finally finished today. I am now under manual 4spd power. !st reaction is, its still no road racer but it is more up to a small gasser type performance. It is definitely more fun to drive than an auto. I did not get any added vibes all the way up to 80 which is all i can do here without going on the highway. I did notice a vibe when accellerating through a hard turn. I may have to look for a clearance issue on the crossmember. I plan to get a different one soon so I will check it then.

some observations for the next guy.

1. do a parts inventory and get everything you need before you start, if its a small inexpensive part get two. I was stopped for: flywheel bolts, pressure plate bolts, shifter linkage clips
2. the hydraulic line on the trans is no longer available. I took mine to the local hydraulic line maker and got an exact copy for $30. thats half what MB wanted if they had it
3. make sure you mark the flywheel before you remove it and make sure you get your flywheel balance checked. mine was not nuetral it was out by 17 grams.
4. get an auto 240d cross member so you dont have to make one. I made mine but I will get the 240D auto one soon and replace it
5. shift linkage is cut by 4 inches. If I did another i would cut the short one 3 3/4 because it needed a little more length. AT 4" cut it was still ok for mine but less engagement than the other two
6. sears has a $17 dollar set of 6 metric dies. I was skeptical of the quality so I bought 2 sets. these are actually pretty good quality. I ran the 10mmx1.5 die on the shift link for the additional 4 inches on all three with one die and it cut like a champ. Use plenty of oil, I had trans fluid next to me so I used that.
7. the driveshaft is spun weld construction so the driveshaft guys didnt like working on it.
8. the clips on the trans link are a bear to install. I found that if I jam the end of a sharp probe tool into the fold in the inside it opens the clip snap. the probe is about 8 inches long and easily reached up in between the trans and tunnel. then they slip right on the shift rod and then I could I pull the sharp probe out of the side locking it in place. without the tool, 45 mins of cursing. with the tool, about 1 minute each and success.
9. get all of the harnesses from the donor. follow the auto harness inside and to the upper driverside firewall and unplug. the new reverse switch harness plugs right in, no muss, no fuss
10. 240d manual speedo cable works with no alteration.

I will edit in more as I think of them.

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Its better to use the 300D cable. Longer length reduces the radius of the curves to reach the speedo and increases the cable's life.

there seems to be plenty of length in it if you keep it close to the firewall. I could not see how to use the 300d cable since the end of my the 300d cable was a tiny square and the manual cable was 5x bigger rectangle.

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

What's the point of marking the flywheel if it's going to be rebalanced?

Sixto
87 300D

not rebalanced, they need to check balance and mark the heavy spot. then you make the manual flywheel off by the same amount in the same place. you still have to put the manual one on the same orientation the auto one came off

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Ah, you transfer the AT flywheel 'balance' to the MT flywheel. Gotcha.

Sixto
87 300D

thanks, good tips, i got my 4speed setup out of the scrapyard recently from a wrecked low mileage 240. im not hoping my auto fails anytime soon, but now im prepared

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1996 E300 110,000
1985 300TD 212,000
1980 300D 238,000

My buddy was helping me take my flywheel, etc off from the auto. When we finally got the auto out, and finished cutting a bunch of bolts, I forgot to mark my flywheel. I need to take a look at it and try to match it up, but I have a feeling It's going to be a little less than fun trying to get it installed properly when I get the manual in.

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My Primary Driver - '85 300CD - 4-speed conversion, 2.47 rear, lowered, euro headlights, rebuilding (not restoring so much)

Wife's - '08 Saab Sportcombi Aero

Riding a '03 Yamaha Warrior

look very carefully, there should be a factory mark. I used a punch to mark mine because Im half blind, but there should also be a factory mark.

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

what did the driveline shop charge you? I found one, Power Train Industries in Garden Grove, Ca www.driveshaft.com
They will replace the U-Joint and restake it. they are a little pricy $409.50.

what was the price to do the balance on the fly wheel?

I have 2 trans and all the other stuff for a switch over when the auto goes south.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I got bargain basement work done. the flywheels were 20 each. I asked them to measure the imbalance in the auto then make the manual match. they misunderstood and zero balanced both. I just marked the zero balance manual the same as the flywheel then drilled out the manual to with the same size holes on the opposite side of the auto where they balanced it. basically they balanced it with 2 1/2 diameter x 3/8 deep holes so I just drilled the opposite side on teh manual to match it.

the driveshaft was another fiasco. I took the picture showing the 240d and the coupe drive shafts with the measurements from the old post. the guy misunderstood and made the 240d shaft the same as the coupe shaft. I told him it was wrong. he had another shaft upsatairs. he charged me fro teh shaft but not the work the second time. total $90. no mistake would have been $60.

my shaft had a notchy feel to the u-joint. he tapped it a couple times sideways and freed it up, said it is common for the mercedes shafts and it will last a long time now

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)