MB W123 300CD in the Philippines?

[goodfella]

Hi guys, I'm Mike, I'm new in this forum... Im trying to find a 300CD here in the philippines but could not find one. There was one in buy and sell, but it was not a true 300cd... Kung sakali, meron kaya kayo kilala nagbebenta? Thanks and have a nice day
mike

[ronw123w124]

There are only a handful of these cars here in the Philippines and seeing one up for sale is hard to come buy as most owners tend to hold on to the car for a long time.

[goodfella]

really? kalungkot naman yun... well just in case, is it really ill advised to get a w123 gasser coupe and have its engine replaced with a 300d engine? san ba pwede magpaganun? at anu ano ba pwede maging problems pag ganun?

[mbeige]

Just replacing the engine will also mean you'll probably have to swap the transmission if the gasser was a manual and the diesel is automatic, there are parts that have to be part of the whole thing. Another is the fuel pump of gassers, diesels don't have it at the rear but have it in the engine, and it's not electric. The tachometer for a gasser isn't calibrated for a diesel, the exhaust might be too restricting if it's a gasser, the diesel will be different. Engine mounts are different between a non turbo 300CD and a turbo 300CD. If you get a fuel injected gasser coupe it won't have any hole in the dash, and if you get a non turbo diesel you'll need to get the idle control knob in place. If you get a manual coupe and an automatic diesel you'll need to swap the cooling system because the manual has no provision for automatic transmission cooler lines. You'll need to swap all fuel lines and drain the tank too if you want to swap fuel source (gasser to diesel). The battery will need to be a much larger size too, a gasser battery won't suffice in a diesel. Those are just some of the things you'll need to swap over.

As you can see you're in for sorts if you do a swap, better to just go with an all original unit.

[Memphis Raines]

I like the 300cd Turbo version, nearly double the horsepower of the non-turbo.

I believe it was Eddie Garcia who had one of these in the 80's.

[mbeige]

The turbo diesel models (OM617.95x family of engines) had between 118 to 125hp, nearly twice that of the non turbo (OM617.91x family of engines). But the engine is a completely different unit with oil nozzles to cool the pistons, sodium-filled valves, etc that the non turbo did not have.

However, the European non-turbo engines have the very desirable fuel injection pump (M pump) as opposed to the turbo diesel version (MW pump) due to their capability to be modified. Some Fins have managed to extract 300-400hp (daw) out of these! Of course other modifications had to be done - intercooling, supercharging, turbocharging (or both), etc.

I love my turbo diesel because of its simplicity and good enough power (for everyday use). It's powerful enough to merge on highways (the non turbos are just as good for everyday use but lack the ooomph for just a few kilograms more of weight), and just as thrifty, if not better, than the non-turbo.

There was never any European 300CD, they were all North American versions (turbo and non turbo) so the bumpers are the rock solid types perfect for parking lots and tight spaces. However, if you'll be getting a 1985 turbo model, avoid the California versions from 1985 because they have the really, really expensive oil-bath filter unless you do modifications to it and swap over the whole intake manifold, exhaust manifold, turbo and exhaust downpipe for a federal version to accommodate the regular turbo diesel air filter.

The turbo models are available from 1982-1985, although there are some very rare 1981 models that are turbocharged. Most 1981 models are non turbo.

If you're doubtful about the interior or if it's been "upgraded" (it's a common thing to do) to better or more modern trim found in the later models feel free to ask, I can tell you if they've been modified or not. There's just too much to list

[lowslowmerc]

agree to what Pat just said..... converting a gasser to a diesel is a huge task... (considering all the work that he just mentioned... ... ) And yes, with petrol prices going thru the roof nowadays.... diesel owner's are that much more reluctant to sell....

[goodfella]

that's really sad news for me.... mukhang di na talaga makakadali ng 300cd dito... what do you mean california version? the US version? with the different headlights?

[mbeige]

California versions have emissions restrictions and are different from Federal versions, which usually don't have these restrictions. Both the Cali and Fed version are US versions with the North American Market headlamps and bumpers, as well as a speedometer in miles and kilometers (compared to the European kilometer speedo only).

[goodfella]

by the way, roughly how much will it cost to have a car imported? lets say i find an american who's selling his 300cd who's willing to sell it to me and ship it here, how much will the shipping/importing/taxes cost me?