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  #61  
Old 05-16-2013, 11:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kestreltom View Post
I am doing well. The vision in my eye has come back and I am working on a machine shop job right now. I will see my surgeon on Friday. I hope he says it's OK to crawl back under the MBZ.

I haven't given up on the benz while recovering - I used my down time to recal my speedo for 2.65 rear end, paint the needles, install the necessary idiot lights for my up-coming veggie conversion, and mod the dash wood for some digital egt, boost, and temp gauges. See photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a-JcRb8YyJDqMySaH7G_odMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HYwdcVJ7HhWovJ3IBSG-P9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

I also finished designing my WVO system for the benz and ordered all the components. The WVO system will be a single tank design, featuring a PID controlled 50 amp fuel line heater, as well as injector line heaters, flat plate heat exchanger, custom fuel pickup in the tank, etc... You need a lot of heat and fuel transfer power to make a successful WVO system... and I hate two tank systems...

I installed a veggie system on my 2000 Dodge ram 3500 many years ago, and I recently did a conversion on my friend's 2001 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke. I design my own systems - have learned a lot along the way, and so far I am happy with the results. Here is a link to my friend John's system components:

Gonna get John’s truck running on Veggie any day now… « Art & Machines

John has put about 35,000 miles on his conversion in the last year, and loves it.

t
beautiful machining on the veggie components! how are you doing purge with a single tank? how do you get around starting on cold veggie?

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  #62  
Old 05-16-2013, 11:50 AM
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veggie...

Quote:
Originally Posted by funola View Post
beautiful machining on the veggie components! how are you doing purge with a single tank? how do you get around starting on cold veggie?
Thanks!

No purge... Starting is a bit of a challenge, but not too hard to finesse the details. Some details :

pre-start: Electric fuel pump transfers electrically pre-heated fuel through ip while electric injector line heaters pre-heat injector lines and glow plugs stay on a little longer. In winter: block heater & coolant transfer pump keep things warm in early morning & WVO in tank is cut with petro diesel to keep gelling down.

after-start: Glow plug controller modified for timed afterglow. Electric fuel line heater stays on long enough for coolant heat exchanger to take over. Coolant heat goes to following components: heated 2ndary fuel filter, heat exhanger, fuel line bundle, tank pickup. Electric injector line heaters stay on all the time and heat the fuel to about 200 degrees.

Lots of pre-conversion stuff done on the 617a including balanced Monarks, cam and ip timing advanced, electric fuel pump with lots of pressure, good compression on all the cyls, new glow plugs, 140 amp alternator, etc...

wheew!
t

Last edited by kestreltom; 05-17-2013 at 08:01 AM. Reason: more info
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  #63  
Old 05-16-2013, 01:56 PM
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While I am thinking... things I don't like about WVO

Warning: mild rant follows.

It polymerizes... sometimes very quickly... nasty sticky stuff. At least Simple Green will take it off. Having it polymerize in the tank is simply bad.

It takes a lot of work, time, and dedication to collect your "free" fuel, settle it, keep it safe somewhere, filter it, and finally use it.

You can design a WVO system that is nearly completely automatic when you drive. But you still have to be a veghead to put up with the all real life stuff...

If you feel enlightened because you use "renewable" fuel - go ahead and feel good about yourself. But do you know any vegheads that farm soybeans so they can "renew" their fuel? That said, the biofuel macro scale carbon cycle is recaptured in the short term, so that's good

But... biofuels can never replace the virtual river (at least 60,000 cu ft per second) of fossil fuel that we depend on every day here in the good 'ol US of A. So get over it... WVO is mostly good for the WVO enthusiast, but it will never solve global warming - or the inevitable rise in the cost of fossil fuel.

OK rant over... feel better now.
t

Last edited by kestreltom; 05-16-2013 at 06:17 PM. Reason: rant warning
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  #64  
Old 05-31-2013, 11:50 PM
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Thumbs up some first impressions

Hello all,

With my eye in good health, I finally found time to crawl under the 300d and finish most of the job. I now have gauges for EGT, boost, and exhaust manifold pressure. I am starting to get a feel for how well the whole package works, but I do not have a working speedo at this time... I managed to mung the nylon drive gear in the transmission tail housing while assembling the car. So I can't yet present good data on rpm/speed/elapsed time. I also want to fill the tank and do some mileage tests.

