Interior: Brand new LEATHER. Major interior color change. Mercedes red, actually pebble grain, leather.

Battery is under the seat. Actually, two PC950s from Odyssey (sort of like the antigravity battery), so CCA is 1900 / batteries run in paraelle. Running a battery cable less than 10' is nothing ... that is why BMW as well as Mercedes do it. I am guessing their engineers got it right to some degree ... Plus, I used to have my battery in the trunk for over a year and NEVER an issue. That was one Group 49 battery with 17+' of cable, so not sure what "problems" that would cause.

As for the HE placement, WVO does not lose heat that way. Not really a subjective position, but just the chemistry and physics of grease. So, as for "heat loss", I would agree there is an academic amount, of perhaps a 10th or 20th of a degree traveling 35" or so, but I am not sure how 1/10th or 1/20th of a drop in 1 F is measurable except thru mathamatical calculations but I highly doubt felt by the engine itself. As for volume, unless you have a closed loop set up, heating a pint or less is generally not going to be providing on-call WVO at 170-ish. Further, the only real option is a thermaline which is coincidentially 30" long which is perfect for a straight away from the HE to the IP. Trying to wrap the TL on the injection lines is about impossible for me but fits nicely in one straight shot. Now, that is not the mythical solution either to get to 250F either, but you can count on another 10-20F, depending on the ambient temps.

I used to have a 30HE which was probably the most common HE out there. Fill it up, and then drain it out and add 10%. Assuming that is your volume, the om617.9XX fuel system will blast thru that amount in less than 30 seconds. Assuming no closed loop system, calculate one's heat loss going from the fuel tank to the engine and back.

So, in the WVO community, everyone has their own flavor and "best" ways of doing things which is why WVO is truly a personalized modification and preference. However, some things are subject to the rules and laws of physics. Heat transfer, heat loss, et cet., will be the same in my system as well as yours. Who knows, my last system was supposedly perfecto but I changed it after a few years. Maybe a Greazzer 3.0 down the road.

Finally, it's done. Cleaned inside and out, coated with POR-15, new seals, and ready for install. Once I get my driveshaft spin-balanced, I should be able to install the 2:65 LSD this upcoming weekend. So far, so good ...

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I wonder if a small HE could be used to slightly heat WMO to thin it out a bit so that it wouldn't have to be thinned with ATF/HF/RUG/Diesel/Kero?

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Cool! That is a tall diff though. You planning a 3.0 turbodiesel?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

At some point. I doubt its install will happen 2014. Projecting 160+ HP from my OM617.952. Right now, the REAL goal was the complete interior, sound proofing, completion of my WVO system, and a bunch of R&D projects and having all those issues wrapped up by May.

Instead, I got side tracked with this differential ... When that's done, I will be 3 weeks behind and $500 broker ... lol

I'm confused, isn't the OM617.952 a 3.0 Turbo Diesel?

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1983 W123 300TD US spec Turbo engine, with Euro bumpers and manual climate control, and manual transmission.

The leather seat skins sound nice. Please keep us informed about how you like them. Does that place offer covers for the rear seat?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I looked up PC950s Odyssey batteries and they are over $400 for 2 of them! Those batteries are physically small and light in weight for the power output claimed. Do you really believe them? What are you doing about venting? There is a chemical reaction and there is out gas while it is under charge. How are you running the battery cables? Inside or outside? Do you have any safety precautions against shorts to ground which can start a fire or cause the battery to explode? Having the battery in the interior is a worse spot than in the trunk IMO. Car manufacturers put batteries on the correct side of the firewall for a reason.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I guess the Mercedes Benz designers for the W210 goofed by putting the battery under the back seat. Not that we care about BMW's, but they have their batteries in the trunk, what were they thinking?!

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All Diesel Fleet
1985 R107 300SLD TURBODIESEL
2005 E320 CDI (daily)

LOTS of parts for sale!


EGR block kit
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/355250-sale-egr-delete-block-off-plate-kit.html

1985 CA emissions 617 owners- You Need This!
Sanden style A/C Compressor Mounting Kit for your 616/ 617 For Sale + Install Inst.

Sanden Instalation Guide (post 11):
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/367883-sanden-retrofit-installation-guide.html

My W210 battery is under the back seat

My W164 battery is under the passenger seat
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/ml-gl-g-wagen-r-class-unimog-sprinter/351627-w164-battery-replacement.html

Both of these have vent tubes out the bottom for any outgassing to leave the passenger compartment.

Overcurrent protection on the internal battery is handled by fusing at the battery. At least for all the accessory circuits. The starter feed is still unfused but routed in as protected a manner as possible (along the center tunnel).

Overcurrent in a W123/W124 makes me cringe. No way I can get away with the stunts they pulled on those cars. Battery -> starter -> light switch -> key -> fuse would never fly in my world.

I have been at a car accident bad enough to bring out the fire department, and I can tell you the first thing they do when they get there is pop the hood and SNIP SNIP the battery cables.

I know when the Insight/Prius etc came out they had to do special training for the FFs on how to safely de-energize the 170 V dc (Insight) or 340 V dc (Prius) or 400V+ (Leaf/Tesla) dc systems on these cars in an accident. No Thanks.

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The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech

I believe them (Odyssey Corporation) to the extent that a lot of other folks have done it and 100% success. I cannot assume there is a some sort of conspiracy among different car folks on different forums. It's possible I would concede. Their warranty appears rock solid. Their reputation appears rock solid. They are on par with the anti-gravity battery, except the latter is a little more costly, but lighter and smaller. Two PC950 with an internet coupon is a hair under $400 for 2 shipped. The antigravity battery of the same caliber is around $600 for 2. Does that cost more? Yup, but 7 or 11, respectively, tanks of WVO makes me even. So far, and this is a just a guess, if something "bad" happened, then 1. It would be "news" of some sorts, 2. liability and risk would probably dictate some sort of warning such as "don't put inside of car", 3. doubling the CA is probably way overkill, but I found nothing which suggests it's bad news. As for running the cable, I am doing the same exact thing I did when I had my battery in the trunk which was inside the car. I never had a problem or issue for about 2 years. Not sure about Mercedes engineers, but they seem to be obsessed with safety. I have seen a few MBs which have their batteries inside the car. I have seen BMWs that way too. The only difference is that they have just one battery with the resulting weight on one side of the car. My weight is evening distributed just foward of the rear axles. Time will tell. I know on STD, there were some forum members who were 100% adament that no one could fit a Group 49 battery inside one of the pockets in the trunk. Guess what ? It does fit and does fit in a battery box made with some extra space. Now, without sounding like a hypocrite, I said no way on a battery under the back seat ... until I started thinking about it. Guess what? It can be done. It's a mod and mod's cost $$. Is it worth it ? Who knows. That's a personal preference. However, maybe you could post a link where the bad things you comment happened with a odyssey or antigravity battery. I looked, and no dice.

My neighbor has a 1992 (I think) M3 with the battery under the backseat.

Having the battery in the interior insulates it from the heat in the engine compartment.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

It is also an anal weight distribution thing

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

It'll be a fun and sneaky car that's for sure!

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1983 W123 300TD US spec Turbo engine, with Euro bumpers and manual climate control, and manual transmission.

Test drove it some more, and the 2:65 is definitely the ticket. Even with the 300D NA (88HP),

1st gear ... still peppy and responsive off the line
2nd gear ... still responsive
3rd gear ... still responsive
4th gear ... got the slugishness and lopey which some folks warned about, but with the turbo I am thinking this will be just fine down the road
5th gear ... definitely a highway cruiser where I am betting I could drift along at 75 and barely break 2K RPM. Need to fix my speedo now.

Overall, very very happy. Well worth the hassels IMO. With my exhaust installed, I can hear the car on the road. No funky noises ... just a weird squeek when I shift gears now, whatever the heck that is.

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