While my wife was in Delaware with me last week i bought two bottles of red line DFC at PEP BOYS. $4.99 a bottle.Not bad...
Anyway I am going to school there and traveling back to N.Y on weekends.Before she left I filled the tank and put 4ozs. of the redline in the tank.When i came home this weekend I ask how the Benz ran coming home.She says "GREAT!" 275 mi one way and still had over half a tank.Anyway I went to the parts store to get a filter for my car.On the way back I was stopped at a redlite.When It changed I romped on her and wound it up!
In the shift from 1-2 I hit a little over 4000 rpm but noticed an incredible amount of BLACK smoke.It has always smoked alittle when I do this now and then but this time it was thick.Did I put in too much DFC?could it be that particular fuel? OR is it normal?
The car runs incredible.I noticed a difference in acceleration.I will drop it to the norm 1oz. and let the tank get near empty.
I have used several different additives in the past but none has ever made my 300D smoke like THAT! TIA..........

Did you read the post concerning the Redline 85 stuff? Sounds like the Redline DFC "cleans" the carbon build up out which will result in smoke. I am going to try some in my 300D and see how it does. I have been running Stanadyne but will try the Redline DFC on the next fill up.

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Jim

I have been driving Diesel M-B's for thirty years and have tried nearly every additive that has been introduced to the market in that time. Redline is the best of the lot, and has reduced smoking, knocking, and clatter noises from my cars over the years, while improving mileage.

The event you described sounds pretty normal for a Diesel to me. When you tromp on the gas pedal and run the car up maximum rpm, you tend to blow the accumulated carbon deposits out, and while you are speeding up, the mixture tends to be a little on the rich side, contributing to the generation of smoke. If you do this on a regular basis and the car made more smoke with the Redline in it you may be seeing some added benefit of Redline cleaning out the more stubborn deposits. Under more normal conditions it has been my observation that Redline reduces smoking.

I have also noted my Diesels seem to accelerate faster when I "lead" the engine with the gas pedal, rather than floor it. By this I mean there seems to be a gas pedal postion for a given rpm and load that gives an optimum response, and it is usually not the "floored" postion. By maintaining this optimum position of the throttle I get less smoke and noise, and at least the same if not better acceleration. I have also been known to floor the car to smoke out people riding my bumper and get them to back off.

Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

I agree this smoke issue is probably normal. As Jim said it's just an accumulation based on you not really driving that hard (most of the time). I drive ten of these cars a week and its is almost certain the first shift taken to the redline makes the car behind me disappear and slam on his brakes (bg).

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

I am so happy to have found this forum, it already gave me all kinds of hints and ideas with my car.
I bought it with 203K on it and have been getting little kinks out of it.
But the major complaint I had was the terrible ringing/knocking around 45-50 miles/hour.
I have been tinkering with the linkage, the idle speed, idle fuel intake, nothing worked.
Than I found this forum, and it discussed bad fuel, which I must have gotten from my local Chevron, now the search is on for truck stops.
But you all also talked about additives, and I promise to switch to "Red Line", but for now I went with "Lubro Moly" and I did their "Diesel Purge".
I is unbelievable what difference it made, that old lady is running like a dream.
Thanks again

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Wolfgang Marquardt
1982 240D, 270K
1983 Ford F100, 260K

Okay, I posted a similar question about Redline's Diesel Fuel Catalyst and no one answered... Is this Redline 85??? Is it better than the Lubro Moly brands? Being synthetic does it always have to be used once you start? Or should I just pour a quart of ATF in the tank and be done with it... Thanks!

I ran my first couple of bottles of Redline DFC through the 300D and four of my injectors have started leaking. The one that is not leaking was replaced right after I purchased the car because it was already leaking. The milage on the first full tank was down to 20 mpg - city/hwy combined. I will be replacing leaking injectors this week. I guess that stuff really does clean that baby out. Otherwise the car ran great.

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Jim

Wolfgang:

Get you chain tensioner checked! Knocking/ringing at 35-45 mph is often a result of a leaking chain tensioner allowing the chain to slap. This can break plastic chain guides and cause the chain to jump in some motors, causing all sorts of expensive damage.

This is a major pain in a 115 chassis, not too bad in a 123 (the AC compressor in a 123 isn't in the way).

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Randall, ATF has been covered in another thread. Basically, ATF is not designed to be burned, and besides that, it will turn your fuel pink in color. If an IRS agent would ever pull you over to check your fuel for off-road dye, you'd be busted. I use DFC almost every tankful, about a third of a bottle. Hope this helps, Bob

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

I have a 1977 300D with 170,000 miles. Fuel additives have never been used. The car runs great, and at some level I feel, "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Any advice?

Redline 85 Plus and DFC are identical.

I run 85Plus in every tank, and have owned my 300D for about 8,000 miles, all of which have been aggressively driven. At this point, I NEVER see any smoke from this car, at all, no matter what. Period.

Guess I got rid of the carbon, because it used to smoke a bit, but not a lot.

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"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" Sir Sterling Moss

Michael
2014 E63S Estate
2006 SLK55
1995 E500
1986 Porsche 944 turbo

jcd:

I always keep some on hand for use in the winter when the temperature plummets suddenly -- I've been caught short a couple times with gelled fuel. All the additives will lower the pour point of the fuel, preventing it from solidifying in the filter.

Otherwise, if it runs well, keep going!

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Redline makes a specific 85 plus formulation for cold weather. Hit their website at www.redlineoil.com

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"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" Sir Sterling Moss

Michael
2014 E63S Estate
2006 SLK55
1995 E500
1986 Porsche 944 turbo

I spoke a little too soon. I am averaging 25 mpg combined and the car runs great.

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Jim