What should 240D auto 0-60 time be?
 

I am going to look at (and buy, if it seems ok) a 240D automatic tomorrow. I've got a list of things to check but I searched and didn't find a specific answer to what the 0-60 time should be. This is a 1982 model.

If you're interested in the 0-60 time of the 240D..........you shouldn't be purchasing it.

The best answer is: Less than 1 minute.

I seem to recall a 0 - 60 time of around 18 seconds reported for the 240D. Don't recall if that one was a stick or automatic. Alot also depends on engine temperature, and the condition and shift characteristics of the particular automatic tranny. IMHO, my '82 240D, with automatic, shifts and performs better after warm-up, and accelerates better than most automatic 240Ds I've tested. (The seller of my 240D DID claim to have had the tranny rebuilt)
I've driven one automatic 240D that accelerated significantly better than mine, and a couple that were much worse.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Better take an egg timer..... :D

And what on earth are you going to do with the answer??? ;)
Driving a 240D ain't about 0-60.........:idea3:

It should get to 60 by the day after tomorrow if you really push it. :D

Only time mine feels painfully slow is when the engine's cold, or I'm trying to accelerate uphill. On level pavement I can live with the low power. Besides, if I really need to go fast, I'll drive my Altima.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Manual tranny- 18 seconds.
Automatic tranny- 21 seconds.

Take a sun sundial your timing it.:D

Or use the offical MB timing device:
http://www.theclockdepot.com/clock/images/pi_16431.jpeg

That actually sounds just about right, although I don't think I've every done a flat-out 0-60 run in my 240D, what's the point?

Please :
 

Don't be upset nor put off by these responses , they're all accurate ~ if you're not going to be pleased by the beat up Toyletta Corolla passing you at the red light , DO NOT buy this car ! .

I have a cherry '82 240D with automatic and it steps right out ~for a Diesel .

Much more important is : does it pass the oil cap test ? this is where you start the engine and loosen but DO NOT remove the oil filler cap and see if the blowby knocks it off the engine ~ it can dance , that's O.K. but if it clatters to the ground , the car isn't worth more than $500.00 no matter how clean it is , unless you like adding oil every single day .

True. Mine's a stick and 18 seconds sounds right or maybe even a little fast. It did take a little getting used to being WOT accelerating from a light and still getting passed like I was on a bicycle, but I got over it. The only time the lack of power bothers me is on long steep hills. The standard grade here is about 6%, and I'm down to about 46 climbing them in third gear. One time on the way back from LA, I was on a steep grade at about 7000 feet and I got passed by an International Eagle pulling a 53' trailer.

From a stop it took me over 20 seconds to get my 240D with 4sp to 60...oh wait, I was towing it with my wife's Caprice wagon. :D

One our guys made this story about 240D acceleration.



