The servo is the electro mechanical device that controls the amount of hot coolant that is being sent through the heater core, the blower fan speed, and the vacuum that operates the various doors for directing the input and output airflow for the climate control. The panel your talking about is only the operators controls. I'm not sure if the servo is under the hood on your car or buried under the dash.
I'm pretty ignorant of all this so bear with me. I think that after 1980 or so they went to a system that uses climate control unit (operator interface), a temperature control regulator, and what they call a mono valve to send hot water where it's supposed to go. Does that mean that I don't have a servo as such? And if that's the case, what is most likely to be the source of my trouble?
I do believe your right on that. I remember now that the complicated servo was replaced by several other components, a blower regulator, an ACC control that is right behind the control panel, the monovalve, plus many other associated parts. I don't remember what does the vacuum control. I'm not as familiar with that system as the older one, but seem to remember that the operation was similiar to the older system with the servo valve.
Im thinking about purchasing a 1988 300 E w/ 110,000 miles. For the exception of a few cosmetic detail insides, (which the dealer said he would fix) it drives ok. It does seem to vibrate just a little at over 55 mph. It has been sitting on the lot for about 3 weeks and hasnt been moved. Could this just be due to it sitting and not being drove? It also has new tires. Any information on this car would be greatly appreciated. Im looking to buy this week.
The vibration question is hard because we don't know exactly what you mean. My ears perked up when you said "new tires" and I was thinking they didn't balance them correctly. Unbalanced rear tires can give you a vibration in the seat of your pants; front imbalance gives a vibration in the steering wheel. A worn u-joint or other driveshaft issues or mount issues gives you a vibration that is felt on all the interior surfaces of the car.
I'd definitely track this down as a screwed up driveshaft can be a real pain to make right.
As for what the dealer promised to fix, get it in writing in the contract or you can kiss those repairs goodbye.
If you remove the pushbutton control unit you may find that your problem is related to the circuit board of same . Check the board with a magnifying glass for hairline cracks in the circuits where the electrical harness connectors attach to the board. Mercedes used very stiff wireing in these cars which over time , had a tendency to stress/pull on the connectors/boards and eventually crack the fine circuit lines on them near the attaching points . You can fix these quite easily with a touch of solder if you have worked with this stuff in the past , you can also loosen some of the nearby harness hold down ties to give the wires a bit of freedom/flex . Also , there was a heavy duty fuse harness available at one time for this type of cimate control as these units had a tendency to blow the standard fuses frequently . I put it in mine and it solved that problem . Good luck
I have a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300D with 335K miles. Other than a minor vacuum leak in the door locks that has been fixed it runs and looks great. The other day my heart jumped into my throat when I heard a load bang and a cloud of black smoke came out the tail pipe. The car started to shake real hard so I pulled off of the freeway. There was no power loss, oil pressure was normal, and engine temp was normal. After getting it towed home it started right up but now has a clicking sound and idles a little ruff. It's parked until I can figure out what needs to be done. Any ideas on how serious of a problem this is?
I'm interested - I'd like to think it would be good for another 100,000 miles. However, what kind of repair issues am I likely to encounter during that time? I'm a gentle driver but roads in Western NY are in pretty rough shape.
You should have a compression test done and then if it's okay, inspect the valves and inspect the camshaft. You may have had an upper cylinder "event" of some sort. Oil pressure and engine temperature would not reflect this sort of thing. Your car is over expected life span when they built it so weird stuff happens on these long milers.
Hope it's only a bad injector or something, that's also possible, so don't despair. But you need to find out what's ticking around in there. If you lose the engine, you've lost the whole car as you know.
The compression test shows that cylinders 1,2, and 3 are at 320psi, 4 is 290psi, and 5 is zero. Smoke test had smoke coming out the tail pipe which would mean a valve is stuck open. The piston head banging against the valve could be that ticking sound. To replace the valve(s) and perform all the other upper engine work required is estimated at $1450.
So my question is should I go for the repair and hope for another 30-50K miles or cut my losses? This car has an excellent maintenance record. The previous owner replaced the transmition at about 280K miles and had all the brakes and new rotors work done not long after that. I bought it for $1200 with 320K miles. At the time I thought it was a great deal.
