Lee, My 1984 300D was using about 1 quart of oil per 1500 miles when I bought it. I switch to Mobil-1 synthetic and drove the snot out of it, and over the next 10kmi or so the oil consumption gradually about halved... got to a quart per 2500-3000 miles or so at best. You might just need to give it some TLC. Also, if the car has the old 'round tube' PCV breather from valve cover to air cleaner, replace it with the flat rubber part instead. I think that was a good part of my improved oil consumption. Don't let the repair shop scare you.
About the tranny shifting, it could be slightly misadjusted, or have a vacuum leak. If the tranny fluid hasn't been changed in over 25kmi, that's the FIRST thing to do. Replace the fluid and filter, make sure both the pan AND torque converter are drained. If it's not leaking badly (I assume it's not), use Mobil-1 synthetic ATF. This can significantly improve the cold shifting characteristics. However, the W123 vintage trannies (through 1984) are known for neck-snapping 1-2 upshifts when warm, let alone cold...! :-) Best regards, Dave M. > ------------------------------ > Date: Thu, 08 Dec 2005 20:06:39 -0600 > From: "Kaleb C. Striplin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Trans shifting hard on 123 when cold > > > yet another reason to learn how to work on your car yourself otherwise > you will go broke at the dealer. > > Lee Einer wrote: > > > Hi, all- > > > > My wife's 1980 300CD is in the shop. I brought it in to have the glow > > plugs replaced because they were demonstratably bad (murder to get > > started when cold, white smoke on start-up, glow plug light on dash > > blinking.) > > > > Then, the dealership called back and said they found a bad injector > > which needed replacing. OK. > > > > They just called back and asked me "how much deeper they should go" > > because it is burning oil and the trans isn't shifting right. > > > > OK, by how much deeper, they mean, "into my pockets," I get that, but > > the trans thing I am curious about- > > > > The trans shifts just fine when the beast is warmed up. It shifts > > whiplash-stiff when the car is cold. How concerned should I be about this? > >
