Mav:

Remember that crankcase ventilation, the EGR, and the catalyst are emisions control devices -- if you get stopped for an emissions test (more and more likely these days) tampering will result in a BIG fine, and in some states impoundment of car until the emission devices are re-installed -- the catalyst is several thousand dollars, I think. Not free, at any rate. You will also make MUCH more smoke with it removed -- it is there to significantly reduce particulate emissions (smoke!) and doesn't significantly reduce performance.

Blowby stinks to high heaven, will coat your windshield with oil, will cause oil drips under the car, and having a draft tube has been illegal since about 1965. Replace the valve guide seals and switch to synthetic oil, should reduce the coking in the mainfold considerably.

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

In response to psfred - You know emissions laws are kinda strange. It is illegal for cars to have a blowby pipe but brand new diesel 18 wheeler trucks have them. I mean 2002 models. How many big rigs are on the road?

edit - What I mean is blowby pipes routed to the atmosphere.

__________________
1995 S-350
370K + SOLD
1952 220B Cabriolet
39K kilometers + SOLD
1998 E300D
310K +
2012 E350 BlueTec
120K

This brings up an important question. What is the redline on the '91 350SDL? There is no red zone and the tach goes to 6K. My guess would be somewhere around 4.5-5k.

Two other questions: Where is the best place to buy periodic maintenance items such as quality filters, etc.? The local NAPA's only carry a few products and the MB dealer is not convenient and expensive. Also, can you recommend a quality shop manual for under $100?

Mav

Mav:

Try FastLane here for filters, etc. I don't trust most aftermarkets to work properly (the Fram filter for my Volvo TD is about 30% smaller than the Volvo one, for instance).

I have no idea what the redline is -- upwards of 5500, I would think. 5300 on the Volvo TD, 5000 or so on the 617 motors. I've not really looked on the speedo, sometimes it is marked there with a large red spot like it is on the 220D. My 300D is turning about 2200 rpm at 60 mph, so 130 mph top end isn't too extreme a notion. Hell of a lot faster that I intend to go!

And as far as I know, any diesel engine manufactured since 1972 or 1975 has crankcase vapors routed to the intake. External venting would be illegal user modification. They ALL have a blowby tube, but it goes to the oil trap and then to the intake or air cleaner.

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Definitely don't like oil on my garage floor or oil from a big truck on my windshield either. In fact I get pretty pissed when I see drivers throw their cigarette butts out their car window or vehicles belching smoke. I am concerned though with this 350SDL motor needing an expensive overhaul before 250-300K miles and am looking for any reasonable way to keep it on the road.

Mav

Mav:

Longevity is inversely proportional to abuse -- if you want it to last, change the oil frequently, don't redline it (ever), don't jackrabbit at stoplights, and don't race it. Full throttle acceleration will beat this one to death (any motor with 150,000, for that matter). Drive gently and it should go the usual 300,000. Drive really hard and it will spit the bits soon! German drivers run the hell out of their cars (have you ever driven on the Autobahn? Quite an experience, believe me!), but normally rebuild the engine with monotonous regularity -- the reason MB uses liners rather than just boring the block, for instance, and why there are bearing for THREE grinds on the crank.....!

Not a big deal to rebuilt the 603, but $$$$ -- piston set is at least $2550, and rebuild "book time" is 50 hours!

If you don't vent the blowby into the intake, YOUR blowby will be on YOUR windshield -- it will billow out from under the hood at stoplights like my 220D does!

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

I've been doing everything you mentioned not to do to my 300SDL.. jackrabbit stops, racing, shifting at 4500rpm, full throttle everything.. not so much as a peep in almost 30K miles. Dont use any oil and no signs of slowing down with 248K on her. I maintain it to a tee (oil every 2.5K to 3K and tranny every 20K).. we'll see how it goes!

turbodiesel,

Abuse, in terms of how the engine is operated, should be defined relative to the engine design margins for what you can "ask" it to do using the controls the car has for you to manipulate (gas pedal, transmission shift lever, brakes). With the engine in your car, there is a long history suggesting what you can do to it in its stock configuration, provided it is maintained, does not constitute abuse. The 350SD/SDL Turbodiesel engine, however, is another story. Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

turbo:

I drive my 220D with my foot to the floor all the time -- I still nearly get run over!

The difference between the 220D and the 350SDL is about 110 horsepower and 150 ft/lbs torque -- I seriously doubt running the 220D at full throttle under load for weeks at a time would hurt it, it doesn't make enough horsepower to wear anything out. The 350 SDL is a "known defective" design -- somebody goofed the stress analysis, and it can break to bits in "normal" driving, let along full power output.