Well that's a tough question. The problem is how do you control costs once the engine is opened up?
I'd tend to say that if they open it up and that's all they find they need to do, well really what can you buy as a replacement for $1,500? But if they need to do more work, you have to realize you can buy 300Ds pretty cheap, even very very nice ones for $3,000.
If you like these cars you might want to consider a turbo diesel next time, with lower miles.
Hello everybody. I have decided to purchase a 1987 300 turbo diesel with 86000 miles. I have heard that MB diesels are wonderfully built, and I look forward to many years of enjoyment. My question to you, since I have never owned a diesel, is what kind of special mx is involved? I would be very interested in your advice. I don't mind getting my hands dirty, but I don't know where to start. Thanks -
1. Use Redline diesel fuel conditioner with every fill up
2. change your fuel filters regularly and often
3. Never ever ever run a diesel out of fuel
4. Have the valves adjusted or at least checked when you buy it.
5. Do frequent oil changes
6. Just after you buy it bring it in for a full check up of all hoses, belts, brake pads, look for leaks. Check to see that brake fluid is honey-clear (if cloudy or brown, flush it out), and check to see when the automatic transmission was last serviced. Check for split axle boots in the IRS (rear suspension). Try to avoid extremes of rpm---diesels are no good too near the redline anyway.
I've just arrived from England to start a college course in Iowa. I'm looking for a car and found a 1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo Diesel for sale at $3280 from a guy who buys/fixes/sells on Mercedes as a hobby. It's in good condition but has 263K miles. What do you think? He says these things can go up to 500K miles.
Nonsense. Very incredible and irresponsbile claim to make to you.
That's a lot of miles to pay that kind of money, but I suppose if the car were really super sharp in condition you might take a chance. But unless it has had a rebuilt engine and transmission you would be lucky to hit 300K at best.
I've never seen a car with 500K on it in my entire life of 35 years in the car business.
You can find these cars with much lower mileage for about this price. This is gerenally not a high dollar car. I'd pay a little more and "buy" 100,000 fewer miles.
Thanks for the info. I flew to Ft Lauderdale on Thursday, and drove the car back to Texas over the last two days. I am amazed at how stable and solid these cars are. Everything works well, and I got 31 miles per gallon at 75 mph. The turbo makes good power. I really like this car. Thanks for your time. Oh, and it is a 3 liter 6 cylinder. Does it still need the valves checked? Thanks again, Jim
I think any 10W-40 is fine. Yes, I would definitely check your valve clearance. Once the clearance is set, if will last a long time, probably 30,000 miles.
Your mileage sounds a bit high but maybe on the flats with temperatures in the 50 degree range this is possible. Don't expect this is hot weather though.
It's hard to say. When a car is that unusual, that is "mint out of the box" and with such low miles, the price guides don't work too well.
I will say though that the car had better be the best one in the world.
So this is a D and not a turbo? If it's a non-turbo, you may wish to take it on a freeway on ramp and do some high speed merging to see if you can live with the anxiety of 0-60 in 20 seconds or so. Also drive at 65 mph or so and keep in mind that 75 mph is about your safe limit on these old 300Ds.
If it's a turbo, then the car is worth considerably more because it has more acceptable performance and isn't as noisy.
shifty--all 300D's in 1985 were turbodiesels. I believe that the 300d was a nonturbo until 1981. From 1982 onward (I could be wrong--the 1981's could also be turbos) all 300d's were turbos. The only non turbo's in 1985 were the 190d. Before the 190, all 240d's were non-turbos.
I´ve just bought my first mb. It´s a 300 td 1981 123 series, and would like to know if it´s anyplace in the web where I can find full manual for this car. Thanks
Directions for diesel fuel additive are right on the bottle, and the amounts differ. So just read the blurb on the container.
Normal temps for a diesel would be the same as for any car. If you are close to the maximum you have a problem Houston!
RPMs--I don't recall what a 350sd is comfortable at but older diesels really don't like to rev very high and it doesn't do you any good to do that anyway....most of the diesel power band is right in the middle of the tach range. I do know that a 300D was screaming at 80 mph but I can't recall if a 350sd is geared to be more comfortable at that speed (since it has much more power to pull an economy differential ratio).
