Blew up engine! Need help/advice please.
 

:( My car is an 1984 240D with 198,000 miles on it. Over the past month it's been running a little noisy but I wasnt too worried because thats kind of the nature of these cars. So my wife and I are driving down the highway last night and it felt like we ran over something but we didnt. The engine died and wont start and there is oil splattered in the engine bay.....ughhh.
I think its probably the timing chain, does anyone have any ideas? Heres my other questions, anyone have a motor for sale? and do I have to put another 4 banger in there or can I upgrade to a big dog motor with maybe even a turbo? Thanks for all of your help and a I'm located in Southern Illinois..

Josh

There is no way to answer this question over the internet. The only way to determine what is wrong is exploratory surgery.

look under the injection pump for a hole in the lower block. sounds like you've thrown a rod, its rare but it happens.

Yes you can upgrade to the 5cyl/turbo motor. Its reccommended you have the entire donor car available to draw parts from during your swap so you don't forget anything.

I'll check that out when I get her towed home, it just really surprises me since these cars have such a great reputation and I was still under 200,000 miles.

josh

Sorry to hear about your car's demise. If you upgrade, make sure that you upgrade the front springs too as the 5cyl diesel is a bit heavier then the 4 cyl.

...but, it doesn't exempt them from using common sense and performing regular maintenance.

I'm sorry but I think a timing chain could break on anyone, and yes I performed all of the regular maintenance. Whatever the case, I have a dead car and I'm just looking for a little help from my fellow Benz owners.

I'm sure the "C S PRM " comment was not really directed AT you, as much as a general comment for the durability of these fine autos.
let us know what it was, when the autopsy is complete!
John

sorry about the car
 

I think RLeo was just saying that strange noises (or vibrations) can be signs of a problem, which overlooked, can be disasterous.

I know my 84 has been pretty good giving me hints: vibration coming up through the shifter was a failing flex disk, popping sound when turning was a bad tie rod, etc.

Sometimes a car doesn't tell you anything and a piece fails.

I hope it's not terminal - good luck and let us know what you find.

A failed oil cooler line could easily be the source of the oil. If the oil cooler line failed, it would quickly cause the engine to seize as the oil was pumped out. What was the oil pressure when this occurred? Does the engine turn at all? Are the oil cooler lines intact? Where in the engine compartment is the oil spattered?

Sorry to hear your old girl died! If you decide not to fool with a transplant/repair, let me know. I may have some interest in your car as a project (and am also in IL).

IIRC, the 240 does not have an oil cooler. I think they have an oil pressure guage, though, but I do not have a 240. That line could have cracked/snapped also.

Rods
 

Though they are quite durable, the car's maintenance history does have an effect, whether it be yours or a PO's before you ever saw the car. Also, from what I have gathered around the forum, (and from the first 240 I got) the #1 rod on the 616 seems prone to tossing, for as yet inexplicable reasons. My 80 was received by me with such issues, and my 82 has an odd noise when running, vin search says its the orig. engine, odo says over 300K (and PO says odo quit some time ago) so that engine will be thoroughly gone through before getting stuffed into my fintail. (the 82 is getting an upgrade).

If it has AC, it should have an oil cooler.

Not if it's a manual tranny.

- Peter.

Shop manual(published 1982) states that up until June 1978 all 240d 616 got an oil cooler. After July 1978 it was only put on vehicles with AC.

It doesn't say anything about a correlation with manual or auto transmissions.

240Ds W/oil coolers
 

Both my '79 keeper and '80 engine donor are 240Ds, have 4 speed man. trannys, had A/Cs and have oil coolers.

Sedecrem

Thanks for all the help and input guys!
we got it off the highway and trailered it home. I'll get a better look at it tomorrow but I did check the chain and it wasnt the chain.
The oil splatters are on the filter side of the engine. It didnt want to turn over last night but I tried it today and it would turn but it made a bad sound while it was turning. I looked under the car where it sat last night and it had a very small puddle of oil. I'll keep you posted on other findings.
The good news is that I already found a running 240D parts car that I can pulll the motor out of.

josh

also, I think the oil pressure was peaked out like usual but I'm not sure where it was exactly. it all happened really fast.

I know what you mean about the engine noise. My first, and my ears arent tuned to the noise yet. Hope I hear a fine tuned one in about a week!

