holy cow, this thread is still alive??

More anectdotal evidence, I'm afraid. Went out this cold morning, turned the key, and .....the '99 E300 fired off and ran just fine for another 100 miles or so, all but 3 of it on WVO. Okay, so I couldn't help myself. This is at least as useful in a mercedes diesel forum as a link to a kubota tractor that coughed up a pre-chamber after being run for short periods on a single tank system which the installers admittedly struggled with from the outset.

I can't provide proper scientific evaluation until I have good reason to tear the engine down. After 60,000 + WVO miles (on this car alone) I'm not there yet, but I will absolutely report and post photos if I have reason to do anything relevant and more invasive than replacing fuel lines or glow plugs (which on these engines might just be an annual event, regardless of fuel choice.) 203,000 miles now and I'm betting on 300,000 if the rust doesn't get it first. None of these cars - or any of us - live forever. Whack the pedal and drive!