Well since my 1985 Cali 300D is in the garage until i get a door and front fender, i decided that it was the perfect time to remove my Oxidizing catalyst and see if i can get a straight pipe made.

i know that there are several other people in the forum that were interested in getting measurements, or a complete pipe replacement made. I will take it to several places and see if they will make me a replacement, and if it is possible to produce several more.

my wife has the camera, so i cant take any pics right now, but i might be able to borrow one from a friend. either way, i just want to see what the response is about me getting more than one made. let me know...

__________________

Grey '91 350SDL 214k Dad's car
Beige '81 240D 4 Speed 254k SOLD
Blue '82 300D 225k SOLD
White '95 E300D 46k SOLD
Blue '87 190D 2.5 Turbo 315k SOLD
Brown '80 240D 4 Speed 716k SOLD
Beige '80 300D N/A 119k SOLD
Blue '85 300D Model 186k T-Boned

I would be happy to contribute to this project. My trap cat is ready to be replaced, I just didn't want to have the car down (it is my daily driver) while the welder does his thing. Count me in for one, please.

Another option is for me to buy your old trap ox when you are finished having your straight pipe made. Then I can have one made with no time pressure.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

i found a guy that said he can do it and said it would probably be in the $150 range. i said go for it, and hopefully that is not too much for you guys. well he said that he can most likely make more of them, and i told him that there might be about 5 more wanted.

__________________

Grey '91 350SDL 214k Dad's car
Beige '81 240D 4 Speed 254k SOLD
Blue '82 300D 225k SOLD
White '95 E300D 46k SOLD
Blue '87 190D 2.5 Turbo 315k SOLD
Brown '80 240D 4 Speed 716k SOLD
Beige '80 300D N/A 119k SOLD
Blue '85 300D Model 186k T-Boned

why not just drill it out and put it back? that's what I did, it's free and works the same.

how did you exactly drill it out? i was thinking i could bang the insides out, but did not think i would get everything out clean. this would jeopardize my turbo.

__________________

Grey '91 350SDL 214k Dad's car
Beige '81 240D 4 Speed 254k SOLD
Blue '82 300D 225k SOLD
White '95 E300D 46k SOLD
Blue '87 190D 2.5 Turbo 315k SOLD
Brown '80 240D 4 Speed 716k SOLD
Beige '80 300D N/A 119k SOLD
Blue '85 300D Model 186k T-Boned

Trying to hollow out one of those things is a very bad idea. You may think you'll have it all cleaned out but all it takes is one fragment that you missed to break loose when it's heated up and kill the turbo and the rest of the engine.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Exactly. Don't bang it out if you like your turbo.

Besides, even if you could wave a magic wand and completely clean out the insides, you'll have created a giant expansion chamber. That will upset the flow of the exhaust to the turbo.

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

I'm interested in one.

__________________
1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

I am interested too, but I need to know exactly what you have to do to change this straight pipe. Is it easy to take out the "Trap Oxidizer"?
My car is 1985 300D Tubo California version.

...it's not as easy as a lot of us would like it to be.

Apparently there isn't enough room to take it off from below so you have to remove the turbo to get at the trap oxidizer (which should already have been upgraded to a trap catalyst by the dealer) and take it off from above. While you're in there, you might as well get one of Brian's kits and remove the EGR, then clean up all of the vacuum plumbing.

You'll need a new manifold gasket but there's a "turbo gasket kit" that has everything you'll need. Phil has them, not expensive.

The "test pipe" bolts in place of the trap cat. It should improve both performance and fuel economy, essentially turning the engine into a "Federal" version.

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

ya it was not really hard, but just took about 2 hours to get it out. i need to order those gaskets when i want to put it together agian, but i am not in a rush right now.

__________________

Grey '91 350SDL 214k Dad's car
Beige '81 240D 4 Speed 254k SOLD
Blue '82 300D 225k SOLD
White '95 E300D 46k SOLD
Blue '87 190D 2.5 Turbo 315k SOLD
Brown '80 240D 4 Speed 716k SOLD
Beige '80 300D N/A 119k SOLD
Blue '85 300D Model 186k T-Boned

Having never done this job before, I will hazard a guess that penetrating oil is high on everyone's list. Snapping a manifold stud or exhaust bolt would definitely be an "unfriendly act."

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

hey you guys are talking about that unit that looks like a cat underneath the car right? anyway, that's the thing that I thought was the trap ox and that's also the one I drilled out. I don't see that being a risk to the turbo being about 1, 3 meters downstream from it

On the 84-85 Kali models, it's before the turbo.

Attached Thumbnails