Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
I wish we had the S300 here :) but I'm reasonably happy with the E300TD that I picked up (in the place of the 126.120)... Its REALLY fun to drive :) A V1 would be nice, but they are not kosher at all in VA, where I do at least half of my mileage. (foo!) -j.
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
The 140 is a sweet vehicle with a nice ride. Dual front airbags are good to have around too. Figure the cost of a new engine into the mix if you go with the S350. Still worth it IMHO. If you don't go diesel, go for the Full Monte and get the V12 600. Wickedly fast ride. Been looking for one for a while myself. Would be good for city driving. -Dave Walton 94 S350, 99 E300 On 1/8/06, Kaleb C. Striplin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: How many folks here have a 3.5 in a 140, well, or a 126? Bent rods? Thinking about looking for another 140 in the near future and am really concidering a 3.5 and risking the rods bending. If not that I would either go with the next economical choice of a 320 with the 104 or most likely all out with a 500. Anybody got a 500 and if so what sort of mileage do you get? Probably better off going this route over the diesel anyways. -- Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK 89 560SEL, 87 300SDL, 85 380SE, 85 300D, 84 250 LWB, 83 300TD, 81 300TD, 81 240D, 81 240D, 76 450SEL, 76 240D, 76 300D, 74 240D, 69 250 http://www.striplin.net ___ http://www.striplin.net 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://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
You have quite a few more options available, due to your access to lots of used $500 vehicles, from which you can pull a good running OM603.96 to swap in, if your OM603.97 fails. I'm not much of an S-class fan (too big), but I do find the W140 to be an intriguing consideration...very tempting. On 1/8/06, Kaleb C. Striplin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: How many folks here have a 3.5 in a 140, well, or a 126? Bent rods? Thinking about looking for another 140 in the near future and am really concidering a 3.5 and risking the rods bending. If not that I would either go with the next economical choice of a 320 with the 104 or most likely all out with a 500. Anybody got a 500 and if so what sort of mileage do you get? Probably better off going this route over the diesel anyways. Casey Olympia, WA Biodiesel: I drive in a persistent vegetative state '87 300TD intercooler (211k) '84 300D (207k) Gashuffer: '89 Vanagon Wolfsburg Edition (186K)
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
Kaleb - you would probably be better off with a '90 or '91 126 Diesel rather than an early 140, as the bigger car will cost more to maintain and operate, IMO. Our past section president here has an mid year S500, and has put a lot of $$$ into repairing the self-leveling suspension. Its fast, yes, but fuel economy isn't good. As for bent rods, most of the stories I've seen is that if you either get past 150k miles, or have a factory reman engine, you'll probably be OK with the 3.5. Didn't I see a nice 126 3.5 on the list last week? Werner - Original Message - From: Kaleb C. Striplin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 9:46 AM Subject: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5? How many folks here have a 3.5 in a 140, well, or a 126? Bent rods? Thinking about looking for another 140 in the near future and am really concidering a 3.5 and risking the rods bending. If not that I would either go with the next economical choice of a 320 with the 104 or most likely all out with a 500. Anybody got a 500 and if so what sort of mileage do you get? Probably better off going this route over the diesel anyways. -- Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK 89 560SEL, 87 300SDL, 85 380SE, 85 300D, 84 250 LWB, 83 300TD, 81 300TD, 81 240D, 81 240D, 76 450SEL, 76 240D, 76 300D, 74 240D, 69 250 http://www.striplin.net ___ http://www.striplin.net For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
got plenty of 126's, had a 140 before, thinking about one again. I have seen several on ebay lately with 200-250K miles. Surely those are OK by now. Werner Fehlauer wrote: Kaleb - you would probably be better off with a '90 or '91 126 Diesel rather than an early 140, as the bigger car will cost more to maintain and operate, IMO. Our past section president here has an mid year S500, and has put a lot of $$$ into repairing the self-leveling suspension. Its fast, yes, but fuel economy isn't good. As for bent rods, most of the stories I've seen is that if you either get past 150k miles, or have a factory reman engine, you'll probably be OK with the 3.5. Didn't I see a nice 126 3.5 on the list last week? Werner - Original Message - From: Kaleb C. Striplin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Mercedes mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 9:46 AM Subject: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5? How many folks here have a 3.5 in a 140, well, or a 126? Bent rods? Thinking about looking for another 140 in the near future and am really concidering a 3.5 and risking the rods bending. If not that I would either go