A 240D story


I took a ride in my venerable old '83 Mercedes 240D last night. 2.4 liters of raw power, 4 cylinders of asphalt-tearing terror with 67 rompin stompin horse power at my beck and call. It's stock, all right, nothing done to it, but it pushes the 3200 pounds of German engineering around with AUTHORITY. I'm always catching mopeds and 18-wheelers by surprise...
I was headed back from Baskin Robbins with my manly triple-latte cappuccino blast ("No Cinnamon, ma'am, I take it BLACK"), when I stopped at a streetlight. As the "D" rattled its throaty idle around me, I sipped my bold beverage and wiped the white froth my stiff upper lip. I was minding my own business, but then I heard a rev from the next lane.
I turned, made eye contact, then let my eyes trace over the competition. Geo Metro -- a late model, could be trouble. Low profile tires, curb feelers, and schoolbus-yellow paint. Yep, a hot rod, for sure.
The howl of his motor snapped my reverie, and I looked back into the driver's eyes, nodded, then blipped my own throttle (Rattle Rattle!!). As I tugged on my driving gloves and slipped on my sunglasses (gotta look cool to be fast, and I am *damn* cool, hence...), the night was split with the sound of seven screaming cylinders...
Then the light turned... I almost had him out of the hole, my four pounding cylinders thrusting me at least a millimeter back into my seat, as smoke pouring from exhaust pipe... I'd let it sit and idle too long! I saw in the corner of my eyes, a yellow snout gaining, and I heard the roar of his three cylinders. He slung by me, right front wheel juddering against the pavement, and he flashed me a smile as his gasoline powered 1.1 liters of motor stretched its legs. I turned off my AC to gain 10% more power and kept my foot gamely in it. Then I saw a glimpse of chrome under his bumper, and knew the ugly truth...
He was running a custom exhaust -- probably a 1.5-into-1 dual exhaust... maybe even cutouts! Damn his hotrod soul! The old lady passing us on the crosswalk cast a dirty look in our boy-racer direction... Yet still I persisted, with my four pumping pistons singing a steady, deep, diesel song, wound fully out. Though only a few handfuls of seconds had passed, we were nearing the crosswalk at the other side of the intersection, and I heard the note of his engine change as he made his shift to second, and I saw his grin in his rearview mirror fade as he missed the shift! I rocketed by! Not ready to give up so easily, he left his foot in it, revving, and I heard one wheel *almost* chirp as he finally found second and dropped the clutch. We careened over the crosswalk, now going at least 15 miles per hour. A bicyclist passed us, but intent on the race as we were, neither of us batted an eye.
I was waiting for the first dot on the speedometer to tell me to shift (no tachometer here!). Shifting, I nursed the clutch gently to keep from bogging, keeping my motor spinning hot and pulling me ahead, now trailing a cloud of stinking clutch smoke, no that's diesel exhaust again...
He pulled slowly abreast of me, and neck and neck, I shifted into third at 38 MPH - a little early, but better safe than sorry. The scream of motors deafening all pedestrians within a five foot circle. He nosed ahead as we passed 42 miles an hour, then eased in front of me, taunting, as he shifted into fourth. I decided to keep my car in third, counting on the ability to pump out the power at higher speeds and lower gears. I was staring up the dual 6" chrome tips of his exhaust, snarling, my cappuccino forgotten, as he lifted a little to take the next corner.
I saw my opportunity, and counting on the innate agility of my trusty steed, I pulled wide into the number two lane and kept my foot buried in carpet. Slowly, I inched around him, feeling my German Diesel roll slowly to the left as I came abreast in the midst of this gradual sweeping turn. I felt the front start to push a little, so I added more power only to realize that was all I had! But, I saw the right rear wheel lift on the Metro and realized he had reached his limit! Slowly I gained on him through the outside of the turn passing him with ease!!!
The Metro driver beat his wheel in rage as my car eased past him on the outside, my P175/R14's screaming in protest, as we raced to the next light. We coasted down, neck-and neck, to the red light. I tightened my driving gloves, ready for another round, when this WIMP in the next car meekly flipped his turn signal and made a right. MB superiority reigns!!!
I drove off sipping my masculine drink, awash in my sheer virility, looking for other unwitting targets.... Perhaps a Yugo, or maybe even a Volkswagen Van! ...Courtesy of Mark Shilling.



So true

Dave

Its about the ride, if you want to go fast get a Mercedes with AMG in the name.:D

AMG's whole fleet will land you in jail at 1/4 throttle.:D

Yup, get an AMG 240D.

My Altima is faster and quieter, but my 240D DOES ride better!

Happy Motoring, Mark

Did AMG (or anybody else) actually have the balls to issue 'sports' version 240D??

It will do 75-80mph anyhow, though 20 sec 0-60 is probly optimistic. Nevermind it's the least contrived and most basic Benz you can own. We never hear of 240D tuneup problems here. And none of the 240D people complain about crummy fuel mileage or performance issues. They tend to be very quiet and humble far as Mercedes owners go.

Owning one will not only effect your driving habits but change yer entire outlook on the world. MB 240D is the "buddhist monk" of automobiles that reveals whole new meaning to driving that invites patience, tolerance and forgiveness.

