Well first.. I'm new to Mercedes and I'm new to this BB.. I'm really glad I found it though.. I have a lot of questions
I recently bought a 1980 250. It has about 134K, and the body and interior are in great condition.
Trying to insure the car.. my insurance company says they dont have any record of a 1980 250. So we made it a 280C
Then Ive noticed just from trying to buy tune up parts that no general auto parts store has this car either.
So I'm wondering.. is this car pretty rare? any idea how many were produced?
My next question is.. why does it stall whenever the slightest bit of gas is applied after a stop? And what is the normal engine operating temp? The previous owner said this was an "english edition", just wondering what that exactly is?
Thanks for any help or advice!
Heather

Heather,
You have what's known as a 'Grey Market' car - a car that wasn't officially sold in the US. It was privately imported, probably from England ("English Edition"?)
The closest thing to a 1980 250, sold here,
was the 1977-1981 280E - Same body, different engine. The last 250 sold here was in 1972 - different body, similar engine. You MIGHT be able to use tune up parts for a 1972 250.
Many parts, including body, chassis and trim parts will interchange with 230,240D,300D, and 280E cars, sold here between 1977 and 1985. Engine, tune up, fuel system, exhaust and climate control parts may be hard to find. If you live in an area that requires emmissions testing, that too may be a problem.
It could be a very nice car if you're prepared to cope with these situations.
Perhaps someone else here or on one of the other sections like 'Tech Help' or 'Good Mercedes Shops' can help with your parts
problem. Good Luck.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

...be right hand drive.

See if you find the manual. It usually is in the language of the country the car was delivered.

I bet it is in german ;-)

Most parts not related to the engine are interchangeble with the other W 123 models.

The M 123 engine is a pretty strange thing. It was basically developed for the then new W 123. Therefor pretty none of the parts of previous engines fit. The M 123 was basically designed to sound beautyfull. It is a pretty hefty gas guzzler, when the carburators are not tuned right you will see some pretty impressive low gas mileage. On the other hand the M 123 never breaks. Never.

Send me the VIN to eberhard@ikonengold.de and the list of parts you need, I might be able to check on the EPC for the part numbers

With those part numbers you should be able to order the parts through the normal dealer network. After all, it is a Mercedes and having parts available worldwide is part of their strategy.

Kind regards
Eberhard

Tune up parts from a 1972 250 won't cut the mustard -- trust me! We do stock some basics for your car -- feel free to give us a call (select the link to get our number).

Ron
German Star

Heather,according to the May issue of Mercedes Enthusiast magazine the total sales for your motor were 122,864.Bear

__________________
W123 '82 300D red 202,000 miles

G460 '83 280 GE LWB 69,000 miles

Mercedes-Benz Club member
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http://www.s-klasse-club.de/

Well the steering wheel is on the left side.. thats a plus
Owners manual is definitely in German. I had a local guy help me find tune up parts.. we ended up using a 1975 250 and everythings seems to work right. the plug wires are for a plymouth acclaim though.. i guess just the same size but cheaper and without the metal boot.
As far as parts i still need.. A sunroof motor (depending on price!)
A switch for the passenger front window.
I'm having someone look at the carb tomorrow, so we'll see soon what I'll need. He says the needle and seat commonly become loose for that year motor. Hope I dont need a carb Can I retro fit a carb off an old chevy I have?? hehe
Thanks for all the help.. I've written down all the contact #s and websites

The engine in the US 72 250 was the 2.8l M130. The rest of the world got the 2.5l M114. The 80 250 came with the 2.5l M123. The M123 is very different from the M114.

AFAIK, the 250 has a single Solex 4A1 carb which might have it's roots in carbs used in the US 280 and 280S through 75. BMW might have used a similar carb.

Keep that Quadrajunk away from the MB!

Sixto
91 300SE
87 300SDL
81 300SD

Parts from a 77-84 240D, 280E or 300D as equipped should work. Switch designs might have changed over the years.

Sixto
91 300SE
87 300SDL
81 300SD