[HIDGolf]

I am looking to buy a W124 Diesel sedan. My goals for the car are to make a great "bahnburner" with suspension(sportline parts), brakes (from coupe or V8 models), lighting (Euro E500 or maybe custom), and hopefully a Sportline interior along with simple audio upgrades. The goal is to have a car I can drive on the interstates all day long but still have a bit of fun in the twistys while appearing mostly OE Mercedes. "Factory Plus" is the keyword.

My searches have yielded plenty of conflicting info. The later E300 NA 6 cyl is the best start in my opinion, but the lack of a turbo turns me cold. Both my W123 and my current VW Golf TDI had/have turbos and its hard for me to think of a Diesel without one. Does anyone have info on adding a turbo to this engine from a W140 diesel? Does the 2.5 turbo respond well to upgrdes?

Another goal is to install a manual. To my knowledge a W124 manual Diesel was never sold in the US, has anyone done this conversion? Is the 1986 300E manual similar? Or maybe a 5 speed auto from a newer mercedes?

I am open to suggestions. This will be a second car, so waiting for euro only parts are not a huge problem.

 

[tirebiter]

Not to rain on your parade, but.....having owned a number of BMW's over the years and having the pleasure of carving up Colorado canyons with them, I would now find it hard to imagine that my 95 E300D could ever give me the same sensation. Sure, the D is solid, handles reasonably well for a heavy vehicle, but....and this is a big but, it only has 135 ponies to get all that German iron in motion. It is a slug in the performance dept.....but then again, who cares. I bought it for being a solid, fuel efficient, long range cruiser, a purpose it lives up to very well.

That said, a few suspention tweaks might be interesting and the interior could be livened up a bit. But as far as tweaking the engine...I don't know.

When driving the BMW Touring, I often use the throttle to balance the suspension through a corner. In the D, the lack (percieved lack?)of having the same degree of engine back pressure when lifting off of the throttle took some getting used to. Part of the difference is of course the automatic tranny, but even so, I find myself on and off the throttle more while I attempt keep constant speed. Once you get one in motion, it wants to keep on rolling.

So my advice.....find a vehicle a bit more suited to the purpose in mind, you will be less likely to be disapointed.

 

[HIDGolf]

thanks for your remarks, but us diesel geeks dont have much to choose from in northamerica when they want a german rear wheel drive sedan and a possible manual tranny with modern safety parts such as airbags and abs.

135hp will make this the most powerful car I have ever owned. Previous rides include a 84 300D turbo, 92 Golf GL 8v (100hp), and a 02 Golf TDI (90hp). So my asperations might be a bit different than yours. Hopefully the manual will liven things up. Plus the biggest mountains i climb are limited to the east coast, mere hills in comparison.

Some propane injection could be fun...[]

 

[HIDGolf]

Anyone know if the turbo from a W140 turbodiesel will bolt onto a 95 W124 NA diesel?

 

[myfirstbenz]

what about modding an exhaust manifold and turbo from the 1987 6 cyl diesel and making it work for the E300? Just a thought, but it may save time or effort into Turbo-ing a non turbo diesel

 

[HIDGolf]

I was under the impression that the W140 turbo was the same as the NA E300 diesel, just minus the turbo. This made me think it would be easier, and largely bolt on. Pretty sure there was a E300 turbodiesel in the W124 outside north america.

My W124 bible is on order right now, so I havent been able to look too much into the differences between the 87 and the "E" cars. The 87 turbo was the fastest W124 diesel in the US, but the E300 has a newer engine which supposedly has more in common with the W210 and W140 diesels.

 

[Zeitgeist]

It isn't wise or economically feasible to add a turbo to that OM606 NA engine. Your best bet is to opt either for the '90-'93 300D w/OM602 turbo, or the '87 300D/TD w/OM603 turbo. These respond quite well to modifications that can push both engine types well past 300hp, with the latter able to approach 500hp if you're willing to spend the $.

I don't believe MB ever offered a turbodiesel car with a manual transmission from the factory. Word has it that the 190E 16V 5speed trannies will work with the OM60X engines.