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Probably they wouldn't have been so complimentary had you fixed up a 300D, since they are quire comfortable but rather noisy and slow. A UPS truck comes to mind rather than a Rolls. But even the old diesels have that "rock steady" feel on the road that we've come to appreciate in a Benz and, once squared away or restored, a very credible level of reliability.
I have to believe there was some kind of strategy back in the day to make the cars age well, so even used cars would lure people into the brand.
I first suspected it to be oil or steam but with it seemingly driving well I decided it could not be and therefore must be a "blown" diesel engine. As we started down the final cut, incline into Ellensburg, the smoke/steam stopped and the car accelerated downhill and passed us.
I was then able to ID it as a fairly new Mercedes-Benz Turbo-Diesel 4 door sedan..
Once it passed us our car windshield got quickly coated with a fine mist of.....smelled like kerosense....??
The last we saw the car she took the turn to eastbound I90.
Wonder how far she got...?
Maybe some of greasel or other homebrew diesel conversion gone wrong? Or maybe some kind of head gasket failure.
Those here at the office are guessing "holed" piston.
My tendency is to jump to conclusions and it's cost me in uneccesary parts, so I'm looking for advice before buying an ignition switch. Thanks in advance.
Does it have a large block of vacuum lines, electrical connectors, and coolant hoses going into the bottom? If so, it's the servo valve.
The way I have always trouble-shot electrical drain issues is to disconnect the battery and put an ohm meter across the battery cables. Disconnect any lights, etc that could be activated (such as an underhood light) and then see what the resistance is across the cables. It should be very high. If not, then start disconnecting circuits by removing fuses until you find one that causes a big change. That will at least point you in the right direction. Some fuses are in line and may be more difficult to find. A good wiring diagram helps immensely.
Thanks for the battery drain troubleshooting tips.
REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS
I'm thinking of selling my 81 - 300D non turbo sedan with automatic trans. I do not want to mis represent the car so would you please comment on my following statement about the transmission.
Bought it in Houston 4.5 years ago and have been using it down here in Cuernavaca, Mexico ever since and it stills runs great at 220,051 miles, which I believe to be accurate.
I noticed when I bought it that it ran up higher rpm's before shifting than I was accustomed to. A non related mechanic of vintage Mercedes' told me it was designed that way to keep the small diesel at high rpm's when climbing hills or steep mountains.
I thought it made sense and I went back and bought it. But I did think it strange, and still do, that it would not shift earlier without a load on it.
My 79 300 SL turbo., which i believe had a little more powerful 5- cyl. engine always shifted like the many american gas cars I've owned over a lifetime.
The little 5 banger has faithfully climbed Mexico's highest mountains and has made countless trips between South Mexico and Texas and Louisiana. The trans. shifts the same today as when I bought it. A different Vintage MBZ mechanic in Dallas told me the same thing plus gave me a tip to release the excelerater momentarily when I wanted it to shift earlier and that has worked fine over these 4.5 years.
Can any of you pros. out there tell me the correct story of this particular automatic tranny?
Mickey
PS: I'm fairly certain the Trans. is operated by vacuum from a vacuum pump attached to the engine.
One tip off of a large vacuum leak would be that you can shut the engine off with the key sometimes.
Mickey Patin
They shift hard as a rule. Of course, we can't tell what you mean by "hard"---compared to modern transmissions or compared to other 300Ds?
These are wonderful cars, but cars have come a long way since 1985, and now transmissions are electronically controlled to the max.
Thank you
Not sure which system you have, since your year is on the 'cusp', and also Mercedes at that time were often registered as 1980s when they were actually 79s, and as 81s when they were actually 80s (long story).
Anyway, WATCH THIS VIDEO
It tells you which control unit you have at about 1:30 on the video. If you DO have the earlier control unit, you'd best watch the whole video. If you don't, then come back and we'll take it from there.
Thank you
http://mercedessource.com/techhelp
I suspect that your problem is in these controls somewhere.