I have a 1993 MB E300. Whenever I start the car, it's okay. But after it has warmed up and I stop at a light or go really slow (5mph) the engine/transmission starts revving in a repeated pattern. RRRrr..RRRrr.. So I have to hold the break to not let the car move. Also if I put it in neutral it seems to stop doing it. (Driving fast or when my foot is on accelerator, car is fine. Problem only when stopped or going very slow.)
What I have done so far:
I got my transmission tuned up/serviced.
I got my gasoline filter cleaned and replaced.
Some plates cleaned which have to do with acceleration.
Auto mechanic tells me that it's because of bad gasoline deposits. So he tells me to add Gumout, which I did several times. Only used Super Unleaded gasoline. Then after for not driving the car about a week, I drove it again and it was fine. But then one day it came back after I was forced to put regular unleaded. (only a little)
So is it really the gasoline deposits? Or something else? I added some more Gumout products, and it seemed like it got better but I can't tell. Please help me. I'd like to get this problem solved permanently.
This is a forum about the diesel engined car. Yours is not, and appears to be suffering from a classic case of electronic ignition problems, probably traceable to any number of possible culprits - the idle circuit being the first one that comes to mind. This likely has nothing to do with the transmission, and nothing to do with bad fuel. I don't remember whether the 93s have the onboard-diagnostic terminal connectors, but you need another mechanic with the latest computer diagnostic tools. Dare I suggest, [gasp] actually visiting an authorized dealer to get a good problem diagnosis?
I have an '87 300SDL and has been a while since the last fuel filter change. I understood the owners manual to read that this is simply a matter of replacing the in-line and spin off filters then cranking the engine to force the fuel through. Is this correct? My experience with diesel engines is limited to the marine variety and those needed the lines bled if there was any air in them. Help is appreciated.
You're probably fine with just changing a filter. I doubt you'd have to bleed the lines. On the older Benzes W123s they used to provide a little pump/plunger to help prime the injection pump but I don't know if your model has that anymore.
You are quite right. There was nothing to it although the "spin on" filter was a little more involved than it initially appeared. Took about 15 minutes to do both.
I have finally mustered enough courage to buy a 85 300D with ~150000 miles. Little rust on the car, nothing major. My wife thinks its an eyesore (what blasphemy!) but again, the poor woman only knows where the gas goes.
Anyways, getting to the reason for the message. Here are my questions, would be MOST grateful for any and all suggestions:
1. Is $4000 a decent price for the car? 2. Have NEVER owned a Diesel (let apart a Merc). What is to be expected (like normal wear and tear, additions to the diesel, major work that will be required etc.). 3. What kind of mileage can I expect from this car? 4. how reliabel is the turbo?
I find myself in a similar situation to esprintuser and his post of #290. I am contemplating parting with a 97 honda for a 85 300SD with 200,000 miles. This car is pristine!
He is asking 5500. Your thoughts on that price. Also see questions #2,3,and 4 from post 290
Six months ago I took a chance on buying a 1979 Mercedes 300D with 160K mile on it. The problem was at startup it sounded as if ball bearings were being dropped into each cylinder. The car was in overall excellent condition, no rust, everything worked (even the vacuumed operated doorlocks). When fully warmed up the power was okay, no smoke, and restarted quietly if the engine was warm.
A Mercedes dealer quoted me $1200 to inspect the valve train, repair as necesary. It was more than I paid for the car!
With a little research on the net I decided to purchase a set of 5 Bosch remanufactured injectors. It was easy to install them, change the vent hoses, and reinstall the fuel lines. When I started the car it ran like a new motor. No clanging and it started with 50% less cranking. It has now run several weeks with no problems. I would recomend new injectors, they do wear out.
i bought a 300cd yesterday, 85 model, this car is a cream puff in appearance, inand out. it has 180k, with a new head, valve train etc. @ 165k. bought it as a trade in at a mb dealer that did the work, couple of the guys said the car had been worked on there, but as it was a saturday the mechanic who knew the car was gone. bought the car on a whim, just fellin love. what kind of mess have i gotten myself into? i'm handy with cars, but got sick of working on them and started driving late model toyotas. everything works fine on this car for now, but it may end up as a daily driver for my wife. never owned a diesel, but am willing to learn, this is a pretty car, any advice would be great
Well these are basically simple and rugged cars but of course you have to start off with a decent one.
