'85 wagon + trap oxidizer?
 

The 300TD was the first turbodiesel W123 (one year earlier than the 300D). Also, my '84 federal 300TD has the same vacuum system as the '84 Calif / '85 Federal 300D (again, beating the federal 300D by one year).

So... yesterday I went to look at an '85 300TD. It had a trap oxidizer... the owner told me that _all_ 1985 wagons have the trap oxidizer. Is this true? I almost believe him as my '84 federal wagon has the same vacuum system / emissions as the '84 california car. Perhaps the same could be true for '85 federal wagons...

No. False. My 85 TD does not have and never did have a trap oxidizer. I believe only CA 85TD's had the privilege.

Kerry is correct
 

The '85 Federal version W123 (617.952 motor) is the same as the '84 California. The '85 California version had the trap oxidizer, later replaced under a factory 'campaign' with a trap catalyst.

Walk away from all 85 CA models unless you don't care about global warming and have a big fuel budget.

That's exactly what I did... more for the 'unknown' factor than anything else.

Bad experience with yours?

With very little work mine turned out to be a charming car.

I'm in the process of federalizing mine similar to what you did. Then it will be a charming car. I'm still looking for a better solution to the $70 CA airfilter.

IMHO its not worth the trouble when you can just buy a federal version of the car or an 84 CA version.

Doesn't the CA 85 have a unique rear end ratio?

Sixto
93 300SD 3.0

If you are in a highly populated area where there are junkyards, then finding the correct parts shouldn't be a problem. If you can find a nice car to buy and have a little bit of mechanical experience don't let the CA version scare you.

The air filter thing sucks, but once properly tuned, my car ran OK with the old CA crap.

Yes, the rear end ratios are different. I think the tranny is different in some way also.

I believe all 85 TD's have a 2.88 rear end ratio.

And SD's

Gospel truth
 

My CA '85 is a fine car. I wish the fuel economy were better (about 21 around town, 24 on the road with B100 and 2 ounces of Redline 85+ per tankful) but "oh well." The air filter is more expensive but if you shop around you can buy one for about $40 and it's only once a year. The EGR and ARV don't seem to work -- I think there's something wrong with the vacuum lines. :D

According to the factory's "Model Year 1985" book, the rear axle ratio of all 1985 123.1 models was changed from 3.07:1 to 2.88:1 (gear ratio 46:15 changed to 59:17). [page 114]

Additionally, the California version (only) of the 1985 models 123.1 have a slightly different transmission, model 722.416 (W4A020), and a different torque converter with a higher stall speed, 2600 RPM, to improve "driving quality." The book says "Transmission 722.416 starts in 1st gear in all forward driving positions, and downshifts to 1st gear when coasting to a stop." [page 97]

Both specs (diff and trans) include the coupe (123.153), the sedan (123.133), and the wagon (123.193).

Jeremy