Mercedes 300D Suggestions

dyates773

It's the valves. Did a compression test (through the glow plug ports) and cylinders 2,3,4 are 50% less than the remaining 3. Cylinder # 2 will not hold air pressure so rings may be an issue also. When pressurized, air whistled out of the oil fill. It's going to sit until I find a shop that will do the head at a resonable price. I may look for an engine to swap out of a car with a damaged body. My car is mint except for the engine issue. The odometer says 255,000 so I'm not complaining but I do miss driving it everyday.

Mr_Shiftright

I wouldn't put a rebuilt head on an old engine personally.

benzer2

I've got some awful racket in my front suspension. It's alot of creaking that simply sounds like it needs grease. I've been looking for some zerks but there doesn't seem to be any. Is there anyway to get grease up there? It's a 300D turbo 1987

280ce81

Mr Shiftright, as usual, your response was rapid, direct, and undoubtedly correct. Thank you for the invaluable service that you are providing on this site. 280

jshropshire

Doing a restoration on a 1976 114/115 body style 300D. I am doing the restore because, #1 the car was free, #2 it's major problem was a bad engine, #3 there were no dents in the body panels with all the trim present and having received a second paint job, and #4 I wanted something to work on to try out all of the aspects of restoration.
At present, I am looking for the "Window Channel" for the windows. The existing pieces are usable but have sections that do show signs of wear. Most places I look on the internet do not even mention this "Window Channel" just the usual door gaskets.
Any help in finding a decently priced source for the channel?

Mr_Shiftright

If you mean the "fuzzies" I think any good auto glass place can cut this to size for you. It may not be factory original but on a 300D that doesn't matter as long as it works.

Also I bet you can order this right from Benz.

goldcar

I have the same thing with mine. When it was in the shop a few weeks ago for some exhaust system work, I asked them to take a look a thte front suspension. They said it looked safe and didn't charge me for whatever looking they did.

Now my wife is complaining more, so I am hoping it is something like worn spring and shocks. If so, should I goto the MBZ shop or just any shock shop?

Mr_Shiftright

You want decent shocks if that's the problem....Boge are good and reasonably priced. KYB are generally cheapos and don't last, Koni are pretty darned expensive and I don't think worth it. I suspect a good independent brake/alignment shop can do this job. Don't go to Benz, they'll kill you.

goldcar

Fair point. I meant, it was just a thin coating of oil rather than thinkly coated, etc.

So I take it that oil shouldn't be getting up into the air intake area. Or is this a common issue and just means I need to replace the air filter?

Mr_Shiftright

You're bound to get some oil up in there...you can rotate the filter 180 degrees and clean out the compartment.

But you know diesel engines run at tremendous compression, and as they age, a certain amount of blow-by into the crankcase is inevitable...this is probably where the oil comes from.

kywidowmaker

What is the likely damage to the automatic transmission when the car was towed on a two wheel trailer with the rear wheels on the ground and the drive shaft still attached. The car was towed approximately 350 miles in neutral. Thank you.

Mr_Shiftright

Well there's one way to find out :P If you drive it and the damage is not readily apparent, you're probably fine. We always worried about lubrication issues in a case like this.

brakeengr

When the outside temp is not "freezing cold", the defrost works when I start the car, and gives heat after warmup; provided the temp dial is at the cold setting. If I rotate the dial to a warmer setting, it stops.
If I push the switch for heat from the dash, I don't get anything even when setting is cold- not even cold air.
After driving for a while (20 miles approx), with defrost still on and I start rotating the dial to a warmer setting, it blows air until say midway, and then at the "hot" setting- red area- it stops.
After driving "lots", I can get air from the dash also, but at the "warm" setting- not hot.

When outside temp. is very cold nothing works- no heat when I really need it. Not even the defrost setting.

Any advice on this problem, something to look at before I take it to my mechanic?
I am thinking if the temp. control unit was bad, it shouldn't work at all- why work under warm conditions? I have disconnected my motorized antenna cable when I replaced it with a manual antenna- would this have anything to do with it at all?
Thanks in advance.

kywidowmaker

Unfortunately that is not an option. The car was in an accident and I am considering the purchase. I will have to spend some money to get it road ready. I am trying to estimate my costs and hoped there was a "should be O.K. or
odds are it's junk answer". Thank you for your help. If you have a degree of confidence either way please give me your best guess.

