Dave:

What are you seeing in smoke production with the current 15psi boost and 6mm elements at full-chat?

Knowing that will tell me a lot about whether I'm dialing in too much boost for my IP's capacity.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

It's nearly identical to the KKK at 20psi (peak), which would drop to ~15psi at high RPM, as seen in the videos I linked to earlier. Tons of power in low & mid range, but at WOT it will smoke with only 15psi. I am hoping that a steady ~20psi will reduce / eliminate the smoke. I need to verify EGT's but I think they are lower now, as the bigger turbo should be far less restriction.

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

Correct - the boost controller should work fine on the Garrett. Even if there was an easy way to change the signal to the old KKK, the airflow path in that casting was too restrictive... I believe that unit simply isn't adequate for more than ~175hp at the crank.



The 603 air filter has tons of capacity. I doubt it would be an issue even at ~300hp.



Yeah, IDI diesels are a bit different. To make power you need more fuel. But if it smokes, the fuel is being wasted, so you need more air. I've never been able to find a really good tech article on this topic but AFAICT, more air will reduce EGT's, as the IDI diesels should always operate with an excess of airflow.



The Saab unit isn't shaped quite right. But the 300ZX is nearly perfect for the "bumper pocket" side mount. The stock 300ZX is a bit small, but there are larger aftermarket all-metal versions available that should be ideal. I may try this after getting the turbo figured out. I still think that the IC should not be needed as long as WOT bursts are kept short, as the guy on the STD forum was able to get ~250hp with no IC just have adding a large enough turbo. My long-term plans are to install a large FMIC behind an AMG bumper and route the inlet on the opposite side of the intake, exactly like Zeitgeist did on his '87 300TD wagon.



The Finns used a stainless braided AN line for the oil feed, I'd probably have to duplicate something like that when going to custom headers. The next stage after this setup will be the Euro exhaust manifold, which in theory should allow using aftermarket Garret GT turbos, possibly with a factory oil feed line.



Hmmmm.... no, that wasn't me. Never messed with manual tranny conversions and I didn't do much with the W123, although I did own a few (but never again!). I started out on the old MBCA email lists back before the interwebs & forums like this were popular. Ah, the good ol' days...

Have you looked for a higher pressure switch to replace the stock overboost-protection sensor/switch? I'd like to find one in the 20psi range and try to run it with the ALDA and overboost protection recalibrated. Easy to find a N.C. sender, but N.O. I don't see.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

No, I haven't checked into that at all. The protection setup is primarily for stock setups with no boost gauge and/or drivers who wouldn't know what to look for if they had a boost gauge. Another option would be a simple red light that would trigger on the dash if boost exceeded a preset pressure, rather than having it also kill ALDA signal. That would prompt you to check the gauges!

I got the Hallman boost controller installed today. I pre-set it on the workbench and it was pretty close, about 20psi peak, dropping to about 18psi. Another turn of the knob got it to about 22psi peak, dropping to maybe 20psi. I haven't been able to watch it real closely under power though. I need to take a good video during a WOT run to capture the data. The good news is, the 3.5L turbo works waaaay better than the littler KKK.

Anyway - with the boost turned up, the smoke appears to be gone at high RPM. The EGT's still get higher than I'd like but now I can hit over 90mph before EGT's make me lift. I think even a small IC might help out with that. AP-22 indicated power is up at least 20hp from previously with the stock turbo, so it might be 165-170hp at the wheels now. Launching with moderate power braking (to get the boost needle off zero) results in spinning both 225/45/17 tires (!!) if the pavement is not clean & dry. But, I was able to get a couple of test runs:


Summary of acceleration times:
0-60 = 10.7 sec, 0-80 = 19.5 sec, 0-90 = 26.0 sec (stock IP)
0-60 = 9.3 sec, 0-80 = 16.3 sec, 0-90 = 21.9 sec (maxed-out stock IP)
0-60 = 8.6 sec, 0-80 = 14.9 sec, 0-90 = N/A (hybrid IP, stock KKK turbo @ 20psi)
0-60 = 7.7 sec, 0-80 = 13.4 sec, 0-90 = 17.1 sec (hybrid IP, 350SDL Garrett turbo @ 22psi)


Due to high EGT's, I could not test to 90mph with the stock turbo. I also forgot to test 1/4 mile data with the stock turbo, but with stock IP (maxed out) it was usually around 17.0 @ 80mph, today with the hybrid setup I got 15.9 @ 86mph, which ain't too shabby.


