My W124 3 litre Turbo Diesel - Modernised.
My W124 3 litre Turbo Diesel - Modernised.
Hmmm, in the back of my mind there's been something telling me to tread with caution and both your warnings are making me all the more careful. After all, I haven't found anybody here having achieved what I hope - and waxing lyrical about it...
Although I have never tuned a Diesel, I can appreciate higher EGT's & turbo maxed out aren't going to do me any favours long term. And I really don't fancy a damaged transmission from excessive torque. Despite the evil side of me trying to convince the logical side it'll all work out alright - My intentions of having a trouble free family car that runs perfectly for a decade+ aren't likely to mix with excessive power.
I was driving the Benz with the family inside when we went out for a meal last night and it came flooding back: This is such a nice car to drive as is. Maybe it's too much to risk in having the IP tuned.
Of course I could just send off the spare pump, then fit it & if I don't like it - swap back, but then I'd have a spare car which wouldn't run too well if that happened (It runs perfectly too, right now) + the costs spent on tuning the pump. To tune the other one into some sort of monster isn't really an option, either. I don't want to be having bi-annual inspections & insuring another car I barely use and I wouldn't use it, I know I wouldn't...
Hmmmmm...
You know what? - I think I'll just toss the towel in & leave it as is. I have other toys to play with and really don't fancy putting on a different manifold, bigger turbo, intercooler, losing the ice cold air con, getting black smoke and a sooted up rear end, etc. This is supposed to be a family car after all...and the last thing I need is another project. I already have other mechanical obsessions + a home & garden in various stages of progress and with a young family - can't afford to embark on yet another new consumer of time (Which is why I didn't even want to start messing with the pump settings, fitting EGT gauge, etc). I've fallen for that trap too many times so I hope by resisting on this occasion, I may be weaning myself off tuningitis! :p
As for EGR, I just took a peek under the bonnet. There is none as far as I can tell. It's a European model with exhaust gas going directly into the downpipe. Without much thought - I was confusing what EGR means with blowby gases from the breather. Anyways, I ordered that fancy catch can yesterday, complete with a tap and hose for drainage. I'll probably just drain it into a small bottle from time to time, but at least it won't make such a mess in the intake any more.
I still intend to continue modifying it, in particular with regard to the interior and perhaps the exterior too (I am after an E500 bumper - which if I get I'll be shortening the width of, possibly with the use of a spare bumper's sections cut off and grafted on... I may also get E500 front fenders, but they won't have the intake vents and I don't fancy trying to panel beat some into place, nor cutting out my original and grafting onto E500 fenders... Not even giving it much thought, as E500 fenders would require the plastic lower trims and side step covers. Before I know it, the idea of having a 500E front end complete with headlights will cost me an equivalent of another $2500. Not too expensive in the scheme of things, but still craziness...
Although the car already has 500E brakes, I have my eye on a set of E500 brakes now, which are bigger and allow more liberties... Power isn't the only thing that makes a car faster, if it can corner well and brake late that's also fun. It already brakes very well, but it would be fun to have even more stopping power and would probably mean I could never warp the discs.... :p
I guess what's important is I enjoy driving what I am sitting in and I really like the car as is already - would be a shame to spoil a good thing.
Thanks again mbz123. You helped put some sense in my head. I'll continue to update this thread with new stuff I do to the car anyways and watch what the crazier members are doing with their's.
Thanks for the inspiring post mbz123 & also again to raysorenson. You're both right & yes - I hadn't looked closely enough at gsxr's thread....
Hmmm, in the back of my mind there's been something telling me to tread with caution and both your warnings are making me all the more careful. After all, I haven't found anybody here having achieved what I hope - and waxing lyrical about it...
Although I have never tuned a Diesel, I can appreciate higher EGT's & turbo maxed out aren't going to do me any favours long term. And I really don't fancy a damaged transmission from excessive torque. Despite the evil side of me trying to convince the logical side it'll all work out alright - My intentions of having a trouble free family car that runs perfectly for a decade+ aren't likely to mix with excessive power.
I was driving the Benz with the family inside when we went out for a meal last night and it came flooding back: This is such a nice car to drive as is. Maybe it's too much to risk in having the IP tuned.
Of course I could just send off the spare pump, then fit it & if I don't like it - swap back, but then I'd have a spare car which wouldn't run too well if that happened (It runs perfectly too, right now) + the costs spent on tuning the pump. To tune the other one into some sort of monster isn't really an option, either. I don't want to be having bi-annual inspections & insuring another car I barely use and I wouldn't use it, I know I wouldn't...
Hmmmmm...
You know what? - I think I'll just toss the towel in & leave it as is. I have other toys to play with and really don't fancy putting on a different manifold, bigger turbo, intercooler, losing the ice cold air con, getting black smoke and a sooted up rear end, etc. This is supposed to be a family car after all...and the last thing I need is another project. I already have other mechanical obsessions + a home & garden in various stages of progress and with a young family - can't afford to embark on yet another new consumer of time (Which is why I didn't even want to start messing with the pump settings, fitting EGT gauge, etc). I've fallen for that trap too many times so I hope by resisting on this occasion, I may be weaning myself off tuningitis! :p
As for EGR, I just took a peek under the bonnet. There is none as far as I can tell. It's a European model with exhaust gas going directly into the downpipe. Without much thought - I was confusing what EGR means with blowby gases from the breather. Anyways, I ordered that fancy catch can yesterday, complete with a tap and hose for drainage. I'll probably just drain it into a small bottle from time to time, but at least it won't make such a mess in the intake any more.
I still intend to continue modifying it, in particular with regard to the interior and perhaps the exterior too (I am after an E500 bumper - which if I get I'll be shortening the width of, possibly with the use of a spare bumper's sections cut off and grafted on... I may also get E500 front fenders, but they won't have the intake vents and I don't fancy trying to panel beat some into place, nor cutting out my original and grafting onto E500 fenders... Not even giving it much thought, as E500 fenders would require the plastic lower trims and side step covers. Before I know it, the idea of having a 500E front end complete with headlights will cost me an equivalent of another $2500. Not too expensive in the scheme of things, but still craziness...
Although the car already has 500E brakes, I have my eye on a set of E500 brakes now, which are bigger and allow more liberties... Power isn't the only thing that makes a car faster, if it can corner well and brake late that's also fun. It already brakes very well, but it would be fun to have even more stopping power and would probably mean I could never warp the discs.... :p
I guess what's important is I enjoy driving what I am sitting in and I really like the car as is already - would be a shame to spoil a good thing.
Thanks again mbz123. You helped put some sense in my head. I'll continue to update this thread with new stuff I do to the car anyways and watch what the crazier members are doing with their's.
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