Most common issues are:
Climate control problems. Heat works, doesn't work, blows warm, blows cold, does nothing, etc.
A/C -- a bad joke on 80s era Mercedes in general but if you don't mind charging it up once a year for $100 or so, it will keep you cool at 60 mph up to 90 degrees ambient. Above 90 in traffic, fahgeddaboudit!
Fuel Contamination --- god knows what is growing (literally) in those old fuel tanks. You need to change your fuel filters (two of them) immediately, use a GOOD diesel fuel conditioner such as Redline, and add some Redline every single tankful.
Vacuum door locks -- notoriously slow or non-working but the fix is easy. Door panel pops off easily and I think you can buy little rebuild kits for the vacuum motors, which are these cute little things at the bottom of the doors.
Power Window Breaking -- Benz put in an electric door motor that is so strong it sometimes breaks the aluminum window regulator. If you raise the window one day and hear a bang and then no more window up and down, that's what happened. I'd use a wrecking yard for the part and grow two more hands--but it's really straightforward to put it in, just tedious and crampt.
Belts Squealing -- when you go through a puddle, the belts will squeal and the alternator light will go on---tighten the belt or get a new one, and drive on, you're fine.
Cruise Control-- it will break soon. Usually it's the AMPLIFIER, an aluminum box usually I think behind the glove box. About $100 on eBay.
ADJUST THE VALVES! If it hasn't been done, have it done.
I think that about covers the usual nuisances on those cars.
PRICE: Price is too high for an SD with that many miles on it. More like $3,500-$4,000 for a high miles turbo and $2,500 or less for a high miles 300D non-turbo.
Of course, cream puffs, low mileage "old lady" cars, etc., can go higher, but really, these are old cars with no great upside, so around $5,500 seems to be the upper limit for the sober buyer.
In a sentence: "Buy the BEST 300D or SD you can afford, right off the bat."
I currently own a '79 300D and previously owned a '77 240D. That Diesel clatter is the sound of "economy". Here's my best tips: 1) The Automatic Climate Control ACC will fail and it like will be the ACC Servo. The bad news is there are no after market units but Mercedes stocks them for $1400!! The good news is there is an after market fully electronic replacement unit for $699. E'Mail me at dmy@comcast.net for more info. 2) Fuel issues: Clean your tank and system will a premium diesel fuel cleaner like "Sea-Foam". Be prepared to change fuel filters several times if your tank has any "growth/algae" in it. The pre-filter plugs first and the symptom is loss of power & speed on the highway. A dirty filter will also cause stalling. 3) The cruise control regulates speed off of the speedometer cable. If you see your speedometer needle bouncing on the panel your cruise control will be unstable. 4) If you own a Mercedes Diesel long enough you will need to replace motor mounts, they take a beating. 5) Trouble starting? Noisy cold startup? Lotsa smoke at cold start? Change your fuel injectors every 60K-100K miles. Remanufactured Bosch injectors are available. 6) As a Diesel owner you will learn to take intimate care of your battery. Keep the cables clean, replace anything that looks green, and have the battery tested every year before the cold weather. 7) Oil, I use brand-name 15W-40 Diesel motor oil. Some owners like straight SAE30 diesel oil in the summer and 20W-20 Diesel motor oil in the winter if you live in an area where the temperature regularly goes below 20F.
Unfortunately I gave up my diesel here in California when diesel fuel hit $2.59 a gallon. This cancelled out all the benefits of economy and reliability since this is a whopping .40 cents more per gallon than the 87 octane I'm running now in my Porsche.
If I get another diesel it will definitely be a turbo model. They are faster and quieter.
thanks for the tips, i got new fuel filters today. if the mb electrics are anything like the ones on vw's i've owned, i expect to have problems, thanks again
I've been keeping track by computer...the 300D cost me $88/month for repairs and maintenance and the Porsche 928 is $135/mo. Is it worth $47 a month to cut my 0-60 times by 2/3rds? Yeah, it is.