Mr_Shiftright

Why do you want to mess with this car? I'm a bit puzzled. These are not high dollar autombiles. I think you should just go buy a good running one. You'll never get your money out if you have accident and trans damage to deal with, even if you got the car free (which is sounds like you should), so....I don't mean to rain on your project but I do hope you are being sober about this....or perhaps this is garage therapy and you don't mind kissing $5K goodbye if it makes you happy??? I can relate to that.

tim21

Mr Shiftright - I have the 1979 300d - it is in excellent shape ( interior and exterior) and it runs great - the heater does not work and there is an oil leak - the mechanic also suggested that I replce the AC housing (?) and pump, it works fine but is leaking as well ----- I'm looking at a couple grand to get this thing close to perfect - so, on this model, is it worth it - I love the car but do not have time to do repairs myself so I have to pay - with this very limited info, is this car worth hanging onto..... all replies are welcome

Mr_Shiftright

Well it sounds...marginal...personally I'd rather see you put all that money into a turbo diesel instead....or fix the heater but forget the AC...it's useless anyway and you have to fix it once a year....as for the oil leak, well that depends on what it is.

I suppose if you kept repairs down to $2,000 or less you'd be okay, but more than that, and you can start to find some pretty nice diesels for sale....and if you go up to $3,500....definitely.

tim21

The oil leak is the front main seal

tim21

Also... what in your opinion are the best years for the turbo diesels?

kywidowmaker

The reason for my interest is I own the same model and year but it has very high miles. It has a nearly perfect body. The parts I needed for the body repair were coming at the death of my present car. The repair was relatively easy for me. Everything on the car with body damage worked fine and it has comparatively low miles. The real cost issue became the transmission. I want to thank you for your input. This was my first time using this site and it was great. I hope this answered your question.

focusintexas

Mr. Shiftright, what are the basic differences between the US 300SD Turbo and euro 123 300D Turbo? I have both and I notice that the turbochargers look different. They also sound different when both engines are fired up. Performance wise, my 300SD way better!

hickorystick

Any particular year to aviod? Any year wher the AC actually works well? Does the thing have a hidden belt that will strand you and is impossible to get out without taking the engine apart? From reading the threads I should look for a well maintained car with less than 150K miles and an AC that works. Any input is welcome.

rob

Mr_Shiftright

I'm traveling right now so don't have my tech books with me. There are other knowledgable people among us that could probably answer that question, but if not, e-mail me next week and I'll look it up or just ask again in this forum.

I'm not sure when German AC got good enough to perform in the United States but it sure wasn't the 80s. Part of the problem is that these are all R12 systems which are very intolerant of worn seals and old parts, so the problem is compounded by mediocre German AC engineering, R12 refrigerant system demands (more prone to slow leakage) and plain old age.

The problem with the "myths" surrounding supposedly "tough cars" is that this gives a lot of people the excuse to abuse them rather than care for them as well as they should.

I look at 300Ds and SDs for people on occasion, and most are real beaters---and even the ones that look very nice have issues that have not been dealt with properly.

Some BAD signs: (meaning $$$)

1. Engine won't start quickly when cold.

2. Greasy, oily filthy engine compartment

3. AC "just needs a charge"

4. Car drooping in the rear end (happens to us all)

5. Climate controls inoperative

Solvable Issues (maybe)

1. excessive smoke when accelerating

2. windows won't go up but you can hear the motor (snapped window regulator, common problem)

3. Steering wheel jiggles when you hit a bump (steering shock bad)

4. Torn CV boots in rear axles

WHAT seems bad but really isn't:

