Welcome me to the community!!

Hey guys, I am the proud new owner of a 1972 Mercedes-Benz 220Diesel!

I am the administrator/owner over at http://www.190revolution.net ... and currently have a 190E 2.6. I just got sick of the sporty race car I was trying to make of it and wanted something a little more classy and old fashioned. I am currently selling my 190.

And man oh man am I happy! This 2.2L diesel mated to a 4 spd manual transmission drives like a dream! In fact, it drives just like a Mercedes should. She has almost 200,000 miles on her, but came with a good four year old paintjob, a motor rebuild 40,000 miles ago, and a perfect interior. The previous owner put a lot of love into the car.

Here are some pics... they really dont do the vehicle justice.





I have a few questions about the car though.

1. Any one got any specs on the car? I would like to know the HP and torque figures, redline, 0-60 times, weight, length, etc.
2. The chassis type .... I know this seems sad, but I dont know if it is a W114 or a W115?
3. Is the turn signal designed to only work when held in position? The car does not hold the blinker wand in a top or bottom positon. I have a hard time indicating turns properly, because I cannot hold the blinker rod down/up, turn the wheel, and shift the transmission at the same time. Is my wand just broken?
4. The car runs at 179 degrees... less than 1/3 up the temp guage. Is it designed to run at this temp or did the previous owner fiddle with the thermostat or something?
5. Did they make a 5 spd tranny I could swap in?
6. Any easy little mods I can do to get a little more power?
7. I have a button on the dash to the right of the ash tray. When I pull it out a light on the front comes on. What does this button do?
8. Any advantage to upgrading to euro-spec headlights on this car? Any one got a picture of them installed?
9. Does the alternator put out enough juice to power a big stereo? (headunit, 4 80watt speakers, 500+W sub)
10. Are their any really common motor problems with this car that should be watched carefully?

And lastly, did I get a damn good deal at $2,200 dollars?

So far my plans for this car include the following ...

1. Tucking the front bumper. The only aesthetic flaw I can find on this car is that the bumper sticks out too far. Almost 3"s from the body. I would like to cut/weld the little extenders so the front bumper is only an inch or so from the body.
2. Full tint. I think it'll look nice and I can stay cool during the summer.
3. Big stereo. Gotta have my tunes!
4. BIO-DIESEL! I want to save the enviorment!

And thats about it...

Let me tell you guys, I love this car. I am so happy I got it. And I am so happy I can now participate in intelligent discussion on the worlds best general Mercedes forum ... you guys rock!

Take care, Cassidy

[Lycoming-8]

Your car and pics are nice. Haven't kept up with 220D, prices but sounds ok given apparent good condition of the car. This is a W-115, and you should also post on the Diesel side as there is much more activity there. Your turn signal stalk is probably not broken, just worn. Do a search of the forums on "turn signal" as there were some postings about this issue not too long ago. Bumper issue may cause a lot of body damage if you are hit hard and the bumper(s) have been moved closer to the body.

[Catrinus]

Hey, nice car! The condition seems to be way above average. You'll be glad you got the 4 speed transmission, too.

You can find a lot of good, useful information about your particular car on the Mercedes service CD-ROM. I happen to have the one you need (I have a 73 280C which is in the same family), and if you e mail me your mailing address I'll be happy to make you a copy. I bought my copy on eBay but is so obviously an unauthorized copy that I don't feel bad making a copy for you!

e mail me at Catrinus1@netscape.net

[300SDog]

That knob with white dot that lights up is for rear window defroster.

Signal light switch can be disassembled and magnetic contacts can be cleaned with pencil eraser to hold the switch "on."

Best boost for performance might be fuel additives that can raise the cetane rating.

You will soon discover that diesel fuel varies. Itsa good idea to buy from high-turnover stations that provide freshest fuel.

Most people bottom out the gears in these cars, slugging along... i dont know why. Its really a "hammer-down" car that does best in pulling mode when the engine seems ready to explode.

Think of shift points on the speedometer as minimum speed for each gear. If you top out the gears and stay in optimum rpm range - you will find this an incredibly fun car to drive.

Shifting gears on the standard shift diesel is art form that will keep you busy with narrow power band, high torque engine. And yes, you've got to give it plenty of pedal in between shifts.