Global cults have formed around the 240D. India quickly snatched the 616 4cyl diesel engine blueprints when the model was replaced circa 1985. In another 15-20 yrs the only MB owners admired for ultimate coolness among their cronies will be former 240D owners. I think its the Benz that everybody oughta own at least once in their life.

The C30 CDI AMG was the first, and only, AMG diesel.

Put some Yokohama Avid or C drive and it will outhandle your Altima by miles as well. :)

Well, I'm satisfied my 240D's ride and handling, and it's more manuverable than my FWD Altima, so I don't think I'll be shopping for Yokahamas anytime soon.
Besides, the PO was nice enough to put four brand new Michelin Xs on the car, not long before before I gave her $225 for it.
Of course I did have to replace the cracked rear trailing arm, and repair the rusty floors. So I figure I paid for the tires, but the car was free.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Actually, the answer is in the question.....0-60 sec....:rolleyes:

Thank you. I am interested in acceleration time as a a factor in determining the health of the engine. How long it takes is irrelevant, except in comparison to how long it SHOULD take. I will definitely be doing the blowby test. Will also assume there's some issue if it can't hit 60 in 25 seconds. The owner claims that it's very well maintained and says he has a sheaf of documentation to prove it but you can maintain a car well and still decide just to sell it when it hits 300k and needs an overhaul. He says he plugs it in when it gets below freezing, but he's also never upgraded the glow plugs.

If it's a sound engine and the acceleration proves a problem in my driving, I'll just add a hood scoop, trunk wing, 4" chrome exhaust tip and "Type R" sticker and I'm sure that will take care of it. And yes, I did see the "pimp my ride" episode with the pink SD.

Good C30AMG commercial.:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pL-LiSNTzY&feature=related

and he means it....
 

Hey Craig, you mean if you get out and literally "Push IT", right? :D

If its a later model 240D than a 1980 they are "upgreaded" with the new style GPs.

A rust free, well kept car is the most important thing. The engine can be fixed or the auto tranny swapped for a manual for the price of a parts car.

We understood what you were getting at. It is just a flawed way to determine engine health....


Only fellow 240D owners will understand the accuracy of this statement. I like that! :)

BTW, without totally dogging it the Squash did 0-60 in about 24 seconds......
They get the first 50mph pretty quickly, but that last 10mph takes awhile. :o

I hear that! :beerchug:

I used to have a diesel Vanagon. 48 horsepower. EVERY 0 to 60 run was a flat out 0 to 60 run, at least if I didn't want to be mowed down while merging onto the freeway. ;)

I used to joke it didn't need a tach because I just floored it until it hit the governor limit, then upshifted...it had a four speed with huge gaps between the ratios, so a shift at anything short of redline tended to drop it out of the power band.

Amusing posts and philosophical driving paradigms aside, my '74 auto will do 0-70, as indicated on the nearly 40 year speedo, in 30 seconds. If I take control of the shifter and upshift manually, it drops to 25ish. I figure it reads faster that I'm actually going, hence the 0-70 checks.

That being said, I almost always keep my tank full and it has 40-50 pounds of fluids, tools, and the usual Mercedes flotsam rolling around in the trunk.

..if petulant,terminally in a hurry,zero attention span led foots get on my butt..I ignore them as I should..and flipping up the rear view really gets them happy..I drive an auto 240 for mileage comfort and safety..my 528e stick is also too slow for most chumps..and I don't know about you..but I don't tolerate or pay attention to chumps..there's a lost art in society today called common courtesy..and I demand it from everybody..I stay to the right when necessary and understand my car is slow..I'm not an idiot about it..but someone in a hurry to get nowhere faster is not my problem...and most of them today can't drive without their pacifier in their hand..another reason to drive a Mercedes..when they ram me..their car is totaled and I drive away...

If you are familiar with Citroens, you know of their 425cc two cylinder called the 2CV. AKA the Duck in German.