My gauges tell me that I am getting up to 17 psi of boost at about 3000 rpm under less than full throttle. Full throttle is making just a little too much heat (1350+F egt) for my taste. So future governor tweaks are in the offing (& maybe water/methanol injection someday)

I adjusted the bowden cable to allow the car to build some rpms & boost between shifts which works better with the 2.65 axle. Ease into the throttle, and the car really wails with a good blast of acceleration from 2500 to 4500 rpm with hardly any smoke. The used tranny that I installed seems healthy, but full throttle shifts are not very firm - so I am hesitant to do them.

The exhaust drive pressure gauge is making it clear that my turbo mods are making boost very efficiently, with a drive pressure to boost ratio that is a little under 1:1 - and that's with a boost leak!

I am hearing a sizable boost leak somewhere. The hissing sound that comes with boost >5psi is pretty loud - not like intake hiss. Once I find and fix that leak, get the speedo drive fixed, and bump the trans modulator pressure a bit I will post some videos and data. Should be fun!
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  #65  
Old 06-24-2013, 12:19 PM
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turbo mod update

OK...! My eye is better and I finished my work - so onward!

Driveline vibration:
The vibration I was feeling in the driveline turned out to be my custom "reinforced" transmission mount (see the lower mount in this photo): https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--Tgi2G3uqOY/USD0z6yiqYI/AAAAAAAABkw/P98so0zLAA8/w564-h423-no/2013-02-05+09.33.47.jpg
If you look at the modified mounts in the picture above, you see the two engine mounts above, which worked just fine, and the trans mount below, which did not work out. I had to find a good used OEM mount from the local U pull and it fixed the vibration problem.

Loud hissing sound under boost:
The "boost leak" that I was hearing turned out to be the weep hole in the bottom of the wastegate actuator. I am willing to bet that when I took the lid off the actuator canister to adjust the wastgate spring preload, the silicone rubber diaphram did not bed in properly when I put it back together. At this point, I am using an electronic solenoid boost controller which at least stops the hissing sound, but I need to take that can apart and fix the leaking diaphram.

60 trim Garrett ( HRCWH-009 ) compressor wheel:
I am using this with a higher performance Garrett Stage II T3 exhaust turbine wheel. I am seeing boost build at least as quickly as the stock un-modified turbo while giving me all the boost I can use above 2500 rpm without any penalty in the form of high exhaust back pressure - and drive pressure never exceeds boost. The intake air temperature post turbo / pre-intercooler never exceeds 135F on the hottest days so far, and I don't have a cold air intake hooked up yet. So I am concluding that the 60 trim compressor/Stage II turbine is an amazingly efficient setup for boost above 2500rpm, but the spool up is hardly better than stock.
For better spool up I will have to decide whether to go back to the stock turbine, or downsize the compressor to a 55 trim wheel. Hmmmm....

Still to do:
ream the prechambers and increase the IP timing advance
adjust the idle speed up on the IP governor
check water pump
re-route trans cooler lines to separate trans cooler radiator
get an all aluminum radiator with 2" core if needed
install used trans tailcone with working speedo drive
finish installing the single tank WVO system

I made a snazzy heated fuel pickup for the WVO system:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SaPe9B5KYvc/UcXM2a-bG7I/AAAAAAAAB7I/Y1Sy5lJJqRs/s512/headshot-sm1.jpg

t
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  #66  
Old 06-24-2013, 12:33 PM
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Looking good!!!!!!
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Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership
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  #67  
Old 06-24-2013, 03:01 PM
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Thank you Doktor...

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Originally Posted by Doktor Bert View Post
Looking good!!!!!!
How is your 2.45 axle coming along? Any mileage improvement?
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  #68  
Old 06-24-2013, 04:31 PM
Doktor Bert's Avatar
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Originally Posted by kestreltom View Post
How is your 2.45 axle coming along? Any mileage improvement?
Yes, it's in the car now and the results were surprising!!!!!

Start at post #226:

2.47:1 or 2.88:1 Axle for 116.120:
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Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership
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  #69  
Old 06-25-2013, 12:11 AM
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I read up on your "2.47:1 or 2.88:1"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doktor Bert View Post
Yes, it's in the car now and the results were surprising!!!!!

