Hahahaha! So true! I saw a local Craigslist ad the other day where the guy was touting the "46 mpg" that his 1979 300d routinely gets!!!!

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2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins Turbo Diesel 4x4
1994 GMC S-15 pickup 4.3 5MT
1985 300 SD
1978 300 CD
1962 220-S Fintail - awaiting restoration

Friend of mine has one since new, and in the days of the 55MPH speed limit, that figure was not out of reach. I doubt it's too doable today with traffic moving at 70-80 MPH.

OM602 or OM603?

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1987 300TD 309, xxx 2.8.2014 10,000 mile OCI


Be careful of the toes you step on today, as they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. anonymous

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter won’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

602. It's a 190D turbo. I misread the OP.

I'm really confused about fuel mileage. My first MB was a 1976 W115 240D, it consistently got 42-45mpg, which was awesome. I measured a few tankfuls driving very carefully, and other tankfuls flooring the pedal (it was an automatic 240, so that isn't saying much), and it really didn't make much difference at all. I never did much maintenance to the car, just got regular oil changes and fixed necessary problems. It even had working A/C (that I didn't use very often, but the compressor belt was never removed).

Now I've got a 1983 W123 200D, which I bought thinking there would be massively awesome fuel mileage. There's not. I got a pretty consistent 25mpg on all-highway driving when I drove it back from Texas. The injectors were absolute crap (when put on the tester they didn't pop at the appropriate PSI, rather they just started a steady stream at about 50-60% of the appropriate PSI), but I replaced them with ones that tested good (original Bosch, not Monarks yet) and it doesn't appear to have made any difference.

I would really like to know how to get my mpg's up to what I was able to get with the W115. In theory, shouldn't I be able to get even better since it's a 2.0L engine versus 2.4L? I think I get better mileage in my 3.0L's which is just bizarre.

There is a lot that affect mileage. Tire inflation, condition, size, brand, tread patterns, alignment, fuel and air filters, dragging brakes, length of time driving in one sitting, speed of travel, engine temp, wind conditions, hills, differential gear ratios, AC, fuel quality and type, condition of your injectors, valve clearances.

That said your 200D should be getting more, the 240D's usually get in the upper 20's to low 30's so I'd suspect your 200 should be closer to that range I'd be surprised if you can get it into the 40s. I'd start looking through all the things above to make sure everything is in tip top shape. Start with the basic stuff and work into the more complicated stuff.

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Why do you say the 240's get so low?? I thought even 300's should generally get above 30. My 240 got much higher. I also lived in an area which was quite hilly at the time, which isn't the case now. The 240 sucked on hills, but mileage was good. I have new fuel and air filters, brakes don't drag, I recently checked/adjusted valve clearances (they weren't much off to start). Don't know how good the tires are for efficiency but they're Bridgestones and less slippery in rain than some of my other cars' tires though not as good as the set of Michelin Weatherwise's I have (I suppose better traction means worse mileage). A/C has a broken line in the 200, so it's never running, however if I switch it on it bogs down the engine so I don't think the belt being attached is an issue in general. Could it be that because I didn't do much maintenance on the 240 that it's fuel injectors ended up more clogged thus getting better mileage or something? Or maybe a previous owner had tuned it somehow? The 200 has a 3.92 differential - I've been thinking of putting one from a 240 on it which is a bit lower. How do you differentiate fuel quality/type? There's never more than one option for diesel at stations...

OM602 in a 201 or 124 I believe. OM603 not so much.

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1987 300TD 309, xxx 2.8.2014 10,000 mile OCI


Be careful of the toes you step on today, as they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. anonymous

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter won’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

thrown from the cliff..... maybe

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w126 500SEC gen II euro, powered by OM617 turbo stolen from 84 300SD 2.88 diff,EGR blinded
next wish/project: w114 coupe OM603 powered

Mpg for a diesel benz seems like fingerprints on a homo-sapien, they are all different from individual to individual and seem to stay relatively the same from birth to death. My 240d got around 28mpg, wasn't affected by tires, alignment, ride height, injectors, load, weight of my nikes, oil type, fuel type, etc. The worst I figured was 27 mpg with bad injectors, clogged fuel filters, bad alignment, discount tires' cheapest rubbers with a busted outer tie rod, and four full grown men and all of their musical instruments. The best was a hair under 29 with just me and ALL of the above fixed. I haven't figured any numbers with my transplanted engine, but I have a feeling they will be different. It's almost as if some where made on a monday after a full nights rest and a cup of coffee, and had mpg in the 30s. And others where made by workers with a hangover or the flu, or maybe someone sneezed while they were making your injection pump.

That or not everyone on this forum was a math major.

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1987 300TD 309, xxx 2.8.2014 10,000 mile OCI


Be careful of the toes you step on today, as they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. anonymous

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter won’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

I wish I'd held on to my first '76 240D. I am not pulling legs when I say it regularly got 42-45mpg - I used to write down the mileage and gallons every time I'd buy gas and kept a log book for a long time, and the odometer counted miles accurately too. Every MB diesel I've had since then gets less than 30 I think, though I'm not as anal about keeping track as I used to be.

There's a certain satisfaction that comes from driving a 61x diesel regardless though. The V-8's are fun now and again but are massively overkill for everyday driving. And I can tell you that 12mpg's as I get in my 1974 450SE regardless of driving style is quite depressing!

[QUOTE=Raptelan;2892377 it regularly got 42-45mpg - I used to write down the mileage and gallons every time I'd buy gas [/QUOTE]

Well there's your problem right there, you are trying to burn gas in a diesel.

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1987 300TD 309, xxx 2.8.2014 10,000 mile OCI


Be careful of the toes you step on today, as they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. anonymous

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter won’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

I'm still working on my '87, but my first couple of rough calculations has me seeing 28 mpg city. I hope to get into the 30 mpg territory for city use and some crazy numbers for highway. 5th gear helps a lot.

Swapping out a flex disk/shifter now

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08 R320 CDI current

Past
95 E420
87 300D Turbo 5spd
90 300TE
83 300SD
85 300TD
92 400E
85 190D