1983 240D Manual - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

DieselUte · #16 08-02-2021, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hercules

Had one of this year. Best performance,adjust the throttle air blade( inside manifold),
to 80% open at full throttle. Adjust while ENGINE OFF.

Thanks for sharing, It's very helpful to get vehicle specific advice. I will have to look into where the throttle air blade is and make that adjustment.

vwnate1 · #17 08-03-2021, 02:11 PM

WELCOME NEWB ! .

Your car looks nice, never forget to carry both fuel filters along with some 7MM diesel rated fuel hose and the thinner return hose too as it will leak on you sooner or later and once air gets into the injection system it's a stinker to re start .

OIL IS THE CHEAPEST MECHANIC ~ remember that and change it hot and often, always the filter at the same time .

Your car needs a periodic valve adjustment, engine must be stone cold, easy to do once you have the correct bent 14MM wrenches .

Mercedes said this car should go 83 MPH tops and no, it won't hurt it to wind it up that far on the open road, just don't over speed the engine on every up shift, that's what kills these .

The '82 / '83 240D's were the very last ones and have some little differences,

Many 240D owners/lovers/Mechanics here so search and don't be afraid to ASK QUESTIONS .

resago2000 · #18 08-04-2021, 11:32 AM

why 80%?

vwnate1 · #19 08-04-2021, 05:20 PM

The original idea was to provide a *slight* intake vacuum to better draw in the exhaust gases from the EGR valve, it only opened at higher revolutions when the engine was fully warmed up .

Because mine has wobbly & worn out linkage bushings I elected to prop it wide open all the time as well as disable the EGR valve .

No smoke and better highway performance and fuel economy ZERO SMOKE at the exhaust too

.

No matter what you do these are slow cars but when properly tuned and maintained they'll keep up with regular traffic just fine, the freeway merge can be dangerously slow though .

Unloaded and AC off if I have to go up the on ramp it's a rare thing for me to be going over 45 MPH when I need to merge and in some places this isn't wise .

After you get it all tuned up and running well it's a dead simple thing to disable the EGR valve, only two tools necessary, no block off plates needed .

CPGTI · #20 08-04-2021, 10:54 PM

Welcome to the world of Benz! This car will probably run for as long as you want to keep maintaining it. (Depending, of course, upon past neglect.)

Once you make sure your front suspension (ball joints? tie rods, bushings) aren't sloppy, new, quality shocks and new, quality tires can make a big difference.

(I'm also into balance beads lately for one little last touch of perfect tire balance that self adjusts over time, but that's just me. Nice on the highway.)

Change all fluids - trans, diff, cooling system, power steering, and brake fluid.

In addition to all of the fantastic advice you'll find here, have you discovered a man named Kent on youtube? His advice and videos have had a strong W123 & diesel focus in the past. There is also a Franco-American in FL with opinions.

After you whip this car into shape, you can learn on something else simple but faster. (Aircooled VW Beetle? OK, maybe not faster unless you hot rod it.)

CPGTI · #21 08-04-2021, 11:00 PM

Oh, and one quick and easy cosmetic project to brighten your day:

Your chrome "radiator" trim and three-pointed star -- give them a polish with Simichrome or some other suitable fine polish and microfiber towel, then wax them for protection.

It's not very often you get to polish chrome nowadays. Say, maybe this applies to your bumpers, too? (I'm a W124 guy, so I'm not certain.)

If you have rusty dots on your chrome, look into Quik Glo, which Jay Leno approves of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7TnNEBy3tI

The company makes three grades of polish, the one in the video is the base level for removing light rust situations. After that come finer grades. Somehow it's a polish and a wax!

hercules · #22 08-05-2021, 03:50 PM

Even with egr disconnected this is the best setting for best performance. Try it .
The 240d has a very bad air back pulse in intake manifold,can even be felt even at air intake,this is very power robbing. Air trying to go both ways!
The air valve helps stop the back pulse .
This year was the best performing of the 240s

DieselUte · #23 08-12-2021, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

WELCOME NEWB ! .

Your car looks nice, never forget to carry both fuel filters along with some 7MM diesel rated fuel hose and the thinner return hose too as it will leak on you sooner or later and once air gets into the injection system it's a ***** to re start .

OIL IS THE CHEAPEST MECHANIC ~ remember that and change it hot and often, always the filter at the same time .

Your car needs a periodic valve adjustment, engine must be stone cold, easy to do once you have the correct bent 14MM wrenches .

Mercedes said this car should go 83 MPH tops and no, it won't hurt it to wind it up that far on the open road, just don't over speed the engine on every up shift, that's what kills these .

The '82 / '83 240D's were the very last ones and have some little differences,

Many 240D owners/lovers/Mechanics here so search and don't be afraid to ASK QUESTIONS .

Sounds like there are some parts I need to order and keep handy at all times. I will add those to my next order. I just changed the oil and ordered some 14mm wrenches to do the valve adjustment. Thanks for the invitation to ask questions, I will try not to repeat any that have been asked before.

DieselUte · #24 08-12-2021, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

The original idea was to provide a *slight* intake vacuum to better draw in the exhaust gases from the EGR valve, it only opened at higher revolutions when the engine was fully warmed up .

