Thar She Blows: W115 Diesel Blowby Video

As part of the preparation for performing a leak down test, I reset three out-of-spec intake valves last Saturday. I was also curious about the amount of blowby that the engine was putting out.

Well, you may recall that Saturday was the day that some were predicting the world was coming to an end at 6pm. After finishing setting the valves about 4:30pm, I decided that I didn't want the world to end without recording for posterity how much blow-by Marlene was putting out. So here is a short video of the event. :)

How much blow-by is too much blow-by? Opinions welcome.

N.B. This diesel engine is consuming a quart of oil every 150-200 miles. Coincidence?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnXaMkyA0hw&feature=youtube_gdata_player



I really don't know how to evaluate the blow-by.... That is more of a sideshow.... I have heard from others that it is not that big of a deal...

My concern is the 1 quart every 150 miles, or so, of oil consumption. For the amount that I drive the car, frankly, even that isn't a big deal.... But I would like to determine the cause, and then decide what's to be done about it.

It is really a neat car, I like the style, and, as an OM617 W115, it is an historic and increasingly rare model.... So I would like to preserve it. Historic in the sense that the 1975 300D was the first time Mercedes put a 5 cylinder diesel in a sedan.... And it was only in the W115 for those two years, in 1975 and 1976. Then the W123 was introduced.

My son loves it, and I plan to give it to him at some point. I would like to give it to him in better shape than it is now.

Oh, and did I mention... It was also built the year I got married... So a bit of Romantic Nostalgia there also. It is more than just nuts and bolts, and dollars and cents.

All of the above enters into my decision as to what ultimately needs to be done to the car. More than you wanted to know, I am sure.

Mercedes Diesel Rebuilding DVD

I came across a website that offers a 4 hour DVD on rebuilding the Mercedes OM617 Turbo diesel engine for $79.98. It is a little pricey, and it is not technically for the W115 OM617, but it may be a valuable resource reference for someone to have. The engines are similar enough that I am sure that the DVD will contain much info that is relevant to the W115.

Check out the short example video.
http://www.benzproducts.com/benzproducts_main_page_007.htm

Here is the main website:
http://www.benzproducts.com/benzproducts_main_page_002.htm


I also added the above information to the "Service Manuals for the Mercedes W115 300D" post (May 13, 2011) in this blog.

Making A Pair of Homemade Valve Wrenches

Adjusting the valves on a OM617 engine involves some tight angles to get your wrenches in. Mercedes recommends a special set of bent-handled wrenches to accomplish the task. You can purchase a pair of Hazlet wrenches... But they are pretty pricey.

Alternatively, you can bend your own wrenches to do the job. If you do a search (valve-wrench) in Peachparts Mercedes Diesel Discussion forum, you will find some pretty well done examples. Some guys buy a separate pair of 14mm wrenches, heat them with a torch, and bend them. Another alternative is to do what I did: go to your local bike shop, and buy a pair of their thin handled 14mm bike wrenches. I then put the wrench in a sturdy bench vise, put a piece of pipe over the handle for some leverage, and then bent it to the angle I wanted. They are not elegant, but they are simple to make. They work great, and they won't cost you a small fortune.

I had made a pair of these bike wrenches 10 years ago when I first got Marlene on the road, but, over the years, I seem to have misplaced one somehow. So I went out to the bike shop this week, and bought another 14 mm thin wrench for about 10 bucks.

Today I put it in the bench vise, slipped piece of pipe over it, and bent it. I have added some pics of the process. The first pic shows the bent and the unbent wrenches together.

The next pic shows the wrench in my bench vise.

I now have placed a piece of pipe over the handle of the wrench to get some leverage to bend it to the angle I need.

This pic shows the two wrenches again ..... Both bent now.

You can tinker with it a little more to get the angle just right. The only drawback to using thin handled wrenches like these is that you may feel a slight bit of flexing as you tighten down the valves. These worked fine for me today, but I did recheck them with a regular wrench to make sure the lock nut was tight.

I have added a link to the Diesel Giant Valve Adjustment Procedure in the sidebar. Please check it out if you are thinking that it is time to adjust your valves.

