The fastest 240D on the world ?
 

I have found this picture on the web. The speed needle indicates about about 170 kmh, that is to say 106 mph !!

Note that the engine temperature controller seems to be out of order.

clock
 

The clock also seems to be broken ....

Downhill? Tailwind? ACME bolt-on Rockets?

A friend out of the picture using a drill motor attached to the speedo cable!:D!

mccan: Downhill? More like down a mountain!:p! LOL!

Tom

maybe a kit NOS ?
 

I can't imagine how the engine should roar at this speed (espacially with the 4 speed tranny).

Down a mountain with the trans in neutral!:eek:!!

The temp gauge is at the bottom of the range, I think you should at least get 'er up to operating temp before attaining such ungodly speeds:p !

I have a pic of a euro W123 200D somewhere going 90 or 100 MPH.

No, it's the speedometer that's out of order.

I did get my Euro 240D to 100MPH one time when I was running late to catch a flight. It was indeed downhill in the section where I finally hit 100.

Have a great day,

impossible ?
 

I really think it's possible to reach a such speed with a 240D. I have already reached exactly the same speed with my 84 240D 5 speed and when my father owned this car before me, he had reached 110 mph one time (sorry but I hadn't a camera with me this day).

In fact, you just need to find a hill and to go down !!!!!

The speedometer pegs at 85 on my 240D. I can easily "peg" it, and then some. When I'm running wide open, my speedometer doesn't come off the peg until after I've slowed down maybe 5 or 10 mph from the top speed.

So my guesstimate is that a well running 240D can hit between 90 and 95 mph on the straight and level without any trouble.

Part of my daily commute is on a road where if you only run 70mph, you're going to get rear-ended. I pass more people than pass me, once I am up to speed. I've got a nice, long on-ramp, so I'm already at 70 or so when I merge in.

- Patrick

Isn't it loud at that speed?! :eek: I pegged my SD a ways beyond the 85 mark on wednesday and it was quite loud....

240 speed
 

i think that the governor will cut the fuel off at 83 or 84 mph.

Worlds fastest 240? I own a 79 with a pretty new engine that does not seem to complain too much at 100 mph by speedometer with more left on the flat. Never have taken the time to really mechanically examine this car but it is one unusual 240d with a four speed manual. Also it is unusually fuel efficient for some strange reason as well. The fuel consumption was done by comparison to the 2000 tdi on the fiteen hundred mile trip home with this car not by using the 240ds odometer. Another strange thing is the faster you go the more it seems to want to go. Completely different from my other 82 240d four speed. that probably tops out at 80-85 mph and is not really happy at all above 65 and gets about 25mpg on the highway. Perhaps a different rear end ratio under the faster one? Going to be really interesting if that does not prove to be the cause.. When I telephoned the vendor he was out so they gave me the firms mechanic to talk to. He told me in broken english he serviced mercedes in europe for years but never drove a 240 like this one. If you get it you will not regret it as he drove it himself for a week and could not get over the performance and general mechanical condition. :)

Mine won't go a hair over 93mph. Stock wheels and tires on it of course :P

A friend of mine bought an 83 240D we had traded in and I drove it for a day once. Wow was I amazed. It was like it wasnt a 240D at all, still an automatic, but 102,000 miles. I could have had it for 2K too. Off the line, it was almost like a turbo model.

Ip
 

Could some difference or abnormality with the IP explain why some of these cars 'seem' much faster?

--CD

240 speed
 

if a 240 will go 100 mph, i will say that it must have a 3.45 or so rear end or an inaccurate speedo. the normal rear end is 3.69. have you checked the speedo on the interstate? one mile by the markers at 60mph should take one minute. if it takes more, your speedo is optomistic, less speedo is pessemistic.

that picture
 

How could the 240D have made it to light-speed without the engine warming up to operating temperature, or warming up at all? Clearly the clock is broken and been disassembled. Look, if I was test driving this car I would have some questions for the seller, I guess....

It doesn't impress me for some reason.

