/WVO...

I had a processor built within a month, 4 resteraunts giving me oil (50 gallons every month), a drum of methanol, 50 lbs of NaOH (pretty scary a 16 year old bought all that eh)... but i still didnt have a car(i partnered with a friend on this project and we used the bio in a reefer unit his dad had for local runs[20 trucks and 20 reefer trailers] the reefer liked it, ran quieter etc).. well i needed a car.

I had a buddy that bought a caddy diesel for 4k.. total rip off and he also has a brand new TDI (plus hes waiting for the touareg ) so i looked for a caddy.. no luck, mostly all gassers or located on the west coast. So i searched for a mercedes benz diesel on craigs list and auto trader within 100 miles.. one hit came up on this 300D for 2500$ in the tampa area.. i asked my mom if we could go look at it and i ended up buying it. She was a slow girl when we drove her home(blocked alda etc etc).. I found mshop and fixed it all up

less than 1k invested in her and shes running better than ever. ill probably drive her through college and maybe past that and ultimatly afford to have the classic center restore her or someone else.ill probably keep with diesels for a long long time. if i can get it in diesel ill get it