http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/210596335.html --
offer $500
Now that one's in my price range. For $500, I'd be awefully tempted.
Kevin, Benzless in Hillsboro Oregon
It's a lot easier to get in there once you remove the fuel hose barbs. It
sure did save me on my '81 300CD.
Kevin, Benzless in Hillsboro Oregon
Hello fellow dieselheads.
I've found a 1981 240D automatic that looks to be in overall good condition.
It has 230K miles, good paint that will easily polish up, good interior, and
it ran well before being parked under a carport three years ago. The
previous owner decided to take public transp
Thanks, Larry, for your input! I still have the new battery that I bought
for the 220D project (kept it around because I knew that I'd need it for
another Mercedes Diesel). I've dealt with the window switches on my
previous W123 cars, so that's not a problem for me. EVERY ONE of my cars
has
Well, I went down the street to look at the '81 240D. It's a STICK! I took
my battery to crank it over, but the mechanic friend who attempted to start
the car had taken the keys home with him, D-A-R-N! Believe it or not, this
is what has happened every time I've taken this particular battery
I used the word "misted", but I really don't know what he was ACTUALLY
doing. I could feel a coating of some oily substance down the hole in the
air cleaner housing, and it appears to be diesel. The WD40 and pouring all
kinds of different oils down the intake scenario was most likely what kill
Just buy the dang thing and drag it home. If you get it to work, that is
cool, If not, offer it on CL PDX for a fortune and get twice your investment
back.
Great words of advice, Clay. That was my plan.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
I do have family in SoCal, so that could work. Regarding the current 240D,
I'm dealing with the owner as I type this. Hopefully, he'll bite on my
offer of $400 as she sits.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
Hello dieselers. Thanks, Kaleb, for setting up a new home for diesel! I've
gotten so much support from everyone.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300D 132K, Ingrid
1978 300CD 200K+, Vinnie
1982 Mazda B2200 diesel pickup, 141K, Gopher
Hello dieselers!
My fiance and I were driving around town with her sister and happened to
spot a creamy yellow 1982 300CD turbo. It has 178K miles, very nice paint,
perfect tan leather interior (not MB Tex), buntcake wheels, everything
works, and it's a 2 owner car. I didn't have time to ask
How much does the guy want for it? It sounds like a simple vacuum control
valve (VCV) adjustment could be needed. Every once in a while, someone
selling an MB diesel with a tranny problem thinks it's something serious,
but it not. You may get lucky, especially if it's faster than your '84.
That's fiberglass INSULATION under and inside rear seat and backrest.
Wilton
That sounds like a fine way to do it. My '78 300D could use some quieting
too, but most of its loudness is due to the lack of a hood pad and a couple
nailing injectors which WILL be replaced this week!
Kevin in Hil
He says it is a "standard automatic" meaning that one must
shift it but there is no clutch.
Interesting. I've heard of such a tranny in 70's VDub's, but not in a
Mercedes. I wonder if this is a common thing in non US market MB's of that
era?
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300D 132K miles,
Asked her why she didn't take that
one and got the "Oh, DAAD" response.
Some people just don't get it! Nothing beats the noise, smell and, of
course, the smoothness of an MB diesel.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300D 132K miles, Ingrid
1978 300CD 200K+ miles, Vinnie
1982 Mazda B2200 die
I'm not sure of the "lawn mower sized" diesels, but a company called Davis
Diesel Development makes conversion heads to run most any glow fuel model
aircract engine on model diesel fuel, a blend of ether and kerosene. Here's
the link to it.
http://www.davisdieseldevelopment.com/gallery/closel
My experience is that my cars tend to run better when they're driven hard.
When I first picked my 300CD up down in Southern California, it was
sluggish, but once it was floored up the grapevine, it ran better, and
during the rest of the trip running 75-80MPH, it got nearly 30MPG. When
it's dri
What does running hard like this mean to the
transmission? Would that wear down the transmission
faster?
That's hard to say. Generally, everything wears faster when the car is
pushed harder, but driving at low RPM builds up carbon which can kill an
engine over time. The tranny usually shifts
I'm convinced accellerating hard is actually easier on the tranny in my
300D Turbo. When I accellerate moderately, it tends to flare or hang
during shifts. When I accellerate hard, it shifts firmly and crisply.
David,
This is my theory as well. Less slippage should mean longer life as does
le
I thought Diesel Purge could clear up the carbon
buildup?
It can clean up injector nozzles pretty well, but I'm not sure about carbon
that's built up over time. Marshall once said that it could take thousands
of miles of hard driving and long highway runs to clean up an engine in a
car drive
Eric,
How smoothly and quickly does the window go up? I wonder if it's binding
due to a screwed-up regulator or just needs some lube? Does it matter if
the engine is running or not? Usually, the increased voltage from the
alternator helps.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300D 132K miles,
the big worry would be rust
(thankfully not a big problem here in Oregon), and the heater fan.
