R Leo, did you have to use a 300d manual flywheel or can you just use the flywheel from a 240d?

Does anyone know what lube goes into the early cast geaboxes? ATF or gear oil?

The three piece cast iron gearbox that is in my car is a '115'... at least that's what the casting numbers on the box say.

I don't know ANYTHING about Mercedes gasser engines so I'm not much help there. However, in the FSM I have for the 4spd manual tranny, I believe that the cast iron gearbox is shown bolted to a bellhousing with the starter wart on the right for the diesel and the left for the gas engine.

So, if your starter on your 230E is on the left side of the engine, I'm thinking that you'll need a gasser's manual bellhousing.

I used the 240D's flywheel. I'm not so sure that there's any difference in the 300D manual flywheel; there isn't much extra room in the bellhousing for anything.

Fluid:
The FSM says use ATF in the tranny. I use the same fluid that I use in the 300D's A/T: Dextron III

thanks, BTW whats "FSM"

I read someplace that the 300d flywheel was, I think, 7# heavier than the 240D one.

Steve

FSM=Factory Shop Manual

The FSM says not to use one with the other...

However, we have SEVERAL people on the forum who have and I have seen no posts of problems doing it...

300d manual flywheels are hard to find.....unless you are snooping around junkyards in Poland...

Or Bagdad, or practically anywhere else on the planet other than North America. And you might as well get the manual transmission that's attached to it while you're there.

HUM... I wonder how many there are in New Zealand and Australia..... you could ship them back next month...

And that's a damned good idea too. Kiwiland isn't an option (only 5 days there) but I'll bet there are plenty of manuals in NSW!!

where can you get the FSM for the manual transmissions?

I have one sitting on my kitchen table that grimgaunt loaned me. Have been thinking of scanning it, but the pics aren't great.

I have a question for you R Leo,
If you were going to charge someone to do all that work of swapping trannys, how much would that be?

It took me a long time to do the wagon because I didn't want to rush and then have to go back and rework things plus, I was learning as I went along.

But, knowing what I know now, I think I could do one of these swaps in 2-3 days fairly easily. So, applying the hourly rate of my day job to it, I'd guess I would charge something like $650 + parts (tranny, shifter, driveshaft mod and fluids).

RLeo,
Did you get to Oz?
Did you find any 300Ds with manual transmissions? No? I haven't either, they seem to have come out in Oz in one flavour - 4speed Auto.
240Ds are rare also, but there is one for sale locally with $3k on it.
I have 3, 300Ds so I am not in the market t this stage.

I may be able to do my own manual conversion, if my boss will trade for my TD....

At Blue Moon Motors, my job, we have a 9/10 240D 4-speed with a dead engine (about 238psi compression) and a 300D with a 10/10 inside but a car impacted passenger side. I'm wanting to put the OM617.951 in the 240 body and keep the 300 body as a parts car.

He wants $900 for the 240, and we bought the 300D from a donation center for $500. As I said, the 240D is 9/10. 96K miles, Manual windows, Manual climate control, 4-speed, power sunroof, 9.5/10 interrior, and only a minor rust spot on the PF fenderwell. I can move my 18.5gallon aux. fuel tank to the 240 from my TD.

I'll read through the entire thread tonight, hopefully Randy, Tom and the others, have already answered all my questions...

Tony, RLeo left Austin the 19th and will be back on the 10th of July. He did not take even his laptop with him... but said he may stumble into an internet cafe somewhere...
I think he was not planning on being in contact with many people except his wife... who is with him.... they are both pretty busy when here... so this was a real get away...