Test drove a 87 300D, with a 603 and trap ox - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

greasybenz · #1 04-29-2006, 10:11 PM

Ok i sold my 300SD to a good friend of mine, already miss the car to death but my parents nagged me about dumping my paychecks into the car and said i should sell it for a better one. So i did.

And this was my chance to upgrade to a W124, i would have gone for a SDL but i know they are a bit longer and my SD was already a biotch to park in the city.

So a dealer had a 87 300D with 224K miles. Went to test drive it today and the interior was flawless. My dad was impressed with its condition. When i popped the hood i noticed the football looking trap oxidizer. And the dealer came over with the key to start it. He gets in and lets the glowplugs warm, right when he starts it a puff a smoke came out from the trap ox. He said, "i havent pre-warmed it up or anything you can touch the engine and look at the temp sensor this is how it would start cold".

The engine idled smoothly and was pretty quiet as i let it warm up, much quieter then the 617

Now for the test drive, the dealer said "legally i have to drive the car 2 blocks away fromt the dealer to let you drive it and blablablalba" so i get in the drivers seat and im at a stop light. As soon as i touch the pedal lightly it TAKES OFF WITH A ROAR!! and i was already past the speed limit and other cars going 50mph!

The dealer nor my dad cared they were both talking about biodiesel and veggie oil

So im at a stop light and the road was clear and speed limit saying 50mph. Wanted to estimate a 0-60 time. So light turns green and i floor it...ROOAAARR and i was counting as i saw the speedo go to 60mph i counted 6 seconds, this sound ok?

Ok to make a long story...well its already long so lets end it, i bought the car! loved it. Put a down payment and will do the paper work and the rest of the payment on monday!

As for the trap ox, i did a search and correct me if im wrong, but what they replace it with is a catalyst that looks similar to the original trap ox. If it hasnt been replaced then i have to go to the dealer give them my vin and check if it has or hasnt. If hasnt then they will replace it for free since it was a recall....

correct me if im wrong,

but all i know is this thing is a fast car! cant wait to get it on monday!! im not going to sleep good tonight

dieseldiehard · #2 04-29-2006, 11:06 PM

Now you know why I had to buy a second '87 300D!
Granted it was a project car (my first one was really nice bit needed all the hoses, everything runner basically was original.
These are fine running cars, as you have discovered

Call the dealer and tell them you want the factory Open Campaign. They will run your VIN#. It replaces the football shaped trap with a CAT in the exhaust line (under the passenger side).
You'll probably get a complete new exhaust line tip to stern and maybe a new turbo if the old one was getting chunks of the CAT in its impeller, but from the sound of it you don't need one

Oh, since you are almost in my neighborhood, I wonder where you bought it? Wanta drag race?
Sleep well! DDH

P.E.Haiges · #3 04-30-2006, 12:09 PM

Greasy,

0 to 60 in 6 seconds in anold Diesel: WHen pigs fly.

That's faster than my 300SEL 6.3 with a 400 HP engine.

If U spent a lot of money on your 300SD, wait and see how much U spend on the 300D when the head cracks.

P E H

sixto · #4 04-30-2006, 02:09 PM

You need to work on your counting if you did 0-60 in 6 seconds... or replace that km/h speedo with an mph one

The downside of the trap recall is that they'll fit a downpipe with an oxidation catalyst. If at all possible, get a muffler shop to cobble up a downpipe before you take it to Autobahn or Smythe or wherever so you can refit the original downpipe... who knows, you might want to take your car off road

Sixto

sixto · #5 04-30-2006, 02:11 PM

Oh, they replace the trap oxidizer with a cast iron pipe with heat shielding. It's about 4" in diameter vs about 8" for the trap.

Sixto

greasybenz · #6 04-30-2006, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.E.Haiges

Greasy,

0 to 60 in 6 seconds in anold Diesel: WHen pigs fly.

That's faster than my 300SEL 6.3 with a 400 HP engine.

If U spent a lot of money on your 300SD, wait and see how much U spend on the 300D when the head cracks.

P E H

Well i was trying to watch the road, count, and watch the speedometer all at the same time, i could have made a mistake.
I will have a passanger watch and count for me and we will see what the real 0-60 time is.

As for the head....

sixto · #7 04-30-2006, 04:33 PM

P E H, I thought the 6.3 was rated at 250 or 275 hp. Whatever, it ran 12s out of the box!

greasy, where did you find the car? Your sig block needs updating. Is it RU-ben or ru-BEN?

Sixto

Hatterasguy · #8 04-30-2006, 04:43 PM

Those 300D's are like 11-10ish 0-60 cars in perfect tune. You just were not used to the superior 603 and its smooth power flow.

Good luck with it, just take it do the dealer and they will take care of that trap.

greasybenz · #9 05-01-2006, 03:07 AM

Here is a beauty pic of my 300SD, after i washed it and vacuumed the interior. Friend is going to pic it up in the 5th.

Got the car today! Here are pics of it.

See the football looking trap ox

Bought these for the car as well, cheaper then buying euro lights with wiper adapters from katmac.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/mercedes-benz-w124-300E-headlight-head-lamp-EURO-lens_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33710QQitemZ8059884472QQrdZ1

Hatterasguy · #10 05-01-2006, 11:43 AM

Cool.

Disable the egr, also it looks like their is a wicked leak between the crossover and manifold. Gasket must have failed.

Doesn't look like the oil cap fits either, 603's always used plastic ones.

clint77002 · #11 05-01-2006, 12:14 PM

I would like to disable the EGR on the Scalded Dog but from what I understood on previous posts this would cause the turbo to not kick in. Am I wrong? Can I plug the vacuum line on the EGR and have the beast run even nicer?
Thanks,
Clint

#12 05-01-2006, 12:18 PM

Very nice looking car, I'm sort of tempted to find one myself. Lot's of power combined with great fuel economy and great handling

clint77002 · #13 05-01-2006, 12:29 PM

I found this on a search last week.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=196285977&dealer_id=57468334&car_year=1987&search_type=both&make=MB&transmission=&distance=200&model=300D&address=75165&make2=sel_one&certified=&advanced=y&max_mileage=&max_price=&bkms=1146151816162&min_price=&end_year=2007&color=&start_year=1981&drive=&isp=y&engine=&body_style=SEDAN&doors=&fuel=&lang=en&cardist=200

Hatterasguy · #14 05-01-2006, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clint77002

I would like to disable the EGR on the Scalded Dog but from what I understood on previous posts this would cause the turbo to not kick in. Am I wrong? Can I plug the vacuum line on the EGR and have the beast run even nicer?
Thanks,
Clint

No you can disable the egr without any issues. You are thinking if a computer controlled turbo charged 606, the computer seems to cut boost if you disable the egr on those.