Coming soon: Dyno data and videos of the gauges at WOT. I'd like to test to 100mph (for comparison to stock) but I need to get EGT's down a bit more.

__________________
Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

Awesome!! Thanks for the update.

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1987 300TDT - 195,000 (Original #14 head)
1993 190E 2.3 - 105,000
1981 300D - 250,000

Way to go! That is modern day V6 like numbers with the road manners, comfort and safety I can't do without. Also if you can keep the temptations down it is going to return better than V6 Accord fuel mileage I bet. How does the tranny feel?

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1986 300 SDL - rolling parts car and test bed.
1987 300 SDL - semi daily driver.
1977 U1000 Unimog
2007 Ram 2500 6.7l

Yes nice, thanks. Sounds like the 6mm elements are a good upgrade for a modest budget, where you don't need to plumb a big turbo and aftercooler.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Kurt, the tranny seems to be doing fine. I was able to get the shift quality decent by turning up the modulator, but there is still the issue of early upshifts at light throttle. It's just a minor annoyance and I get around it by shifting manually when desired. I would like to come up with a better solution though.

Jeff, the 6mm upgrade seems to be great on a budget, retaining the stock manifold & exhaust. I would be VERY curious to hear if the 3.0L Garrett turbo would work as well as the 3.5L version. I still think the problem I had was due to the KKK's design, not the impeller sizes, but I could be wrong. Also, although I do not currently have an aftercooler / IC, it really does need one... EGT's hit ~1400 before 100mph which is my minimal target. It's possible that a better-sized turbo (i.e., slightly larger compressor) might heat the intake air less and help a bit more. I want to be able to test 0-100mph, in summer heat, and have the EGT's remain in the safe zone. I'm not there yet.

I probably will not do an IC with this setup... when I switch to the Euro exhaust manifold and .971 turbo, I'll re-clock the .971 to exit downward and feed an IC. Realistically this isn't going to happen until next winter. The dragrace season starts in a few weeks and I just won't have time to mess with it until Nov/Dec. That will give me time to get the Euro manifold Jet-Hot coated and figure out IC plumbing.

Cool. I ordered gauges in preparation for putting 6mm in my 300SDL today! I will try the stock Garrett with boost controller before going to an HY35 (if I go at all). The tranny in my '87 seems in good shape. My '86 is standing by ready to supply parts.

Went riding with my scant free time this weekend but now you got me enthused about the mod again. Updates will follow.

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1986 300 SDL - rolling parts car and test bed.
1987 300 SDL - semi daily driver.
1977 U1000 Unimog
2007 Ram 2500 6.7l

Sounds good, Kurt! It would be nice to find out if the 3L Garrett will support all the fuel from the 6mm pump or not. And if not, my test showed that you can bolt in the 3.5L unit to fix it, with no other mods (although the HY35 would probably be better).

Side note - I took detailed photos of the intake snorkel on my car, with dimensions, etc. I need to re-size the pics and send them your way. Keep an eye on your email tonight.

Did you get yours from a 350SD?

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

No both my stock 300SDL's have Garrets but not the same A/R as the 350 Garret right?

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1986 300 SDL - rolling parts car and test bed.
1987 300 SDL - semi daily driver.
1977 U1000 Unimog
2007 Ram 2500 6.7l

And on a side note (and sorry for OT) - where man can find a decent diesel shop willing to play with MB pumps? I am planing to put a 603 IP in 606, but will prolly stay with the stock 5.5 elements as I dont have a diesel shop in more then 200 miles rsdius (if not more, did not check farther).