Does anyone have the schematic for the vacuum lines on a 1981 300d transmission. I am told this is a California car and the # on tranny is 722.118.
I have a 1981 300d with 200,000 miles. It seems to slip or flare from 2nd>3rd, and 3>4. 2nd>3rd seems a little worse. Also, it shifts into third at around 25MPH (which is very close to the 2nd>3rd shift around 20-23MPH). I can start out in "S" and then shift into "D" at 30 mph and it doesn't seem to slip.
The tranny looks like it may have been taken out and possibly had work done. I'm hoping it is just a vacuum issue.
Any suggestions???
Thank you.
When I first got my 1980 300D I was alarmed thinking that I had a problem. After reading some posts here and talking to a few other owners in person, I realized that I was trying to push the car too hard and that I was going to have to relax and settle for slow acceleration since pushing it harder didn't speed things up, it just caused the weird shifting you're having. I don't think you have a problem.
I'd see what others have to say, but this is my experience.
My successful $53 solution:
Use a blower motor from a newer Chrysler and 'make it fit'. I went to an O'Reilly Auto store in Kansas City and Tom the Eagle Scout helped me out. The motor that Tom found is the VDO PM3324 for $53. The motor diameter of the body and the shaft are an exact match. Electrically it works perfectly at all speeds from ultra low to high, and this solution does not require any modifications to your original Mercedes wiring. However the new motor is constructed a little different and some creative engineering is required to get the fit just right.
Before you start
Use a voltage meter to verify the blower motor electrical plug has 12 volts when you turn the ignition key on. A no fan issue could be a resistor or fuse problem.
Tools required:
Bench grinder, basic metric socket set, screw drivers, crimping tool, 3m black vinyl tape, 3m double sided foam tape, hammer, drill with 15/64th bit or so, one male one female red spade connectors to crimp to the motor wiring, semi rusty vice grips optional.
First remove the old motor under the passenger dash, so remove the panel first. The electrical connection easily pulls straight down. If you remove the 4 machine screws from rear to front, it will fall right into your hand, if like my 15 year old son you remove screws front to rear it will fall right onto your head. I love teaching my children the finer points of working on cars :shades:
Remove the single bolt in the middle that holds the motor in place. The motor can now be wrestled out. Note the 4 vertical ridges in the Mercedes plastic that holds the motor.
The new motor bottom needs 4 notches:
The VDO motor has an ridge in it's bottom cap construction, I used my bench grinding
wheel to notch this cap flush with the body in 4 90 degree cuts to fit the plastic ridges, 2 of them at the 2 attachment bolts on bottom, the other 2 90 degrees from these bolts. I recommend making them a little wider than required for an easier fit, a tight tolerance won't help you here.
The new motor needs it's bottom cap circumference reduced:
The bottom cap has a outside ridge, carefully rotate the motor against your bench grinder to reduce, but not remove, the outer lip. Once it fits into the top of the Mercedes plastic base this task is complete.
Protect your wiring!
The black and blue wires come from the top of the motor. Cut the foam tape, stick the wires below this so they are flush with the side of the motor. Wrap with 4 or so times with a good 3m black electrical tape. I highly recommend you avoid the cheap stuff here!
Drill the New mounting Holes:
Getting the new motor into the old Mercedes plastic requires a firm tapping, not hammering. Place on motor on your work surface, with shaft just off to the side and tap the plastic on the motor. When the bottom two mounting bolts hit bottom the will leave your drill location marks. Wrestle the motor out and use a 15/64 drill bit to make 2 new holes. Hint: remove the extra two nuts at this time. Re-tap the plastic onto the motor making sure the bolts come through the holes, attach with the washers and nuts that come with the motor.
Cut no wires, Make the Electrical Connection:
The fan requires a CCW rotation when looking down at the top of the shaft. Terminate the black wire with a red(22-18 gauge) male spade to fit into the Mercedes side female connecter, which is the + voltage side. Terminate motor's blue wire with a red female spade connecter for ground. The motor wires were a very tight fit into the red connectors and crimped down just fine. I did not cut any wires, and was able to nicely tuck them both down into the plastic base when done.