Old Faithful Starts Marlene May 14 2011

Old Faithful

I inherited "Old Faithful", a circa 1960's battery charger, about 18 years ago when my Dad passed away.  It had served him faithfully at his Sunoco Service Station since at least the early 1960's, and probably before that.  I can remember using it to charge batteries and start cars when I worked there in high school and college. I have used it to start 'Marlene' on countless freezing New England winter mornings over the past 11 years. Although it is now nearly 50 years old, it has never failed me.  It creaks and groans a bit as it starts up these days but....  then again, so do I.  We have that in common, and perhaps that explains why we have gotten along so well all these years.  ;)
In this picture I am using Old Faithful to jump start Marlene today to move her into the garage to officially begin the restoration project. Drumroll please. :)

Here you can see that Marlene is safely ensconced in the garage, although.....

it is a tight fit!!

Work done for the day, I prepare to curl up with a good book (Chilton's Mercedes Service Manual) in a comfy chair, complete with my car ramp ottoman, and a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon in the newly-created lounge area of The Backseat Driver's Baur and Grill Club (my garage).   More on that in a later post.

Service Manuals for the Mercedes W115 300D

UPDATE II: I came across a website that offers a 4 hour DVD on rebuilding the Mercedes OM617 Turbo diesel engine for $79.98. It is a little pricey, and it is not technically for the W115, but it may be a valuable resource reference for someone to have.the engines are similar enough that I am sure that the DVD will contain much info that is relevant to the W115.

Check out the short example video.
http://www.benzproducts.com/benzproducts_main_page_007.htm

Here is the main website:
http://www.benzproducts.com/benzproducts_main_page_002.htm


UPDATE:  I am taking Peachpart forum member Army's suggestion to include some other online resources, such as mailing lists and forums that can be a resource for W115 owners.  Thanks, Army!
Peachparts Diesel Discussion  Forum:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/forumdisplay.php?f=15

New Mercedes forum catering to the W114/115 Series:
http://www.stroke8.org/

Kaleb Striplin's Mercedes email List:
mercedes@okiebenz.com

Any other suggestions are welcome.




This is a partial listing of some of the service manuals that are available for the Mercedes W115 300D. I have copies of all of the manuals listed below. There may be other manuals available. In addition, Mercedes did offer the official Factory Service Manual, I believe. I do not know whether it is still available through Mercedes, but you can probably find one on EBay or Craig's List from time to time. I believe that the FSM is available on CD, and that is what I bought on eBay a few years ago. Or at least I THINK it is the FSM that I bought.

:)

There is no Haynes Manual for the W115 that I am aware of. The Haynes W123 Manual has info on the early W123 300D engines, which are similar to the W115 300D engines. There are some differences, however, so proceed carefully.


Anyway, here is the partial list of Mercedes Service Manuals that may be helpful to the W115 owners out there:

Mercedes-Benz Tune-Up Maintenance
Gas and Diesel 1958-1976. Clymer Publications. 1976.

Chilton's Repair and Tune-Up Guide Mercedes-Benz 1974-84
Chilton Book Company. 1984. Part No. 6809

Haynes Automotive Repair Manual
Mercedes-Benz Diesel 123 Series 1976 thru 1985
4 & 5 cyl. Haynes 63012. Haynes North America, Inc. 1986.

Chilton Mercedes Coupes/Sedans/Wagons
1974-84 Repair Manual 48300. Chilton Automotive Books. Published by Haynes North America, Inc. 1997. Includes Wiring and Vacuum Diagrams. Or so it says. I don't see any wiring or vacuum diagrams here for the W115 300D. Those are very hard to come by, in my experience. If anyone has info on that, please email me and I will be happy to post it here.

I have a pic posted of the cover of this manual, if anyone is interested. It is in the post on May 10, 2011 entitled "Getting "The Backseat Driver's Baur and Grill Club' Prepped for Marlene's Restoration".

I will try to get some pics of the covers of the other manuals I have listed here, so you can see what they look like.


