Any info on older Mercedes diesel...77 240D..

First and foremost, I know I'm not necessarily in the right area. Have seen many signiatures with mercedes diesel included...I just need help. Found a 77 240D, runs good, little smoke on start-up. Need info on what to look out for on the 77 240D.

Any info would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks in advance,

Luke

auto or 4 spd? how many miles? price? rust?

Automatic, little rust on fender, rear of front passenger side wheel, $500.00...owner bought it for 1500.00, just put 3K into it, brakes, tires, battery, glow plugs... the works. I've been told about it by co-worker, trying to get to see it tonight. Co-worker said that it takes a bit, 1-1.5 inches of accelerator for car to take off, and his father-in-law said that may be bad accelerator/injector pump which, he was told was like $1800.00 hence, he no buy it. My old ford with old style injector pump was the same for about 100K miles...I may be wrong but, when our accelerator/injector pumps go out, it leaks and, according to Harvieux and others, about 17 cents worth of 0-rings take care of that.

Thanks for the reply,

Luke

It sounds like the same problem I had with mine. Assuming the 240D uses a similar linkage as my 300SD, the accelerator is connected to the injection pump by about 6 different rods, going in about 6 different directions. Each rod is joined by a ball/socket. When I got my car, I adjusted all the linkage until there was no more freeplay in the accelerator, and then addjusted the rod to the transmission.

But also remember that its a 4 cylinder, non turbo diesel, so it's going to be a bit sluggish.

If the body is solid, then it sounds like it's a good buy for the price. All the work done to the car would cost a minimum of $500. Check the floors and trunk for more rust.

The 4 cylinder injection pumps are still available, I know of a junkyard with 3 240's. You can probably have the pump rebuilt for much less than the $1800.

Right on!...Sounded like a good deal for hopefully reliable transportation. Do they ever turbo these 240D's? Figures that my TDI brethren would chime in faster than the Roadfly crew...crickets chirping on that site...

Thanks and any other input welcome.

Luke

Luke, $500 is not a lot for the car but aren't you just a little suspicious when the owner throws $4500 into the car and turns around and sells it for $500

I'd wonder...

Yeah, the 240D with an auto is a real interesting piece...it redefines the meaning of slow.

I wouldn't worry too much about parts....stuff is always available. Make sure the car is relatively safe so you aren't wrong by $500.

Thanks,

Seller has 4 cars, maybe too much money and wants the garage space. I'll do my best to find any other reasons as to why he's selling and inspect the car with my limited knowledge.

If properly maintained, are the 240 D's just as reliable as I've heard about other MB diesels?

Thanks,

Luke

Oh...is the automatic troublesome, I take it it's very slow but, is it worryfree?

How many miles are on the engine/trans? If the fluid and filter have been changed regularly the trans should be ok. Try to take it for a drive. See how it shifts. Are the shifts smooth up and down? Do drive and reverse engage quickly or does it take a few seconds to go into gear? Does the kick down operate? If you shift it manually does it go through all gears? After driving it long enough to warm it up, pull the trans dipstick and smell the fluid. Does it smell burnt?

While I'm sure the 5cyl TD's had a different auto trans, mine has 175k on the engine/trans and it drives very well.

I think it's 144K on the odometer. I'll check it out and thanks.

Luke

Check out MercedesShop.com Great site and lots of helpful people, just like here.

check the cam shaft for wear. this is the common problem with all mercedes including 300d 77 to 81. a little smoke early morning start is quite normal.

There are aftermarket turbo kits that can be installed, but they are generally not good for longevity of an original non-turbo.

I think European 4 cyl models were available with turbo only.

Not so sure any 27-year-old car can be relied on.

140K miles is not a lot for a car that old.

Does it have power door locks? I think those were vacuum actuated on Mercedes of that era. Pretty troublesome for a friend of mine with a gas engined 78 280SE.

Even with a manual transmission the 240s were pretty slow. If what everybody else said to check checks out, you could buy it as a play thing. Forget about turbo'ing it.

I have a '79 240D that was passed down from my parents. (Mom bought it new in '79). It's a good solid car but pretty slow. Sorry, no turbos....I've checked.