1994Diesel
Constantly thinking
Ya, i can drive it with out the vcv, but it shifts horribly late. I cant believe the PO and probably the PO before the last drove the car like this.
I have a w123 1980 MB 240D
I absolutly LOVE it!!! It has the 4 speed and providing that you keep your revs and momentum up for hills, it does just fine. And if a 350+ hp pig passes me I just look over at them and smirk and honk when I pass them up the road when they are parked at the next gas station!!!
I have owned 300d's and won't even touch one after a 240D, I can't stand MB automatics, and the simpliclty of the 240 can't be beat. I won't touch turboe'd 300d's either, they are even worse.
In my opinion, nothing beats the 616 block in a w123 car with a 4 speed.
You ought to come up here sometime...M-B's are more common and last longer, although I don't remember the last time I saw a 115 (most are 123's or 126's). I imagine a tranny out of a 123 240D would work, although you'll still need to source the pedal assembly and shift linkage and any other chassis-specific parts.If i could find a manual trans i would throw it in the car in a heart beat. It seems that the junk yard around here that have MBs crush them with in a week, so i need to be frequent with my visits and quick to act.
I found an 84 turbo 300D and there were keys in it, so i tried it, and it turned over! it even tried to start. I asked how much for the whole car and they wouldnt give me a price cause they dont sell them. I was told to grab what i wanted cause they crush them quickly.
As far as parts are concerned...I don't think parts for the 115 are as easy to find as the 123, but I wouldn't call it impossible, either. http://www.peachparts.com and http://www.autohausaz.com are two good sources of parts.
Justin,
I am late to the discussion, but applaud your determination to drive your 240D. I had one in W123 form, and loved it. I describe the acceleration as "stately". It helps to drive with an expression of smug super-confidence, just so people think, " He could drive faster, but he is so self-confident that he doesn't feel the need to show off."
PS, The folk over at Peach Parts ( yeah-stupid name, but the founder is in Georgia) are excellent on all things MB diesel related. Just stay out of "open discussion" unless you are a Christian-hating Progressive/ Socialist, or have very thick skin, and just want to argue.
I have no idea about going to manual glow plugs, but you can swap in a later system...get the wiring and relay from a 1981 or later W123 300D. I don't know how easy it will be to convert a 115 to this system, but I did this with my W116 300SD and it worked quite well for the few times I ran the engine between that swap and the tranny failing The newer system is pretty trouble-free in my experience.The glowplug controller has obviously failed and im certain that it is the root cause of all the other problems. I would like to by pass it with a push button set up. I dont think it will be as easy as grounding out the glow plugs by completing the ciruit with a push button. Maybe utilize a starter relay of some sort?
I have no idea about going to manual glow plugs, but you can swap in a later system...get the wiring and relay from a 1981 or later W123 300D. I don't know how easy it will be to convert a 115 to this system, but I did this with my W116 300SD and it worked quite well for the few times I ran the engine between that swap and the tranny failing The newer system is pretty trouble-free in my experience.
Re: the downshifting, as Rustybolts pointed out, does this car have a kickdown switch? It's basically a momentary switch under the accelerator pedal, that is supposed to electrically downshift the tranny if it doesn't downshift for other reasons. Since your tranny's been replaced, that may be a function that wasn't carried over, so even if the 115 chassis didn't originally have a kickdown switch, your tranny may be wanting one...