Proud To Introduce My First Benz

[Bronze]

Hello All,

I just wanted to introduce myself and the lovely 1974 240D I just acquired last week. After 6 years of hassle and irritation with owning a brand-spanking-new Honda Hybrid, I decided to go back to basics and start driving a car that I actually understand! Been fantasizing about an old Benz diesel for many years, and I'm excited to have finally made it into a reality!

If these fantasies pan out, I'll be doing 90% of the work on her myself, teaching my son a thing or two about cars when he gets older, maybe putting in a 2nd tank for vegetable oil, and hopefully some day in the 50's (lol) my grandson will be learning how to drive stick with her. (Post-apocalyptic nightmare scenario optional.)

I am not an auto mechanic by any means, but I'm pretty good at tinkering around and I really enjoy being under the hood. I have had tons of success working on my '93 Jeep Wrangler, and the simplicity of that engine and the components was part of the inspiration to buy another car that I can actually work on.

So anyways, about the car!:
W115 240D OM616 Manual Transmission
Not sure about the color yet.
Odometer reads 53,000 miles, so I'm thinking hopefully 153K, since she looks so clean inside...
Only real issues I have identified so far are the blower knob only works on setting 1 and 2, and the A/C changeover switch won't activate unless I manually give it a little help. It will very slowly shut off however. (Thinking it could just be a vacuum leak.)
Another wierd thing is that heat only seems to be getting to the passenger side of the car, so I'll have to poke around and see what's going on there. Thank fully, both heater and A/C motors are working!
Never owned an older diesel, so not sure to what extent I should be concerned about the white/grey smoke that comes out when I pull away, the very rough idle when cold, and the teakettle oil cap.
Other than that, everything else seems tip top, and man! she is fun to drive! I tend to be a bit of a road-rager here in Southern California, and I can already feel myself relaxing in this ponderous boat of a car, letting go of getting there as fast as I can and just enjoying operating a well-built machine.

Thanks to all of you who post in this forum--I have been lurking here awhile learning about these cars while I was shopping. And further big thanks in advance, because I know I will be here often as I start getting my hands greasy. This is gonna be awesome!

Here is a pic:

[Adv_rider]

Welcome and congratulations. Looks like a good cared car.

I suggest you also follow the diesel forum.

[alabbasi]

I love these old sedans. They're a blast to drive.

[pedrocamp]

Nice! I love my old Benz and feel the the same sense of relaxed comfort on the road as you mentioned, congratulations.

[Coastal220]

Nice looking car. The 115s have such a unique, timeless look.

That's a good color on the car too -- was that an original option? Do you know where the color code is located on the tag near the radiator?

Cheers

[daw_two]

Welcome to the forum! You guys in CA get all the really nice, well cared for cars.

[fender_bender]

Welcome! She's a beaut! I'm doing the same with my 300d. Trying to do most of the work myself. I am a complete NOOB, but I learn quick. I never even changed my own brakes or oil until I got my mercedes. Now I'm rebuilding the entire front end! It's strange how these old cars can change a person. I absolutely DID NOT want to work my my past cars. I cringed at the thought, but now I can't wait to get out there and start wrenching away! This forum is great for learning about these cars.

[BenzDieselTuner]

thats a sharp looking car !! great find!

as far as post apocalypse is concerned, at least even without any electrical systems working whatsoever, you can still roll start the car, even with the automatic, and continue driving on anything that burns.....now THEN the car would be really top dollar, but one would probably just keep it....

[Coastal220]

Originally Posted by BenzDieselTuner

thats a sharp looking car !! great find!

as far as post apocalypse is concerned, at least even without any electrical systems working whatsoever, you can still roll start the car, even with the automatic, and continue driving on anything that burns.....now THEN the car would be really top dollar, but one would probably just keep it....

Just keep in mind that when the apocalypse hits, dollars won't be good for much more than burning. And curiously enough... this tends to be what our Mercedes are good for right now.

[meltedpanda]

nice ride , we are here to help!
pop over to the diesel gang for best responses.
Oh and best to post one clear question at a time, for us older guys , we work better when we are focused lol