Start at post #226:

2.47:1 or 2.88:1 Axle for 116.120:
Thanks for the link to your relevant posts. It really is interesting to follow you since you so quickly rack up the miles and gain useful knowledge. Getting 28-30 mpg in a W116 blasting down the road @ 80 mph is excellent!

I have had a few experiences where I needed a lower gear sooner than I was able to get by pressing the gas pedal all the way down to engage the kickdown switch. Since I have turned up the IP governor, I get a nice coal roll from doing that too Mileage is an unknown at this point, but after the next batch of "improvements" my wife and I plan to hop in and drive from Albuquerque to Vancouver, CA. So I should have some data on fuel consumption by early August.

I adjusted the valves today, and started pulling injectors for pop testing and cylinder compression checks. So far everything is just peachy. Bought all the special tools and am going to pull all the prechambers tomorrow and ream the holes .010" oversize.

Does anyone know if the seal rings that go under the prechambers need to be replaced?

More to come soon...
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  #70  
Old 06-25-2013, 02:59 PM
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I am just about to retire the W116 from service and put it into mothball storage. My wife and I plan on giving it to one of our kid's as a first car in the future.

I have grown weary of working on cars over all these years and all I want to drive anymore are new ones....

P.S. I don't replace those rings if they look good, FWIW
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Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership
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  #71  
Old 06-25-2013, 04:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Doktor Bert View Post
I have grown weary of working on cars over all these years and all I want to drive anymore are new ones....
Boy, this sure came out of nowhere. I thought you were an MB diesel fanatic from all your posts.
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  #72  
Old 06-25-2013, 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Walkenvol View Post
Boy, this sure came out of nowhere. I thought you were an MB diesel fanatic from all your posts.
I think if you worked on cars long enough, you too may want to break away from it....
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Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership
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  #73  
Old 06-26-2013, 12:58 AM
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Unhappy Bad news

The injector pop tests revealed that all are still at 2000 psi with a very good spray pattern, just as they were when I rebuilt them about 6 months ago.

But... the compression test revealed that the number 4 cylinder is too low, ie 210 psi, where all the others were 340 or above. Just to be sure, I double checked the valve lash on that cylinder and it was spot on.

This engine does not burn any oil, the blow by is normal or better than normal, there is no residual pressure in the radiator coolant reservoir in the morning, nor any smell or oil in the engine coolant. The valves on the #4 cylinder do not stick when observed with the valve cover off and while cranking the starter.

The good news is that I have a good idea what is causing the engine lope at idle, but the bad news is that I have to remove the cylinder head to find out exactly what is wrong. Not happy right now
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  #74  
Old 06-26-2013, 01:19 AM
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I don't blame you Doktor...

for wanting to walk away from the MBZ. You get a lot more use out of yours than I get from mine, so it seems that the math has worked in your favor thus far. Sounds like wisdom a-bornin'. I had that thought several times today.

(btw... thanks for your feedback on the precup rings.)

My wife reminded me recently how years ago we looked at the amount of time put into maintaining our older cars and just decided to buy new for a while. Did that for a while and eventually got tired of other things too.

But we spend more time doing what we love than ever before now, so it's been a worthwhile process of elimination and self discovery.

So here I am wondering if I am really happy with this MBZ.

I will pull the prechamber on that cylinder tomorrow. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a crack in it... If not, the cyl head is coming out!
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  #75  
Old 06-26-2013, 01:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doktor Bert View Post
I have grown weary of working on cars over all these years and all I want to drive anymore are new ones....
New ones are dependable, costly, and let you do other things with your time. That's for certain. Old cars can be theraputic for you, that's why I've chosen to buy a several year old used MB this time around, versus another new or near new one. I will say this - it's great to take your time shopping to buy exactly what you want to, within reason. Personally, I'm a lot more valuable doing what I do for a living per hour, than I am tinkering with old cars by the hour. But then again, it was the tinkering with old cars that allowed me to succeed in my own business - so everything can be a balance leading to a net gain. I don't see keeping numerous or extra old cars around as productive or worthwhile, unless they're gaining value. Which seldom happens with many old cars. If they're not making me money - they're costing me money!


Last edited by Skid Row Joe; 06-26-2013 at 06:29 PM.
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