Mercedes-Benz Model 114/115 Service Manual Library
Compact Disk
Complete Service Manual. I purchased on EBay from a Vendor in Turkey a few years ago.
MERCEDES BENZ W114 W115 SERVICE REPAIR MANUAL 114 115

5/14/2011 Update: Thanks to forum member Diesel911 in PeachParts Mercedes diesel discussion forum for posting this link as a source of DVD and CD Manuals.

http://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/outside/9124/?requestedDocId=9124

Here is a link to the thread in PeachParts Diesel Discussion, another valuable resource, btw:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?p=2717436#post2717436

Thank you, Diesel911!

This link was posted by PeachParts forum member Army. Although it is for the W116, there may be some useful cross-references for W115 owners.

http://www.w116.org/library

Thank you, Army!

I always like this sort of info on all the W114/115 Series:

http://et.mercedes-benz-clubs.com/mediawiki/index.php/Kategorie:W114/W115/en

New Additions to the Sidebar

I have added a couple of links to the sidebar related to W115 restorations. Both just happen to be white W115s, at least at the beginning. One is a YouTube video, and those are always fun! Please check them out. :)

Getting "The Backseat Driver's Baur and Grill Club' Prepped for Marlene's Restoration

Now that the extra engine block is sold and gone, I was able to clear some space in the garage last night by disassembling the cherry picker crane hoist, and stashing it toward the back.  You can see it in the pic standing on end just to the right of the yellow engine stand.  There is an older pic in the sidebar of the crane supporting the old block which is attached to the engine stand.  I love that engine hoist, by the way.  It is a big, sturdy Green Monster, unlike some of the cheap, lightweight hoists I have seen recently at Harbor Freight Tools.

I also did a little re-arranging of a couple of my tool chests, placing them off to the left side.  Finally, I did a general clean up of the garage so that I now have a work space, albeit a bit cramped.  We will just call it 'cozy'.  

Incidentally, this garage workspace --- although it is continually evolving---- has been officially christened as "The Backseat Driver's Baur and Grill Club".... but that will be the subject of another blog, another day.

Below you will see another pic of a couple of my new Best Friends:   a Mercedes Service Manual, in this case a Chiltons;  a Diesel Engine Compression Tester; and a Leak Down Tester.  Both of the tools were recently purchased at Harbor Freight Tools in Berlin, CT.  Say what you will about Harbor Freight Tools, but they do make tools affordable.  Whether they make them well, is another question altogether, and we shall soon find out.  Since I am not a Professional Mechanic, but rather a hobbyist, these tools only need to do an adequate job for me this once.  I may not need them again, so I cannot justify paying top dollar for them. 

While there is no Haynes Manual for the W115 Series, I do have a copy of the Haynes W123 Manual, as well as another Chilton's, the 1974-84 Manual, as well as a Clymer's. There is some usable info in the W123 manual, because the early W123 300D engines were very similar to those in the W115.   In addition, I also have the W115 Factory Service Manual CD that I bought on Ebay from Turkey. So I may be spending some Quality Time with my new Best Friends very shortly. 

My plan is to do a Leak-Down test--- my first--- and try to get a better handle on exactly what this engine needs.  As I understand it, the leak down test is generally considered a more reliable diagnostic tool than a compression test.  The Harbor Freight Leak Down Test tool did not come with the proper fittings for my engine, but the Compression Test tool did.  So I bought both.  I may do the compression test anyway, since I have the kit. 

I will need to do a little reading to see how to get the most accurate and usable results from the Leak Down test.  For example, I know  the test should be done on a warm engine.  Do I need to set the valves beforehand, or does it not matter? Et cetera.
   

The basic problem with this engine is the excessive oil consumption, to the tune of about 1 quart every 100 miles or so. This is NOT a misprint!  :)  There are no oil leaks, so the oil is being consumed internally, and the leak down test should tell me where it is going.  I do have a fair amount of blow-by, but I am not sure that the blow-by can account for all the oil use.  I anticipate that it will need new valve stem guides and seals, but I need to know if the rings are shot.  If it only needs head work, I will probably have my spare head redone, and swap that onto the block.  On the other hand, if it is determined that it needs bottom end work in addition to the head work, I will need to decide whether to open that whole can of worms:  rings, at the very least;  cylinder honing and/or re-sleeving;  and maybe pistons, rods, bearings, YIKES!  That could get expensive quickly.  Rather than go through all of that, I would most likely just go ahead and find a complete used engine and swap that in.

