Winter diesel daily driver dilema - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

WINGAS · #16 10-29-2007, 09:51 AM

Put synthetic oil in the 96. some Howes ( or your preference) anti-gel in the tank, and RUN it. I'm going to run my 95 through a Buffalo winter. ( I have an old tahoe for the 2' snow though).

So far, the 95 likes the cold air! ( like 29 this am, on B50! )

The older car wont be as winter friendly, imho. And , of course, is more of a "classic".

P.E.Haiges · #17 10-29-2007, 10:54 AM

Ken300D.

I'd agree with the Pick up truck idea except that PU trucke use too much fuel, even the diesels. I know I have one, but I only use to haul a load when I have to.

P E H

vstech · #18 10-29-2007, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.E.Haiges

Gasoline does not gel and gasoline engines are easier to start when cold.

P E H

don't believe this, I lived in South Dakota... BRRRR. -90F... NOTHING will start gasoline turns into slush. you have to have TWO block heaters, and a fuel tank heater to start a car in this weather... a battery plate heater is usually required if it's too far away from the block to get some heat. my old massey furguson tractor was the only thing that would start in weather this cold. it had that tight perkins 4cyl 60HP motor with the fuel tank right on top of the block, and a large block heater, never had a problem starting that thing in cold SD winters... you know winters where the snow is frozen solid... NOTHING packs. snow falls like flour dust. anybody can walk on water in SD winters...

landev · #19 10-29-2007, 11:22 AM

Hmmm... quite a few opinions here... thank you! I should add a few tidbits of info that I should have put in the original post, but it was turning into a book!

The '96 was bought to replace a '93 Nissan Sentra. I really loved the Sentra, as it always started, handled extreamly well on snow and ice, and got 40 miles/gallon. As I stated in the original post, the reason for dumping the Sentra was one of safety. I chose the MB for its safety record and the diesel for its reliability reputation and economy (I'm getting 35-38 mpg in the '96.) I'm also of the opinion that one should have cars to drive, not to just polish up and leave sitting about (which is the case with our '02 Avalon.) The Avalon is my wife's "baby" so driving that isn't an option in the winter. So, currently we have 4 vehicles in beautiful shape (2 MBs, 1 Toy, and an F150)... I don't have the $ nor the storage facilities for yet another vehicle, so I either have to drive one of the MBs or sell a vehicle. So... the Avalon is out of bounds, the F150 is something I use in my private business (and a gas hog!) so selling that isn't an option... back to the quandary... I'm leaning towards the '96 at this point.

When I put an ad on Craig's list for "an older 300D in good running condition" I really didn't expect to end up with an '84 in such excellent condition!
-l-

vstech · #20 10-29-2007, 12:05 PM

ok, now your options are a bit better than before... Sell the 84 now for big bucks and get a beater 123 to drive and preserve the 96, or preserve the 84 and drive and clean the 96.
your call. what did you pay for the 84?
if it is really clean, you should be able to sell it for 8 to 12K on ebay. if it's showing age, you might still get nearly 6K for it. and you should be able to find a decent high milage 123 for less than 2K. then you would have some cash, a decent daily driver 123, and a classy 2.5T 96... sounds like a weener to me!

Ken300D · #21 10-29-2007, 12:25 PM

A lot of the cost efficiency of diesel over gasolene tends to melt away in the winter time due to the way the American market handles home heating oil, diesel fuel, and gasolene refining vs. the demand for each type.

So, driving a 28 mpg diesel becomes almost the same as a 20 mph gasolene vehicle during the winter months.

In the context of 4x4 truck to drive, I meant a small truck or SUV. Even one of the older Honda CRVs, etc. Something like that can do 20 mpg up.

Ken300D

landev · #22 10-29-2007, 01:10 PM

The purchase of the 84 was very odd to put it mildly... I put an ad in craigslist in Spokane, WA. I got a phone call from a lady in southern CA a couple of days later saying she had the 84... was her 94 yr. old aunts who had died a couple years earlier. The car had spent most of its life in a garage on a military base is S. Cal. The lady inherited it with 47K miles on it and decided she wanted to make a greasecar out of it. She spent $3200 (have the receipts) on having the greasecar kit installed, put on 4 new Michelins on it, then let it sit for a year. I learned later from her son that the greasecar kit malfunctioned and the car didn't run well. They took the car to a mechanic in S.Cal and had the greasecar kit bypassed and put new fuel filters on it. They then sent their son to Northern Idaho to deliver the car to us and he flew home. Seems like they got a free car, spent $4K+ on it, then spent 2 days driving it here and paid for a ticket back to CA. Our cost was $5K for the car delivered. As I see it, they basically gave the car away.

I pulled off all the greasecar stuff and sold it on craigslist for $750, so the total cost of the car was $4250. I have, since then put in a new glowplug relay and new filters all the way around, but mostly it just needed to be cleaned and some TLC. It now runs perfectly (needs new shocks though), the inside is perfect and the paint is glossy.

Odd eh?

