Hi All,
I have a 1977 240D that has a rebuilt engine and trans. This was done before I owned the car.
The rebuild had about 70k on it.
One day driving real slow (5mph) the engine just quit, I tried to start-which it did with a loud slapping sound. I stopped the car and had it
towed. The machanic I brought the car to said that it wasn't worth rebuilding, though he did not open the engine up. He said he could here things moving around inside.
So my question, do you think its worth spending the money to research the problem futher, should I cut my losses and out altogether?
The car is in awsome condition, new tires, breaks, dash, apolstry, etc ....
Is there a good place to purchase replacement engines for this car?
What's the best bang for the buck, rebuild, rebuilt, new?
And of course I need to ask, is there a good market out there if I need to "part out" the car?
Thanks for your time and thoughts,
Chris

Chris,

Try a search of the web for suppliers of remanufactured engines. They run around $3,500 to $4,500. One supplier, Metric Motors (www.mercedesengines.net) is used by my local MB dealer and you get the 50,000 mile/48 month warranty. Others likely give similar warranty provisions. Once you have some prices in hand, you can make some assessments. There are also opportunities with used engines, and then there is e-bay, where every so often a really good sounding deal appears. I have bought some stuff via the e-bay auction route, but not an engine or a car. Others on the site have and they will likely pop on and offer some experience to consider as well. Good luck, sounds like a great car except for the engine! Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

Cassidy Automotive Machine shop, Macon, Ga. has a complete crank, block and head for a 1979 240D ((478) 746-3296 - ask for Gary) that is torn down ready for rebuild. Sounds like it will need new sleeves, pistons, etc. Should be rebuildable for around $800 (that is what mine cost to rebuild - parts and labor - Cassidy did the machine shop work on it with me supplying the parts). He wants $150 for it as is and he can put it on a pallet and ship it for you.
Call him if interested.

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Jim

I have been both a long time buyer and seller on ebay. There are some great deals, and some real traps. It's buyer beware for sure. I have bought diesel purge, sun visors, updated breather tube, and even a whole 240d off of ebay. I also used to sell Mac external SCSI hard drives and selling has educated me about the ebay buying more than anything else. I learned to list items in ways that would guarantee top dollar, and to troll the listings for the stuff that people listed wrong looking for the "great deal". Before I bought a new engine or paid to rebuild I would look for cars in my area that were selling cheap. I just bought a 240d that was 150 miles away for $1675.00. This car listed with bad A/C which I fixed with a new belt and 1.5 cans of 134a. It does not leak a drop of oil, and so far over the 500 miles I have driven it does not burn any. If the body was a real POS it would make a great donor car. I could part the rest out for almost what I paid for it on ebay.

Since the engine won't start, I would take it apart and find out what the problem is. You may find something broken that is easy to replace and not too expensive. 70,000 miles on a properly rebuilt engine is nothing (the engine is just really getting well worn-in since it should go 500,000 miles) and the failure could be a defective part that did not damage anything else or very little damage was done. That is, if you can do the labor. If not, then factor that in to your decision to rebuild or replace with a used or rebuilt engine. If you spend some time a used engine can be found at a reasonable price in good condition (perhaps a rusted-out body with a good drive train). eBay is a very serious caveat emptor place to buy from and eBay does not protect buyers very well. Junk yards are one place as well as ads in papers and Auto Trader.

My $0.02 Worth!
Tom

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1977 300D: 300,000+ miles

American Honda: Factory Trained Technician & Honor Grad.
Formerly:
Shop Foreman;
Technical Advisor to Am. Honda;
Supervisor of Maintenance largest tree care co. in US for offices in Tex.