Two things you always want for this car:


1. The bumper sticker that says: " This car will do 0-60 KM (37.5 mph) in 47,5 seconds"


AND


2. A speeding ticket. Most people never pay it, they just frame it and wait for the letter about the fine.

One guy took it to court and asked if he could keep the ticket. The judge asked for an explanation, the guy showed the judge a pic of the car, the judge dismissed the fine but required the driver to give him a ride.

Your speedo reads in Kilometers...

:D

The Burning Question
 

"What should 240D auto 0-60 time be? "

In truth it's eventually if you flog it you'll just beat the engine to death with late up shifts .

Time to buy another Diesel Mercedes....

I have three now, one '82 240D I love and just spent three weeks in Sept./Aug. tooling around the Navajo Nation including some grades steeper than I've ever encountered anywhere, the poor car was in first gear chugging along @ 4 or 5 MPH, I think due to only 200# compression in # 1 cylinder .

Anyways, I love my turbo 300D's too but my NA 300CD's were O.K. ~ if you're into stoplight racing, a 240D IS NOT THE CAR FOR YOU :P .

To address the initial question:

Got a calendar?

Dan

Having owned an 240d with auto. I can confidently say i will never own another one. 4 speed is a bit more manageable but a 300d turbo blows both away. The 240d auto is the only car i've owned where you really need to manage your speed, think twice about changing lanes and learn to fear hills.

Something to consider is they almost always have the 300d wheel and tire size.. p195.. Originally they call for p175.. larger wheel/tire combo make them look slower on the speedo (going 70 will actually show as 65 on the speedo with the larger tires)

I love my 240d's though.. my little cousin just got my 83' he REALLY wanted it. it is a slick looking car and I put keyless entry on it.. something about the w123 chassis the steering is tight and firm on the highway.. and i would get 27-30MPG in that 240d.. even with 300k original engine.

I don't mind getting on the freeway it's not bad at all when the engine is operating temp a cold engine however takes forever to get to 60! There's a very large hill going eastbound 80 from where i live and to get up that sucker you want to get the 240 up to about 75 before you hit it and if you're doing 60 by the time you get to the top you done good! hit it going 60 and you're doing 45 by the top hahaha

attached is my (recently sold to little cousin) 240d 300k original engine beauty

Attachment 140865

It just made it to 301k a day or two before he got it...I have no trouble pushing her up to 75 (correct tire size p175 so correct speedo reading) Attachment 140866

As Always.......
 

...The Devil is in the details ! .

I made a point of putting the correct 175 size radials on my '82 240D because I learned long ago on the 1960's that tire size is critical when dealing with small engines .

I love my pokey old 240D Slushbox, if I had to choose only one M-B Diesel to keep, it'd probably be the 240D Sedan .

I can always ride my Moto if I need to go fast .

Uphill slow .

Downhill FAST ! .

Mileage First, safety last ! :D .

Hahahaha love it... coincidentally going down that hill on 80 is probably the only time I could hit 85-90 with ease in the 240d! :D

I mention the tire size because prior to this 240d I've had 2 others, both with the 300d wheels and tire size! figured that could be what makes the 240s seem slow on the highway. I've always like the rear diff ratio on the 240.. they are so peppy around town, I usually pass people, even in the 240d! My 95 e300d with om606 feels like a rocket ship after driving the 240 for a while hahaha

240D Top Speed
 

FWIW, I don't often exceed 60 / 65 MPH in it as I never like to over speed any engine .

A few times I put on the Garmin and had at it, way out in the Desert where it was flat and windless .

83 MPH is the absolute fastest this '82 240D Auto will go ~ I'd never try that going down hill .

When fully loaded with five adults and their luggage it eventually reaches 60 and I just cruise it there across the Desert or down to San Diego, R-12 charged AC cranked up to 'icebox' and smile at all the newer cars broken down along the side of the road....

"Fear hills".

Quote of the day!

Ya know the blow by cap thing is kinda crap from what I understand, more comp would also create more blow by, mine will take the cap off sometimes, doesn't burn any oil at all I'm 3,000 in and has not budged on the dip stick