Walgamuth, i totally agree something is abnormal with that old 79. For starters it had a pretty new engine. Also noticed the seats front and back had been replaced with brand new units apparently. About this time I ran a background check on the car as it showed about 240k and wondered who would pour as much money into that car as was obviously done. Mechanically could find nothing that needed repair other than the radio was missing. Turned out it was owned by the social services dept. of wisc. it seems and went to auction where the dealer purchased it. Perhaps just an example of peoples tax dollars at work. :D Possibly the best of all my old mercedes cars as wherever you look the parts or systems have been changed out or are in excellent condition. Eleven hundred and twenty dollar ebay deal. Lightning will never strike me twice. :)

changes
 

you sure it doesn't have a 617?

Only if someone cut the fifth cylinder off. Initial acceleration seems just average but this engine has more torque available at higher revs than with a normal 616 engine. When I get around to checking this car out properly will be looking for any unusual camshaft or timing of normal cam or pump timing as well as checking that rear end out. Will of course report what I find on this site. Car was put into climate controlled storage until I get a little more time a year and a half ago. Also seemed to be much more fuel efficient than normal. There have to be reasons. It seemed to cold start at lower temperatures much easier than I would have expected as well. It's almost like engine has higher compression ratio than normal. Have been driving only diesels, mostly vw for past 20 years. The pump govemor should be activating at before 90 mph plus there is the usual line on speedo to warn of overspeeding the injection pump at 90 mph but this car seems to ignore both quite easily. Most of this would be subjective except the 2000 tdi with 30,000 miles on it at that time was like a comparison yardstick car on that 1500 mile drive home. Will require some research but I already suspect car has factory updated or modified version of 616 if one was available. Thought these engines could not be improved other than adding a blower. Something is certainly unusual with it. :)

No rockets needed here!
 

Nah, they can get there sooner or later with some help. Or at least the 115's can. ;)
All I needed to do to get my 76' 240D over 100 was easy.
1. Remove power wasting solid fan. Replaced with electric.
2. Removed oil-bath air cleaner. Made custom K&N with 300d intake tube.
3. Installed 205/70/r14 Michelins. Less Rev's.
4. Applied size 14 to loud pedal and count to 4 minutes.
5. Be thankful I have no tach, since my Governor is tilt.
6. Watch Garmin GPS and laugh as we hit 102mph.
7. Lift off throttle and watch freeway disapear in rearview mirror. Good old throttle'd engines. Crop dust them lanes!
I had just replaced my t-chain and rails for all of you cringing in agony.
8. Wash soot off back end of car. (Power Residue.)
9. Post on here and await /8 bashing! :D
Maybe the biodiesel helped? Hmmmmm.....

Dr.D

While on the subject of faster 240D, one of the safest and most effective mod to the OM 616 engine was company's own, the fuel pump was changed and the injector pressure was raised to 135bars to get 72bhp at 5200RPM, combined with the slick shifting ZF 5speed made any vehicle into a nice responsive one, it was common in the MB Tempo Traveller as well as MB G Wagen and I have had the chance to drive it and it really ran well, far better torque spread, way better top end and also great pick up compared to the 65bhp OM 616, best of all, no turbo was added to gain this extra power so there was no need to beef up the engine or face reliability issues.

240s
 

interesting facts. i know that no 240 i have ever owned would go 100 on the level. these with the uprated pump and must also have a different governor and rear end as well. higher rear end would also contribute to better mpg.
imagine all this interesting discussion over a faked photo!

You got it right, the pump had its fuel rate increased from the original OM 616 spec, the timing remained the same, but the duration was changed for the drip method as well, instead of one drop per 20sec, it was three if I recall that correctly, the governor was different in the rear of the pump as well, I did this mod to my older OM616 based Trax Utility vehicle with great results, I did not have to change the rear diff ration, the 5 speed's fifth was .82 and combined with the 1000 rpm rise from the engine, worked out well.

I wonder how fast it was going after the parachutte opened and slowed its freefall?

Was the valvetrain changed at all on the OM616? My engine screams at redline which I presume is 4250rpm. I can't imagine the sound it makes at 5200rpm. :)

Does the 240d with the 5 speed have a different rear end than the 3.69 that the US w115 has?

