Put the 87 back on the road to use while I'm fixing up my wagon. I forgot how fast this car is. After driving the wagon for the last year it like driving a race car haha.

when you start teh car cold... is smokes shakes feels like it's missing, you can fell it when it "catches" and smooths out. Fills the whole yard/parking lot with smoke in the process. once it warms up you have smoke when you stop @ light and take off. (black smoke) so that is un-burnt fuel. Car seems to run fine. lots of power, acceleration is better than my 2005 volvo xc90 2.5. thinking the start issue may be a leaky or stuck injector. will troubleshoot it some this coming weekend by cracking the lines and seeing if I can find what cylinder is not firing.

Oil and coolant fine. not a head gasket issue. no unnormal pressure in the radiator hose etc. it's got a #17 head.

may have to look into doing a compression check. Another issue it it seems to have excessive oil in the crossover tube. I broke the mount on my tube and can not get a perfect seal where it meet above the IP. and it's spraying a fine mist of oil all over the ip!. I'm sure that after all these years the built in oil separator in the valve cover is done. need to figure out a solution for that as a new valve cover is way to expensive for this beater car, something like 700 bucks.

Car is still for sale. dropped some used front tires on it this last weekend and Orielys gave me a brand new battery for it under warranty so the car can be driven anywhere. I'll be driving it my 100 mile a day commute till wagons done or cars sold.

My SDL was starting just like yours - BIG white smoke and lopey/shaky/crappy idle for 5-10 seconds then suddenly "smoothed out". Was delivery valve seals. Been starting on the first or second compression hit with 0 smoke (other than the oil it burns) since I redid them.

You're right though, the early 603's are NOT slow! I've had people in my SDL that were surprised to find out it's a diesel! Certainly doesn't drive like one.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 157K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 125K (SLoL)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Gone and wanting to forget:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™) [Definitely NOT a Benz]

I have a friend that is looking for an old diesel. How much you want for the 87?

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1985 Mercedes 300D turbo, w123, 722.3, 315K miles
1987 Mazda B2200, Dana 44, 283 v8, th350, np203

"the fastest production diesel car in the world when new" supposedly.

Oil in the intake could only come from two places, crankcase blow bye or turbo compressor's oil seal.

What color is the smoke on a cold start?

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

Oh Cool! seems cheap and easy enough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlB0Uc1qdUkt to fix. I found a video of the repair

big white for 5-10 seconds... sounds like the exact same symptoms Diesel300 had with his. Ether replaced those delivery vavles seals or try and talk winmutt out of his dieselmiekin pump...

tough call... If the delivery valves did resolve the starting issues I would be tempted to keep it and use it to build a om603 based w123. The transmission is the smoothest shifting I've ever had. I've talked about the frame issue in the past and feel that it's enough of an issue that the car is not worth spending a ton of money or really rebuilding. If I sold the car right now just for the sum of the parts I have put on it, I guess I would need 2k for it. but to me it worth that and more as a parts car for a future build. (think my 85 wagon if and when the 500,000K engine trans does go)

It could be the delivery valves or it could be glow plugs as well. It may be one glow plug or two on their way out causing a cylinder(s) to not heat up. Look at the delivery valves for wetness and also remove the big harness on the glow plug relay and check each cylinder (they're marked 1-6) and check OHMs. It should be .6 or .9ohms. Your black smoke is probably an injector stuck/dirty or worn nozzle with an improper spray pattern and lack of proper atomization. It's also worth checking the adjustment of the ALDA as well that controls fuel delivery based upon boost. Before doing that, it's $9.00 to run a diesel purge and it can do wonders to clean up injectors and your pump. Start with the basics.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

Ordered the parts to do delivery valves tonight, also have a new crossover tube coming. Lets see if this takes care of some of the smoking issues and rough running at cold start.

Ceramic Paste (50 g. Jar)
Brand: Febi Bilstein Note: Used to lubricate fuel injector nozzles, and glow plugs, (1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D Base Sedan)
Part #: 001-989-42-51-10-M36 $9.00

32 Point Female Socket for delivery valve of diesel injection pump,
Brand: SIR Tools
Part #: TOL-M0019-SIR $44.50

Diesel Delivery Valve Seal (Upper)
Brand: Bosch Note: Rubber O-Ring (1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D Base Sedan)
Part #: 1-460-210-321-INT 6 $10.50

Diesel Delivery Valve Seal,
Brand: Bosch
Part #: 004-997-45-40-M14 6 $6.00

Intake Manifold Gasket
Brand: Victor Reinz Note: (1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D Base Sedan)
Part #: 603-141-08-80-M17 $8.00

Gasket - Intake Air Horn To Intake Manifold
Brand: Elring Klinger Note: (1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D Base Sedan)
Part #: 602-096-00-80-M30 $4.75

Subtotal:


$82.75

Shipping: FREE

I also already have 8 cans of diesel purge sitting here, will run one of them though the system.

Nope...

That title went to the 87 190D 2.5turbo...

The 300 bulk just kept it out of the traps the 190 digs!

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Well I've seen that exact statement in official Mercedes literature more than once. Referencing the MB Technical Data Passenger Cars Edition December 1988 covering cars from 1985 up to 12/1988

USA 1986, 1987 Market
Model 124.133 300D Turbo - 205 km/h top speed or 127.1 mph 1530 k with 143 hp. 0-100km 10.9 seconds (the 124.193 wagon had 195 km/h, it weighed 135 k more than the sedan, at 1665 k.)

vs.

Model 201.128 190D 2.5 Turbo - 193 km/h top speed (CA version 190 km/h) or 119.66 mph it weighed 1365 k & 123 hp, 0-100km - 11.5 seconds

that's all the info in the Section 00 General Technical Data of that book for the USA market models in 1987.

km X 0.62 = mph

Now that I'm thinking about it I'm pretty sure it makes that statement in the dealer model year brochures.

Nothing to slight the 201.128 I've owned and driven those as well as the 124. 133, the 24 extra horsepower overcomes the 165 k weight difference, 124 coefficent of drag was lower than the 201, I'm pretty sure also. I love the 602/603 engines.

Did the reseal of the delivery valves today. Plus put on the new Crossover tube. Car started so, that's good. OVP is still dead. I have it unplugged and the idle turned up some. but the real test will be the cold start tomorrow.

Had the same problem with 1 cylinder running rough right after startup. I had just put in new glow plugs a year ago. I finally tested the resistance on all the plugs, and sure enough had a bad plug. Easy peazy. I had installed the plug with anti-seize and it was easy to remove and replace. Problem solved.
Yes, this car is fast! No cat with straight pipes. ALDA adjusted 1.5 turns.

I have a similar problem with my 5 year old monark GPs. I found a rocking deal on Bosch 80031 GPs for $6/each so I'll install those soon.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words