Where in Oregon are you?
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300D 132K miles, Ingrid
1978 300CD 200K+ miles, Vinnie, all washed and waxed, finally!
1982 Mazda B2200 diesel pickup, 142K miles, Gopher, just
So why might this be a BAD deal?
Craig,
I was wondering the same thing unless the rust is a little more serious than
the seller has stated. 240D 4 spd's are simple, dependable cars, and they
go for quite a premium here in the NW.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300D 132K miles, Ingrid
1978
I haven't heard of many of these things for sale, a 1981 Chevette powered by
a 1.8L isuzu 4 cylinder diesel engine with a 5 speed manny tranny. For
$675, it may be a fun car and very cheap transportation for someone.
http://portland.craigslist.org/car/83103600.htmll
It ain't no Mercedes-Benz
Hello everyone.
I finally got around to replacing the injectors on my 78 300D. I had a
couple of them that needed the holes cleaned out before the heat shields
would seat properly. Exhaust would shoot out past the injector. Is this a
common thing? I eventually got everything buttoned up an
http://seattle.craigslist.org/for/83788561.html --
tiny diesel?
Clay,
I have the latest version of this car, and it screams! I would like to
"dieselize" it with a Davis Diesel Conversion head (available for model
aircraft engines), but I haven't heard of one for the RC car engines. At
near
Fewww!
Looks like you got REALLY LUCKY! Hopefully, it'll last for a while.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300D 133K miles, Ingrid
1978 300CD 200K+ miles, Vinnie
1982 Mazda B2200 diesel pickup, 142K miles, Gopher
I spotted this on Portland craigslist. I'm sure that someone's lookin' for
one of these.
http://portland.craigslist.org/car/85281338.html
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300D 133K miles, Ingrid
1978 300CD 200K+ miles, Vinnie
1982 Mazda B2200 diesel pickup, 142K miles, Gopher, SOLD!
It could be the turbo oil drain tube leaking by the gasket at the turbo. If
the VC gasket hasn't been changed in a while, it's probably due.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300CD 200K+ miles, Vinnie
1978 300D 132K miles, Ingrid (now sold)
I'm sure somebody wants this to play around with, and at $800 for a running
car, it sounds fun! It's a 1985, 192K miles, Auto, new GP's, starter, and
good tires.
http://portland.craigslist.org/car/87509231.html
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1978 300CD 200K+ miles, Vinnie
Kevin,
I wasn't planning to buy the car, just passing on the info to someone who
may want to tinker with something different. I think that I'm going to
stick with my ol' '78 300CD with the bulletproof 617.912 3.slow liter NA
diesel engine. I've gone back and forth and back again about sellin
a replacement starter manufactured by an Italian company that did
spin faster in either car.
The company is Iskra based in the Czec republic.
http://www.iskra-agv.cz/us/iskra_starter.htm
They may still make a starter compatible with a Mercedes diesel.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon, no MB diesel ye
There ain't no 2.5L in a 1981, and I wouldn't exactly call it rare either!
Hahahahahaha!
Kevin in HIllsboro Oregons
I was thinking about finding a VW Thing, talk about insane prices! I found
one locally with lots of surface rust, rusty pans, seized engine, and all
this because it had been out in the weather for years. Rodents had built a
nest on top of the tank, and the moisture from their urine ate through
Hello fellow MB enthusiasts.
I found an ad for a fixer 78 or 79 300D (it says both in the ad).
Supposedly, it slips when shifting from second to third. The guy bought it
thinking it was an easy fix with the vacuum modulation, but since it was a
722.118 tranny, he can't fix it because it doesn
I was going to buy this old car to swap the engine into the 1973 220D that I
had. The guy wanted $500 for it and wouldn't go down to $300. Today, I
spotted it on CL once again, but now he only wants $75! If he would have
only taken my first offer, he could have gotten nearly 7 times his curre
Tell him you will pay him $50 and to STFU
STFU? I've never heard that one before.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
Wow! How did you catch it in time before it vibrated things to pieces!?
i've heard of anything from broken transmissions and difs and the driveshaft
itself being destroyed by a bad blex disk. I've never replaced one on the
cars I've owned, so I guess I've been lucky.
Kevin in Hillsboro Orego
line up the bolts by
myself.(which got more fun out in the gravel driveway as the sun went away)
(:
Now that's my specialty, working with very limited or no lighting HAHAHAHA!
Blind Guy Auto, it's all in the "feel."
