95 E300D Worth the Trouble?

[retmil46]

Well, since this is the part of the forum where "opinions" reign, figured I'd ask here as well as in the Diesel section.

Here's the short take - back in Dec 08 my original '87 300D was t-boned by a Ford Explorer - after I'd spent two years replacing everything under the sun and finally getting it up to snuff - dash vacuum pods, tranny external seals, new oil lines and cooler, wheel bearings, brakes, timing chain - you guys pretty well know the drill.

About a month later I acquired another 87 300D, manufactured the same month (VIN number only 1000 apart, probably even made the same week) so no question all the parts on the wrecked one would cross over. Gent talked a good game over the phone about what he'd done to the car, but when it arrived, let's just say while he might have been an automotive engineer he certainly wasn't a mechanic. While the exterior and interior of the car was in excellent shape, mechanically it was a cluster, and some of that actually inflicted by the guy I'd just bought it from. I was looking at just as much and probably more work than the first 87 to get it up to speed.

While somewhat disappointed, I was consoled by the fact that parts cost would be minimal - I had an entire parts car with a lot of new parts to simply transfer over. It would just be time and elbow grease.

Two weeks later, the boom gets lowered - get told that in March 09 Freightliner would be kicking us all out the door. End result of all this was having to move from NC to Texas in April 09 to find employment and living in an apartment complex - ie, no place to work on vehicles. The two 87's got left on my property back in NC, next door to relatives who keep an eye on them and drive the replacement 87 occasionally.

Well, now it's 1 1/2 years later. Just now getting to the point that I could consider bringing the two cars down to Texas, and taking up the option of another forum member to keep them at his property and use his facilities to upgrade the repacement 87 and part out the wrecked one when done. But with the time I have to spend at work, and the amount of time I'd have to put into the one 87 to get it up to speed, I'm wondering if that's even a viable option any more.

I'm considering finding another MB diesel down here, that at least would take a minimal amount of work to be serviceable (ie, A/C works, no major mechanical problems), in other words driveable and able to pass inspection out of the gate, and selling off the replacement 87 and parting out the wrecked one.

Along that line, I've spotted a 95 E300D SE on autotrader at a local dealership. 180K miles, carfax complete from day one entirely a local one owner car, white with gray mb tex, pics look to be in excellent shape. I'm thinking of going and taking a look at it this afternoon. After searching the Diesel section and seeing someone has now figured out how to do the "BB" mod to the EGR on a 95 OM606, I'd definitely be willing to consider driving one. As far as the rest of the car, being a W124, I'm already up to speed on that part thanks to the work I've done on the two 87's.

Decisions, decisions. Any thoughts?

[aklim]

NA 606 is a pooch. My 99 was little better. BARELY acceptable after being chipped. I had to get it for the mileage since I was going 200 miles a day but right now, If it were up to me, I'd get a gasser.

[retmil46]

Originally Posted by aklim

NA 606 is a pooch. My 99 was little better. BARELY acceptable after being chipped. I had to get it for the mileage since I was going 200 miles a day but right now, If it were up to me, I'd get a gasser.

Yep, I read the comments from one owner in particular, JimmyL I believe it was, who picked up a 95 NA 606 a couple years or so ago. One of his biggest complaints was that the car would simply fall flat on it's face as it shifted gears when accelerating, unless you had your foot to the floor flat out.

Later on, in the thread on disabling the EGR and tystraping open the intake damper door on a mechanically injected OM606, same owner commented that it made a world of difference in how the vehicle accelerated, and pretty much eliminated his original complaint.

Four years ago, that's why I went with an 87 - goes like stink, and minimal electronics to deal with. Only the present living situation, and the fact someone has figured out how to disable that accursed EGR and apparently make the car perform acceptably, is why I'm just now considering this route.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by retmil46

Yep, I read the comments from one owner in particular, JimmyL I believe it was, who picked up a 95 NA 606 a couple years or so ago. One of his biggest complaints was that the car would simply fall flat on it's face as it shifted gears when accelerating, unless you had your foot to the floor flat out.

Later on, in the thread on disabling the EGR and tystraping open the intake damper door on a mechanically injected OM606, same owner commented that it made a world of difference in how the vehicle accelerated, and pretty much eliminated his original complaint.

Four years ago, that's why I went with an 87 - goes like stink, and minimal electronics to deal with. Only the present living situation, and the fact someone has figured out how to disable that accursed EGR and apparently make the car perform acceptably, is why I'm just now considering this route.

My turbo version isn't that much better. The C280 was peppier than it is, chipped.

