rebuild turbo?
 

Hi Everyone,
It’s been a long time, but I finally found time to tear into my 87 300D to fix exhaust leaks at the manifold where the tube fits and another at the turbocharger. I’ve got it all tore down and parts arriving Thursday. I found the mixing pipe, air crossover pipe and intake manifold caked with sludge almost 1/4 inch thick in places. Cleaned the mixing pipe and dropped the other 2 pieces at the shop where they are being tanked. It is my opinion that this buildup has to be restricting airflow. Any thoughts? (I am already planning to block the EGR)
Now I need to decide if I should spend $300 to have the turbo gone thru. It turns smooth and quiet and we were having no performance problems with just over 100K. The car gets driven only about 7K a year, half city, half highway. I know the trap was replaced by a previous owner, but I don’t know about the turbo. We plan on about 5 more years out of the car, and I am leaning toward putting it back in without the rebuild. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks, Brian

WIth that few miles, I would probably leave it.

Me Too, if you had 300k and had it apart it woud be different..
The main thing is to make sure of your OIL LINE to the turbo...be sure it is clean and unobstructed....lack of enough oil to the bearings is about the only thing which can put these turbos out of commission... they run much cooler than gas turbos....

From all evidence I have, my original turbo is still working fine at 340Kmi. In fact, it outlasted the first engine (head problem). MB turbos are generally VERY reliable and last the life of the motor.

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to put it back in tomorrow. I wonder if I'll gain any power after removing all that thick sludge from the intake? By the way, I had a real hard time with 2 of the bolts on the intake, no room for a rachet or extension due to a little ear molded on to the manifold, the lower bolts on 4 & 5. I don't know how I'll torque them. Has anyone figured it out?
Brian

Bolts on the intake are not fun. I use 1/4" drive tools and extensions & universals. I usually have the extension up tight against that ear but it does work. On my 190DT I noticed the bolts were all pretty loose so I tried a ball end hex and it went a lot easier. If you try the ball end hex be careful because its a lot easier to strip bolt heads. I have had the manifold on and off serveral times on my 300DT in the past 155Kmi and have never used a torque wrench.

Regards,

On my 300SD all that stuff is easy to reach. It should be the same.

617s are nothing like 60x.

dieselmania,

You should abide by the old rule: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" !

P E H