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
I might as well pull the bango fill tube. Problem was last
time I did this on my 1977 300D I did not seal the filler tube right and it
leaked real bad and I had to go back and correct. Operator error
I hate that stupid filler tube design with the washers that need to be
assembled the CORRECT w
My heart always comes back to the 1977 to 1980 pre turbo 123 chassis, (my
two
cents).
I've had 5 of them, 3 300D's and 2 300CD's. I would have to agree with you
on simplicity, no ALDA adjustment and no extra places for oil leaks such as
the turbo oil drain tubes. I say this as I'm about read
Thanks, David, for posting that RV buying web site to the list! I've bought
several RV's and probably could have made some better decisions with the
help of the RV consumer group info!
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon with a poorly built entry level Keystone
Springdale travel trailer
Ain't seein no dogs and BudLaht cans a-layin around that there work
saht! And it don't look lak ya got no blocks there to hold up the car.
Was mama bringin ya yer cigs and beer?
I wish ya could hear ma voice synthesizer speak the above senences! It
caint talk that way of speakin'!
Kevin in H
It's a 1983 300SD with 284K on the clock. It has very nice gray paint,
pretty good gray interior other than some dash cracks and worn seat springs,
no blowby, strong firm shifting tranny that shifts when it's supposed to
both up and down, all working power windows and sunroof, and it made the 7
Thanks, Tom, for the info. I know of a 300SD parts car though I may have
discovered it too late. I'm sure I'll be able to find the necessary parts
to get her in top form.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles, unnamed
I forgot to mention that the owner of the 300SD that I bought also has a
1980 300D that doesn't run. He bought it and discovered that the timing was
off. He replaced the chain and brought it back into spec, but it still
isn't right. He thinks it may have bent/damaged valves causing low
compr
It's nice to have one that's in good working order for $1300. However, I
couldn't see (no pun intended) paying more than $34K for a 23 year old brand
new car although nothing made today is as easy to work on.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles, Johanna
Thanks, everyone, for the input on the issues with my 300SD! I do have
another question. How far should the power seat switch tabs stick out if
they are not broken? It seems like they're only out about 1/4", not much
for anything to snap onto. Now that there's some daylight on the subject, I
Some BFH and plier
work can sometimes bring them back,
What is DFH?
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles
FWIW, my new-to-me '83 300SD starts out in first. It doesn't matter where
the shifter is. So there's my $.02.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles
a 3-pin round
connector (and is a steaming POS),
Well, I've got the one with the round connector, the "steaming POS," but
hey, it actually works when it's plugged in! It functions properly when the
driver's door is locked and unlocked. However, there must be a leak
somewhere because the pump
the pump should time out if working properly with/without any door
lock function.
The only way I could get it to stop running was either plugging the outlet
with my finger (big nono according to Jim C), or by unplugging it. The
device on the outside of the housing that has a spring loaded piec
Another question is where the heck does the pump mount? Mine was just lying
on the right side of the spare tire well with a foamy cover around it and a
metal bracket next to it. I guess I'll have to see one in place. I found
an '82 300SD that may have some parts on it that I need, so I may ju
(They both have the same round connector, but the better design also
has a 2-pin rectangular connector.
There appears to be one round connector with no additional rectangular 2 pin
connector, so it appears that I have the earlier design. I guess it does
work if it stops when corked off. I hav
I'm just guessing here, but I think your problem is due to the nonop vacuum
lock system. IT has the trunk locked which bypasses anything done with the
key. I would think that everything would be right again once the battery is
charged and reconnectede.
Good luck!
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
During a few years in the 80's growing up, our family car was a 1972
"'Merkin fakewood" Ford Pinto wagon. That 2.0L 4 cyl engine with an
automatic behind it was unstoppable, that is, by anything else but a good
headwind, pathetically gutless! It never did let us down.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oreg
Thanks, Russ, for the info! I'll see if everything is there (probably have
to find a bolt since it's missing). What happened to your wife's SD? I
couldn't imagine riding around in a 240D after having a big SD for any
length of time! However, the simplicity of having one is awefully tempting
I've got a bit of nailing going on with my '83 300SD. It's got a tank of
homebrew bio D in it from the previous owner. This may have something to do
with it and may support your theory of water passing through the injector
nozzles. Many diesels do have water separators on them, and unless it'
As you know, I now have a 1983 300SD. I need to remove the seats both to
rework/replace the spring boxes and sort out the power seat mechanisms. Are
these done much like the W123 seats by sliding the seat forward or backward
to get to the bolts? If so, this is going to make it very tough sinc
I think that that tecnhique will work with the passenger's seat because I
got it to go forward once when I wiggled the switch just right (haven't been
able to do it since).The driver's seat forward/backward adjustment motor
turns, but doesn't move the seat, so it must be in the cable drive
You still interested in my 83 SD?