Have you ever driven one? I would drive it and see if I could put up with it being such a dog and a dead one at that.

I disabled the EGR electronically on mine but I am not sure how that helps acceleration. Doesn't the EGR only come on when it isn't in WOT or does it come on always?

[retmil46]

Originally Posted by aklim

My turbo version isn't that much better. The C280 was peppier than it is, chipped.

Have you ever driven one? I would drive it and see if I could put up with it being such a dog and a dead one at that.

I disabled the EGR electronically on mine but I am not sure how that helps acceleration. Doesn't the EGR only come on when it isn't in WOT or does it come on always?

From what they explained on the one thread, at least on the mechanically injected NA 606's, is that you have to disable both the EGR valve and the damper door in the intake just after the air filter - when the control system is calling for EGR, the damper on the intake is supposed to patially close, creating a restriction so that when the EGR valve opens, the engine will suck exhaust gases in thru the intake instead of fresh air from the air filter. Their mod involved plugging both vacuum lines to the EGR and the damper, disconnecting a mechanical linkage from the throttle cable to the damper, and then tystrapping the intake damper wide open.

If yours has an intake damper as well, and the electronic fix only disabled the EGR, but the intake damper is still active and closing down, that might explain why there was seemingly little improvement.

That's why I'm planning on going by the dealership, to see if I can actually take the car for a test drive, and see firsthand if it's too "doggish" to bother with.

[Skid Row Joe]

It sounds to me like you just want something 15 yrs. old or older in Texas to fiddle with in your spare time.

Two Benzes in the hand (in NC) are worth nothing to you in the bush (Texas.)

How many of these cars do you want to string out in exposure to expenses, and cashwise total? Seems like you already own an MB diesel to me.................................................way across the country?

The two Benzes would have been in San Antone yesterday, were they mine. You already said some guy would let you work on 'em at his place for free, right?

[Hatterasguy]

NA diesels are dogs, get a turbo or gas version. IMHO in the later W124's the gas motors are better, especially the M119 V8.

If you want a newer diesel get a 1998-99 E300D.


I have driven both turbo and NA versions of the 603 and 606. The turbo versions are acceptable, NA versions are not.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

I have driven both turbo and NA versions of the 603 and 606. The turbo versions are acceptable, NA versions are not.

If you get the turbo version, talking to SpeedtuningUSA is a must. At that point, it will be about as barely acceptable as me having sex with an 18 yo on her birthday. Legal but barely legal.

[davidmash]

I don't get it. My wife has a 95 E300D and it accelerates just fine. I have not disabled the EGR or the intake flap. She makes over 33 MPG and the car is solid as a rock. No I am not going to beat a Porsche to the light but that is not what the car is designed for. Unless you are in a very mountainous area I do not see where the problem is.

[retmil46]

Well, last Saturday tried calling the dealership with the car. Got shifted thru 3 different people in the first minute. Guy I ended up with literally had no idea which car I was talking about, took my phone number and said he'd call back in a few minutes. 2 hours later when the dealership had closed, still no call back. Either these guys were incredibly busy, or just incredibly incompetent - all I wanted to know was whether or not the damn car had been sold yet, so I wouldn't waste my time driving out there.

One other dealership another 5 miles down the road has a 98 300D for sale. They called back and left a voicemail, saying they still had the car. But given that the salesman admitted in the same voicemail they were selling it for nearly 3K under bluebook value, and there's been 3 BBB complaints filed against them in the past year (one for selling a car they didn't even have the title to), think I'd best stay well away from that one.

Found a nice looking 87 300D on the local craigslist for 2K, dated 28 Sept on the ad. Ad said it was a dealer car. When I called to ask about the car and where they were located, got some guy with a heavy Filipino or Spanish accent who cut me off mid-sentence and said the price for the car was $2515, because he had to add in the interest from the loan. He couldn't even give me a street address or business name, just said it was at a particular intersection behind a Bill Miller BBQ. Looking at Google street level view, there was nothing there but a patch of woods. Yeah, rrrriiiigggghhhttt.

[Chris W.]

Hmmm. If you get another chance on the 95, don't throw it away. I'm biased, but mine has been a great car. The acceleration is fine, really, unless you are racing or something. 24 gallon tank means huge range. I routinely get 34 - 35 mpg, verified by logging every tank.

Plastic fuel lines need changing every 3-4 years, or at least the O rings on them, change the vacuum pump once you hit ~200K as a preemptive measure, and although the wiring harness and the AC condenser are suspect, I'm still on my originals with no problems. Knock wood.

Rgds,
Chris W.
95 E300D, 326K