Ffirst thing I did afer I got it home ( 400+ mi.trip) is drop the oil and pop the filter . I then cut the filter apart with tin ships and looked for metal fragments inside. I do that on my "high maintenance" 427, and it saved me from grenading the motor a few years back. ( would have been "spectacular" according to the machnist ). Put the same Rotella(Delo orPenz)/EOS mix in the Mercedes as has kept the 7200 rpm rat "metal flake" free for two years.

Oil filter will show a ton of evidence.

Only metal I found was a piece of a wrapper. Chinese writing. ??? Good thing, I guess.

And cool that you have a replacement lined up. Curious to see what the cause of death was. And then start unbolting stuff!

Are these engines expensive to rebuild or is it straightforward and simlarly priced to any diesel I wonder.

i have a 1981 240d manual 4speed it has a oilcooler.

My October '78 240D with manual transmission and NO FACTORY AC had an oil cooler. May not have been the original engine though with 300K on the clock.

Rubbish. My car has the 240 springs and still sits too high in the front for my tastes.

Broken Cam Bearing mounts
 

Well thats the update, I tore into the motor today and all 3 of the mounts are broken. So here is my questions....Does anyone know what could have caused that? Can I just replace the camshaft bearing mounts and move on with my life? Do you think that it tore anything else up? The motor turns freely. Thanks for all your help.
__________________

That means the pistons hit the valves and pushed up on them hard enough to break the towers.

At the very least, I'd take off the head and check the valve faces to make sure none are bent.

Slack timing chain?

Slack timing chain, broken timing chain, failed chain tensioner, failed chain guide, loose valve lash adjuster(s), or over-revving the engine.

Yes yes. Sorry my mistake. Just spaced it. Mine also does indeed have an oil cooler.

- Peter.

I'll check into all of those things, I can safely say it wasnt over reving the engine. : )

Small block Chevys, fit rather nicely into those cars, and can be had, and converted a lot cheaper, than MBZ components...I did it to one of my 300CD's. Can you say "Sleeper"? :D

Its only Euros that DONT have oil coolers, and there is a plastic oil pressure gauge line from the oil filter housing to the gauge too check for the problem.

After looking at the top end I would pull off the lower pan, many times its #1 that goes, which you can see with the lower pan off. Good luck

it sounds like either a badly slipped timing chain or a broken timing chain which can happen if the vac pump breaks and pieces fall down and break the timing chain by getting between the chain and the sprocket.

my 82 300td did this.

it was making fa unny noise. i didn't ignore them but they were not there all the time and when i took it to a mechanic of course it sounded fine.

so the moral is never ignore a bad noise until you find out for sure what is making it.

oh yeah, they WILL run with a broken rod. but not for long.

i bought a 240 with a broken rod and put in a couple quarts of oil and drove it onto the trailer on three cylinders. kindof messy though. oil everywhere.

now a pushrod engine usually will take out the cam so they usually will not run after blowing a rod.

good luck.

glad you have found a good motor donor car.

they are out there if you look.

tom w

My vacuum pump did this also. Heard the weird noise and ran diesel purge. It did not help. Broke the timing chain a couple weeks later. I actually cracked the valve cover when mine broke. Could explain the oil all over the place. Definitely have your vacuum pump checked.
Bill
83 300TD

Tell us how you dealt with the oil pan/steering linkage interference.

The lower pan can be removed which gives access to #1

Could be lots of things -- broken timing chain, broken crank (my brother blew one in his 75 300D -- junk in the oil passages from a crap rebuild).

Only way to tell is pull it and take a look.

Replacement engines are readily available at fairly reasonable cost, as the body usualy goes before the drivetrain.

What kind of noise did it make before it blew? Clank, rattle, deep hammering noise on acceleration?

I'm in Evansville, IN.

Peter

"Fit's like a glove"
 

[quote=Whiskeydan;1466933]Tell us how you dealt with the oil pan/steering linkage interference.[/quote.]
I used a front sump oil pan, and pick-up. Set-up for a 63, Chevy Nova. It eliminated all interference, with cross member. For the headers, I used "Shorties", as they call them. The drivers side needed some slight "Modification" to the header pipe, around the steering box/shaft. I used a high torque mini-starter, to get it all cranked up. Came out nice, as if Mercedes, had built it themselves...