By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Good Luck!
If there's no room to screw on two nuts (there should be, as those studs are pretty long aren't they?) then maybe small vice grips.
You'd better be DARN sure that no filings of any kind get into the bottom of the oil filter housing, if you have to do any drilling.
But it looks like from the picture I'm looking at, that no drilling will be required to extract this long stud.
I just brought my 1979 300D in for service to an old german mechanic who supposedly knows his stuff. The car was running fine accept once a week maybe you start the car and there would be no power just a crawl. Turn it off sart it right back up full power!!! That's why I brought it in. Just picked it up and he said he changed fuel filter, tightened valves (which he said really needed) and blew out gas tank for dirt or rust(my suggestion). Took car home it seemed fine(smoother) now it runs rough (idling) and stalls at idle all the time. Driving is fine but it soon as I come to a stop it starts clunking and dies!!!!
Help!! its there (at mechanic) now.
On a 300D I don't know if the valve noise would be that much more objectionable than the overall diesel noise.
also approximatively how much would it be to replace it?
also approximatively how much would it be to replace it?
How was it determined that it needed new mounts? Has oil leaked on them or are they split.
If you're trying to cure severe engine roughness, this may or may not be the problem.
While these engines are noisy, they should be fairly smooth at idle.
Has this car had good care, or is it sort of a beater?
What are your thoughts?
Thanks
And the water inside is running down the 'B' pillar so that indicates a leak in the sunroof even though the sunroof drains work . I did the test for that one.
So I'm afraid that the answer to the sunroof drain is to seal(caulk) the sunroof closed and disconnect the switch.
But the trunk leak is a good one to figure out. Could it be coming in through the belt line trim clip holes?
Thanks for all your help.
The guys here (Virginia) estimated it to be a $750 repair job.
Thanks
Also, the parking pawl inside the transmission could have broken off, so if the linkage adjustment doesn't work (let's say you are really in reverse when you put it in Park), then you may have to drop the trans pan and see if there's something in there
3 years can be a problem, but shouldn't destroy a car unless maybe it sat outside. Is the shift linkage functional, or could the parking brake be stuck?
175K is a lot of miles so probably even if the basic drivetrain is good (it's pretty sturdy) you'll be dealing with issues.
Best idea would be to get it started, pump up the tires, and drive it around and assess what you'll need to do versus just buying a ready to run car. These cars are not particularly valuable so sometimes it's much much better to buy one all set to go than try to re-hab a neglected one.
It's a car well worth saving, but only to a point.
The reason there are few good ones around is that they sell for cheap, and fall into the hands of people who haven't anywhere near the means to maintain them.
So it's a downward spiral. The only good ones left are usually original owners, or someone who restored one despite the financial loss in doing so.
Also, diesel fuel costs are now as high as gasoline, or higher, and modern diesels are so much better than the older ones.
So most of them end up as laboratory experiments for the biodiesel freaks, which is amusing, but not necessarily the best fate for the car.
I hope you did indeed dodge a bullet on that. If the injection pump gets fouled up badly, you might as well throw the car away. I cannot emphasize the need for clean, CLEAN fuel at all times for these old soldiers.
If your new filters clog up periodically, you'll have to drain the tank. Along with filter changes (you have two fuel filters I believe), throw in some BIOCIDE and some cleaner/additive, like from REDLINE.
Other weak spots to watch out for are breaking window regulators, defective heat/AC controls, sagging rear suspension, defective vacuum lines (car won't shut off easily), noisy differentials (Just Live With It) and, as I mentioned, fuel contamination.
These are GREAT cars but don't drink the Kool-Aid regarding their mythological invincibility---they require your attention and care, which it sounds like you are willing and able to give----might be a good marriage here!
Has anyone ever tried to find the power window relay, and if so, where is it. I did find 2 more relays under the hood, and the dealer said they were for the aux fan for the radiator and the power windows.
So which is it. I wish there was a way to check the relays without buying new ones ($40 each) and just shotgunning it.