Fuel-wise, it would cost me $117/mo for a 300D and $132 for the Porsche 928. This is because of the 87 octane fuel being a lot cheaper than diesel in my area.
So as you can see the advantage of running a diesel evaporated for me when diesel fuel went up and when I found a reasonably reliable Porsche.
Still, the 300D is, according to my computer records, the cheapest used car I ever had in terms of repairs/maintenance per month; the Saab turbo was the worst ever, with the Alfa Romeo and BMW 7 series right in the middle of the range, close to the Porsche.
So $88 a month is pretty darn cheap driving. Adding the diesel fuel costs, it still comes out to around .25 cents a mile for the whole year...that's considerably cheaper than a new car that has depreciation to consider.
After idling for approx. 20 min, vehicle temperature rises to max level (120),than the auxiliary fan kicks in taking the temp back down, only to start again within a couple of minutes. While driving, the temp stays normal. I've notice no leaks, but have had to refill with water occasionally. Any sugguestions?
This car has been in my family since 1984.It has beautiful elegant lines to it.After 150 k miles I still love this car,not a scratch or ding inside or out.Only weak point is the ac but a can of Freeze 12 now and then takes care of that.And yes I,ve had to replace the rear-axle and rebuilt the transmission but other than that,never a problem.Just drove it from Cal.to Ga.;got about 30 mpg.The turbo kicks in @ about 2.7 k rpm and you actually get going,lol. Anyone knows how many they built?
Comments
I think that after 1980 or so they went to a system that uses climate control unit (operator interface), a temperature control regulator, and what they call a mono valve to send hot water where it's supposed to go.
Does that mean that I don't have a servo as such?
And if that's the case, what is most likely to be the source of my trouble?
The vibration question is hard because we don't know exactly what you mean. My ears perked up when you said "new tires" and I was thinking they didn't balance them correctly. Unbalanced rear tires can give you a vibration in the seat of your pants; front imbalance gives a vibration in the steering wheel. A worn u-joint or other driveshaft issues or mount issues gives you a vibration that is felt on all the interior surfaces of the car.
I'd definitely track this down as a screwed up driveshaft can be a real pain to make right.
As for what the dealer promised to fix, get it in writing in the contract or you can kiss those repairs goodbye.
http://www.greatlakes.mercedescenter.com/mbcenter/b/preowned/vehi- clespecs.jhtml?poVin=WDBJF65J6YB071242&listIndex=10&pageN- um=2
I'm interested - I'd like to think it would be good for another 100,000 miles. However, what kind of repair issues am I likely to encounter during that time? I'm a gentle driver but roads in Western NY are in pretty rough shape.
Hope it's only a bad injector or something, that's also possible, so don't despair. But you need to find out what's ticking around in there. If you lose the engine, you've lost the whole car as you know.
So my question is should I go for the repair and hope for another 30-50K miles or cut my losses? This car has an excellent maintenance record. The previous owner replaced the transmition at about 280K miles and had all the brakes and new rotors work done not long after that. I bought it for $1200 with 320K miles. At the time I thought it was a great deal.
I'd tend to say that if they open it up and that's all they find they need to do, well really what can you buy as a replacement for $1,500? But if they need to do more work, you have to realize you can buy 300Ds pretty cheap, even very very nice ones for $3,000.
If you like these cars you might want to consider a turbo diesel next time, with lower miles.
1. Use Redline diesel fuel conditioner with every fill up
2. change your fuel filters regularly and often
3. Never ever ever run a diesel out of fuel
4. Have the valves adjusted or at least checked when you buy it.
5. Do frequent oil changes
6. Just after you buy it bring it in for a full check up of all hoses, belts, brake pads, look for leaks. Check to see that brake fluid is honey-clear (if cloudy or brown, flush it out), and check to see when the automatic transmission was last serviced. Check for split axle boots in the IRS (rear suspension). Try to avoid extremes of rpm---diesels are no good too near the redline anyway.
6. The rest is like a normal gas car.
I've just arrived from England to start a college course in Iowa. I'm looking for a car and found a 1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo Diesel for sale at $3280 from a guy who buys/fixes/sells on Mercedes as a hobby. It's in good condition but has 263K miles. What do you think? He says these things can go up to 500K miles.