1. dirty oil on dipstick

2. Your neck snapping when the car shifts

280ce81

kywidowmaker,
Whoever towed the car is a moron. A simple belt-type steering wheel lock (typically hooked under front seat to steering wheel and super-common) would have allowed them to tow the car with rear wheels up. Since they didn't even exercise this simple procedure, you can bet they also towed the car at 60 - 70 mph the entire distance. You will note that MB recommends much lower speeds, so I wouldn't take the chance. If trans is not shot, it certainly took a beating. If the tranny on your present car is still working, use it and keep the tranny from towed car. If you are doing body panel replacements yourself, you have the technical savvy to change transmissions as well (carefully!) Also, strip all lenses, bumpers, and trim pieces. As Mr. Shiftright says, you better be getting this car CHEAP. 280

z_bulova

Hello Everybody,

I want to buy an old Mercedes but I do not have the expertise to evaluate them, mechanically. It is a risk, then, for me. So I am thrilled to find this forum. I have been reading your advice and taking it to heart. I found this one that sounds good, but it also seems perhaps expensive. If you could, please read the following and let me know your reaction.

"1985 Mercedes 300d Turbo Diesel sedan for sale. Beautiful Garage Kept California Car that Runs, Drives and Looks Excellent. Rare Bronze with Blue Interior. Close to $6k in recent work including: rebuilt automatic transmission, 4 wheel complete brake job (pads, rotors, etc.), air conditioner service and recharge (has been converted to the new freon system) and 4 newer tires. Have paperwork for all above repairs plus original Mercedes Maintenance booklet with date, miles and stamps of all service history performed at the Dealerships since new. Everything works on this car and it needs no Mechanical or cosmetic work. If your looking for this type of car, this one is a must see. Would be a perfect biodiesel or waste vegetable oil car. Just Waxed and the registration is good until late 2006. Asking $7500 or Best Reasonable Offer. Thanks."

He says it has 207K miles on it and that he looked at over 50 300Ds before he bought it. Supposedly he is only selling to finance an 87 300D.

Also, would anybody be able to recommend a good Mercedes mechanic in San Francisco? I am gathering that it is something of a specialized field. I would like to have any car I am serious about mechanically evaluated. Plus I will need someone to work on the one that I end up buying. A good mechanic is hard to find. I saw that Mr. Shiftright recommended one in Mill Valley, but that is a bit far for me.

Thank you so much!

Best Regards,

Z.

dpotter1

i was wondering if any one knew if the 1979 300d had wet or dry sleeves

isellhondas

Bronze with a blue interior??

Ah...I'll bet that IS rare!

After reading all 989 of these posts and you are still considering the purchase of one of these, you are one brave person!

207,000 miles? Brave indeed!

Mr_Shiftright

Nice car and the kind of old 300 you want, so you did very well in reading ads for the best type of old Benz. However, it seems way overpriced IMO, with that number of miles. Unless the engine has been rebuilt, it could cut loose any minute, as around 225K is about the statistical life of a passenger car diesel engine. Like with people, some engines lead healthy lives beyond the life expectancy. But my feeling is if you are going to roll dice against the odds, don't bet BIG, bet small, because the bet is a kind of double or nothing. If you lose the engine, you've lost the entire value of the car.

The old "vegetable oil" thing is kind of a dreamy idea...I mean, you can DO it, but it takes time and effort, so unless you are almost religiously devoted to this idea of alternative fuels, you aren't going to "save" much of anything off the inflated price of the car by driving it with cheap fuel (if this was going on in your mind as a justification for paying a high price to begin with).

I don't see why you couldn't find a very similar car in similar condition with similar miles for under $5,000.

isellhondas

With any old car like this, if (when) one major "event" happens, the car is basically totalled. Lose an engine or transmission, the costs of fixing it will be WAY more than the car is worth.

goldcar

I eventually found Metric Motors in San Francisco (Folsom and 11th) that seem to know their way around these diesels. Labour is $125 per hour. If you are going to pay $5k or more for one of these cars, get someone like them to look it over, but still $5k is alot.

Instead of the WVO or SVO option, if what you are after is the environmental high-ground and you can afford $3.60 per gallon, try going to Berkeley for biodiesel rather than going to the trouble of SVO/WVO. There is also a co-op in SF that will sell it, but there are strings attached.

Realize that at $7500, you could buy two pretty good turbo 300Ds. Or buy one and bank the rest against the repairs.

