2,000 Mile Trip Planned For 1968 W110 200D - Page 5 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Squiggle Dog · #61 07-01-2010, 06:29 PM

After returning to Heber City from the reunion in Price, I drove around and visited some places in the valley. Next to Heber City is Midway, where I lived for a few years. It is a very pretty town with lots of Swiss influence. I stopped by the church I used to go to, which was a very nice building. There are lots of hills and mountains in the area, much like Europe. One of these is called Memorial Hill, which can be driven up for a view of the valley. As I am driving up the hill, Mt. Timpanogos can be seen in the distance. I have climbed Timpanogos before and there is a lookout booth at the very top.

Squiggle Dog · #62 07-01-2010, 06:30 PM

I miss this area very much, but the winters are harsh and so is finding a well-paying job.

Squiggle Dog · #63 07-01-2010, 06:31 PM

One of the pictures shows a house typical of the style in the area. Like I said, it is very beautiful and worth visiting; a wholesome escape from the ghetto of Tacoma, Washington where I currently live.

Squiggle Dog · #64 07-01-2010, 06:33 PM

Pictured is part of historic Heber City, which is home of the Heber Creeper, a steam train which is still in service.

The split at the top of the radiator opened up again, but it did not lose much coolant during the drive. The engine lost (or should I say, leaked) 1 quart of oil to Utah, and 1 quart of oil returning to Washington. There is definitely leakage coming from the lower half of the engine and I dread pulling the engine to reseal it.

Pictured is my solution to the stuck heater valves. I was trying to find hose pinchers; something that would collapse the hose so the coolant wouldn't flow through the heater cores. No one seemed to understand what I was asking for and kept showing me hose clamps, so I went to the hardware store and used C-clamps with large steel fender washers and rubber washers to help protect the hose. It works until I can fix it the correct way.

You can see that the engine was running too rich by the soot on the back of the car. I definitely need to fix the problem.

I arrived home on June 30th. I covered about 2,000 miles in my 42-year-old car that was neglected and barely drivable only a few months ago. I probably spent about $160 total in fuel, so that's not bad. 16 hours of driving one-way is a lot, though, even when it's split up into 8 hour increments!

These old Mercedes fintail diesels can be great daily drivers as mine is, though there are still issues to work out. I use it for everything since I don't have any other usable cars, but I am working on a 1980 300SD that I hope to be driving next year.

There is a certain amount of satisfaction from getting a worn-out antique car and getting it roadworthy enough to drive 2,000 miles through 4 states, knowing I did all of the labor myself.

Squiggle Dog · #65 07-01-2010, 06:35 PM

Here is a very short video clip of driving my car through Utah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx8pNnMDdHY

daw_two · #66 07-01-2010, 07:17 PM

Glad you had minor trouble. I'm sure it feels good to be back "home".

Squiggle Dog · #67 07-01-2010, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daw_two

Glad you had minor trouble. I'm sure it feels good to be back "home".

You should do a long trip with Ben, now.

mercmad6.3 · #68 07-01-2010, 07:39 PM

Smoking like that can also be caused by a blocked air filter . Try driving as short distance with it disconnected. The reason for excess smoke is too much fuel (worn injectors not atomizing correctly and dodgy fuel* ) and too little air (blocked air filter) . Diesels are simple to diagnose in general but you should get it done soon or you will ruin the bores from excess fueling .
The reason bosch use leather for the pump diaphragm is that they haven't found anything better.

i have filled with diesel in places where the fuel was the cause of the engine smoking and in fact one place has been prosecuted for "watering down the fuel" with waste turpentine!! .The toyota i was driving at the time suddenly started belching clouds of smoke and it didn't clear until I had used all the fuel and was running stuff from another place.

Your use of synthetic oils also explains the oil leaks. These engines were designed to use Mineral oils and the chemical make up of synthetics doesn't work with the type of seal design used in most early mercedes. Besides the manufacture of synthetics is bad for the environment.

Joseph_Conrad · #69 07-01-2010, 07:41 PM

Sweet trip, man. Thanks for sharing!