The smart choice, a new squirrel cage:
The shaft is a little longer, this was not the problem as there is room above. The original motor top is tapered, and the original fan support is curved to match. The new motor has a right angle top, not tapered which means the original squirrel cage fan cannot be tapped down as low on the new motor. Though this is not what I did I think it's likely the better choice.
Plan B, What I did:
Tap the old fan onto the shaft, when it reaches flush, use a deep socket to tap it further down about 1/4 inch, until the motor top is just barely not touching fan. I actually had the slightest of fan to motor rubs, as I assumed it rubbed itself out during the first 20 minutes of operation.
The new system will be about 5mm to tall and the an will rub on the top side. I used a blue foam 10mm thick and 4 screws that were a little longer that the original and it works great.
The foam I cut into a circle around the bottom of the fan, and use a marker to trace and cut the external plastic shape. A couple small pieces of 3m double sided foam tape and
The paint (gold) is showing evidence of wear (small scratches) on the sides of the body. Roof, hood and trunk are okay. I would like to have the car repainted. I took it to a paint shop recommended by my local MB dealer here in Seattle. They told me the clear coat was cracking and could not be repaired. They recommended a repaint. The prices quotes were incredible ($7k if I keep the same color and $12k for changing the color).
I have several questions:
1. What is a good price for a repaint job (using MB colors)?
2. Should I keep the same color (I do have a preference for another MB color that was available that year)?
3. Is replacing the seals (around the doors and trunk lid) a big ($$$) expense and is it something that I could do (not being a weekend mechanic yet).
Just getting started with this car. It is the first classic car I have purchased. I actually owned a similar car new (back in 84) so am reliving my past!
Any guidance and recommendations would be helpful.
Thanks
The door seals are a good idea and no problem except that you have to be very neat about the application of the glue--so if you aren't somewhat fastidious, and have good glue solvents on hand, you might farm this out. But it's hardly rocket science.
Good paintwork is very expensive because it is a) intensely labor dependent work and b) if you don't use the best paint materials, the job won't last.
To give you an idea of the range of quality, I have spend more on the PAINT and MATERIALS for a paint job, without even opening the cans up, then what Miracle Auto Body charges to paint an entire car.
That's a lot of money to invest in an old 300d and you'll never see it returned on resale, so unless it looks really awful you might think about living with it, at least for a while until you see how the car works out.
Pay particular attention to the heater/AC system controls, to the rear hydraulic compensator, the front coil springs (they sag). Invest in good brakes and tires, and perhaps a water trap for your fuel system. Get used to using additives for the fuel (biocides, cetane enhancers, injector cleaners), and change the oil frequently. Flush out the coolant, too if the old stuff is still in there.
Good sturdy old car, though!
I noticed that the trim (aluminum?) is dull (faded) and not shiny. Can I buff the trim (e.g. around the windows) so that they return to their original shiny state? Is there a product that brings the condition back?
On restoration work on very expensive cars, they often remove the old trim, and carefully tap out the dents with a tiny hammer (you have to really know what you're doing in this case) and then buff the trim on a wheel, using a very fine jeweler's rouge. But that's probably too extreme for your situation.
Do not want this problem or anymore like it; please suggest my solutions.
Lydia
Any chances of help with this business?
Barring that you can try here:
http://www.a-r-a.org/AF_memberdirectory.asp
Also, breezing through the "Mercedes parts" section of Hemmings Motor News (www.hemmings.com)
these door panels come off pretty easily, so if you're handy I agree with your mechanic--take the lock out and see if its just a busted spring.
These are very good cars but the mythology surrounding them has to be taken with a dose of realism.
Not running for 10 years is not a good sign--the tires will be no good, and one wonders about the condition of the fuel tank.
Best thing i could say is don't buy it unless you can drive it around and give it a good test; otherwise, if you have to buy it "as is", buy it as a parts car.