Walgamuth, I like your posts. For the common cause will really do a semi scientific thread on this car when I get time. I thought it was so unusual that I put the car away rather than just driving it until I did the tests. For whatever reason the fuel milage has to be evaluated and the reason it is better if it is found and described accuratly. My other 240d standard gets about 25 on the american gallon highway milage in cold weather. Will not make any unsubstantiated claims until getting accurate facts but will post an example. Left west of cleveland with the tanks topped off on the 2000 tdi and 240. Drove until just before the n.y. border on highway 17 after leaving 90. Cheap fuel stop I remembered just after n.y. state line on way up so stopped and topped off both cars again before ny state as well as getting a coffee.(habit of some of us diesel drivers it seems :D) Plus did not hurt to check over the latest aquisition before going too far.The mercedes took approx 6 dollars the tdi approx 5.00. Naturally thought tanks were not filled equally either at time of refills or initial fill ups as the 240 should be burning almost about twice what the tdi was. Next stop the mercedes took about 12.00 and the tdi about 10.00. Car was starting to get my attention and thought it was strange that we would hit long uphill stretches at 75 mph well separated at same speed and then my friend would accelerate up the hill to close to a tailgating distance well before the crests. Then on the flats would drop behind almost out of sight and then accelerate to catch me. At next stop asked him how fast he was going to catch me and he quoted 100 miles per hour with reserve left. Asked him to try to not exceed 90 mph as he might be overspeeding the injection pump and the car is after all twenty plus years old. This pattern and fuel ratio continued with variations (his fuel consumption ratio increased when we took a shortcut through the berkshire mountains compared to the tdi) all the way home. Even my friend quoted you told me this car was slow and only gets about twenty five miles per gallon so whats going on. Also how come I can find nothing that does not work properly and car drives like it is brand new with 240k on the clock. He also requested I drive faster than the 75mph we had been travelling at one point. Either the tdi was getting sub standard milage or I just do not know at this point.But when I do the proper tests will probably land up with a black eye as what we experienced with that car cannot be in my opinion. It would be a total fable except we were there. Drove the car 200 miles back to the border myself to pick up paperwork before putting it away and car seems as he described it but I did not take it to 100mph. The strange thing was he told me the faster you go the more willing the car seems to go faster and he was right. I really question my sanity by posting this but it should be shared. Also imagine my thoughts when driving my other 240d standard 1100 miles home about a year later. Will keep them both of course. Perhaps if the tests work out favourably will name the cars day and nite. :D The other question I have on my mind is why me? But then again it normally does not take a car to make me sound like an idiot sometimes. :)

cool
 

well it all does sound too good to be true, but your post is convincing. the post from india may hold the key. i hope it is all ok for you. oh yeah if you want to sell it call me.

the 240s with five speed i would think may or may not have a different diff. wouldnt surprise me either way. i think it would depend on the ratios in the five speed. if they are the same except od i guess they would put inthe standard 3.69. if it is an uprated 240 such as described above, if such a car was ever built, then i would think that they would put in a higher gear to get better mileage... such as it seems your car must have.

240d Amg
 

Sounds like an early AMG... :cool:

Although I can only contrast the performance of my 240D against that of a 300TD, a 300SD, and a 320 CDI (the only other diesel MB's I've driven), I am quite happy with it's performance and I believe the reputation of 240D's being slow is exagerated considerably.

- Patrick

Keep an open mind until the tests are completed as I have doubts myself.. Will post threads good or bad on this car when I have reliable data. At present I do not even have an approximate ideal of fuel milage. Wish I had more time to pursue this right now. Building a new house for my youngest daughter and her family plus trying to accomplish all of my wifes list means very little time for myself and my interests at present. Have not even had time to get one of my older cars out yet this year. Anyone really interested is more than welcome to pm me and I will give you the fellows telephone number that drove the car home. I seriously doubt he has forgotten about that car even though it has been awhile. He would not mind a call either as he is friendly. :)

On the contrary, if you ever check out the Tempo Traveller vans here with the 72bhp OM 616 and 5 speed, they sound way smoother and far more responsive due to close ratio, when lightly loaded, they are quite peppy, far more so than say your average standard 240D, I can well imagine how nice the 240D would feel with this hook up.

My point is that this is the safest and easiest mod to do without much major engine change unlike in the turbo where OM 617 turbo parts have to be used and the standard 4 cylinder crank has to be nitrided to take the extra load of the turbo.

Looks like his legs are over to the left. Must be pretty hard to drive that fast with no feet on the pedal. ;)