Italian Tune up
 

I have been reading some old diesel posts and noted reference to an "Italian tune-up" as a way of cleaning out the engine. Just what is this tune-up, and is it recommended as a way to clean injectors, and get rid of carbon build-up.
My car is a 1998 300D turbo.

rsl007

Drive it like you stole it.

Understand!
But in what gear and for how long?
rsl007

You have a '98 E300? Be careful, flooring the car can be dangerous. Watch out for cops.

Drive it like this...

Click here for video

There was a recent thread about redlining an MB Diesel. Some fear it reduces engine life, some say it's good to blow the soot out of the system. There are many Japanese cars waiting for me to run at redline if my MBs won't put with it.

I run the SDL at ~80mph in third gear. Speedo clears the 3 dots and the rpms stop climbing. Depending on how long it's been since the last cleaning, the smoke will clear by 4000rpm or after a few seconds at 80mph. I should mention that I don't get to take the SDL on the freeway as part of my daily commute.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

That may be a little extreme, Jorn;

You don't need the sun blocking your vision.:D

dslbnz, I love that vid you posted there! What car is that you're in? I love hearing an MB diesel going through it's high end RPMs!!!

I give the 300CD an italian tune-up all the time, almost everytime I drive it. It shouldn't really hurt anything, as long as the engine is warmed up, and there is pleanty of oil. As for my Subaru, I have yet to redlined it, mostly because I get scared by the time it gets over 4000rpm, and the thing redlines at 6500rpm :eek:

Me to, mine 300CD loves to drive fast. Yesterday when going home from work I decided to take a detour: from Hollywood all the way down to Malibu taking Sunset blvd., this is one off the nicest streets to tune up the car. I'm always amazed how good the car takes the curves going fast, like an arrow!

Thank you all for the input:
So, the question is just how long does one run the engine near the redline to get decent cleaning of the injectors and glow plugs.
1,2,5 or 10 min? And lastly, how often, if a car is used for mixed city and highway driving?
rsl007

rsl007,

I have a 1998 E300D TurboDiesel too. I do this regularly, in an area on my way home from the airport where I am reasonably secure from the revenue gathering arm of the law. I will typically punch it in 3rd gear, run to redline, shift manually and keep it punched until I notice the cloud of soot diminish or my free path to do this ends. When I bought the car it never smoked at idle and I never noticed it smoking at any other time. It almost seemed like a non-Diesel. I decided to blow it out just to see what it would do and it blew a huge cloud of soot out the back. I do mostly highway driving, but have a few miles of rural/neighborhood driving to get to and from the highway. So, it still hardly ever acts like a Diesel in normal driving (it clanks in sub zero degree Fahrenheit weather when it idles, for example) but I do this pretty regularly now.

Good luck, Jim

Jim:
Thank you for the advice.
rsl007

I learned early on that the 617s like it rough. Many mechanics told me too. In fact, its hard not to drive a 617 rough, for they aren't the most powerful engines out there (well, technically, they're very powerful, but not fast.)

The engine, like the human heart, needs to be exercised to be kept in top shape. This is how I think of it anyways. Like everyone else said- you'll be surprised at how smooth it is afterwards.

why is it "italian"?

how is it different from an 'afghani tune-up' or a 'mongolian tune up'

huh?

JenTay,

I think this is honor of the Italian automotive heritage represented by Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lancia, Lamborghini, and other manufacturers that made road cars based on racing machines, that would get fouled in normal city or public road driving. It was typical of these machines to require a regular run up to red line to keep the plugs clean and the valves/piston rings clear. So, often wealthy owners would take their pampered machines to have a tune up, and the mechanic would take the car, after the wealthy owner was out sight and ear shot, and drive it "like he stole it" for a bit, come back with a big grin and charge the customer for a "tune up." The car was then in top running condition until the owner drove it around in city traffic and it needed another "tune-up." These cars became infamous for being "temperamental" and other similar emotional vs. technical adjectives for their tendency to run poorly in normal conditions. I think it helped keep the mystique alive, and the mechanics sporting big grins and fat wallets.

Hope this helps, Jim

Since reading the "redline" thread about driving around in "S" I haven't used "D" at all except on the highway. Very nice inprovment in overall drivability. Now, my engine does not see anything below 2500rpm except at take-off from stops.

I can't believe how clean, smokefree ( ;) ), smooth running, and stronger (Very noticable on take-off) it's been lately.