Thanks for any help. Steve
The window relay is marked #10. Bottom row, 4th from the right as you look at the box.
There are TWO fuses for the windows, one for each diagonal set of 2 windows. These are marked A and B and are respectively on the extreme left, top row, and extreme left, bottom row, of the fuses/relays.
Opinions? Advice?
Yes you can run on various types of cooking oil but you'll need to do research on the proper conversion of the car and treatment of the oil itself. Also, if you live in a cold climate, you will undoubtedly need a dual - fuel system to get the car started. There's lots of info on the internet about this. Whether it is worth the time and effort is debatable, in monetary terms, but some people seem to really enjoy going through this process.
You can also by-pass all this and just buy commercial biodiesel at the pump--but it is not cheap fuel,and you'll have to change out your two fuel filters after the first tank of biodiesel. On the positive side, no conversions or special equipment needed for commercial biodiesel.
My personal opinion is that buying biodiesel at the pump is far more practical, unless you have lots of time on your hands and don't mind hauling around vats of used cooking oil, and processing it with various chemicals.
I really don't think a high miles cheapo 300D is a good idea, no. I'd much rather see you get into a Turbo Diesel that has been very well cared for, and spend the extra $$$ to find such a car---because you'll be spending plenty of money trying to keep a high miles 300D that you paid $2000 for---it'll be a beater at that price and it's not a cheap car to fix.
If you find a nice 300D, however, you must expect the non-turbo cars to be very...and I mean VERY....slow. Getting onto a freeway will be a white knuckle experience and climbing hills is a right-lane affair.
Despite the outrageous claims you see on the Internet, I've driven enough of these cars for enough miles to state with some authority that around 20-24 MPG is the real world, with some occasional dips + or - a few MPG.
I guess it all depends on your expectations. How high are they? If you want a fun hobby car, and you have extra money to spend and a bicycle for those days it won't run---then great, go for it and learn things that you might apply someday toward a newer and nicer diesel. This could be your "learner".
But if you think a $2000 Benz diesel is going to "run forever", get "35 MPG", and "never needs repair", you're in for a bit of a letdown.
True I did buy a clean 300D for $1500----but I put many hours and an additional $1500 (plus my own labor for "free") to make it a save, reliable everyday car.
Areas to watch out for:
1. Non-functioning AC/heat
2. Non-functioning power windows (they break the regulators inside the door).
3. Oil leaks
4. Oil burning (hard to spot because of diesel smoke)
5. Hard to Start --- if your diesel doesn't start RIGHT UP when cold, there's something wrong with it.
6. Sagging rear suspension, rear wheels at weird angle--this is a worn hydro-pneumatic compensator
7. Hard shifting transmission -- -normal, live with it.
8. Car won't shut off---- vacuum leaks
9. Extremely loud, clattery engine that won't quiet down when warmed up---engine is worn out probably
10. Rust -- look in rocker panels, rear trunk area where spare tire sits.
Good luck!
My story is similar to yours. When I was young, I had a little (literally) money and wanted my own car rather than driving spare family cars since my first car got hit. I had liked MB since I was a little kid, but never found one in my price range that was really roadworthy. Then one day I saw this sky blue fintail in a parking lot with a for sale sign in the window. I had seen the car around town for several years, always remembering the color and its sound condition. I called the owner and took it for a drive...and that was it, I had to have it. $1600 leaked out my wallet, and I was the proud teenaged old owner of a strange old car that needed some TLC, but was fully roadworthy. Fast forward through the years, through college and more, and I kept it as my everyday car. It needed some engine work a few years after I bought it, but I compared the price of doing the work to what kind of car I could get for the repair money...and had it fixed (piston ring broke, and the engine was generally tired). About a year after I was out of school, I had a good enough job where I could afford a newer MB...but I kept the old car. And I still have it, and it is still as nice to drive as ever. I haven't owned another marque since...once you've driven one for so many years, you get used to the feel. Like that British ad said..."A Used Mercedes is Still a Mercedes". There's still no brand of car I like more.