If the car has been city-bound, you can drive it clean on an extended trip at high speed, where carbon on pistons and pre-combustion chambers get burned off. The engine will love it.

Driving this car will change your driving habbits forever. Gone are the days of jack-rabbit starts - instead you'll be paddling around, constantly shifting gears.... yet holding constant velocity advantage at driving most roads.

[psfred]

Welcom to the forum! Lovely car, too!

Rev limit is 5000 rpm, or the red marks on the speedo (which will indicate about 85 mph as the top speed). Don't exceed this, as the engine will tend to throw a rod.....

Acceleration is, well, leisurely. It will go pretty fast, but 0-60 is on the order or 18-20 sec!

Should get about 35 mpg, though, so there is some compensation. You also cannot outdrive the chassis.

There are no easy performance boosts, except to maybe sneak in a 5-cylinder from a 75-76 300D.

Leave the bumpers alone, you will destroy any value the car has by messing with it.

You can only put subwoofers in if you cut the back seat support out, do NOT do this, it comprimises the saftey of the car. There may and may not be knockouts on the rear shelf for speakers -- DO NOT allow the kids at the stereo shop to install speakers on the rear shelf, they will cut through the ventilation duct and you will get cold damp air in from the trunk, to say nothing of the above comment on ruining the value. If there are no knockouts (you have to remove the sound deadening matieral to check), use surface mount speakers.

Room in the doors for speakers is limited, but there is a hole in the kickpanel support that will accomodate a small speaker
Remember, these cars predate the "big" sterero era. You can only remove the kickpanel with heat, it's glued on.

These are greatly underappreciated cars, and if they ever to suddenly become "collectors", yours will be worthless if butchered. They are disappearing fast, so becoming a colletor isn't an impossible thing.

Euro headlights are a single glass, otherwise look very similar but nicer. I'd personally put them in, I'm looking for Euro lights for the 280 SE.

Peter

Thanks for the replys guys!

I definantaly find the car fun to drive ... while also very liesurly. After not driving my 190E for a while, I now find satisfaction with the acceleration. Something in side me changed, because I now think I am sporty by slowly pushing out of a corner at 10 mph in first gear. Before, the same rush would have only come from plowing out of a corner at 45 with my foot on the floor. Interesting, indeed. Its as if I became an old man over night.

Okay, I guess you guys convinced me to NOT modify the bumpers. However, if I can find a solution that does not damage any rare or expensive parts, I might do it. For instance, if I can get the bumper mounting brackets from MB for $15 each, I would cut them in half, weld them together shorter, and install. I could keep the old ones if I ever decide to sell it. I think this is a good compromise.

And sadly, someone already buctchered the rear shelf. It seems to be the only part of the car that was hacked with aftermarket parts. The previous owner cut and installed 5" x 7" speakers about 4" apart in the center of the deck. It is terrible.

I will need to install a sub in the trunk ... I am sure I can run a wire or two from some where, no? I dont like rear fill, so the speakers in the back need to go. I will probably weld the holes from the speakers shut and reupholster the hat rack. Up front, I will install a 3 piece component system in fiberglass door mounted pods that replace the map pockets. Mabye I will put two 4" speakers in the original equipment speaker enclosure?

I really dont know what I am going to do yet... but whatever it is, I will try and keep this car as original and reversible as possible.

Thanks every body for the help and kind words! I will start working on the blinker arm assembly this week!

[psfred]

You're lucky, the center part doesn't have the duct in it (you can check in the trunk) so a simple sheet welded in will fix the holes.

The factory usually provided knockouts for stereo speakers, one on each side. Check the bottom of the rear shelf cover (if you still have it) for location.

There is something about the W115 diesel that makes one appreciate stately progress. Mind you, you can flog it, but it will never win any races. I used to find that I was driving about 65 down the local back roads, just roaring along. No real acceleration out of a corner, but you can put one in a four-wheel drift on freeway exit ramps. Not enough horsepower to do it going up, but it's a blast when it is possible.

Check the rubber in the sway bar mounts up front, mine fell apart last year. Also, the links for the rear sway bar tend to fall off when those bushings to, too. Not hard to replace, and handling improvements are dramatic!

Peter