European E210 diesels

[R W]

After recently buying a 320cdi in uk, my old 260E in Russia now feels dated in comparison. I am thinking of changing it for a diesel 210. I know I may regret it as the 260 has been a great car.
There are no 320cdi,s here yet ( still a bit too new for here).The diesel cars advertised in the local papers here are 1997/98 e210,s advertised as a 2.9TD. Is this engine the same engine as we see cars in uk badged as 300Td,s. Or is this an engine only used in Germany/Europe. If so how good or bad are these engines.
I also see, 1997/98 E220 turbo diesel,s advertised. I dont think these are the 220cdi, as CDI,s I thought were only produced after 2000. If these are not the CDI engines are they a little underpowered in the E class 210.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I would think a 220 non common rail E210 is likely to be rather sluggish. I'm just approaching 50K with my 320CDi and the engine is starting to feel a bit looser now, very pleased with the performance and economy.

Can't comment for sure on the 2.9T diesel in Russia but I would wager that it's the same engine MB uses in Europe.

I think I would do some research into fuel quality in the USSR before running a CDi over there, might be a problem.

 

[R W]

Thanks Malcolm.
I too am very pleased with my 320cdi,
The fuel quality here isnt good & may account for no CDI,s here. Although there are numerous Sprinter & 308 mini-busses running around here quite happy on the fuel.Other than occasionaly freezing up in winter.
I think I will rule out the 2.2 models i see advertised & try to find a 2.9.
I am sure the 2.9 here will be the same as Europe as most cars are direct from Germany/Holland.If anyone has any info on these engines I would appreciate any advice before buying.

 

[Blobcat]

If I remeber correctly this engine didn't make it to UK as the turbo would have fouled the steering coulmn.

 

[Hibbo]

If I remeber correctly this engine didn't make it to UK as the turbo would have fouled the steering coulmn.

There were no w123 or w124 (or w201) TurboDiesels available in RHD as the steering box is in the way of where the turbo would sit. The w210 E-class was available as a turbodiesel for a few years before the CDi engines were introduced.

I understand that the turbodiesel engines were pretty tough, being based on the designs of the near indestructable om617 and 603 engines, using electronically controlled in-line injection pumps and indirect injection. They should be very tollerant to varying fuel quality and are ideally suited to running veg oil with minimum conversion.

 

[R W]

Thank you all for your information however I have a few more questions.
1. Is the 2.9turbo diesel fitted to the Sprinter vans in europe & UK.
2. Are these a 5cyl engine.
3.The 210 diesels advertised here as 300D,produced around 1996 to 1998. Were some of these naturally asperated or were they all turbo engines.

 

[The Rock]

Hi RW, AFAIK the 300D is non turbo. I wouldn't think it had much oomph. The E300TD was actually the fastest production turbo diesel in the world when it came out, in case you didn't know. Recently my MAS has failed and I'm running with it disconnected. What this means performance wise is that at lower speeds the revs aren't high enough to spin the turbo and performance is sluggish, but when the revs eventually rise above 2500 - WOW. Hold onto your seat. The turbo kicks in and it takes off like a rocket. For this reason I wouldn't want one without a turbo. Sorry for the long story. Steve.

 

[The Rock]

In my previous post I said my MAS had failed. This turned out to be wrong. I disconnected the plug on the MAS to make the car driveable but when it went in to be diagnosed on the MB computer the MAS was OK. It turns out that the exhaust gas return control valve had failed, according to the fault log. This was just over £50 and has cured the problem. Obviously the MAS was a red herring. Boy am I glad not to have spent £275 on a new MAS. Phew!! Steve.

 

[The Rock]

Bad form replying to one's own post I know, but my problem is NOT cured. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation Control Valve must've been a red herring. The gutlessness is back. Aaargh!

Last night I stripped the air inlet side down. It's only a matter unplugging the MAS, undoing one jubilee clip and un-snapping the air filter box cover, then removing another couple of screws to remove the pipe which houses the MAS. The metal air filter in the front of the pipe where the MAS lives was caked with years worth of bits which I removed with a nylon brush. I couldn't actually get the filter out but it's easy to clean in situ. I wiped the oily filth off the MAS (very carefully) and put it all back together again.

Result - Formula One performance. I can't tell you how good it feels to have all that power back. The trouble is, I've heard people say that they've done the same thing (whether they cleaned the filter though) and it's only lasted a couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted.