1700 miles ago i had an indie shop put a no-EGR turbo 617 into my 240D. after i replaced the turbocharger, injectors, filters, ALDA tampering, diesel purge, valve adjustment, thermostat, fluids, etc., i finally got it running pretty nicely. still too much smoke when cold, which i guess may be down to IP timing, but nonetheless.

i had wanted to run B99.9 all along, in order to do a somewhat more sustainable thing with higher cetane and lubricity, and when i had achieved the above and changed out all the relevant fuel lines for viton, i went ahead and filled up on it. the result was amazing: my idle smoothed way out, good power, the engine seemed really happy. i watched the (now golden) prefilter for evidence of extra sediment being loosened by the solvent fuel, but it hadn't gotten particularly dirty.

last night on my way home from work the engine seemed louder than normal, more bangy or clacky. i wasn't sure if i was perceiving it correctly and thought it was likely that my air filter had fallen off again. i eased off and limped home as the noise, matching engine RPM, got louder and nastier. by the time i arrived it sounded like gnashing or scraping, as if something big was going without lubrication. to me, anyway, it was a very alarming sound.

it seems clear that i've damaged the engine. oil is still there and the coolant temperature was correct throughout (no oil pressure gauge yet, since i ended up with the 126 OF housing with electrical sensor). i haven't cranked the starter since. could an oil channel have gotten clogged up? what do you all think happened?

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'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.