EDIT: BTW, I do wait for the engine to get warm (60*c+) before I even think about going over 2000rpm.

300TD, aint it the truth. I just spent a day around town, just driving, enjoying the car. Town driving is SO much easier in S, the on/off throttle nauture of traffic and the way a turbo diesel works, especially with this trans, it's just better all around.

I also matted it and pulled 3rd to redline, shifted cleanly, and pulled 4th to about 90mph on the way home. God it feels like a new car again, especialy just as you said, the low end and take off at part throttle. It feels like adjusting the ALDA all over again. Strange stuff. And it's not like I baby this thing, I just havent been on the interstate lately, it see's 3500rpm shifts several times a day at least.

Never heard of a Mongolian tune-up specialist!
(Now Jen is really going to go after me)
rsl007

The thing you want warmed is the oil and the oil is far from operating temperature when the coolant temp gauge gets to 60C. The catch 22 is that if you go easy on your Diesel you'll be across the state before the temp gauge reads 80C.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

add hills
 

I've heard that load is better than just wide open throttle. Find a long steep hill, and floor it going up the entire way.

For us older oilburners, going uphill makes it easier to avoid a speeding ticket. Can't speak for the 1998.

I'm in agreement that the critical aspect is not the rpm's but the load and the time under load. I recently had the opportunity to take the 126 on I-64 from Norfolk all the way through West Virginia and into Ohio. I-64 has a five mile uphill climb going westbound with a 7% upgrade most of the way. The maximum speed that the 126 could sustain was 68 mph, and, at the very top of the hill, where the grade increased slightly, the speed dropped to 62 mph. It was a rather sudden drop and was slightly disconcerting. But, no issues. The five minute run under maximum load at approximately 3100 rpm definitely produced the desired results, without the need to suffer transmission wear due to high power shifts and without the need to run the engine at maximum rpm. I wish that I could find more grades like that locally.

load is good
 

Hello Everyone
A diesel is a load engine.
Put it under load and it is great.
Red line it with no load and junk it.
Idle it around town, do not let it work and it loads up with crud.
Further data:
http://mbz.org/articles/engine/diesel/italian/
Have a great day.

Ahh the memories... :( *sniff*

My poor car hasn't seen anything past 3000 RPM in at least 3 weeks now, and that only on the freeway (except when running at 65, I haven't let it get any higher than 2500 RPM).

I need to get my hands on a boost gauge so I can safely open up the throttle on my car. I've actually noticed, since starting to drive the car like an old lady, if I go over 1/2 throttle, I can see quite a bit of smoke behind me...

Im glad you recycled it. I just did this today in my car as my wife had been the only one driving at it was going more than 5 or 6 miles a day. I havent filled it up with diesel since early Nov right before our first cold snap. It was a beautiful cold clear day here today so we went for a drive in the country. I pushed her up to 80 on the flat roads. Got the fuel tank down to 1/4 and filled her up again and drove home along Crowleys ridge on a curvy teo lane with a few straightaways and a couple of good uphill climbs. My only problems I had today was that the engine temp never moved up much(between 40 and the little notch above) and I believe I need to adjust my steering wheel play(spooked me once on a curve) I also seem to have some sort of rattle coming from to front of the engine when its cold?

Just want to add here that my first week driving the 91 300D 2.5, I was driving through the mountains on the way home and there were lots of 6-8% grades where I would be doing 100km/h at full throttle in 3rd gear and barely gaining any speed at all because of the great hills... Still, I've never seen any smoke come out of the back of my car, not even on those hills. I've never been able to get it to smoke like is talked about in this thread. Is that normal for a 602? I'm guessing it's probably a good sign that stuff isn't getting built up in the engine so there's nothing to burn off. On those hills, the coolant was rising to about 100 on the uphills and on the way down it would drop to about 75. These were long climbs, and long descents. I'm talking 2-3 minutes of uphill in 3rd gear at full throttle and full load. Then another 2-3 minutes of downhill. The car loved it, I can tell you that much. But I've still never seen an ounce of smoke come out of the car except for a little puff off idle and a little puff on starting. Oh those mountain roads were great! :D (BTW, it was Hwy 3 between Hope and Princeton in B.C., and from Princeton on back to Ontario...)