Mr_Shiftright

I bought a 300D a while back that appeared clean and ran tolerably well, but I bought it cheap because I knew that these cars are not cheap to bring up to snuff. I paid only $1,200, which as it turns out was just about right. By the time I fixed the AC (notorious), the ripped axle boots, the soon-to-break driver's window regulator (notorious), all the oils and filters flushed, some new tires for safety, front shocks, brake pads and rotors, blah blah, I had a $3,500 car. But it was very reliable and I drove it for two ++ years without much more expense. I think when I added everything up (except fuel and insurance) and subtracted what I sold it for, the car only cost me about $85 a month to operate, which is outstanding. And the car got a level of maintenance that most 300Ds can only dream of.

I like my cars to be "drive anywhere, anytime, with zero defects". Most 300Ds I look at for people are not 100% cars by any means, even though they look good and run well. I HATE nursing around semi-crippled cars ("don't go up hills in hot weather....try to avoid harsh bumps...the radio doesn't work anymore...sometimes the wipers get stuck....there's a bad oil leak but just add some every week...it won't shift when cold....") You get the idea.

For $7,500, a 300TD should look like it did when Mercedes built it...even then you'll never see your money out of it in a million years. These are plentiful and utilitarian automobiles, and are not going to be saved when they break.

z_bulova

Thank you everyone for communicating your thoughts on this issue and I also appreciate the mechanic recommendation. The car is just too much, you are right! I was already thinking that but you have confirmed and added details as to why.

Still, I am fixed on this idea of running on vegetable oil. It just really appeals to me. I guess I am a hard core environmentalist. ;-)

Thanks again. I will keep on looking!

Best Regards,

Z.

Mr_Shiftright

You might want to do some research on this vegetable stuff....some of it is quite valid but other forms of alternative fuels might in fact cost more energy to make than it provides as a fuel.

280ce81

isellhondas
Just for grins I would check the paint/interior codes on the car (wouldn't you?). It has probably been re-painted after a collision without regard for what "works" aesthetically. This would be additional reason NOT to buy.
280

Mr_Shiftright

I personally draw the line on mileage on a 300D at about 225K...after that, you should only pay a token courtesy fee to own one, not a 'book price'.

capthavoc

Well it's been two months since Desmond was resurrected, and aside from brakes($50), wheel bearing inner and outer seals($40.00) A-arm bushes($38) It is a surprisingly low maintainance car, starts with a block heater even at -20, generally comfy ride, great snow car. The mileage seems to fluctuate between 22mpg-30mpg. I'm not complaining, because i only traded a lawnmower for it, but is there any way to get more mpg? I did the vaves, and ran some injector cleaner thru, the filters are all new, trbo spools freely, etc. Maybe summer mileage is better? Thanx, Jay (desmond's human friend)

burdawg

What were you expecting to get? That mileage sounds reasonable for winter driving.
The only thing I can think of would be to push a little lighter with your right foot, that usually improves mileage.

Mr_Shiftright

Frankly speaking, I don't think you're even getting 30 mpg...the actual normal mileage should be 23-27 mpg and that's about it unless you get into "extreme mileage" driving, which gets kinda silly. You'll have to run a couple months to get a real mileage reading. Those numbers I gave you are factory manual numbers. Your numbers average out at 26 mpg and I think it's going to be more like 23 mpg in reality unless you are doing 100% flat highway driving--then you might average 26 mpg. This is a heavy, underpowered car and it takes fuel to move it from rest to speed.

brakeengr

I had bought my 1982 300D turbo @about 189K miles-was in nice shape, and I was told a rebuilt engine had been put @approx 129K miles. It now has 243K. I must say it runs better and stronger than some new cars! Recently spent $600 for all new belts, water pump, tranny service, thermostat, oil, etc. and can feel the difference- smoothness, and just the general feel. I think even the mileage has improved- I'll need to track, but It looks like 27-28mpg. Summer should be better!
I think (and hope) it should run for another 200K miles! The point is if regular maintenance stuff is done, and small problems fixed before they get to be big ones, these cars can be really wonderful. Since purchase, I must have spent about $2000- over 5 years. Had bought the car for about 3000- not bad!

