Has anyone been able to locate a fabricator that can reproduce this part. My car has the factory recall. I have seen on the MBCNA advice to pull it and gut it. I am sure there is some compant outh there that could replicate if they had the pattern. Thanks.

You want to what, replicated the trap oxidizer?? But with no interior, just hollow? What is THIS supposed to do for you?

Gilly

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Gilly:

Thanks for the response, but you did not answer my question. I already have an idea what I am going to do, but your sarcasm does lend a new meaning to "old fart with a know it all attitude."
By the way , this was coined by my 88 year old dad who looked at your response.

I dont know if the campagin is still active, but the comments were that MB was replacing the oxidizer and most of the exhaust system on some cars at N/C.
What did someone tell you, "It goes faster", "better mileage"!
I will take Gillys comments as fun, no one forces you to take his advice, he has forgotten more than you will ever know. He knows he is abrasive, so what!

I have a 1985 cali model that used to have the trap on it - until I researched options just as you are and decided to get an intake and exhaust manifold from the junkyard for 100 bucks and converted it over to the older style without the trap.
My fuel mileage went up by a solid 2 mpg and the turbo spools up more noticeably than before. It seemed like much less of a hassle to get the older style, non california type parts than fabricate a pipe.
Thanks, Adam Bush

Gilly does have an interesting history but where is the sarcasm in his response? Or is asking 'why' now considered to be sarcastic?

My contribution to this is to go to a custom muffler shop and see what they can do for you.

From an environmentalist standpoint, MB hasn't returned to upstream trap oxidizers so if you're looking to have your car be as clean as possible, look to the technologies in the current crop of Diesels.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL
83 300SD

It's not sarcasm, it's ABRASIVENESS, there IS a difference .
Sorry if I didn't answer your question, I am just wondering why a hollowed out trap is better than the replacement pipe MB installed for free. I don't read the MBCA list, so no idea why this is any better. SEE? NO IDEA, I DO NOT KNOW IT ALL. And I am not saying that there is NO reason this would be any better (although I sure can't think of one), just saying I don't know why it would be.
Part of my "interesting history" is that it seems like if I put the first reply in to a question, you usually get more responses added to your question, so you can take that for what it's worth.

Gilly

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What will the dealer do now, if you still have the trap oxidizer in place? What is the best way to approach it? Thanks...

If the recall hasn't been done, then it's still due on the vehicle and MB will do the update free. If the turbo has been damaged by the trap oxidizer, then you will get a new turbo. Most of these recalls also involve a complete new exhaust system. In the very least you will get the replacement pipe for the trap oxidizer, and a new front pipe, which includes an exhaust catalyzer.

Gilly

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Thanks for all the responses. Gilly, I appreciate your feedback. What I am trying to do is have options when this "california catalytic converter upgrade" fails; and it will fail as all converters have life expectancy. I was given this advice from Hatch & Sons (restorer of all models of MB). I agree that there is only minimal output gain from its removal. What I want to do is have fabricated a similar pipe that is on the Ch.124 and Ch.126 engines. Thats all. I appreciate any feedback.

With all due respect to Hatch & Sons I think their concerns are overdone. For starters the upgrade to the '85 design is NOT a catalytic converter but rather a trap catalyst. A catalytic converter as found on a gasser is usually made from a very fine (and somewhat fragile) ceramic material coated with a platinum based catalyst that helps complete combustion. Over time (assuming it hasn't clogged first) the ceramic will collapse and the unit will fail. Since the platinum catalyst only lasts for 60-80,000 miles, the rest of the converter is designed to last about that amount of time too. On the '85 diesels the original trap oxidyzer was replaced with a trap catalyst. The original design had an interior packing not unlike steel wool that trapped the soot and allowed it more time to burn before going down the exhaust. While this worked OK, the oxidizers would get clogged easily and as such needed to be replaced every 30,000 miles. The newer trap catalyst has a more open design which does not clog but still gets the job done sufficently to satisfy the smog police. The new trap was designed to last virtually forever since there is no true catalyst to fail like on the gasser converter. You can not compare the diesel design to a gasser. While I don't argue it is simpler to just not have a trap in the first place, my suspicion is that Hatch has had very little experiences with them and is basing it's opinion upon the gas car cats. Just leave it on there or else take it off now, either way you can pretty much forget about it.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

Having owned 2 300CD's, both California models, I agree with Irg.

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1972 & 1974 BMW 2002tii's.

Does anyone know if this "new" trap is less constricting and power robbing than the old system it replaces? I have seen the old HP ratings and the ones with the emission system loose about 2 HP (118HP VS 120HP) on the '85 turbo diesels.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

I looked into taking off the cat converter on my 85 300D california when I bought it 5 years ago.
Went to two different dealers, they both said there was no replacement "pipe" to replace the converter.
Seems like this conversion was for the later models.
When I pulled the head to get the exhaust valve guides replaced, I cussed that darn thing. All the braces are hard to get to, not much room. Plus the starter has a heat shield to keep the heat from melting the starter from the extra heat that the converter puts out (no, I did not pull starter to do valve job).
And the starter is also different than the non converter ones, solinoid is down, because it will hit the converter. I know, I tried a non converter starter, solinoid up, hit converter.
If one was to make a replacement "pipe" you would still have to deal with the braces to take the strain off the manifold studs.
I just left my cat converter on, and have not had any problems yet.

Ahhhh, I'm beginning to understand now. Sorry I was gone the last few days, had to take a little 300 mile "field trip" (one way) to attend the funeral of one of my wifes aunts, but here I am.

So what you want to do is if the exhaust catalyzer clogs up, to replace it with a straight pipe. This doesn't I assume doing anything with the replacement pipe MB installed in place of the trap oxidizer (what the car originally had). I thought you wanted to make a trap oxidizer and gut it out for some reason.

Well I doubt MB will now turn around and sell you the former exhaust system. But I assume Timevalve or some other exhaust system company would make up an original style exhaust system for you, or possibly make you a "test pipe" to replace the catalyzer. I am unsure of the legal implications of doing this on a Diesel. On a gas engine anyone can tell you this is illegal, and in many states I assume it would be also on a Diesel, but unsure.
But this would leave you nothing to clean up the exhaust at all; the replacement "no trap" pipe on the exhaust manifold and no catalyzer pipe, which took the place of the trap oxidizer.

Gilly

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