Mercedes in Honduras
kfz-tech.de/YMB14
Globetrotters—in this chapter, we observe two of them, or rather three, because there are two of them in the motorhome. Yes, traveling long distances is one thing, but we'll come back to that later.
No, engine damage is not what's meant by that. Let's take a look at it right now—after all, automotive technology is our ongoing topic. It is a somewhat older Mercedes 609 D with a four-cylinder diesel engine.
It is considered very robust, and the simplest model was deliberately chosen, without a turbocharger or intercooler, just a naturally aspirated engine with a displacement of 4 liters and 66 kW (90 hp). After all,
the engine had only done 16,500 km when it was purchased.
What could possibly go wrong? You couldn't be better equipped for a big trip, could you? But perhaps every ounce of equipment should be weighed carefully. The car seemed quite heavy to us when it was being pulled onto
the tow truck.
Professional conversions may place greater attention on lightweight construction, but they are also much more expensive. We cannot prove the higher weight. But what does that have to do with engine failure? Well, as
you can imagine, it's not the engine itself that's to blame, but a driving error.
Apparently, the car pushed so hard downhill that the engine clearly exceeded its maximum speed in second gear. The driver should have prevented this by braking. But he didn't, he says himself. The absence of a
tachometer would not have been an excuse.
And what happened? Quite simply, the force of two valve springs in a cylinder was not sufficient to move the valves out of the way of the approaching piston. These were bent, and in the process destroyed the piston and
cylinder head, the connecting rod and cylinder running surface also took some damage.
It was a stroke of luck that a man stopped behind the damaged car who was a lawyer himself and also had a friend who ran a very successful auto repair shop. The two were thus in good hands, which is not necessarily
typical on such a trip.
So now you can watch the video above to see the endless attempts not only to get the car running again, but also to repair it in a truly sustainable way. And all of this at reasonable costs, if possible.
Yes, one could say that no one would have expected this from this Central American country. When watching the video, you find yourself waiting for the moment when something happens that you can say won't work or
won't last long.
No, it's not coming. Obviously, with the help of the legally trained workshop manager, all the advice is selected so wisely that the repair is not carried out with the same equipment,
but with a similar result to what would have been achieved in Germany.
He also contributed greatly to the fact that the two spent beautiful three weeks and saw a little more of Honduras than they would have if they had just traveled through the country on cultural trips and lots of sports activities.
And that brings us to the alternative in the video below. Somehow get to India and take a two-day train trip there. That brings you a bit closer to people, but it's probably not everyone's cup of tea to go without food the day
before so you don't have to go to the bathroom.
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