If you'll ever be in southern California, let us know

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

Forget the engine swap and make sure the 616 is functioning as well as possible. Carry replacement belts, hoses, thermostat and any tools necessary to replace them. Oh. And a good camera to document the trip of course.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

It could be worse- You could be in the purple school bus I saw this past weekend, doing all of 5mph up a grade near Missoula, MT.
One thing everyone overlooks: Tires. Make sure you have tires that can handle the weight you will be putting on them. If you are unsure of the weight, do a test run. Find a scale within a few miles of you, load the car up with everything you think you might have plus a few cinder blocks, and weigh the car. The quickest way to end a trip is with multiple blowouts.

I think there is already a thread about what stuff to carry in our cars to be prepared...
somewhere... in the archives...

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1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=10414

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=156207&highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

I came across this vid last summer. These guys did a trip from Seattle to Alaska and back in a 1975 240d pulling a trailer. Check it out.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3472440843807236831&ei=ZR0nS5HjEo6-rALdt6XGDA&q=240d+mercedes+alaska&hl=en&client=firefox-a#

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1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

A 240d should do a trip like that no prob.
Its done 250k miles so another 7 or 10k will be neither here nor there! Its not as though you are going on some dirt goat tracks 1000 miles from civilization!
Maybe take a second spare, with good tread. Flats like to occur in 2's.
A couple of spare fuel filters would be important if you are not using diesel.
Spare belts, radiator/heater hoses,injector return hose.
A few times I have broken the rubber exhaust mounts (rubber donuts) in the middle of no where, hay bailing poly twine wrapped around about 10 times & tied in a knot works well.
Make sure you cure any annoying squeaks or rattles before you leave.
Do the clutch before you go, would be worth checking the brake pads, extra weight = quicker ware. Change the gear box & diff oil before you go.
You will need to do a couple of oil changes on the trip, maybe take at least 10 quarts of engine oil.
don't worry about how fast you are going, The guy that passes you at 100mph, normally you find further down the road stopped with smoke coming out from under his car!
If you are going to carry extra fuel, make sure you have good quality well sealed containers, not just old oil drums.

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

Tires will be about 2-3 years old by the time of departure. They're pirellis, which is a good brand. As for oil, couldn't synthetic do 10,000 miles? I've recently changed the diff and gear oil. I might just throw some extra pads in the car. We're tight on cash, so anything not terribly painful to do on the road, I'll just leave unless it really needs to be done. I need to check clutch wear, I don't want to change it if it doesn't need it. Those guys are expensive.

Big question: loaded up, how slow can we expect to go? I plan on going 60 normally, but know I can't keep that on the mountains. 45 mph?

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1983 240D 3.0T 4-speed manual, now sold

1989 Subaru GL Wagon 5-speed Touring Edition

I have no idea your age, so let me have a flashback or two. Back when your car was built the national speed limit was 55mph and the interstates wer not all done yet. So a lot of the traveliong was spent on US HWYS etc. Take your time and enjoy the trip. You will make better time keeping the drivers door shut than running 75mph. Plan the trip legs with sights in mind etc. IE we are going to stop in Niaigra Falls tonight it 350 mile we are stopping twice ect.

My $.02

OH to be young and on a roadtrip...... Nowhere to go and all day to get there..................

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86 300SDL. 250,xxx on #14 Head. One eye always on temp gauge.. Cruising towards 300K

Oh yes, sir, I expect to see plenty of forum members. I'll put up a finalized route probably early spring and if I'm going through your area, you can through up your number

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1983 240D 3.0T 4-speed manual, now sold

1989 Subaru GL Wagon 5-speed Touring Edition

Make sure you check the oil at EVERY fill-up, and plan on having the oil changed every 3,000 miles.

I would buy about three oil filters before you go. I have found that any Quickie Lube place will have oil for Diesel engines but few have oil filters for a 240D or any other older Mercedes. If you provide your own filter they will usually knock a few buchs off the price of the oil change as well.

I would also buy a new tire for the spare, a flashlight just for the car and a package of flashlight batteries.

Keep us posted on how the trip is going. I would be interested in MPG figures and I bet others would, too.

As a general rule you get an ideal of how suitable a car is by its recent past. If say for the last 10 k miles the car has not developed any serious issues. It will stand a much better chance of doing the next ten k miles without them.

Now if serious items that imobilize the car on a monthly average for example are occuring. The reliability is in question. You do not really want that car on a long trip. You kind of develop a sense of how reliable a car is likely to be. Sure there can still be unexpected issues crop up anyways. Just less probability if the car usually never normally has them.

If you take it easy on the old car helps as well. You also should not go the ten k on the oil. These engines accumulate soot in the oil that acts as an abrasive. You might aquire even more than normal with a heavily laden car working hard.

Have an enjoyable trip. Low funds where common when most of us where young as well. Most still did things in spite of it.

If you are coming through the Santa Cruz area, swing by and we can do
an oil change here. Forget those Quickie lube joints .

I can do a road side oil change too, throw in the ramps and oil pan, some rags in the pick up.

I don`t give out S&H green stamps though .

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

No quickie lube. I can do that myself. I was thinking drain it into a milk jug, and if I change it every 3,000 miles anyway, does it matter if it's synthetic or not?

I don't think I've actually owned it for 10,000 miles. Looking at my records, it looks like 5,000 miles I've owned it. But it's coming up on two years and based on the number of oil changes I've done, that number seems low. For things gone wrong, I've had the splines on the output shaft of the trans strip (that seems weird and rare, just my bad luck, replaced) and the driver's side lower ball joint grease boot tear and start creaking (replacing). Engine is great. I'm going to give the rest of the suspension and the brakes a thorough inspection.

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1983 240D 3.0T 4-speed manual, now sold

1989 Subaru GL Wagon 5-speed Touring Edition

Don't forget to look at the cooling system,water pump- radiator etc.

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81 300D Turbo 190K sold
83 300sd 319K best $500 I ever spent-daily driverw/ 2 tank WVO set up

Sounds not bad at all.