Because mine has wobbly & worn out linkage bushings I elected to prop it wide open all the time as well as disable the EGR valve .

No smoke and better highway performance and fuel economy ZERO SMOKE at the exhaust too

.

No matter what you do these are slow cars but when properly tuned and maintained they'll keep up with regular traffic just fine, the freeway merge can be dangerously slow though .

Unloaded and AC off if I have to go up the on ramp it's a rare thing for me to be going over 45 MPH when I need to merge and in some places this isn't wise .

After you get it all tuned up and running well it's a dead simple thing to disable the EGR valve, only two tools necessary, no block off plates needed .

Lucky for me I have a pretty level commute so another reason the 240D is a good fit for me. The car came with the belt off the AC, I need to look into that and see if the clutch is out. Now that the weather will be getting cooler soon I'll probably prioritize other things and save it for next spring.

DieselUte · #25 08-12-2021, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CPGTI

Welcome to the world of Benz! This car will probably run for as long as you want to keep maintaining it. (Depending, of course, upon past neglect.)

Once you make sure your front suspension (ball joints? tie rods, bushings) aren't sloppy, new, quality shocks and new, quality tires can make a big difference.

(I'm also into balance beads lately for one little last touch of perfect tire balance that self adjusts over time, but that's just me. Nice on the highway.)

Change all fluids - trans, diff, cooling system, power steering, and brake fluid.

In addition to all of the fantastic advice you'll find here, have you discovered a man named Kent on youtube? His advice and videos have had a strong W123 & diesel focus in the past. There is also a Franco-American in FL with opinions.

After you whip this car into shape, you can learn on something else simple but faster. (Aircooled VW Beetle? OK, maybe not faster unless you hot rod it.)

Thank you, so far the car is running fine enough for me. I have nothing to compare against though since it's my first. I'm hoping to change everything rubber on the car, took a look last night and the engine mounts look pretty shot. My guess is that a little work will go a long way, I think the car has only been maintained to stay driveable.

I've watched videos of Kent and Pierre, some are useful. I've also found a channel called Vito's garage that is helpful as well, have you ever watched that channel?

DieselUte · #26 08-12-2021, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CPGTI

Oh, and one quick and easy cosmetic project to brighten your day:

Your chrome "radiator" trim and three-pointed star -- give them a polish with Simichrome or some other suitable fine polish and microfiber towel, then wax them for protection.

It's not very often you get to polish chrome nowadays. Say, maybe this applies to your bumpers, too? (I'm a W124 guy, so I'm not certain.)

If you have rusty dots on your chrome, look into Quik Glo, which Jay Leno approves of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7TnNEBy3tI

The company makes three grades of polish, the one in the video is the base level for removing light rust situations. After that come finer grades. Somehow it's a polish and a wax!

Thanks for the great advice, I'll get some on order. Yes the bumpers do have chrome and they could use a good polish. Luckily they are in pretty fair shape.

Screwdriva · #27 08-13-2021, 04:02 PM

Welcome to the club. As someone who owns a 76 240D and a 84 300D, I've learnt a few valuable lessons over the years.

My advice would be to follow the recommendations in this thread to get your mechanicals in optimum condition with minimal spend. Start with Auto-RX in your motor, transmission, differential and PS pump to clean the metal before switching to the recommended fluids.

And despite financial concerns from some, I purchase every filter/ rubber part from the main dealer. Over the past decade, I've yet to experience any failure of a part replaced.

DieselUte · #28 08-24-2021, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Screwdriva

Welcome to the club. As someone who owns a 76 240D and a 84 300D, I've learnt a few valuable lessons over the years.

My advice would be to follow the recommendations in this thread to get your mechanicals in optimum condition with minimal spend. Start with Auto-RX in your motor, transmission, differential and PS pump to clean the metal before switching to the recommended fluids.

And despite financial concerns from some, I purchase every filter/ rubber part from the main dealer. Over the past decade, I've yet to experience any failure of a part replaced.

Thanks Screwdriva, I read the thread thank you for the valuable information. I have heard that not all FEBI and URO parts are quality.

DieselUte · #29 08-24-2021, 12:14 PM

I crawled under my 240D last night to check the rear end ratio, I thought maybe it wasn't original because the car doesn't roar when going 80mph. To my surprise it was a 3.69. I was expecting something lower.
The DIY tach is on my todo list, once I get that installed I'll have a better idea what RPM I'm hitting going 80.

leathermang · #30 08-26-2021, 11:55 AM

My 1980 240 manual trans has a sweet spot at 76 mph ( indicated ). That is where it settles in if I do not watch the speedo for a while. I do not try to merge with traffic on interstate highways. They just make them too short in Texas to be safe.
Rust spots to check .
1. Behind the battery on the firewall.
2. Under the hood hinges is the water drain. Keep that cleaned out and when clean spray some ' Fluid Film ' down in there.
3. Keep the bottom inside of the doors cleaned out. they are prone to rusting and are hard to fix. also behind the rear wheels on the outside bottom of fender.
4. Watch for rusting at the lower edge of rear window. Do not use silicone seal there.... use the LEGIT MB window sealer.