Towing with an automatic

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kel

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Sep 29, 2003
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26
1990 w124 300d auto

I have an opportunity to buy a used caravan at a good price, and i was wondering, would I have to fit an oil cooler for the auto gearbox ?

Thanks kel
 
not sure actually, I assumed it hasn`t got one, I will have to check, thanks.
 
I'm pretty sure there's another thread here on this very topic. I know that the petrol W124s all had a rudimentary oil cooler (thing that looks like the element from an electric kettle stuck in front of the radiator) but not sure about the diesels. Have a feeling that the combination of diesel plus aircon might need an additional transmission cooler, but do try to find that other thread.

All that aside, you've got yourself a fantastic towcar. I used a 1988 230TE and then a 1990 300TE to tow a 1500kg caravan and they were both great. Just make sure you change the transmission fluid regularly! The 300D should be fantastic, and even better if it's the estate as you then have the self-levelling rear suspension.
 
Thanks Mike, seems I have got one of those kettle type elements at the front of my rad going to the bottom of the oil filter cannister. Mine has no air-con, when I bought it 18 months ago I specifically sought one without the air-con having read that they can be troublesome and expensive to repair at this age (15 years old).

I never bought it with the intention of towing, but can imagine it will make a great towcar especially as the caravan I have in mind is a single axle Swift and though I am unsure of the exact weight right now probably weighs no more than 1100kg.

kel
 
Kel,

I tow caravan with my estate 300 d auto. The caravan weights about 1200 kg when loaded.

It is a good car in terms of stability when towing. The power is just enough I guess. By the way I use AC all the way except hills. No over heating ever. However I noticed lately a bit intensive to over 100 degrees and had an operation on the radiator (it is opened on one side and the tubes are cleaned by some sort of skewer) and now much better. the AC fun is activated over 110 degrees automatically (though AC is off) to help cooling.

The first gear of outo will make sense with towing and I'm sure you will like it very much. The bad thing about gears is that it might shift between 3 and 4 too much around 50-60 mph which is a very common speed band.

Good luck and have fun with caravanning.

Dogan
 
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My 300D auto has an oil cooler built into the radiator.....I thought all W124 autos had this feature?

If you look at the left hand side of the radiator, you should see two pipes going into the radiator, one top, one bottom.
 
Dogan, thats great to hear, especially as your summer temps must be in the 30`s, I had a new radiator fitted last year so I am pretty confident that the car will handle UK summers !

Vlad, those pipes are for the ATF, thats great, seems like I am good to go !

kel
 
Towing with a 300E

In my opinion best tow car ever.
We have a 1997/8 300TD and tow a 17ft Tabbert (single axle). Visited the South of France. Lake Garda. Venice. Berlin. etc. Every year we go to the proper Caravan Show (No. not the NEC) in Dusseldorf.
Agree with the comment 'change the ATF ' at the service interval.
We do not even inflate the back tyres higher.. Always keep them at 28 psi.
Super tow car, you will be very satisfied.
Regards Roy
 
We were looking at german caravans the other day at the dealers, and the build quality is superb, the interiors particularly are lovely, well priced too, the only snag was the door on the "wrong" side, but hey I could live with that, then was offered this Swift at a price that was to good to refuse !

kel
 
Yes, German caravans are beautifully built but amazingly heavy. The Swift should be fine - our 9-year-old Sterling from the same stable is in tip-top shape. Just keep a keen eye out for damp, particularly in the corners. Might be worth investing in a damp meter just to check as repairs can be mega expensive. Which model Swift are you getting, by the way?
 
It is a Corniche 4 berth, should be a breeze to tow with the Merc. We used to to have a Lunar twin axle that had damp, we used a marine sealant to try and seal her up, sycoflex I think it was called, eventually sold her as spares.
Towed her with my old VW transporter with a 1600 n/a diesel, man did we cause some tailbacks on the hills on our our weekend trips to Tenby !

kel
 
My 1988 300D (manual) dosn't like towing our caravan very much the temperature gauge soared right up into the red if you changed down to 3rd to climb hills, had a new viscous coupling fitted didn't make any difference then fitted twin electric fans which made a big difference i have even bought an oil cooler from an later 1992 300d but i need to get a new filter to connect the oil cooler to as the the fittings are different and also need a smaller radiator to let the cooler slot in along side.I heard poeple say the w124 300D was a great tow car but I'am afraid mine isn't. It's slow and lacks power well thats not strictly true if you could change down the gears without the temp gauge soaring it would be fab. on its own its fine. I dissapointed with mine will see what its like once I get a new narrower radiator and the oil cooler fitted .Opinions and thoughts welcome please. :confused: :confused:
 
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I fitted a new radiator last September, one of the problems was that whilst driving up long inclines (plenty of these in Wales) the temperature guage would creep up to the 100 c mark, only by putting the heater on hot and the fan on max would this start to bring the temp guage down. . . . . no fun for the passengers in the middle of summer.
I flushed out the entire cooling system, but it made little difference, I then fitted a new radiator and since then the guage has stayed rock steady at a whisker above 80c.

kel
 
kel said:
I fitted a new radiator last September, one of the problems was that whilst driving up long inclines (plenty of these in Wales) the temperature guage would creep up to the 100 c mark, only by putting the heater on hot and the fan on max would this start to bring the temp guage down. . . . . no fun for the passengers in the middle of summer.
I flushed out the entire cooling system, but it made little difference, I then fitted a new radiator and since then the guage has stayed rock steady at a whisker above 80c.

kel
Will give that a try then thanks Kel for the info . :D
 
In think the TURBO is the answer here . Makes all the difference when towing. With regards to German caravans, I am completely sold and would neve entertain a British made van. We have been to Tabbert in Germany twice with the Tabbert Owners club.
You have to see the place to believe it. They do not understand what floor delamination or dampness is.
It is interesting to note that the newer vans coming out of Tabbert are definitely not up to the quality levels f the previous 'cream'coloured caravans .. Have they done a 'Merc' and cheapened the quality ? I wonder.... The small TB van they are now making is a joke..
 
In think the TURBO is the answer here . Makes all the difference when towing. /Roy

Fit the turbo to a normally aspired diesel engine?

Was it ever discussed how to increase power in a w124 300d ?

Any information appreciated

Thanks,

Dogan.
 
dogan124 said:
In think the TURBO is the answer here . Makes all the difference when towing. /Roy

Fit the turbo to a normally aspired diesel engine?

Was it ever discussed how to increase power in a w124 300d ?

Any information appreciated

Thanks,

Dogan.


There isn't a lot you can do to a n/a diesel to increase output, unless it's not fuelling up fully.
 

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