It seems than at Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:43:09 EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I had a 74 240D (stick, dark blue) on the West Coast. We used to take it > skiing in the Sierras and I began to leave it run all day, about 8 hours or > so. > I turned the idle down to about 300 RPM, which saved fuel,
It probably also increase cylinder wall wear. At least that's what happens in the 12 and 14 liter engines. Thus nearly all of the big trucks now have a high-speed-idle for when the engine is sitting for long periods with no load. > and also helped > with compression braking on the icy mountain roads. Eeek! Low friction road surface is the situation you _don't_ want engine braking. All four wheels working together is the safest way to slow down. The extra braking force on the rear wheel will cause them to lockup early. Obviously you managed just fine. *smile* And as ABS becomes more prevalent it doesn't matter as much. And without a trailer the consequences aren't as severe. But I couldn't just let that misconception slip by.... And, if I'm nit picking already... What you referred to as "compression braking" has practically nothing to do with compression. The braking effort of the engine is caused by it's inefficiency as an air pump. Any energy used to compress the air is regained when the piston travels down. > I am sure it never used a gallon, judging by how much the > needle moved. That's similar to my experience with OM616 and OM617. I didn't set the idle low, idling with no load doesn't use much fuel! -- Philip _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
