Very nice!

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Current fleet
2006 E320 CDI
1992 300D - 5speed manual swapped

former members
1984 300D "Blues Mobile"

1978 300CD "El Toro"

Looking very good.


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CM

New battery came in last night, and I had the day off, so I finally wrapped up this project.

Figured out the driver's side headrest - the new seats used a different type of connector, with more pins, and hollow rather than solid pins. So I trashed the connector and pulled the pins, taped off the unused pins and cut off the hollow pins on the two wires I needed, and spliced on the old two-pin connector.

Got the wood trim on the center console fully seated finally, but for some reason the passenger seat window switch seems kind of finicky sometimes. Will have to recheck the contacts, or else try swapping switches around. But man, that brand new Zebrano wood looks great.

Still having a problem with unsatisfactorily-long starts. Seems worse when warm - helps a little to give it some gas when cranking. Cold starts are usually fast, but the first start today (after sitting for a few weeks) took forever. I think I might have a fuel leak - it seemed a little damp beneath the fuel thermostat, maybe I'll try bypassing that and see what happens. Once the car starts, it runs strongly and smoothly, especially when warm. But the 5-10 second cranks in the parking lot are annoying and embarrassing...

The new seats are such an improvement. Firm and supportive in very German fashion, and nicely bolstered, too. Seat heaters work - very happy to have an OE solution, as I've read they were way too complicated to retrofit (all subjective, I suppose) - I must say, I was very pleased that the accessory fuse box was present and prewired to the footwell, as I think that would have made things a bit more painful. The Sportline steering wheel is a subtle difference, but definitely additive.

Anyway, all in all a big change for the positive. It was certainly a lot of work, but not as bad as I expected - but I think my perspective on what constitutes a difficult job is changing rapidly, the more experience I gain (I recently pulled the valve cover on my BMW - now that was a big job, for me). Plus, it helps to have a good selection of tools, of course - I've amassed a pretty nice collection of Craftsman tools over the years (a lot of it the Made in the USA stuff). It also super useful having a couple of cars to drive, so that I can take as much time as I need with one, without being stranded in the meantime.

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Thanks for the update! The seats really are sweet, aren't they? I did the same conversion on my 1987 300D (heated Sportline seats) and love them.

For the extended cranking, definitely look for a fuel leak on the supply side. Everything should be bone dry. The fuel thermostat can usually be fixed with a new O-ring (couple bucks) and a couple hours to R&R. No need to buy a new t-stat, especially if you don't often drive in freezing weather.

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

The long crank times are very Un-60x-like. Something's leaking down somewhere or you have air in the system that is collecting in the fuel rack when the engine stops. Primary suspect would be the fuel heater thermostat. If you don't live in the Arctic Circle, bypass it, it certainly won't be helping your cold starts anyway (think about it!).

Another potential source of leak-down is the lift pump O-rings. If they're like the ones in my SDL they're rock hard. I took care of all the "usual suspects" in my car and still had long cranks and really rough starts before replacing the O-rings. After fixing the leaks, the engine starts on the 1st or 2nd compression hit. Once warm (60˚ or higher on the temp gauge) it doesn't require a glow cycle at all, turn the key and you're off.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Thanks for all your tips along the way! I seriously don't think I could've done it without you - not only were you happy to answer questions as they came along, but even when I was doing research, it seems like I always ended up on some forum thread with your comments, or links to your vast picture library. You cast a long shadow in this community!

The seats really make a huge difference - they feel awesome and look quite good, too. Plus the bun warmers will come in very handy as we get into cooler weather here shortly.

The top of the IP is damp, as well - would leaking DV seals cause longer starting? It's just weird, because it's so intermittent - fired right up after work, then when I went to go for a run on the trails, it took 4 or 5 seconds of cranking. I'm not too terribly concerned - I'm going to get it figured out here soon enough. I really do believe it is a minor fuel leak, which is pretty benign in the grand scheme of things. More annoying than anything else.

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Yeah, I agree. But why does it start right up in the morning? Would the air bleed out overnight? And if so, why?

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Ok, I can't keep this secret anymore - one of the reasons that I'm not too concerned about leaking DV seals, leaking lift pump O-rings, etc. is this:


A new Dieselmeken superpump! 7.5mm elements set to deliver 90cc of fuel. Still have a lot of details to figure out before I install it, but I'm pretty stoked.

I was originally just goin to reseal all the potential fuel leaks, but I got nervous when I read that the delivery valves themselves might be worn, and I really just wanted to start from scratch. Also, the scope of this project has kind of spiralled to the point where I feel the need to do something a little extreme to justify it all, lol. Just need to do it deliberately and cautiously.

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Heat can play a big role when you're dealing with air in the system. The IP gets quite hot when the engine is running (which is why the fuel heater is kinda pointless unless you live in Siberia) and any air that's in there will expand and displace fuel. Air is lighter than diesel, so it tends to collect up at the top of the fuel rail and any high points in the system when the engine shuts off (the air tends to be in a foam when the engine is running). When it's hot and expanded, it displaces more fuel, you start trying to pump that through the system and you get temporarily air bound. Wait overnight and the air either burps out of the system, or contracts to the point that diesel largely fills the voids and voila - easy starting. Obviously if you have massive air leaks you'll simply air up the system and always have hard starting, but small leaks can cause weird issues.

