Anyone turbo a 240d?

[Pedalsteel]

I know it's not recommended but I've heard of people doing it... I'm wondering if any of you lurking have added a turbo to a 240d and how long did the engine last?

 

[oilhammer]

I'd just add the fifth cylinder instead. I helped swap a 3.0L non-turbo 5 into a 4 cyl that had a manual. Which was not *too* bad except MB never sold a W123 5 cyl manual here and the drive shaft was shorter, so we had to have ours custom modified which was not cheap.

Then we ended up swapping a 3.0L turbo from a W116 SD in there, and changed the rear diff for the highest one we could find. That car ran pretty good, but I think the bone stock 2.3L gasser+4sp manual gray market W123 that used to come in here would still outrun it.

Honestly, to me the best part of a 240D, be it a W115 or W123, is its simplicity... I'd not want to take that away. My '74 (which was an automatic) would cruise along just fine at 70 MPH. And with no turbo lag like those old MB diesels had, wasn't glacial off the line, either, although it certainly wasn't fast.

 

[Pedalsteel]

I took the plunge and bought a manual 240d... despite it being slow its a lot of fun to drive bc the slowness makes you engage with the road and traffic in a different manner...it's not really too bad bc 70mph is about what I do to avoid tickets and the simplicity is great... I'm loving the sound of the engine... I bought engine mounts and filters for it need to make some wrenches for the valves... the cruse was working then decided to suddenly stop yesterday so I need to pull that circuit board and hit it with a soldering iron...I wish it did have the 5 cylinder with a manual and I tried to get one but most of them either went too quickly or were too far to go get with my situation...I think the sacrifices in speed are worth it bc you gain in simplicity... there is some kind of foreign plate fixed to the top of the rear bumper I'm not sure if the car was in a foreign country at some point or not I know it was in NC at some point... so far the diy Mercedes community has been really helpful and is similar to the tdi community and people seem to pop out of the woodwork with info and their own stories...

 

[rocky raccoon]

Simply bolting a turbocharger onto an existing normally aspirated engine is very bad practice. An engine designed for turbocharging has a number of differences between it and an n.a. engine. The compreession ratio is different (usually decreased), cooling system may be different and even the metallurgy in the exhaust valves and perhaps the head itself may be different.

Bolting up a turbocharger to an n.a. engine will certainly shorten it's useful life.

 

[Pedalsteel]

Rocky...yes... that hasn't stopped people from doing it and I was wondering if anyone here had done it and how long it lasted...

 

[PradoTDI]

Before Mercedes provided a factory turbo on the OM617 there were aftermarket turbo/intercooler kits you could get to increase power a little, STT was the brand if I remember correctly. I think it all depends on what you're looking for out of a turbo; factory NA diesels, especially IDI ones, don't tend to fare well when turbo'd for power. A very mild turbo setup, basically an altitude compensator, would probably work just fine.

 

[[486]]

the thing about hunting for more power on mechanically governed engines is that YOU need to be the computer 100% of the time that you're driving them after you turn up the fuel

only takes one time lugging it into boost at too low of RPM to destroy the engine from too much cylinder pressure
only takes one trip ignoring the pyrometer because it is dark out to butt the rings

You might be able to get away with it, you might not be able to, it is all about you and your command over your right foot

 

[nokivasara]

Before Mercedes provided a factory turbo on the OM617 there were aftermarket turbo/intercooler kits you could get to increase power a little, STT was the brand if I remember correctly. I think it all depends on what you're looking for out of a turbo; factory NA diesels, especially IDI ones, don't tend to fare well when turbo'd for power. A very mild turbo setup, basically an altitude compensator, would probably work just fine.

The STT-kits were very mild, I think the 300d got about 95-100hp or so with the turbo. Very low boost but also very reliable, there are some still on the roads in Sweden. Don't know how much difference it would make in a 240d.

Make sure you have good compression, that the injectors are OK, that the valve clearances are adjusted to spec and just enjoy the (slow) driving experience it offers.

 

[oilhammer]

My 1990 F350HD had a Hypermax turbo kit installed on its 7.3L when it was new. It was still running like a frightened locomotive 260k miles later, had already eaten one slushbox and was hungering for a third, LOL.

