W124 200D INFO/ADVICE NEEDED - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

timmyr · #1 11-08-2011, 04:54 PM

hello to all,

i have created this thread for a friend of mine, who is thinking about buying a 1985 EUROSPEC W124 200D (4speed Manual trans.). We plan on going to take a look at the car tomorrow, and unfortunately i am not very familiar with W124 Diesels. If you guys could please post any useful links/info/things to look out for, i would really appreciate it.

thanks in advance

vstech · #2 11-08-2011, 05:08 PM

so... this would be an OM 601?
as far as 124's go, they are basic cars. the 85 euro may be a different animal, as it's the first.
likely a very basic car. possibly a 4 or 5 speed, manual windows?
take lots of pics!
and post them here.
look for rust under the battery tray, and the brake booster.
look for rust in the general body of the car.
look for broken springs.
take pictures.

timmyr · #3 11-08-2011, 06:07 PM

hey vstech,

my buddy seems very eager to go and take a look at the car in person tomorrow , so i dont have much time to search the forum, that is mainly why i created this thread, since time is limited and i dont want him to end up purchasing a lemon.

the car doesnt have many options,from what he's told me, it supposedly only has the following: sunroof, central locks, power mirrors, and power steering.

TRANSMISSION: it is a 4 speed manual trans.

from reading up on the 200D at wikipedia i found the following:
1)it says that the engine is a 4cyl diesel, OM601.
2) it has an aluminum head on iron engine block.
3)supposedly these engines commonly suffer from blown head gaskets and warped cylinder heads from overheating.

could anyone who knows or owns one of these cars tell me if this info is legit?
do these engines tend to overheat? if so, why? is it the typical w124radiator problem, where the plastic top radiator hose neck tends to crack off?

will take a close look at the springs, and look for rust around the battery and brake booster, as well as the the jack points and wheel arches. thanks

vstech · #4 11-08-2011, 06:35 PM

hmm.
I"m not familiar with the motor, the 86/87 OM603 with the #14 head is known for it's weakness to high temp, causing head failure.
it would stand to reason that the older OM601 would be too, but it is not turbocharged, so likely it's got less strain on it to begin with.
I'd look for maintenance history, pull the coolant cap, and scrutinize for oil/rust in there.
ditto the oil cap and dipstick.

vstech · #5 11-08-2011, 06:35 PM

all that aside, I'd LOVE to get one of these cars!

timmyr · #6 11-08-2011, 06:54 PM

hey john,

thanks for the additional reminders to check the oil and coolant caps.

i am currently researching the OM601 cylinder heads, could you please tell me how to identify the what cylinder head is on the engine?

thanks for your help,
tom

Ps if he ends up buying it, i'll try and post some pics

chazola · #7 11-09-2011, 04:19 AM

I'd be interested to see if it'll actually move under it's own power

- the 72hp (!) engine must be seriously hard-going in a car the weight of the 124. I've driven a 250TD (touring, not turbo) and that was like a tractor compared to the 24v OM606 in the late 124s.

vstech · #8 11-09-2011, 07:31 AM

oh, I don't know, the 124 is a fairly light vehicle after all the electronics, power windows, power seats, and such are removed. it's FAR lighter than a 123, and the 240D only had sixtysome hp... while I'm sure it's not in the 10sec 0-60, I'll bet it will beat a 240D's 24 seconds...
I'd love to find one, and swap in a turbo 2.5L!

chazola · #9 11-09-2011, 12:08 PM

I'll drive, you can push...

timmyr · #10 11-10-2011, 09:38 AM

hey guys, just to give you an update, looks like i wont be posting any pics of the w124 200d.

"I'll drive, you can push..."

we went to go take a look at the car yesterday, got there, the engine was warm, the guy went to start it up, but the 200d refused to

after about 10min, he decided to tow it in order to get it started

while it was running, i went to check the oil cap for blowby, which resulted in a ton of smoke and oil spewing out, this really upset the guy

QUESTION:
is the difficult start plus ton of blowby a good indicator of worn engine? while doing a little reading, i came across some posts which claim that blowby doesnt always indicate a worn engine, but can be caused by other factors (if i remember correctly, vacuum pump)... is this correct? i am asking , because we plan on looking at a few more diesel benzes, and would like to know how good of an indicator of motor condition is the blowby at oil cap test?

next up is a w123 200d...

barry123400 · #11 11-10-2011, 06:02 PM

The less the better of course. Depending on the model of engine somewhat. The 123 type may still be quite satisfactory with some blowby as long as it does not put the oil filler cap into orbit when loosened. It should only dance a little at best.

The one with the 601 engine you and your friend looked at sounded like junk. There is no shortage of that around so just be careful.