I'm starting to get my '83 240D ready for regular use. I plan to use this thread to document stuff I learn.


The car looks great, and only has about 128k miles on it. It's about 37 years old, and that means that there is a lot that's going to need attention.

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'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

The car shook terribly at idle, so I began by changing out the engine mounts. The mounts fasten to the subframe from above with hex screws, 6mm I think. They fasten to the aluminum arms from below with a single 8mm hex, which you access through a little hole in the bottom of the subframe. Take that bottom one loose first, then go after the ones above.

The rubber in the left front mount had dissolved into a ball of slime, and the inner bit was rattling loose in the outer. I had to take the power steering hoses off the steering gear to get access. I jacked the engine up from below to get the arm lifted off the mount, and then I was able to slide it out and slide the new one in. It had a heat shield, which was over one of the bolts, so I wound up removing the arm from the engine block. I now know I didn't have to do that; I could have just jacked up a little to take the pressure off, and rotated the heat shield a bit.

The right mount was a little harder to get to. I took the air cleaner cover off, but had to work under the intake manifold. It was awkward but doable. The right mount had compressed almost an inch shorter than the new one, but otherwise looked fine. This also had a heat shield, which I rotated to give clear access to the two hex screws.

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'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

I changed the oil. The Chilton manual says to remove the oil filter FIRST before draining the sump, so the oil from the filter can drain into the sump.

The o-rings at the bottom of the pipe that go from the cap down through the filter were worn, and I wanted to replace them. The local NAPA didn't have anything that would fit. They are said to be 6mm IDx 2mm thickness. I was able to find them on fleabay, and will have some on hand to change them out next oil change.

I used Rotella T6 5w-40. It meets the CJ4 standard, which is supposed to be backward compatible with the old CD spec that the Chilton manual calls for.
Edited to add: this oil meets the newish Ford spec WSS-M2C171-F1, which not all the CK4 oils meet. That means it's more likely to have adequate phosphorus to protect our cams.

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'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

Valve adjustment is critical on that engine, check and adjust if you haven't.

Got any pics??? W123 240D, nice car...I think that was the end of the run in the US for 240's.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Here is one from last night, with the hood up, and one from this spring, shortly after I bought it.

Attached Thumbnails

   

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'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

W123's look great in white. Is rust a big problem in your area?

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

That is a nice looking car! I have spent the last year working my 1978 240D back to a proper running state. It’s Maple Yellow with a manual. Clock shows 178,000 miles.

This is the first MB diesel I have owned and absolutely love this car. It’s used as a town and country vehicle for cruising the back roads of Arizona. Working on this car is great therapy as compared to my EFI small blocks��.

Anyway, I realize that I stand in the shadow of diesel giants on this forum so glad to be here.

P.S. I adjusted the valve lash and did compression test right after oil/filter, fuel filters change. Turns out the engine had 325 psi in all cylinders after valve lash adjustment. It does not burn oil, starts well and runs great while getting 25/33 MPG.

I bought the car after one test drive and took a big chance on the motor but so far so good. Like so many have commented before, I plan on running the 616 until it is plenty tired and than performing a turbo 5 cylinder swap.

Good times

Sugar Bear, this isn't a desert, but rust isn't a huge problem here.

I only have room for one project in the shop at a time, so this is going to have to go outside soonish; I have too many other things hanging fire. I'm not planning on actually putting this on the road until the roads are dry and the sun is up, so I may not get the valves adjusted until Breakup. Definitely plan to do it before it goes on insurance and out on the road.

__________________
'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

Cars in the far north do not seem to rust bad I too have observed. We reside in an area it is important to avoid car brands that do rust easily. No sun damage to interiors up there usually as well.


My garage is messier than his though. Perhaps even an understatement. I should apply for disaster relief.

Looks very nice ! .

Same color as my beloved '82 .

Did the new motor mounts help the shaking ? .

There's a tranny mount too that is usually soft or parted .

The cute little engine shocks rarely wear out but they have rubber biscuits on the end that fail, they sell new kits for them .