Squiggle Dog · #70 07-01-2010, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mercmad6.3

Smoking like that can also be caused by a blocked air filter . Try driving as short distance with it disconnected. The reason for excess smoke is too much fuel (worn injectors not atomizing correctly and dodgy fuel* ) and too little air (blocked air filter) . Diesels are simple to diagnose in general but you should get it done soon or you will ruin the bores from excess fueling .
The reason bosch use leather for the pump diaphragm is that they haven't found anything better.

i have filled with diesel in places where the fuel was the cause of the engine smoking and in fact one place has been prosecuted for "watering down the fuel" with waste turpentine!! .The toyota i was driving at the time suddenly started belching clouds of smoke and it didn't clear until I had used all the fuel and was running stuff from another place.

Your use of synthetic oils also explains the oil leaks. These engines were designed to use Mineral oils and the chemical make up of synthetics doesn't work with the type of seal design used in most early mercedes. Besides the manufacture of synthetics is bad for the environment.

I can run the car without the air filter to see if it changes anything, but I have already cleaned it twice with diesel and changed the filter oil twice. The smoking seemed to happen right after I filled up with diesel in Idaho, but I have already gone through a couple tanks of fuel since.

The car was already leaking oil when I got it. Bits of sealant are peeling off of the lower half of the engine where it is leaking the worst. If it's necessary I will use seals that work with synthetics.

I am trying to avoid petroleum products whenever there is a synthetic alternative. If manufacturing synthetics is truly bad for the environment, I would imagine there are ways to manufacture it that aren't bad for the environment. Clearly, pumping out petroleum and burning it is bad for the environment. I have to be the change in the world I want to see because those with power are more concerned about about benefiting themselves than improving the world.

Also, it's much easier to clean up synthetic oil than petroleum oil.

JB3 · #71 07-02-2010, 09:58 PM

Thats great that the trip went off without any major hitches!

I had the same altitude problem when I crossed the rockies with my 300D, actually had a number of issues related to altitude, smoking, low power, and the turbo lag became incredible!

Found this equation for HP loss at altitude for you, some of the problem could just be the normal naturally aspirated issues cars run into, especially an older car like yours-

hp loss = elevation x 0.03 x hp @ sea level
1000

also a link- http://www.wallaceracing.com/braking-hp.php

so if your car only has 60 hp base, you lost 12.6 hp at 7000 feet and got down to 47.4 hp. Whats the actual HP at the wheels for that car with the 4-speed? I know on the later 240Ds, they say with an auto versions, they have something like 38 hp, they would have been brought down to almost 30hp.

What does the fintail use for the ALDA or ALA altitude compensation? is it possible that this part is stuck or non functioning? maybe it worked partly, then got stuck as you decended later in the trip, especially if the car spent most of its life around sea level and these parts have never moved?

Squiggle Dog · #72 07-02-2010, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dropnosky

Thats great that the trip went off without any major hitches!

I had the same altitude problem when I crossed the rockies with my 300D, actually had a number of issues related to altitude, smoking, low power, and the turbo lag became incredible!

Found this equation for HP loss at altitude for you, some of the problem could just be the normal naturally aspirated issues cars run into, especially an older car like yours-

hp loss = elevation x 0.03 x hp @ sea level
1000

also a link- http://www.wallaceracing.com/braking-hp.php

so if your car only has 60 hp base, you lost 12.6 hp at 7000 feet and got down to 47.4 hp. Whats the actual HP at the wheels for that car with the 4-speed? I know on the later 240Ds, they say with an auto versions, they have something like 38 hp, they would have been brought down to almost 30hp.

What does the fintail use for the ALDA or ALA altitude compensation? is it possible that this part is stuck or non functioning? maybe it worked partly, then got stuck as you decended later in the trip, especially if the car spent most of its life around sea level and these parts have never moved?

Interesting. I do not know what my car uses for altitude compensation or if it even has it. I know there is a governor that uses a diaphragm. There is a throttle body and I don't know if it is adjusted properly.