My 300D smokes very little. I just about always floor it when I leave a stop sign or green light. The 300SD smoke was down to a minimum, but since my dad started driving it, it smokes, black smoke at that. I figure flooring it a few times along with a ULTRA cleanup dose of Power Service Diesel Kleen (all 32 oz.) will clear it out.
-Joe

Certain Nationalities are "chosen"
 

An Afghani tune up is done while smoking a water pipe. :sultan:

The references to Mongolia are limited to something or other concerning a "cluster". :smhair2:

A Russian tune up is done after a pint of Vodka. :beerchug:

A South Central tune up refers to the literal "drive it because you stole it. :afro:

There must be more, eh?

I think its known as the Italian tune up because rich Italians used to baby their Ferraris and Lamborghinis and as a result the cars wouldn't run correctly. The Italian mechanic would then drive the heck out of the car and it would run better.

Scott

Still done to this day, even, possibly by your local stealership. My dad worked at the local MB dealer for some time, and they had a problem w/ an older lady who had purchased a new SL (one of the last 129s I think). Anyway, she drove it, well, like an old lady, and would come back in every couple of months complaining that it ran terribly and that they should fix it. The only thing wrong w/ it was that she went light to light and never got over 2k rpm. So they would "exersize" ;) it and give it back to her (no charge-under warranty). They told her to drive it in third and take it out on the highway, and all she would do was threaten a lemon law lawsuit.

Then they did something very immoral, :eek: however effective, that I think I will refrain from explaining, lest someone get in trouble, as most of the techs involved are still employed by that dealer and are all very nice guys....

-M-

there is a hill
 

on i-57 south of marion ill. started up it at 72 and topped the hill at 57. foot to the floor shifted to s and the engine only got louder.

It'll take a tank of fuel for me to get to the nearest hill, so I have to just take off from a stop like a lunatic. I've found that the perfect time to perform an Italian tuneup is when being tailgated. I let off the accelerator and slow down a bit to give me some room, then STOMP! I let out a smokescreen that would make James Bond jealous! I have to be careful that I don't do this too often, though, or else my ability to produce smoke disappears :( . Yeah, I know that means the Italian tuneup is working, but selectively smoking obnoxious motorists is more fun than a drunken monkey :D .

I would give my 87 300D a ITU, but afraid of the head... since moderate thottle will already get it passed 100, the cooling system really needs to be reworked (copper radiator, brittle hoses, yup... its as if i WANT my head to crack). Until I can afford all that, radiator in particular, just gonna granny it at under 2k RPM.

At the risk of stating the obvious, I recommend you have your cooling system addressed IMMEDIATELY! Are you sure your radiator needs replacing? Deal with the little things first, like the temp switches and hoses. I'm no expert here, so here's a quote from someone who is:
Good luck. That baby deserves to be DRIVEN!

According to a good friend of mine, motorists in Italy drive fast. As in hold each gear till redline. Do not give a car a "Hawaii Tune-up". You will irritate everyone behind you by taking 30 seconds to reach 30 miles per hour. I kid you not. That is how fast people drive here.

i just had my car spend almost a week in the shop without it being started.. when i got the car back yesterday... man.. there were a lot of smoke coming out when i press on the accelerator... and its not gray smoke.. its more like dark brown... babied it for awhile since i was in a city that penalizes smoke belchers.. then when i got to a wide open stretch of private road (really wide.. it around 6 lanes abreast) ... i stomped on the pedal.. wow!.. all the cars behind me vanished!.. didnt let off for a good 2 kilometers..i just mashed the pedal.. poor motorists behind me...after that.. went into our compound.. that night.. i can see the headlights of the cars behind me even if i was accelerating.. thank god!....

diesels really dont like being garaged.. ehehhe

Here's my Italian Tuneup story for today. I was out on the NW side of town today (It's rare that I ever get out there), and I took the opportunity to get a can of diesel purge from Champion Import (Thanks Diesel4Me "Bill" ;) ), and I thought about using it on my 300D later in the day. When I was heading home on the Sam Houston tollway, I came to a complete stop at the toll booth, and after I got my change, I put my foot all the way down on the accelerator and didn't let off until about 72-73 mph. I looked in my rear view mirror, and I didn't see and smokescreen effects, just a small haze. I guess I've been putting my foot down on it so much and I guess all that Redline and that whole bottle of Diesel Kleen cleared all that smoke out. So, I guess I'll give the Diesel Purge to the 300SD, it's smoking because of my dad's different driving style. So, I guess I'll run a little of that, and give it a good cruise.
-Joe

On wednesday I was driving home my first MB. My wife was following....clear sunny day no traffic ~60MPH on rte.128....We come to a slight incline....should I do it? what will happen? HELL YES How can I NOT do it. I checked the operation of the kickdown switch with firm prompt application of pressure of my right foot......eyeys dart to rearview....Holy Soot show! I could barely see my wife....When we got home my wife was like (What the he double hockey sticks happend?????....Um...just checking something....

