Manual Transmission Roll Call
 

Howzabout a nose count of all the diesels with manual transmissions?

Respondents, please supply the following:
1) Vehicle model and year

2) Factory install or owner inflicted retrofit?

3) Any other modifications (i.e. 4 to 5 cyl, turbo/nonturbo, intercooled etc) made to vehicle?

4) Level of satisfaction with manual transmission performance

5) Anything else you can think of?

Thanks all!
R Leo

In the middle right now of an engine swap.

1. 1982 240D 4 speed
2. Turning into a 300DT 4 speed
3. Project with father and son

Don

1) Vehicle model and year

1983, 240D that I've owned since new.

2) Factory install or owner inflicted retrofit?

Came with an automatic. Installed the manual when the transmission went at about 292,000 miles. Parts came from a used MB.

3) Any other modifications (i.e. 4 to 5 cyl, turbo/nonturbo, intercooled etc) made to vehicle?

Nothing else.

4) Level of satisfaction with manual transmission performance

Car now has 335,00 miles and is just great. Feels like it has more get up and go. 0-60 time is about the same, but it feels so much peppier. No change to speak of in mpg, still aropund 28 or so in all conditions.

5) Anything else you can think of?

Absolutely the best improvement I could ever have made to the car. Wish I had done it ten years earlier. Cost was a little over half of what a rebuilt automatic would have been and that's with me paying labor to have it installed. It's pretty much a bolt in operation and if you are a medium to heavy DIY'er, you can probably handle it.

Len

'84 Euro 240D, 533,000 miles, three clutches, transmission never been apart.

'81 240D Euro parts car, will put engine and trans in 300D

'77 US 240D, drove 280,000 miles, one clutch trans never apart.

'80 240D bought used, wife drove it awhile, never put in clutch or disassembled trans.

These are great transmissions in every way. If not abused will last literally forever.

Have a great day,

84 190D 2.2 5-speed

no modifications.

At 342,000 replaced standard transmission due to failure of input shaft bearing.

Clutch was replaced about a year after purchase at 100kmi.

The second clutch was replaced 242kmi later with the transmission.

Runs great.

I have a 240D engine with a manual tranny. The car originally had a turbo 300D in it.

My father drives a euro spec 300D manual 5spd. Fun car to drive.

Mike

1) '82 240D stick 4 spd

2) factory

3) retrofitted pre-'82 emission control system (no EGR/butterfly intake manifold)

4) amazing performance considering horsepower/pound ratio. I get ~ 35 MPG on my daily commute which is 80-90% highway.

5) wish I could get my wife to learn how to drive a stick - then we would dump or convert her 300D

Rick S

1. '82 Euro 300D (non-turbo) 5 speed Getrag

2. Factory install

3. No modifications

4. Very satisfied with transmission. Get 26 to 29 mpg in mostly city driving.

5. Have changed fluid once at about 178,000 miles (bought the car used at about 175,000 miles last summer now at about 181,000). Also had to rebuild the slave cylinder (but that was not the transmission's fault).

1. 1977 240D
2. factory 4-speed
3. totally stock
4. 4-sp shifts great, but wish it had an over drive.
5. best car ever built.


M.

1. 1980 240D
2. Factory 4-speed
3. Stock
4. Wish it were a 5-speed, I keep wanting to shift again.
5. Slave cylinder failed last winter.

Same as Michael on 1-4.

5. No problems as of yet.

I don't want to hijack this thread but I sense a common desire for a 5 speed 240 here.

Is there any reasonable way to make a 5 speed 240D out of a 4 speed 240D?

Does anyone know which (if any) gasser 5 speeds bolt up to the OM616? Any mods needed? (clutch/pressure plate, etc) Were any of these models imported?

Rick S

1. 1978 240D 4 spd (daughter,s car), "79" 240D 4 spd with a fresh "80" engine, a euro "85" 240D 5 spd and a "80' 4 spd parts car .
2. Factory 4-speeds & 5 speed
3. Stock

I am sold on the manual transmission 240Ds for a couple of reasons, They have other manual parts such a the sun roofs and windows which makes for a pretty simple car to work on and its still a "classy" car which does great on the highway or the back roads, AND they are fun to drive. The 5 speed car is nice for long freeway trips when I gota drive a couple of days and make time to just 'get there" but most of the time, 70 mph is fine with me and the 4 speed still has some in reserve before the noise gets me. 5) Anything else you can think of?...... I am starting to think about learning how to do a conversion as there are more nice W123 automatics around than manuals but working upside down under the dash sounds like a bear even with the seats out.

190D 2.2 ('84). Came from the factory that way. No mods (thinking about SVO). Having a manual on a 2.2l n/a diesel is a must--very satisfied, but the tranny isn't as slick as it could be. Still pretty positive shifting action though. Stretch from 3rd to 4th is a bit much. It's hard to keep 40 mph because the engine is really buzzing in 3rd but lugging in 4th.

I hope someday to convert the '73 280 4.5 to a manual.

I may also try (eventually) a 250 C (W114) with a manual diesel if they ever bring the 2.2L or 2.7L CDI engine here with a manual (a sprinter engine would probably work too, if you can get it with a manual). That would be a gas errr-uhmmm Diesel.

Sholin

'82 240D, manual, stock except for upgraded stereo/speakers.