I am getting really scared about my car. I am hoping it won't cost very much to get the smoking problem solved. I also have to reseal the engine since the seals are bad and the engine gets covered in oil.

I was told by the previous owner that the engine only had 4,000 miles on a rebuild, new brakes, new clutch, new tires, etc. and was supposed to be ready to drive and in need of no major work. That was the whole point of buying it. So far, the things that were supposed to be new were in need of work. The "new" tires were old, rotted, leaking bias-ply tires, the brakes failed and I had to replace the entire system, the clutch had problems and needed to be redone, and now the engine is smoking and leaking oil.

If this wasn't bad enough, it's going to cost about $1,000 for new door and windshield seals, then I have body panels to replace due to rust. I love this car so much, but I only work part time and I don't think I can afford to keep it on the road much longer. Unfortunately, I probably couldn't get any real money for the car since no one wanted it at $1,300.

mercmad6.3 · #73 07-03-2010, 06:01 AM

Anything synthetic requires really scary processes to make . nylon,propylene etc are all made from oil ... so you wont change the world that way. If you really want to save the world,drop the sump,(it doesn't use a gasket) and reseal it with permatex and use the correct grade of mineral oil . At least you wont be dripping oil all over the USA's highways where it is being washed into water tables where the synthetic oil adds a molecule to water ruining it forever.

I hope you are using oil designed for diesel because the black stuff in the diesels is carbon particles from the combustion process and the detergent in the oil is designed to collect it and deposit it the filter. That is why that filter is so big.
Also,your engine is OHC and the pump has high spring pressures running on a cam which activates the injector elements. This requires an oil with zinc. Since the advent of particle filters and catalytic convertors,the use of zinc was stopped and modern engines have things like roller cam rockers and lifters to reduce the pressure on the cams. Eventually your engine will wear out because the synthetic oil wont lubricate it properly,when it actually stays in the engine.

Squiggle Dog · #74 07-03-2010, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mercmad6.3

Anything synthetic requires really scary processes to make . nylon,propylene etc are all made from oil ... so you wont change the world that way. If you really want to save the world,drop the sump,(it doesn't use a gasket) and reseal it with permatex and use the correct grade of mineral oil . At least you wont be dripping oil all over the USA's highways where it is being washed into water tables where the synthetic oil adds a molecule to water ruining it forever.

I hope you are using oil designed for diesel because the black stuff in the diesels is carbon particles from the combustion process and the detergent in the oil is designed to collect it and deposit it the filter. That is why that filter is so big.
Also,your engine is OHC and the pump has high spring pressures running on a cam which activates the injector elements. This requires an oil with zinc. Since the advent of particle filters and catalytic convertors,the use of zinc was stopped and modern engines have things like roller cam rockers and lifters to reduce the pressure on the cams. Eventually your engine will wear out because the synthetic oil wont lubricate it properly,when it actually stays in the engine.

I am using Amsoil 15W40 DIESEL oil which has a high zinc-phosphorous content. I am all for the stopping of oil drilling (by making it unnecessary, not banning it). I also like the better lubricity and cleanliness of the synthetics. They can take more abuse as well. It's not going to leak out if the seals are replaced. I went through the same thing with a 1960s International Travelall I used to own. It leaked and then I replaced all of the engine seals. After that it was totally dry and didn't leak with synthetic oil. It might leak more than conventional oil if the seals are already bad. Besides, this is a 15W40 oil, not a super-thin 0W40 or 5W40 oil. When I got the car the whole engine was covered in an oily mess and it leaked 2 quarts of oil during the 40-minute drive home. This was with conventional oil. These leaks were pre-existing and in no way caused by synthetic oil. I did find that using 5W40 leaked more than 15W40.

Squiggle Dog · #75 07-03-2010, 11:38 AM

By the way, the Amsoil 15W40 Synthetic Heavy Duty Diesel & Marine oil has 1267 ppm of phosphorus and 1377 ppm of zinc.