Green Owener Needs Info

Hello I just bought 1972 220D for $800 in mint condition and need to know how often do I change these;

Oil Filter Change?
Oil Change/What Type?
Fuel Filter?
Glow Plugs?

Should I use fuel conditioners? Injector Cleaners?
Any known major failures on these models?

I dont know exact mileage on the car but the engine compression is extremely good when going down the hill in third!

Thanx

Mario S
Edmonton Canada

[Holson Adi]

Originally posted by Mario Slipac
Hello I just bought 1972 220D for $800 in mint condition and need to know how often do I change these;

Oil Filter Change?
Oil Change/What Type?
Fuel Filter?
Glow Plugs?

Should I use fuel conditioners? Injector Cleaners?
Any known major failures on these models?

I dont know exact mileage on the car but the engine compression is extremely good when going down the hill in third!

Thanx

Mario S
Edmonton Canada

Hi,
Let me try answering this.

I'd change my oil every 3000 mi. In fact I will do the next one sooner. Contemplating on using synthetic. But, my rear main seal does leak oil and it'll be quite a waste.

There's a huge discussion on oil... synthetic .vs. dino, shell .vs. mobil .vs. Castrol .vs. etc...

if you type search and look for oil brand you'll find interesting threads I'd just look at the brands that people use, look for them and just use any one of them.

Oil Filter is usually changed when you change the oil.

Fuel filters, I just replaced mine... I don't know when they should be changed. But, they are cheap... since you just bought the car... just buy the filters and replace them. Very easy job.
Check Fastlane, they have good prices on these things..
(Top Link)

oh BTW, if your oil filler cap is leaking replace it with the newer plastic one or replace the seal.

If your car starts fine, I'd leave the glow plugs alone.

Try finding some Diesel Purge and run it on full strength (straight Diesel purge!) to clean the injectors.

Here are some instructions.

http://www.mindspring.com/~houlihan/merc/purge.htm

I use Red Line Diesel Fuel Catalyst that I buy from Pep Boys. They are cheap over there.. so I buy it from them. Fastlane sells Redline 85+ in packs of 12 I think. I will do that next time.
I dump a bottle in the tank every fill up.

Ill be sure to change the fuel filter and do that diesel purge thing I never heard of a such of product but this will sure help my tired vw golf 1.6D engine when I get it redy for the canadian winter!


Thanx again

[dabenz]

Mario,

I've learned by using the search feature that oils and changing mileage is a hot, "controversial" topic. As for me: 3000mi or once a year if I don't get that many miles (now a summer "touring" car). Rotella 15-40W regular oil. Just make sure what you use is a C-rated oil. C stands for compression, or diesel engine. S is spark, or gas engine. Two radically different oils.

daBenz has only seen Baldwin P-40 oil filter cartridges. This web site (FastLane) also sells filters, but I haven't used them. See TxBill's oil changing thread for how I do the filter drill.

Fuel filter I use is a Baldwin PF-834, changed once a year or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first. You can "reverse flow" the little pre-filter with fuel oil to clean it.

Glow plugs get changed when they fail.

I use Power Service DieselKleen fuel additive with straight fuel. Modern low sulfur fuel needs a lubricant additive to replace the sulfur, which acted as a lubricant for the injector pump.

In my opinion the 220/240 D is one of the world's best engines, especially with an oil bath air cleaner. Change the oil, adjust the valves, become a fanatic about clean fuel and 500,000 miles becomes an expectation, not a pipe dream.

Good luck and happy reading on a great web site.

[dabenz]

Forgot one thing: Engine oil only half way between the marks on the dip stick. Rear main seal is a weak point on the engine, and not changeable from the outside. Oil over the halfway point on the dip stick ends up on the ground.

[Kyle Blackmore]

Hi Mario,welcome to the best MB site in the galaxy .I don't think Diesel purge is available in Canada anymore,but the same company sells Diesel cleaner LM 2061.It is fed to the engine through the fuel line under the hood.Check out Altrom for parts in Canada,you should have a supplier close to you.Good luck

Thanx for the tips ill be sure to keep an eye on the oil leaks...I just found out that the previous owner's sister when she drove the car...she let it run out of oil somehow and they had the whole engine rebuilded few years ago that explains the good compression

I hope they changed the rear seal as well cus I dint see any mayor leaks around that area!

And for the Diesel Purge ill be sure to check around!

Thanx

Mario S
1972 220D
1986 vw golf 1.6Diesel @ 400K km

The Shell Rotella line has a diesel fuel system cleaner that comes in a bottle intended for truck engines (one bottle treats 100 gallons). I found it at Wal-Mart, but also noticed it at truck stops when I refuel there. I have also recently become a believer in STP fuel injector cleaner, the one for diesel comes in a blue bottle, not the black one for gasoline engines.

You should probably get replacement oil drain plugs and gaskets, as Mercedes engines run long enough these items fail, particularly if you change the oil frequently. They are cheap from Fastlane.

My understanding is Mercedes does not use sealed brake systems as American manufacturers do, so you probably want to purge and replace the brake fluid. Might also replace the power steering filter if equipped with one. Also not a bad idea to flush and fill the coolant if you do not know the last time that was done.

[240 Ed]

Marklutta,

Huh? I don't know of any cars which use a sealed brake system...
There must be some system to allow air in to replace the fluid when it goes down...

You need to change brake fluid on all cars every 2 years or less.
You can get away with it for years, but there is a deteriation factor here-corrosion, and brake fade (as discussed elsewhere)