That's a lot of miles to pay that kind of money, but I suppose if the car were really super sharp in condition you might take a chance. But unless it has had a rebuilt engine and transmission you would be lucky to hit 300K at best.
I've never seen a car with 500K on it in my entire life of 35 years in the car business.
You can find these cars with much lower mileage for about this price. This is gerenally not a high dollar car. I'd pay a little more and "buy" 100,000 fewer miles.
Your mileage sounds a bit high but maybe on the flats with temperatures in the 50 degree range this is possible. Don't expect this is hot weather though.
I will say though that the car had better be the best one in the world.
So this is a D and not a turbo? If it's a non-turbo, you may wish to take it on a freeway on ramp and do some high speed merging to see if you can live with the anxiety of 0-60 in 20 seconds or so. Also drive at 65 mph or so and keep in mind that 75 mph is about your safe limit on these old 300Ds.
If it's a turbo, then the car is worth considerably more because it has more acceptable performance and isn't as noisy.
After that, you are paying for a dream not a reality.
very good shape and has been cleaned up
now that its in good shape what schedule can you suggest to keep the auto in good shape
thank you for all of your suggestions and if any person owns one, i am all ears
thank you
You might try eBay or Amazon if you don't like the dealer's price (you won't).
Also do a google search.
Also you might try this website, they look helpful (but I'm not endorsing them).
http://www.mercedesshop.com/
fill up of diesel
what would be normal temps for a diesel and
what rpms are best kept for highway driving
Normal temps for a diesel would be the same as for any car. If you are close to the maximum you have a problem Houston!
RPMs--I don't recall what a 350sd is comfortable at but older diesels really don't like to rev very high and it doesn't do you any good to do that anyway....most of the diesel power band is right in the middle of the tach range. I do know that a 300D was screaming at 80 mph but I can't recall if a 350sd is geared to be more comfortable at that speed (since it has much more power to pull an economy differential ratio).
What I have done so far:
I got my transmission tuned up/serviced.
I got my gasoline filter cleaned and replaced.
Some plates cleaned which have to do with acceleration.
Auto mechanic tells me that it's because of bad gasoline deposits. So he tells me to add Gumout, which I did several times. Only used Super Unleaded gasoline. Then after for not driving the car about a week, I drove it again and it was fine. But then one day it came back after I was forced to put regular unleaded. (only a little)
So is it really the gasoline deposits? Or something else? I added some more Gumout products, and it seemed like it got better but I can't tell. Please help me. I'd like to get this problem solved permanently.
I have finally mustered enough courage to buy a 85 300D with ~150000 miles. Little rust on the car, nothing major. My wife thinks its an eyesore (what blasphemy!) but again, the poor woman only knows where the gas goes.
Anyways, getting to the reason for the message. Here are my questions, would be MOST grateful for any and all suggestions:
1. Is $4000 a decent price for the car?
2. Have NEVER owned a Diesel (let apart a Merc). What is to be expected (like normal wear and tear, additions to the diesel, major work that will be required etc.).
3. What kind of mileage can I expect from this car?
4. how reliabel is the turbo?
Take care and thanks in advance.
I find myself in a similar situation to esprintuser and his post of #290. I am contemplating parting with a 97 honda for a 85 300SD with 200,000 miles. This car is pristine!
He is asking 5500. Your thoughts on that price.
Also see questions #2,3,and 4 from post 290
thanks
macy
A Mercedes dealer quoted me $1200 to inspect the valve train, repair as necesary. It was more than I paid for the car!
With a little research on the net I decided to purchase a set of 5 Bosch remanufactured injectors. It was easy to install them, change the vent hoses, and reinstall the fuel lines. When I started the car it ran like a new motor. No clanging and it started with 50% less cranking. It has now run several weeks with no problems. I would recomend new injectors, they do wear out.
I hope you read all of these forums and go into this with both eyes WIDE OPEN!
From one of the most reliable cars out there into a 200,000 mile diesel Mercedes! ??
Most common issues are:
Climate control problems. Heat works, doesn't work, blows warm, blows cold, does nothing, etc.
