Are turbo’s indeed worth the hassle? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

diesel don · #16 11-19-2003, 09:50 AM

I agree with the positive turbo review.

I have five and am 2.5 years without a problem.

Don

fredjj · #17 11-19-2003, 10:07 AM

I guess I don't understand the question. I have both a Turbo and N/A. Both have been troublefree. The turbo is nice because of the increased power and MPG. My turbo is in a 126 so the added size is nice on vacations. The N/A is better in my opinion around town where I plod around at speeds <55mph. The car is smaller, 123, so easier to manoeuvre. Without the vacuum modulated trans. it shift smoother as well. There is something about cruising in the 240D at 75mph and listening to the engine roar that makes me fall in love with the car all over again that I don't get at 90mph in the 300SD. Guess the 240D appeals to my primal side at that point.

Most importantly my girlfriend appreciates the 240D for its classic looks, smoother ride and ability to view the scenery before it whizzes pass.

Different horses for differnt courses.

Fred Johnson
1977 240D
1983 300SD
Chicago

#18 11-19-2003, 10:16 AM

Hi 85drtysthbenz.

Sorry not topic related.

Nice car and stereo.

What did you do with the old ported box?

Louis.

sixto · #19 11-19-2003, 10:48 AM

I guess it's a tie - NA is quick enough for some, turbo is troublefree enough for the rest.

You can ask the same question about MT vs AT and probably come up with a similar tie.

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

Nate Stanley · #20 11-19-2003, 10:56 AM

I have both turbo and n/a and appreciate both cars for their great qualitites.

However, the power increase is well worth the extra complexity, and in reality if the climate control was half as reliable as the turbo has been, i'd have the perfect car--

Habanero · #21 11-19-2003, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nate Stanley
...the power increase is well worth the extra complexity, and in reality if the climate control was half as reliable as the turbo has been, i'd have the perfect car--

Amen to that, I would much rather have manual climate control than natural aspiration.

85drtysthbenz · #22 11-19-2003, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mb123mercedes
Hi 85drtysthbenz.

Sorry not topic related.

Nice car and stereo.

What did you do with the old ported box?

Louis.

thanks for the compliment, louis....i ended up selling that box along with another sub that i had lying around on ebay recently....the box was too big for the trunk,and with it being vented,it rattled that absolute hell out of the trunk lid....i originally thought that could be due to the 1200 watts im pushing to the speaker, but i built myself a sealed enclosure,and it sounds a LOT better...it doesnt rattle much now,other than at really high volumes.....but if you were interested in getting one of those boxes, go check out www.bigdogaudio.com , i bought mine from them off of ebay,cost me 75 bucks shipped to my door

gsxr · #23 11-19-2003, 06:00 PM

There is no downside to the turbo engines. They make more power, get even better MPG (seriously), and have no major issues with the turbo hardware. The myth about needed to let the engine idle for a minute or more before shutdown is exactly that - a myth. Show me where it says that in the owner's manual and I'll eat my hat. Just don't climb Pike's Peak at full throttle then kill the engine when you reach the top. Running synthetic oil will further eliminate any heat soak issues.

Don't get any crazy ideas about adding a turbocharger to a non-turbo engine, all the internals are different. It's always cheaper to just buy a used turbo engine complete and swap that in, or even better yet, sell the non-turbo car and buy one that had it from the factory. While the boost is limited to 10-12psi (OM617) or 12-14psi (OM60x), you can add an intercooler, turn up the pump (internally), and get probably 20% more power safely and possibly run a little more boost. I've been dreaming about adding a Mosselman kit to my '87... mmmm....

speedy300Dturbo · #24 11-19-2003, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gsxr
The myth about needed to let the engine idle for a minute or more before shutdown is exactly that - a myth. Show me where it says that in the owner's manual and I'll eat my hat.

I've been wondering the same thing myself. If I've been running the car hard, I figure that since I have to drive it at low speeds through my residential neighborhood to get to my house from the main road, that *should* be adequate time to let things cool off as opposed to an abrupt shutdown. Owners of hodrod turbo'ed gas cars have those turbo timers for a reason, but then again, a 300D isn't a Toyota Supra or a Skyline GT-R...

DslBnz · #25 11-19-2003, 06:10 PM

In the owner's manual for my '87, on page 14, it says,

"Turning off

If the coolant temperature is very high (e.g. after hard driving on mountain roads), do not shut off the engine immediately, allow it to run for 1-2 minutes at increased idle speed."

gsxr · #26 11-19-2003, 06:12 PM

Speedy,

Exactly. The MB turbo is oversized to the application and never really gets hot enough to worry about such things under NORMAL use. If you race, hill-climb, tow heavy trailers, etc... THEN perhaps you may need to consider doing this - but probably only if you run dino oil!

I'm a strong proponent of using synthetic oils in general, but for turbocharged engines, I consider it an absolute requirement.

gsxr · #27 11-19-2003, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DslBnz
In the owner's manual for my '87, on page 14, it says,

"Turning off

If the coolant temperature is very high (e.g. after hard driving on mountain roads), do not shut off the engine immediately, allow it to run for 1-2 minutes at increased idle speed."

Yup - like I said - only in extreme circumstances. My temp gauge almost never goes over 100C under any conditions. I'd let it cool down for a while if it was hot after "hard driving". But you just DO NOT have to do this all the time, it just wastes fuel and carbons up the engine...!

gsxr · #28 11-19-2003, 06:46 PM

Turbo timers and blow-off valves are items needed (or desired) on hot-rodded gas engines. Don't waste your money trying to mess with that stuff on an MB turbo. You can turn up the boost to the high side of factory spec if you want (that's free), but this doesn't always provide a power gain. My '84 makes no more power at 15psi than it does at 10psi... it just makes more heat!

#29 11-19-2003, 07:55 PM

I wonder if you can get a turbo timer and a blow-off valve for the Mercedes diesel... My friends tune RX-7s and that's what they're constantly praising- turbo timers and blow off valves.

But like everyone says, the Mercedes Turbo is way better than a N/A in terms of performance and robustness....

Hatterasguy · #30 11-19-2003, 08:00 PM

Letting a marine diesel idle for a few minutes before shutting down is sop. Marine diesel's are run harder then a MB could ever be, so they develope a lot of heat and the turbo's really get moveing. I would think it would be a good idea to idle a MB for a minute before shutting it off, it couldn't hurt.