If only now I can fix the door locks and heat- I suspect it is the vacuum for both.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you know you have to balance the use you get from an old car with the money you have to put into it. You could theoretically keep ANY car running for one million miles if you throw enough money at it.

My main complaint with the 300D are two, and they aren't serious enough for some drivers:

1. The cost of diesel fuel in California negates any economy advantage--totally wipes it out.

2. The cars are underpowered for modern traffic conditions...if you need to make a high speed maneuver to get out of danger (like say being stuck in the right hand lane of the freeway behind a stalled car) you are pretty much screwed.

So I guess I'm saying that it ONLY makes sense to pour money into an old 300D or SD if you are going to be able to AMORTIZE those costs over a considerable number of years.

I came out fine on mine but I did a lot of the work myself and scrounged for parts.

brakeengr

Sure, you cannot keep throwing good money after bad if the car is junk.
I have found that mine is in very good shape, my mechanic tells me it's surprising that the underside is so dry and generally ok. And I am happy with the economics of whatever I have spent. The most important part for me is I feel C-o-n-f-i-d-e-n-t with this car. Another car this old could die any time; somehow I feel that this car won't. Here in midwest, winds can get strong- this car doesn't feel like it's going to blow off.
I guess I'd rather spend a bit on regular upkeep and have no monthly payments!! My other lease car will now sit for 4 months while payments continue because miles are used up.

I am lucky also that I have a good mechanic who does only MBs and only what's needed. I wanted new shocks, but he said it doesn't need them!!
So between doing small things myself and complicated stuff with the mechanic- I kinda enjoy the car!

Mr_Shiftright

I liked mine too and felt pretty confident with it except in the power department. I had a few harrowing situations where the total gutless nature of the car really seemed to have put me in peril. Not a good feeling....but I learned to compensate and think ahead (WAYYYYY ahead) and this helped.

goldcar

I watned to let you know that cleaning the air filter compartment with a rag and rotating the air filter helped the car's power tremendously. Thank you for the advice.

Mr_Shiftright

great! Musta been really clogged up.

jshropshire

I own a 1976 115/114 body style 300D. I once found a website that could provide the replacement window channels for my 4 door. But, due to a major computer bug, all of my files were lost. I am now looking for either that company or any company that can provide replacement window channels. The dealer is way overpriced for this product.

elrod1

Hello! I'm hoping someone can help me out. I found an '83 300D with 191k miles on it. The guy is asking $4500. It looks like it's in fantastic condition except there is no a/c belt and the rear passenger door won't open. Edmunds is saying it's only worth about $2100. I don't mind putting some money into it, but I also don't want to overpay. Suggestions? I appreciate all and any help. Thanks!

Mr_Shiftright

If the AC compressor is frozen, that's very bad, as it has seized and spewed debris into the entire AC system. This will cost you a small fortune to repair. If the compressor spins (not the front clutch pulley but the actual compressor pulley) then you might be better off. So it depends on whether you want AC or not.

Door not opening is probably a bad vacuum motor in the door itself, not a huge issue.

Sounds like $2,500 should be more than enough for the car, especially with the high mileage. At 191K, about 80% of the cars' life is already over, so.... At any rate, a complete inspection is in order. If it passes with flying colors and the AC isn't seized, perhaps $3,000 then.

elrod1

yeah the a/c thing isn't really that big of an issue to me, moreso the $4500 price tag. I was looking to convert it over to run on wvo, but I guess I'll keep looking. Thanks for the help.

elrod1

Oh and that's the other thing that had me a little skeptical was he wouldn't let me take it off the lot for an inspection it had to be done on site, but I don't know anyone who knows enough about benz's especially old ones that i could drag along with me.

Mr_Shiftright

Well it's no issue to you but it might be to the next buyer. If you are buying a car with a serious defect, don't pay a price as if it were not a defect---that's all I'm saying. Use the AC issue as a big negotiating point perhaps?

Even if you pay $100 to have the car checked out and you don't/can't buy it, you'll learn a whole lot about these cars and how to shop for them I think--especially if the shop that does the checking is cooperative and informative.

If say they find torn CV joint boots in the rear, or dark, murky, foul-smelling transmission fluid...well, that's something you yourself can check out next time.