The show and shine on Sunday is in Mountlake Terrace WA. The location for the MB Shop gathering on Saturday is TBD. Feel free to suggest a location. If we can find room I would like to do some sort of tech session.

Excellent, that's only an hour south for me. If I'm not in New England and I still on a MB, I'll be there.

I think I could be counted in for this...I'll drive the $100 Hooptie up there!

mods
 

I have a garage corner of parts awaiting my arrival from this deployment to install on my car. The main mods are as follows:

Flex-a-Lite Syclone 14" electric fan

Painless Wiring adjustable thermostat w/relay

Painless Wiring Circuit Boss fuse block w/relay (1 hot, 2 switched)

Green LED indicator to show the fan is operating

Engineautolube oil pre-luber

Factory auxillery fan

Bosio Nozzles

Synthetic fluids all the way around

I think that about covers it. The rest of the stuff is pretty much maintenance that comes with buying a used W123 like valve adjustment and diesel purge. I have to fix the odometer and fuel gauge, but other than that.... pretty much it. I'm going to be posting pics every step of the way so others can see. :D

Oh and one more thing I forgot.. install a Fitch Fuel Catalyst. I'll do a before average mileage and then an after to test the efficiency of it. The website has a lot of testimonials on their product. For 175 bucks it seems well worth it to me.

I don't think it will work. The each link in the molecular chain of each fuel molecule contains energy. This catalyst claims to break the molecules down to a smaller size thus releasing some of that energy before it even enters the engine where this energy can be recovered. That said however PowerService displaces some of the fuel with a lower btu content fuel and it does improve fuel economy so its not impossible for it to make an improvement.

Note that its not that hard to rig a test to show an improvement. Just bumping up the tire pressure before putting a car on a dyno or doing one test with the engine cold and one with the engine warmed up will effect the outcome in a measurable manner. Also keep in mind all those testimonials of people who said acetone improved the mileage of their gasoline powered cars (on a diesel it may serve as an aromatic but it will not deliver the miracle in mileage people claimed).

I'll be there! I'm putting it on my calendar right now....

Assuming work doesn't do something screwy to me, I'm in as well.

Now, whether the SD is running by that point, who knows. Likely will be in the SEC instead, if a gasser doesn't keep me out in the cold with this group!

Have you tried one? I'm sure some claims are a little exaggerated. What doesn't make sense to me is that a company would put out a product that does not work at all. Even if the improvement is really small... isn't some better than none considering todays fuel prices? I'll let you know how it works out for me. Then you can decide if it works or not.;)

We had a member in a Kia last time (rental car) so you should be fine. :)

I take it you haven't heard of MicroSoft's Vista. :D

Seriously, people have been selling magnets that clip to fuel lines for ages. Do they work? No. For a more recent example look at the Turbinator and all of its knock offs

Well if it worked as great as they say it does the automakers would be including it stock or the EPA would mandate it. I am not the only one of this opinion, upon searching for the current lawsuits against the makers of the turbinator I came across this.
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/107265/article.html

Occasionally some one does come up with something that improves things a little. One example is the Turbo air guide http://www.dieselpowerproducts.net/tag . There is some sound theory behind it and some manufacturers have worked around the patent and are including small molded rubber guide vanes in there intake hoses just before the turbo to reduce pre-compressor swirl. In all tests I have read about this device most are of the opinion that yes it did make a small improvement but it was barely measurable. The most notable thing was it shifted the torque curve peak and silenced turbo whine.

Do I think its worth the money to go out and buy one... Not really.

Its your money. If you are going to evaluate a product please have a good record of previous mileage on a common trip you make over several runs before you install and test it. A comparison between two trips isn't enough.

Just make sure you put a D somewhere on the badge :cool:

Heh.
superchargeD? (not yet, just considering the possibility!)

Hopefully the SD will be running in good form again by that point, but as it sits currently, it's hurting.

Well, I look forward to meeting some local MB'ers, whether they be diesel or gasoline addicts. :D

NW Get together...Tech Session or Diesel Drive
 

What do you prefer, a tech session that goes over something not *too* involved such as adjusting the valves or something, or a Diesel drive?

I'm for a tech session because we will probably do a drive when we crash the Seattle MBCA event on Sunday(Also I know I have to adjust my valves).