Mercedes-Benz: 1991 350SDL info

Don't buy a 350SDL; the 3.5L diesel, no matter the model, is an engine
to avoid.

Find a '86 or '87 300SDL if you want a diesel.

By reputation, the 350 SDL engine is one of the most
unreliable ever produced by MB.

"Frank Bertrand" <net> wrote in message
news:net... 

I've talked to a mb tech and if the cat converter was removed before it
started disintigating your engine would be ok. Is there any other
problem besides that cat converter? the vehicle I'm looking at had 2
factory campaigns done on it in the year of sale and the owner was a
diesel nut who changed oil, filers, trans, differential etc every 4
months.

nothing is as it seems.

jav wrote: 

>I've talked to a mb tech and if the cat converter was removed before it 

This is totally false. The defects associated with the 350 turbodiesel are, in
order of likelihood: 1. Massive oil consumption due to defective design; 2.
Bent connecting rods due to defective design; 3. Windage tray breaks, attaching
bolts fall into pan and get absorbed by oil pump gears, destroying engine; 4.
Random vacuum pump failure causing massive engine failure; 5. random injection
pump drive bearing failure causing ,assive engine failure... notice I haven't
come to the catalyst yet?


Bill Ditmire
Ditmire Motorworks,Inc.
425 White Horse Pike
Absecon,NJ 08201
http://www.ditmire.com
609-641-3392

The man who told you about a "cat converter" doesn't know what he's
talking about. The '86 300SDL had a ceramic soot filter mounted next to
the engine. It was later removed and replaced with a straight pipe under
a M-B campaign. Those engines are 3.0L and don't have the major problems
of their 3.5L successor.

It's your $$, all $7,500 +/- for a replacement engine.

And Bill's list are only the one's that totally destroy the engine. My
father's personally experienced a blown apart alternator pulley at
20,000 miles that totally screwed up the front of engine accessories,
blown head gasket at 85,000 miles, blown water pump internal seal at
90,000 miles, blown transmission at 120,000 miles, and that was just
the bigger stuff. There have been a multitude of smaller more normal
issues with the engine that I won't bother listing. It's a nice
chassis. Think gas or get the diesel really cheap.

-H

Mine must be weird. All I've replaced in the last 50,000 since I purchased
the car are glow plugs, brake pads and tires. Only burns oil when run for
extended times at 80+ MPH.

Chris
1991 350 SDL
153,000??

"Howard" <com> wrote in message
news:google.com... 

>Mine must be weird. All I've replaced in the last 50,000 since I purchased 

Not every 350 will fail. The failure rate is high. It is not 100%.

But say, I was picking a car to send my parents across the country in. Sending
them in a 350 diesel would be analogous to sending them out with a hand grenade
rolling around under the seats with the pin halfway out.


Bill Ditmire
Ditmire Motorworks,Inc.
425 White Horse Pike
Absecon,NJ 08201
http://www.ditmire.com
609-641-3392