with the next economical choice of a 320 with the 104 or most likely all out with a 500. Anybody got a 500 and if so what sort of mileage do you get? Probably better off going this route over the diesel anyways. -- Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK 89 560SEL, 87 300SDL, 85 380SE, 85 300D, 84 250 LWB, 83 300TD, 81 300TD, 81 240D, 81 240D, 76 450SEL, 76 240D, 76 300D, 74 240D, 69 250 http://www.striplin.net ___ http://www.striplin.net 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://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net ___ http://www.striplin.net 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://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net -- Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK 89 560SEL, 87 300SDL, 85 380SE, 85 300D, 84 250 LWB, 83 300TD, 81 300TD, 81 240D, 81 240D, 76 450SEL, 76 240D, 76 300D, 74 240D, 69 250 http://www.striplin.net
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
Kaleb C. Striplin wrote: How many folks here have a 3.5 in a 140, well, or a 126? Bent rods? Thinking about looking for another 140 in the near future and am really concidering a 3.5 and risking the rods bending. If not that I would either go with the next economical choice of a 320 with the 104 or most likely all out with a 500. Anybody got a 500 and if so what sort of mileage do you get? Probably better off going this route over the diesel anyways. Any original 3.5 engine that's used for stop and go/city driving is likely to bend rods within a fairly short period of time. Once there are ANY symptoms, it's too late and the engine MUST be replaced. When 3.5 engines is used ONLY for highway driving, they may hold up as long as any other Mercedes diesel engine. A car with a Mercedes rebuild will easily handle either style of driving. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
Isn't Regina's driving mostly stop and go? Might have to go the heretical vergasser route for her car Any original 3.5 engine that's used for stop and go/city driving is likely to bend rods within a fairly short period of time. Once there are ANY symptoms, it's too late and the engine MUST be replaced. When 3.5 engines is used ONLY for highway driving, they may hold up as long as any other Mercedes diesel engine. A car with a Mercedes rebuild will easily handle either style of driving. Marshall -- -- OK Don, KD5NRO Norman, OK '90 300D 243K, '87 300SDL 290K, '81 240D 173K, '78 450SLC 67K, '97 Ply Grand Voyager 78K
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
Kaleb, my 92 500SEL gets about 15 city and 20 highway with A/C running. Have seen high as 23 on 300 mile trip at 60 mph on back roads. With diesel about .12 more than premium right now, it's probably a push as repects fuel economy. I do blend my fuel and rotate half tank fill-ups between mid and premium fuel. No adverse effects. With the exception of the door closing system ($600.00), there is nothing unique or costly about the W140 chassis as compared to other mid 90's MB's. On 1/8/06, Marshall Booth [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Kaleb C. Striplin wrote: How many folks here have a 3.5 in a 140, well, or a 126? Bent rods? Thinking about looking for another 140 in the near future and am really concidering a 3.5 and risking the rods bending. If not that I would either go with the next economical choice of a 320 with the 104 or most likely all out with a 500. Anybody got a 500 and if so what sort of mileage do you get? Probably better off going this route over the diesel anyways. Any original 3.5 engine that's used for stop and go/city driving is likely to bend rods within a fairly short period of time. Once there are ANY symptoms, it's too late and the engine MUST be replaced. When 3.5 engines is used ONLY for highway driving, they may hold up as long as any other Mercedes diesel engine. A car with a Mercedes rebuild will easily handle either style of driving. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi ___ http://www.striplin.net 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://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net -- John Freer Palm Springs, CA 1992 500 SEL 140K Stardust 1985 380SL 145K Blue Belle
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
Desert Rat wrote: Kaleb, my 92 500SEL gets about 15 city and 20 highway with A/C running. Have seen high as 23 on 300 mile trip at 60 mph on back roads. With diesel about .12 more than premium right now, it's probably a push as repects fuel economy. I do blend my fuel and rotate half tank fill-ups between mid and premium fuel. No adverse effects. With the exception of the door closing system ($600.00), there is nothing unique or costly about the W140 chassis as compared to other mid 90's MB's. Replacing the wiring harness or AC evaporator on a 140 WILL be more expensive than on a 124!! Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
Kaleb, I would get the diesel. If you can find one with a documented factory crate motor, great - they are out there, just not easy to locate. Otherwise, get one that runs good and doesn't use oil. Tear the engine down and replace the rods BEFORE they bend and destroy the cylinder walls. Yeah, it will cost you $1k for new rods up front (plus gaskets and labor time), but the engine should last as long as any other 603 diesel afterwards - assuming the cylinders are still nice and round. The other advantage is, since you have to disassemble most of the engine anyway, you can replace ALL external seals and get a 100% leak-free motor. If you go for the gasser, the 500 is the only one to consider. The 320 is too gutless, and why bother with the 420 when the 500 will be identical in maintenance cost (same M119 engine) but offer an extra 40 ponies on demand, with very little loss in MPG. Forget the 600 for obvious reasons. My sister picked up a very nice 1994 S500 recently and they really like it. Fuel economy is rather poor, figure 13-15 around town (depending on the weight of your foot), and 18-22 on the freeway. Later cars (1996-up?) got the M119.98x engine with distributorless ignition (very cool), as well as the 5-speed automatic tranny. The S500 is surprisingly quick for such a large car. If you lack restraint, a Valentine-1 is a wise accessory to purchase. (Trust me.) Some day I wouldn't mind getting a W140 myself, and it would either be the S350 (with an intercooler, and the full-load screw tweaked, buwaaa-hah-hahaha!) or the S500. Such a shame we never got the 180hp S300 with the turbo 606 motor over here. I'd be all over one of those! :-) -Dave M. -- Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 08:46:52 -0600 From: Kaleb C. Striplin [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5? How many folks here have a 3.5 in a 140, well, or a 126? Bent rods? Thinking about looking for another 140 in the near future and am really concidering a 3.5 and risking the rods bending. If not that I would either go with the next economical choice of a 320 with the 104 or most likely all out with a 500. Anybody got a 500 and if so what sort of mileage do you get? Probably better off going this route over the diesel anyways. -- Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
My personal opinion is not *if* an original 3.5 will bend the rods, but *when*. Also remember that most owners think adding a quart of oil every 1kmi is perfectly normal. For a high-mileage M103, it is... but NOT on an OM603. But hey, if you get an S350 cheap enough, just drive it until the engine is shot and then fork over the $$$ for a crate motor. Or, consider swapping in a cheap/used 3.0L long block. (Intercooled, of course. Heh-heh.) =) +dm™ (intercoolers on the brain today) -- Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 10:29:57 -0600 From: Kaleb C. Striplin [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5? got plenty of 126's, had a 140 before, thinking about one again. I have seen several on ebay lately with 200-250K miles. Surely those are OK by now.
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
If operating costs are not a big deal, then yeah go with the gasser. But remember the gasser (S500) will bet getting about 14mpg around town, compared with probably 24mpg on the diesel (S350). That's a BIG difference in the wallet if you drive a lot of miles, even after adjusting for the fact that D#2 is a few pennies more than premium petrol in most places. I don't think the S420 or S320 will offer much, if any, benefit in around-town economy. They'd probably be a little better on the freeway though. Even at 16mpg, the diesel is still FIFTY PERCENT more efficient. YMMV, etc... =) Dave M. Boise, ID 1994 E500 (5.0L M119.974) 1987 300D (3.0L OM603.960) -- Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 13:16:27 -0600 From: Kaleb C. Striplin [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5? Im sure gas would be the choice anyways since she doesnt like diesel
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
Agreed, Marshall. But after 12 to 15 years if those repairs haven't been completed and documented, then I wouldn't go near any W124 or W140! On 1/8/06, Marshall Booth [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Desert Rat wrote: Kaleb, my 92 500SEL gets about 15 city and 20 highway with A/C running. Have seen high as 23 on 300 mile trip at 60 mph on back roads. With diesel about .12 more than premium right now, it's probably a push as repects fuel economy. I do blend my fuel and rotate half tank fill-ups between mid and premium fuel. No adverse effects. With the exception of the door closing system ($600.00), there is nothing unique or costly about the W140 chassis as compared to other mid 90's MB's. Replacing the wiring harness or AC evaporator on a 140 WILL be more expensive than on a 124!! Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) der Dieseling Doktor [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi ___ http://www.striplin.net 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://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net -- John Freer Palm Springs, CA 1992 500 SEL 140K Stardust 1985 380SL 145K Blue Belle
Re: [MBZ] anybody with a 603 3.5?
On Sun, 8 Jan 2006 12:55:07 -0700 Dave M. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Such a shame we never got the 180hp S300 with the turbo 606 motor over here. I'd be all over one of those! Any chance of importing one from wherever they were sold? Craig