I think some engines were just better suited for it than others I suppose. IH did already have a turbo 7.3L before Ford did, so maybe that's why. It only bumped the output up from 170hp to 185, so it was pretty mild. It was certainly no Powerstroke, but it ran pretty good considering the truck tipped the scales at 7300 pounds and could still get 17 MPGs on the highway.

 

[[486]]

My 1990 F350HD had a Hypermax turbo kit installed on its 7.3L when it was new. It was still running like a frightened locomotive 260k miles later, had already eaten one slushbox and was hungering for a third, LOL.

I think some engines were just better suited for it than others I suppose. IH did already have a turbo 7.3L before Ford did, so maybe that's why. It only bumped the output up from 170hp to 185, so it was pretty mild. It was certainly no Powerstroke, but it ran pretty good considering the truck tipped the scales at 7300 pounds and could still get 17 MPGs on the highway.

The DB2 pump on those IDIs were really a blessing in disguise...
With the fuel screw backed all the way out, the overspeed governor spring swapped for a solid spacer, a good modern turbo and a big intercooler, you can only really get enough fuel outta them to match stock super duty 7.3 DI power numbers

Which is to say, they're decent engines, but just like the 6.2/6.5 GM counterpart, there isn't really any hot-rod potential owing to the lack of fueling options.

 

[oilhammer]

I don't remember what all modifications were done, but there was something changed on the pump. I had all the paperwork for the kit, which had all the detailed instructions, but I never had to mess with any of it. The exhaust system was really the biggest kluge issue it had. They didn't change the non-turbo manifolds, but instead put these U-pipes on each side, that went back up to the turbo, then the single giant exhaust pipe exited the turbo and went down the left side of the engine where there was really barely any room for it AND the U-pipe on that side. It had a leak at the turbo exit where it had cracked, been welded, then cracked again.

They are still around, and I was told they'd made improvements to the system.

1983-1994 - 6.9L/7.3L IDI Turbo System

6.9L/7.3L IDI Turbo System This Dynamometer developed turbocharger system improves the already impressive performance of the 7.3L Ford diesel engine with an increase of up to 50% more power! Complete kit including Garrett turbo, tubes, hoses, gaskets, and hardware. This application data will be...

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But because the truck had a pedal deficiency, I really didn't want to keep it and looking to do a ZF5 or ZF6 conversion was ridiculously expensive....almost been better off just buying a different truck. Plus, I the dually part was overkill for what I needed and it was a pain to park and drive in certain places due to the fender flares. Great truck, though. It never missed a beat, very reliable. Even cold starts were not an issue for it.

And a turbo V8 with a straight pipe is a glorious sound. Getting that truck sideways in the snow in Walmart's parking lot garners lots of thumbs up in this rural area, LOL. Didn't smoke, though.

 

[turbobrick240]

Yeah, the amount of turbo whistle from my 2001 F250 7.3 is impressive, even at idle. It's pretty much a straight shot through the exhaust except for the warm up valve gismo. Sounds like garbage when that thing is closed. About time to pull the rotted bed off the old girl and put her back on the road. No smoke unless I turn the dial to the 5 and 6 tune settings. And I don't plan to do the hpop, injector, and turbo mods to make those useful.

 

[Steve Addy]

My 1990 F350HD had a Hypermax turbo kit installed on its 7.3L when it was new. It was still running like a frightened locomotive 260k miles later, had already eaten one slushbox and was hungering for a third, LOL.

I think some engines were just better suited for it than others I suppose. IH did already have a turbo 7.3L before Ford did, so maybe that's why. It only bumped the output up from 170hp to 185, so it was pretty mild. It was certainly no Powerstroke, but it ran pretty good considering the truck tipped the scales at 7300 pounds and could still get 17 MPGs on the highway.

Ran into a low mile E350 Ford hightop conversion RV van at the upull that had the hypermax kit on it. Van had been laid up for years for some reason, turbo was in driver seat and few parts were lying about, but it was all there I think. All the doc was there too, I went through it, quite a setup for that.

Steve