Now, as far as driving a 4X4 PU to work... I did that for several years. I drove a 83 toyota 4x4, followed by a 91 toyota 2X4, a 96 toyota 2X4, then a 99 toyota 4x4, and finally the 93 Sentra. I have to say, the best vehicle by far for winter driving was the Sentra. Though I live in a very snowy region, I have only needed 4 wheel drive on, maybe 5 occasions in the past 15 years of my commute and all of these were in my driveway (1/10th mile long.) I am a firm believer that cars handle much better in slick conditions on the highway than their larger counterparts. I would be driving the Sentra still if my wife hadn't pushed the safety issue. I must admit, the Sentra would have folded like a beer can if someone would ever have crossed the centerline.

-l-

biobenz617 · #23 10-29-2007, 02:31 PM

If you have heated seats, drive the '96

Just make sure your front suspension spring perches don't start to corrode...I've read and seen personally as a common problem on the W210s.

Hit Man X · #24 10-29-2007, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

But how reliable. I've been wondering about doing that too.....but the costs could be huge.

There's nothing so expensive as a cheap MB.....

Now...an old granny buick is cheap to maintain and probably very reliable overall for that purpose.....I may look into it.

I see piles of 200K+ I6s around here. They all have the same issues if not tended to... mostly vac lines/injector seals/misc rubber. A weekend and $100 cures all ailments on those.

pawoSD · #25 10-29-2007, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hit Man X

I see piles of 200K+ I6s around here. They all have the same issues if not tended to... mostly vac lines/injector seals/misc rubber. A weekend and $100 cures all ailments on those.

You don't see piles of them in Michigan, I'm lucky to see a 300E once a week!

The salt takes cars and doesn't give them back.

I have a couple cars I am looking at....but I'll probably just end up using mine. Sadly.

Hatterasguy · #26 10-29-2007, 09:49 PM

Your 300D sounds like a very nice example, which are getting rare. I would limit its winter use as much as possible. Nice examples of W123's are hard to come by, please remember that and treat it accordingly.

Use the E300D, its more modern and God forbid you get into an accident safer. Not to mention replacable, W210's are a dime a dozen. The 606 will fire off like a gas engine if its in proper tune so starting is a non issue.

I'm going to get my 1995 Jetta running this weekend for winter work. However this year due to work I will need to use the SDL once in awhile. Hopefully not much.

babymog · #27 10-29-2007, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

don't believe this, I lived in South Dakota... BRRRR. -90F...

Holy crap John, -90? I've never heard of it getting that cold anywhere in the states.

You're right Paw, I saw a 123 on the road today, nice white one, see one about once a month or less. A few more 126s around, a 124 about two per month (but usually gas), ... the pre-124 iron didn't do too well in the salty wasteland and precious few were sold here in the first place. The only M-B I see in any quantity here are the MLs.

pawoSD · #28 10-29-2007, 09:53 PM

I have a bid in for a very very nice 300E on ebay....its in Illinois.....currently at $309

I know it will go for many times that, but its fun to bid.

It has 156,000 on it...and looks great. I fear if I did manage to get one, that I'd end up loving it, and want to sell mine!

We'll see I guess....

landev · #29 10-30-2007, 11:17 AM

Welp... looks like the 96 is the sacraficial lamb... just ordered a set of studded snow shoes for it ($602!!! ouch!) Kinda makes me cringe to do that to a car, but that's what they're for, right? Idaho just recently got into the use of ice melt (magnesium chloride) and it's sprayed on rather than dumped, so the exposure in not quite as violating as you folks get back east. All the same, I am going to do some creative bending of schedule 40 and attach some ag flood nozzles so that I can hose down the belly of the beast without too much trouble.

Quote:

The 606 will fire off like a gas engine if its in proper tune so starting is a non issue.

What constitutes "proper tuning"? One thing I dislike about the 96 is that it seems much more "black box-ish" will most access to adjustments seemingly squirreled away beneath plastic and such. I'm pretty much a "cookbook" mechanic... I can get the job done given full instructions. As this car has self adjusting valves and it seems to start without a hitch, what can I do to accomplish that "proper tune"?

One other question... what about additives. I was told by a MB maven that, due to the 606 having self adjusting valves, I should not use any additives as they would end up clogging my filters. Is that true? Also, I was under the impression that diesel sold here in the winter had antigel agents. Should one use additional antigels and, if so, at what temperature? I do recall getting my Polaris diesel stuck in snow up on the mountain one night and had to leave it 'til morning. I recall looking in the tank before starting the next morning and the fuel looked rather gelled, but the machine still started. I'm guessing some gelling is OK as long as you can get some flow, eh?

-l-

Hatterasguy · #30 10-30-2007, 01:52 PM

On a 606?

Synthetic oil, which you should be running anyway.
Good battery.
Power Service or something similer to prevent gelling.
Make sure your clear fuel lines are not leaking.
Good fuel filters
No codes

Thats proper tune.

You can run any fuel additive you want in a 606 that you would run in any other diesel engine.