A/C -- a bad joke on 80s era Mercedes in general but if you don't mind charging it up once a year for $100 or so, it will keep you cool at 60 mph up to 90 degrees ambient. Above 90 in traffic, fahgeddaboudit!
Fuel Contamination --- god knows what is growing (literally) in those old fuel tanks. You need to change your fuel filters (two of them) immediately, use a GOOD diesel fuel conditioner such as Redline, and add some Redline every single tankful.
Vacuum door locks -- notoriously slow or non-working but the fix is easy. Door panel pops off easily and I think you can buy little rebuild kits for the vacuum motors, which are these cute little things at the bottom of the doors.
Power Window Breaking -- Benz put in an electric door motor that is so strong it sometimes breaks the aluminum window regulator. If you raise the window one day and hear a bang and then no more window up and down, that's what happened. I'd use a wrecking yard for the part and grow two more hands--but it's really straightforward to put it in, just tedious and crampt.
Belts Squealing -- when you go through a puddle, the belts will squeal and the alternator light will go on---tighten the belt or get a new one, and drive on, you're fine.
Cruise Control-- it will break soon. Usually it's the AMPLIFIER, an aluminum box usually I think behind the glove box. About $100 on eBay.
ADJUST THE VALVES! If it hasn't been done, have it done.
I think that about covers the usual nuisances on those cars.
PRICE: Price is too high for an SD with that many miles on it. More like $3,500-$4,000 for a high miles turbo and $2,500 or less for a high miles 300D non-turbo.
Of course, cream puffs, low mileage "old lady" cars, etc., can go higher, but really, these are old cars with no great upside, so around $5,500 seems to be the upper limit for the sober buyer.
In a sentence: "Buy the BEST 300D or SD you can afford, right off the bat."
1) The Automatic Climate Control ACC will fail and it like will be the ACC Servo. The bad news is there are no after market units but Mercedes stocks them for $1400!! The good news is there is an after market fully electronic replacement unit for $699. E'Mail me at dmy@comcast.net for more info.
2) Fuel issues: Clean your tank and system will a premium diesel fuel cleaner like "Sea-Foam". Be prepared to change fuel filters several times if your tank has any "growth/algae" in it. The pre-filter plugs first and the symptom is loss of power & speed on the highway. A dirty filter will also cause stalling.
3) The cruise control regulates speed off of the speedometer cable. If you see your speedometer needle bouncing on the panel your cruise control will be unstable.
4) If you own a Mercedes Diesel long enough you will need to replace motor mounts, they take a beating.
5) Trouble starting? Noisy cold startup? Lotsa smoke at cold start? Change your fuel injectors every 60K-100K miles. Remanufactured Bosch injectors are available.
6) As a Diesel owner you will learn to take intimate care of your battery. Keep the cables clean, replace anything that looks green, and have the battery tested every year before the cold weather.
7) Oil, I use brand-name 15W-40 Diesel motor oil. Some owners like straight SAE30 diesel oil in the summer and 20W-20 Diesel motor oil in the winter if you live in an area where the temperature regularly goes below 20F.
Good luck, you'll love it!
If I get another diesel it will definitely be a turbo model. They are faster and quieter.
Oh yeah, one other thing. If you ever try to shut the engine off and it keeps running, you have a vacuum leak.
I just lack the patience to own one. The constant nagging problems and expenses involved would keep me away.
And, as our host mentioned, the cost of diesel fuel is totally NUTS! If gas is 2.00 a gallon, diesel should be about half that much!
Fuel-wise, it would cost me $117/mo for a 300D and $132 for the Porsche 928. This is because of the 87 octane fuel being a lot cheaper than diesel in my area.
So as you can see the advantage of running a diesel evaporated for me when diesel fuel went up and when I found a reasonably reliable Porsche.
Still, the 300D is, according to my computer records, the cheapest used car I ever had in terms of repairs/maintenance per month; the Saab turbo was the worst ever, with the Alfa Romeo and BMW 7 series right in the middle of the range, close to the Porsche.
So $88 a month is pretty darn cheap driving. Adding the diesel fuel costs, it still comes out to around .25 cents a mile for the whole year...that's considerably cheaper than a new car that has depreciation to consider.
Anyone knows how many they built?
I thought that was pretty much gone by now.