I have no illusions about my prospects here, by the way.  I am already lining up a used replacement engine in the expectation that I will be needing one soon.  The smart money is betting that I will need that replacement engine.  We shall see.

At any rate, we are now a couple of steps closer to getting started.  Stay tuned.

About half an hour after my last post, I got a call from the guy (Richie) who wanted to buy my spare crankshaft. He came up today from about 80 miles away with a friend, and we loaded the block into the trunk of his W126 Mercedes, had a very enjoyable chat about Mercedes diesels, BMWs, trains (his friend is a train enthusiast), and the Civil War (I am an enthusiast) and they departed. I mentioned the Chowdah Q in September, so, although they come from a town about 80 miles west of here, we may have a couple of new faces there, who knows. Nice guys.

So now I need to get the engine crane either disassembled or at least moved out of the way sufficiently for me to bring Marlene inside the garage. Tomorrow is Mother's Day, and we have some out of town plans, so it may be a few days until I get to it. But getting that block/crank out of there is a big first step.

I do have other spare parts for the W115 Series if anyone needs something. Check the used parts page on this blog. Shoot me an email, and I will check to see if I have what you need.

Update on 'Marlene Diederich'

Ok, things have been on hold for quite some time now. I am hoping to get started on the project in the next few weeks.

I have been spending some time getting the workspace organized, i.e., cleaning out the garage, adding some tool storage chests, and trying to get rid of some of my spare parts. The main hold up has been with the latter: I have a spare block on an engine stand, and my cherry picker engine crane set up in the middle of the garage... Taking up a ton of space. (See pic in the sidebar.) I have a buyer for it (he actually just wants the crank), but, for one reason or another, we haven't been able to arrange a mutual time for him to come get it. He is coming a distance, and needs to enlist the support of a friend with a truck, and between that, the recent Holidays, etc., we have had to postpone numerous times. I am ready to just scrap it and move on at this point... But I will probably give it one more shot.

Once that clutter is out of the way, I can move "Marlene Diederich" into the garage and begin the work. First on the agenda is a leak down test, and a compression test... To get a better assessment of exactly what is needed in the present engine. If it looks like just head work will be needed (e.g., the bottom end pistons rings, etc., show no serious problems) then I have a spare head that I will have redone, and I will install that one on the original block. If the bottom end also shows a need for work, I will probably just pull that engine and find a replacement used engine to swap in there.

I have a couple of possibilities for that eventuality already, just in case. And that has also contributed to the delay, although not as much as the foregoing. I have a guy with an engine from an early W123 (1977, I believe), pre-turbo, same early glow plugs... That should pretty much swap right in. However, the engine is stored in his friend's barn... When I originally contacted him, he needed to wait for the snow to disappear to be able to get to the barn to get the engine. In the meantime, the rain and snow collapsed the barn (!). In addition to the MB diesel engine, the barn unfortunately also contained a number of collector cars owned by his friend.... And the situation is now mired in an insurance claim. Sheesh. Apparently some of the cars were insured, and some weren't. So it is a mess, in more ways than one. He can't very well go in to get the engine until things get sorted out a bit insurance-wise.

Anyway, I am planning to proceed with the leak down test, etc., and it is possible that it may turn out that I won't need that other engine. That is an optimistic assessment, of course. But I can move ahead on that basis, until I find out otherwise. In that case, I may be somewhat held up waiting to get that replacement engine.

My goal is to have this resolved, one way or the other, in time to drive the car to our annual local Mercedes Chowdah Q on September 10, 2011 in Rhode Island. I am already looking forward to Curt's Famous Burgers, and some more of that Moose Sausage, not to mention Dwight's Famous Clam Chowdah! :). Mark your calendars!