There's a flat part on the upper end of the shaft to use a 7MM open wrench to hold the shaft from spinning as you loosen the 10MM nut ~ DO NOT touch the polished shaft to hold it from turning ! .

The oil filter O-Rings are one 6 and one 7 MM, remember you're putting them into Diesel contaminated oil so use Viton or originals from your M-B Dealer / the Classic Center else they'll soften up in a few months .

Very low mileage means this car should last you a long time .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I put a 100W heater on the lower oil pan, and a 25W heater on the oil filter housing. It already had a battery maintainer, but it had fallen apart, so I put a new cord on that and put it back together. I think the freezeplug heater is working. I replaced the existing duplex outlet with a new double-duplex on the inside right fender, led the plugin out to in front of the radiator, hanging behind the bumper. I ran all the power lines neatly, fastened them out of the way.

I changed the primer pump from the OEM style to a new Bosch pump. The description for the pump said it fit the large or the small threads: it did, and I needed the small threads, so I unscrewed the adapter. The new pump takes a 17mm wrench. I need to get some open-end crowfoot wrenches in metric.

I put a healthy dose of Hotshot Extreme fuel cleaner into the tank. I'll dose it with some anti-gel, too, before I put it outside for the winter.

I changed the fuel filter, and the o-ring on the bottom of the fuel filter bolt. At the top, it didn't have an o-ring, but a copper washer, gooped on with some RTV. I cleaned off the RTV, and put on a new, 5/8" washer from my stock. I didn't change the pre-filter yet: it looks pretty clean, and I'll run a tank of fuel through it come spring, then change the filter.

I checked the antifreeze. The refractometer shows protection down to -55F. That's about enough here. The test strips show the same, and a pH of 7, with no nitrites. My old International IDI engines require nitrites to prevent cavitation, but that probably isn't necessary in this machine.

I hooked up my little Mitey vacuum pump to the bleeder valves and pulled some brake fluid through. The first cup or two from each wheel cylinder came out pretty dark, so I kept on pouring more into the reservoir and pulling more through until it was coming out the same color I was pouring in.

__________________
'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

Check the condition of the block heater cord. The closer to the engine the worse they get, seen them in BAD condition, don't know how they didn't catch fire.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Thanks, Sugar Bear. I'll feel down there. It looks OK from above ...


I do think the block heater is working: I plugged it in, and about 20 minutes later the engine above the manifold was at 89F, while the valve cover was still about 69F.

__________________
'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

I'm going to park this outside for the winter now. This is too nice to take out into the cold and snow and dark and smash into a moose.



1) Still need to buy a valve cover gasket and adjust the valve lash.
2) Still want to put on new shocks. I'm planning to get Bilsteins, they're great on my trucks.
3) Still need to thoroughly clean out the interior. I looked under the drivers side floor mat and didn't see any rust, but I should look a bit wider and deeper.
4) ***Right rear brake hose needs to be replaced. I'll do both sides, of course. ***


Haven't really seen any other serious needs, yet. I'm looking forward to going cruising this summer. Maybe I'll make a run down to Tok with my wife for a hamburger at Fast Eddy's.

__________________
'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI

I have the little car back on the road, and I'm liking it more and more.

So far I've put four new tires on it, Bilstein shocks, changed out those rear brake hoses, and replaced the front calipers and brake pads. I've also changed out starter and battery and alternator. It had a Motorola alternator, changed it to the Bosch style.

It's up to about 130,500 miles now. It'll soon be time for an oil change. I definitely need to check the glow plugs soon-ish. It has to turn over several revolutions before it starts, and the temp is in the 50s or 60s. I won't be surprised to find that one or two are bad.

__________________
'75 John Deere 450C (times 2)
'83 240D plus parts car
'87 F350, 6.9L IDI
'89 F350 crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'89 F-Superduty, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-250, 7.3L IDI
'91 F-350, 7.3L IDI
'94 F-350 Crewcab, 7.3L IDI
'94 E-350 Ambulance, 7.3L IDI