If it were mine, I'd reduce the boost pressure somewhat ( to about 10 psi) and avoid full throttle max rpm upshifts -- these things have a nasty tendency to shove a rod out the side of the block. Replacement engine is $7000 (aftermarket rebuild) IF you have a usuable core, $9000 without (and a rod through the side isn't rebuildable!).

617 engines can be "abused" by heavy use forever -- they will give you ample warning of impending failure. The 603 (especially the 350) just bends the rods and starts to clank a few hundred miles later, at which point it is mostly junk.

I don't think there is another MB engine like this one, cracked heads in the 1960s aside -- they have a well deserved reputation for near indestructability, helped along by the fact that it is somewhat difficult to damage the block enough to have to trash it -- my brother blew a crank (very rare, and due to oil supply blockage in this case) and didn't damage the block -- the bearing spinning in the block, welded to the crank wrecked it, but that was the cause of the crank failure, not a result. Normally, one can completely rebuild a 617 three or four times without replacing more than pistons and sleeves -- there are at least two grind sizes on the crank, two repair oversizes on pistons, etc.

The 603 is very high on horsepower output, also torque, and normally runs at 13.8 psi boost -- pretty far out for a diesel. Too bad somebody didn't stress the rods properly.....!

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Are you talking about just the 3.5L 603 spitting out rods or does this apply to the 3.0L too?

Mostly the 350. Bent rods followed by ovalized cylinders is the usual failure, but the rods will break, too, if they bend while under full power.

I've heard rumors about the 3.0L, but it is the same as the 601/602 in every detail except # of cylinders, and the others are fine. I suspect the 350 was one little step too far.....!

My 603 has a running problem I think is related to fuel delivery -- #4 knocks REALLY hard at idle, and doesn't seem to make much power -- hard shake, etc. Nozzle is fine, compression low but within spec, nozzle carbons badly. I think someone fixed an external fuel leak on the IP and didn't get the pressure valve holder sealed properly, so injection is late and weak until the rpms go up. Doesn't use any oil (or "makes" it at exactly the same rate it uses it -- shudder!!), gets nice milage, etc. Turbo seems kinda weak, but that would be true if injection was weird. I'm going to replace the pressure valve holder seals this weekend.

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Mav.

Just received two filters from fastlane today.
I didn't know the difference so i ordered 1 bosch and 1 hengst.
the bosch was made in INDIA and the hengst was made in germany. i guess i won't be ordering any more bosch.
ps there was only about .30 difference in price. try fastlane the parts all seem reasonable and i received my parts in two days

__________________
Ricali

03 C240 4matic wagon
95 300E 234,000
7 prior 240;s 5 still going
81 300sd gone
65 230sl gone
49 Studebaker Champion
90BMW convert.167,000
60 Dodge D-100

Redline on my car is about 4600....although my car is a 1992, I think the engine is almost identical to the earlier 126 350SD/SDL

those engine prices psfrd stated above are the cheapest I have seen...about 1500-1800 below dealer prices

this engine seems to boggle everyone...I have seen cars with over 200K with no engine problems and some people didn't seem to have made it to 50K miles...when I was going through the engine replacement drill I had a heated conversation with the MB zone rep who said the issues with this engine were a combination of owner maintenance and present day fuel quality...he said people drive these cars like they are indestrutible and they are not.....and that the only reason that they b%$ch so much about the 350(any 140 car actually) is that it cost so much more to work on than the older cars....
but it seems that MB will do goodwill on this engine if has mileage of no more than 75K or so...regardless of age


Warren
1992 300SD 127K
Columbus Ohio

Warren:

Aftermarket rebuilder price -- my local indy mechanic looked up replacement cost for the previous owner of my 300DT. Price is for engine alone, installation extra......

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

psfred

Peter - Are you a mechanic or service advisor? Do you think that the crud that the 350 eats can cause its problems? Usually happens on the front side of the engine where most of the soot and gunk goes. I try to open mine up at least once a month to blow everything out. Only problem I have now after the turbo rebuild is what I think is excessive blowby and oil consumption of about 1 quart every 1200-1500 miles(which I think most of it is going out the blowby pipe. Oil consumption before turbo rebuild was 1 quart every 750 miles. Would a compression test tell anything about egg shaped cylinders. I noticed you said something earlier about valve guide seals for blowby. ??

__________________
1995 S-350
370K + SOLD
1952 220B Cabriolet
39K kilometers + SOLD
1998 E300D
310K +
2012 E350 BlueTec
120K