Hehehe.

I always belch out the smoke if I have tailgating issues or a driver I think needs a wake-me-up behind me.
Then they prompty usually attempt to put their headlights in my drivers mirror. Hm I guess I'll have to turn the shade back on :D
My kickdown doesn't work...I need to adjust the linkage so the pedal will make it down there :)

For those of you who think Houston is too flat to do Italian-Tuneups, I found a few places where they can be done, in an almost "hilly" environment. One is the entrance ramp to the Eastex Freeway (U.S 59 North) in downtown Houston, McKee St? I'm not sure. It's a pretty nice grade. There's another one on the Eastex too, if you're going northbound, after you pass under I-610, the freeway depresses under Kelly Rd., then, it comes out of the trench to pass over Bennington Rd. and some railroad tracks. The approach is a nice, long steep grade all the way to the top of the overpass. I have not had the oppurtunity to try this one out yet, but the I-610 bridge over the Ship Channel is pretty steep. Going south from I-10, you come out of a depressed section of 610, and climb from about 20-30 feet below the ground to about 150 ft above ground at the highest point of the highway.
-Joe

Bridge memory.
 

Memory of that bridge.
1972 Valiant, with a 170 CID Slant Six , hit the bottom of bridge at 65 MPH, by the top it was down to 25 MPH or less. :eek:
That bridge will give any diesel a good cleaning. :D

I can't really flog mine...no place I can get the speed up to anything that matters........

I was going UP a 10 mile 7% grade at 90-95 mph and was barely toping 3,500 rpm....and I certainly don't want to get caught finding out what its top end is....(my W123) it definately has taller gears than my W116 has...

hello, Diesel Kleen?
 

Go to Walmart, or most auto parts stores, and you will find Diesel Kleen by Power Service in the grey bottle. Diesel Fuel Supplement, white bottle, is ok, but the grey bottle is like shock therapy for your diesel fuel system. Pour in a whole 32 oz bottle in a tank, drive it normally for maybe half a tank, take it out and run it like hell, but just be sure you have an extra fuel filter. Might work TOO well.

OTOH, you could just use 1-5 gallons of B100 Biodiesel. I had a friend who ran B100 in a TDI for the first time, at 60k. Fuel filter was clogged with dis-lodged gunk after 20 miles. Best detergent ever.

I've been through 5 full tanks of B20......and will be through a whole lot more in the future.

May pick up a bottle of the DIESEL kLEEN...Advance auto carries it.

I never did the ITU in my gas cars nor on my diesel. Every ramp I take that is clear, I goose it to the max. Why wait for a few days or weeks? I just keep it clean daily.

Yup, daily ITUs. :D

And that is what I will tell the cop at the end of the ramp when I am doing over 80. "Sorry Officer. You see, I was doing the ITU. ITUs make the car run cleaner, reduce polution and also lowers healtcare costs and saves fuel and reduce foriegn dependence on oil. You shouldn't give me a ticket. You should give me a medal because I am risking my life for your betterment."

Think that will work? :D :D :D :D

1983 300sd
 

my 1983 300sd the tranny was running like crap..

slipping on take off and flaring and all kinds of bad things...

i drove it hard from louisville to cleveland and back in one day..
about 550 miles and now its running like a new car...

unbelievealbe...

I have had lots of positive results w/ ITUs. Except once I drove my 76 300d good and hard all the way from san diego to orange county and when I tried to start it later I discovered that I had buned up one of my glowplugs. Those old loop style plugs are a pain in the a$$.

I dont think that would burn up a glow plug, bit I havent owned my 300d long enough to know that yet...

I have had exelent luck with ITUs... one more acrynym (got that one all boogered up) to add to the list...

WVO
SVO
UMO
RUG
ITU

I also find that its fun to just hammer it when someone gets behind me... Not too much smoke (did a diesel purge recently) but still enough to be intereasting :D

What I like to do is go on old HW 12, and continue down twords fairchild... Big enough hills to run WOT up without gaining much. Turns sharp enough to scare you if you dont know your cars suspention (FORTIONATLY I do... very good shape)... And to top it off, fairchild has about 3 cops, who ALL take sunday off (I love small towns)

~Nate