You won't believe what was in my oil filter!!! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

IZELJIC · #1 04-30-2003, 02:28 PM

OK, so I purchased my 1985 300TD Turbo Diesel from a dealer who did not know anything about Mercedes in January for $100 (car did not start until I towed it home and replaced glow plugs). He changed the oil for me but because he did not have the filter for the car I was going to replace it at the next oil change. I opened the oil filter once and pulled the old one out just to look at it and it was about 4" tall. Everyone tried to sell me the filter which was at least double the size (in height) and I kept telling them that it would not fit. I finally bought new oil (Delo 400) and went to a MB dealer to see whether they had that "hard to find" 4" oil filter. The guy kept telling me that there is only one size and insisted we took mine out. Upon doing so he used his flashlight to look into my filter housing and guess what.......he pulled another oil filter out. I almost passed out looking at that!!!!! I guess the previous owner could not find the original filter and simply stacked two in there. I did an oil/filer change imediately because I could not even think of driving the car another mile with the two filters in there and the car runs perfect (even my Turbo whistle noise is now gone!!). I guess the moral of this story is: Always look twice in to your oil filter housing...especially if you just bought the car!!!!!!

#2 04-30-2003, 02:40 PM

Wow... Funny story! But I would be a little concerned, your turbo should whistle slightly on about 2200 rpm or so, depending on conditions, atmosphere, etc. 85s tend to have slighly more vocal turbos than most.

IZELJIC · #3 04-30-2003, 02:47 PM

Actually I can still hear it slightly at exactly 2200rpm. I believe that this fresh new oil (especially diesel oil) helps the turbo because before it was way louder. I asked my mechanic about it once and he said that if the turbo whistles there is something wrong with it (which I don't believe). Is there a way of getting more power at lower rpm from this engine? I would love for my turbo to start spinning sooner.

Thanks

gsxr · #4 04-30-2003, 03:33 PM

Turbo whistle is from an intake air leak. Turbo whine (noise from spooling up & down) is normal, unless it's really loud - then it's a sign your turbo is near death. This is subjective so you need to drive another similar MB turbo for comparison.

To get more low-end power, the common cure is an ALDA adjustment to increase low RPM fuel delivery. Use the "Search" feature and you'll learn lots about this. Test the car 0-60 first with stopwatch, should be about 14 seconds. If it's close, you may not get much more power.

The 1985 is a nice car, btw, there were a ton of improvements over the 82-84 models... different tranny, torque converter, rear end, tranny vacuum system, air intake system, and other things. If your car has a vacuum line to an ARV (Air Recirc Valve) on the turbo, disconnect & plug that immediately, along with the EGR. That alone may boost low-end power (it can help a lot on some cars, anyway).

Good luck,

IZELJIC · #5 04-30-2003, 03:46 PM

Does anyone have illustrated instructions of ARV (Air Recirc Valve) adjustment on the turbo and fuel pump adjustment? I tried adjusting my ALDA and I guess my screw is so tight that I broke the tip of it and just forgot about messing with it. On the other hand I would like to adjust my engine to run slightly richer. When the car idles in Drive my engine shakes and if I just touch the gas pedal (no rpm increase) the shaking stops.

Thanks again, Igor.

gsxr · #6 04-30-2003, 04:07 PM

Igor,

here's a photo of the ARV on a 1984 model. Yours may be different. In this photo the line has been removed completely:

http://www.meimann.com/images/mercedes/W123_stuff/W123_CA_air_cleaner.jpg

The ALDA setscrew is locked by a nut! If you didn't loosen that first, yeah you'll break the tip.

The idle shaking has nothing to do with fuel enrichment. Most likely your engine mounts are shot - very, very common on 123 engines. Next possibility is rack damper screw, followed by valve adjustment (required every 15kmi), and a bad/dirty injector. But the ALDA will do NOTHING for idle quality - only add power (maybe!) off idle. Use the Search feature, seriously, you'll learn a lot...

IZELJIC · #7 04-30-2003, 04:22 PM

GSXR, I just wanted to thank you for your help. I do use the search a lot and have found numerous helpfull hints.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks!!

#8 04-30-2003, 05:16 PM

IZELJIC
I guess I would wonder how long the PO had been using that makeshift oil filter.
It might be a good idea to do a few oil changes in a shortened peroid of time to flush that engine.

#9 04-30-2003, 08:46 PM

I found a family of mice in an air filter assembly of my old 84 300TDT wagon. They survived a 70 mile ride home in there from the previous owners home, too!

rwthomas1 · #10 05-01-2003, 12:20 AM

Igor,
The ARV is bolted on with three bolts as seen in gsxr's pic. I removed the bolts and there was a spring pushing on a diaphram that closed the ARV bypass holding it in the "off" position. In addition to plugging the vacuum line I dropped a 5/16" nut in the end of the spring housing of the ARV to dramatically increase pressure holding the ARV closed. This is probably overkill but I am very sure it will never open now and is completely disabled. Additionally, the EGR valve is just to the right in the same pic. The EGR is easily disabled as well. In addition to plugging the vacuum line to it I removed it and made a block-off plate using the EGR gasket as a template. I used 1/16" aluminium sheet, drilled the holes and cut the plate out with tinsnips. With the block-off plate installed the EGR is completely non-functional. The engine will run better and have much reduced carbon buildup in the intake manifold with this mod. RT

ned2683 · #11 05-01-2003, 12:42 AM

my oil filter broke in 2 pieces. i was lookig everywhere for a filter half its size. and then i pulled the broken piece out, boy did i feel dumb. the PO suck.

#12 05-01-2003, 06:51 AM

A few years ago I bought a Euro 240D as a parts car. The previous owner had put the copper drain plug gasket that comes with an oil filter on the center stem. He also had them between the oil filter top and the housing at each bolt hole. He had given up on the car saying that it had an oil pan leak. I bought it expecting an oil pan leak, but it was leaking at the poorly sealed oil filter top.

It had held good oil pressure though, so I used the engine as it was for a short while.

Good luck,