K-Jet gas engines have a similar problem due to vapor-lock. They have a spring-loaded pressure accumulator in the fuel system to try to keep the fuel system under pressure to minimize hard starting from vapor lock. Different reasons and mechanics, but similar concept and issues.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

When you install that IP make sure you have an intercooler. All that extra fuel and heat without more air is going to raise your EGTs and could kill your bottom end. I'm not sure of where to mount those either short of taking out the AC condenser.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

Plan is for more air and a pyrometer at a minimum.

An intercooler is tough, because as you say, there really isn't anyplace to put one (at least of a decent size), and also because I don't have the fabrication skills necessary to alter the intake manifold and everything else.

Anyway, my local geography affects my driving style quite a bit - we're on an island in the PNW with nothing larger than a 2-lane road. I don't regularly exceed 60mph (well, at least not in this car ) and there are no hills to speak of. So, in the beginning at least, the plan is to keep an eye on EGTs and see what my actual needs are in terms of intercooling.

Worst case scenario is it's too hot and I have to turn the fueling on the pump down.

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Whoa. Serious drool factor there!

As you mentioned, watch EGT's closely. You may find you are limited to 15-30 seconds of WOT without an intercooler. The stock turbo will probably be the limiting factor here; if you could upgrade to something with a larger compressor that should help EGT's (and IAT's) even without the intercooler. Very curious how this works for you!

I was on the fence for a long time and finally bit the bullet! Who dares wins, right?

My current thinking on turbos is to have the stock T25 rebuilt with T28 internals (both compressor and turbine wheels - the so-called "Big T28"). I'm told this would flow 34lb/min - I have no idea what the stock turbo flows, but I know it's not that. Keeping the stock housing would simplify fitment and keep lag down. Still very much up in the air if it will all work, but what's the point of a project car if you're not going to try a few things?

Like I said, worst case is it runs too hot, and I need to turn the pump down (it's adjustable, currently set at 90cc, with max delivery of 120cc - I don't know how low it goes?). Or, I might just bite the bullet and figure out an intercooler. Even though I know that's the "correct" thing to do, it's not my first choice because it adds more complexity and expense. I'll have to find someone to do at least some of the work for me, which will be a hassle and probably not cheap. And I'll have to find a place to put the darn thing. I suppose I could pull the AC condenser to make some room - after all, the AC doesn't blow cold (evaporator and/or expansion valve leak, I'm told) and I'm not sure I'll get around to fixing it. I don't know a thing about HVAC systems, and paying someone to fix it would probably be in the multiple thousands of dollars - yikes. Don't much need it here in the PNW anyway.

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Not much acton lately - at least not anything interesting.

My passenger-side window was sort of on the fritz, and then finally died (stuck open of course). I thought it was the switch or convenience relay, but systematic troubleshooting led me to a bad motor. The white plastic sliding jaw was also split in two.

So I picked up a remanufactured motor and sliding jaw, got the whole assembly lubed up with Gleitpaste and installed, and started testing it out. The glass must have jumped the forward track or something (or not been properly aligned in the first place). BOOM! It very suddenly burst into a million little pieces. That was enough for me to call it a day in the garage, but I found salvaged OE glass for pretty darn cheap, and then went out of town for a week.

Anyway, when I cam back home I got the whole thing put together properly, and it seems to be holding up just fine. I hope not to have to deal with it again - those door cards are a royal PITA to R&R. The rear passenger window has been inop since I picked up the car, and I can say I'm not super motivated to fix it now.

I also picked up some salvaged B-pillar interior trim pieces in Parchment. You may recall that I had previously broken the mounting tab off of the driver's-side piece when I was doing the headliner. Later I fixed it with a small piece of sheet metal, but it just never held for more than a couple weeks. I think I put it back together about 3 or 4 times before giving up. Anyway, I finally got tired of the rattle, so let's hope these recycled pieces work out okay. The passenger-side piece is in fantastic shape, the driver's-side less so, about appropriate for age. I think that side just gets messed with more.

Anyway, what else? I've got this injection pump to install, but I'm being sort of lazy about it. I'm a little worried about getting it all apart and then taking all winter to put it back together. I might just wait until next spring/summer, but I was hoping to be working on the chassis by then (been collecting a bunch more Sportline parts piecemeal). I guess I'm a little intimidated by the job, but I'll come around eventually.

In other news, the car continues to run and drive rather well. The suspension needs a refresh badly, but otherwise it's a pretty pleasant runabout.

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The door panels are a mild PITA, but after a few times of R&R, you get the hang of it. What I hate is finding previous owners (or mechanics) who did not know how to remove them properly, and broke some of the mounting hooks. If you're lucky, the broken pieces may be inside the door so you can use plastic epoxy to repair them .

The front window lower plastic guide (p/n 126-720-00-42) is a common failure, is tricky to replace (and, the only FUNCTIONAL replacement is Genuine Mercedes; the cheap aftermarket guides will not fit into the aluminum C-channel at the base of the glass). Yeah, the OE guide costs 5x as much but it's worth every penny. Anyway - during the R&R, the glass often ends up out of the felt channel, you have to use a flashlight to confirm it's seated properly. Sounds like your glass got out of the channel and you didn't notice before it went *boom*. D'oh!

The rear passenger window inop MAY be a broken wire in the accordion boot in the door jamb. The switches rarely fail. If you can hear the relay under the rear seat click when you move the switches, but there is zero noise from the motor, it may be a wiring issue. Pull the rear door panel and apply +12v directly to the motor wires and see if it works ok, if so, check the door jamb wiring. The motors are usually fine but the regulators can fail, but when they do it generally lets the glass slide down.

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!