It's too bad that you live across the country, DARN! My 1983 300SD is a
fine car. What kind of condition is yours in, and how many miles are on it?
It amazes me how these Mercedes with nearly 300K on them can ride and drive
s much better than most of the
I never thought of the wires passing through the door jamb as a possibility,
but it sure does make sense. Vacuum lines fail there too,.
Thanks!
Kevin in Hillsboro OR
1983 300SD 284K miles, Ursula
PS. Can I clean the switch without removing it? Has anyone had any luck
with a particular clea
Her SD tangled with a Jacked up Jeep Liberty with a Pental Hitch on the
back.
SD took pental hitch thru the radiator
all the way to the Block, Busted the timing chain cover. Crunched the Front
end to the point it wasn't repairable. Did 12 Grand worth of damage to
Idiots Jeep.
Teach him to tangl
I'll see if the local RadioSmack has it in stock since it's only about a
mile away. I want some action from these power seats!
Kevin in Hillsboro OR
1983 300SD 284k miles, Ursula
As many of you know, I've been looking for some better seats for my 300SD.
I came across several seats out of similar gasser models (420SEL, 500SEL and
560SEL). Will these fit into my 300SD? I figure it may be worth a try
since there aren't as many high mileage gassers out there. Gasser S cla
should fit - same chassis, same mount points.
That's what I'm thinkin', I hope we're right. I'll keep everyone posted. I
guess this is how we find out what works and what doesn't work, trial and
error.
Kevin in Hillsboro OR
1983 300SD 284K miles, Ursula
CAIG D-5
Thanks, Marshall, for the info. Where can I find this cleaner?
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles, Ursula
Where is the controller for the seats in my 300SD? What would keep the
memory seats from working other than different connectors/different wiring?
Regarding memories, I only want good ones with this car.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles, Ursula
It's like your '83 300SD with switches in the door panel. I was just
contemplating the possibility of replacing the seats with those from a
gasser if I could find some in the correct color.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles, Ursula
Hi, Dennis!
My seats are grey MB-Tex. However, the covers are good enough to use on
other seats that are in better condition. . How much are you asking for
either the black seats in your parts SD or the grey leather ones?
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles, Ursula
PS. Is the
Hi, Dennis.
$200 for both of the seats is fair. I would like to compare them to those
in your 300SD's to check the wiring. I remember my dad modifying a Cadillac
seat to fit in our 1971 Buick Riviera. The seat had the power switches on
the side where the Riviera had them in the arm rest. H
That's great if the plugs are the same ((just slap them in and go)! The
only other pressing thing on this car is brakes. I think it's got a warped
rotor or two because when the brakes are applied, I can feel pulsation
through the car. The pads are doing OK since there's no squeaking or
grind
That's great if the plugs are the same ((just slap them in and go)! The
only other pressing thing on this car is brakes. I think it's got a warped
rotor or two because when the brakes are applied, I can feel pulsation
through the car. The pads are doing OK since there's no squeaking or
grind
It's paradoxical how dogs are given such responsibility (for example, their
scent identification of a crime suspect being admissible in court, or their
role in locating disaster victims) yet in other areas of society it's "no
pets allowed!"
Very interesting, brian! There are many times I would h
That's great! I'll be "seeing" you Saturday afternoon! If you could email
me on or off list to remind me of the directions out to your place, that
would be great!
I'm quite anxious about getting this wonderful car sorted out so she's ready
to go if called upon to do so. The Dodge CTD pickup i
Hi, Larry.
I didn't even think of the ABS possibility. Now that I think of it, it
seems like the pulsing is randem through the car, not the once per rev like
a warped rotor. I'll have to get it out on the road and check into this a
little further. Also, it does only seem to be noticed under
I haven't checked under the hood for more than a few seconds, but I'll check
under there to see whether or not there's any ABS hardware on the driver's
side fender. I'm willing to bet that it's not there judging by Herr Doktor
Booth's response.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles
I'm sure hoping that this car has ABS or all four rotors are warped which is
unlikely. I've always ridden in front, but I think that I'll take a back
seat on the issue when next we hit the road. It feels like pulsing is
coming from there as well as the front.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 3
I'm about 100 miles north of Eugene in Hillsboro.
Kevin in Hillsboro Oreogn
1983 300SD 284K miles, Ursula, soon to have NICE COMFY SEATS!
Yes, Brian! My dad tends to do it on a regular basis, and only notices it
upon returning to the car. It's a good thing that the battery doesn't drain
quickly when this happens! I've gotten better at reminding him of it as we
get out of the car, but if not, I can't see it to let him know that
So is the SDL simply a top of the line SD?
It's an S class diesel long wheelbase (SDL. SEL means S class einspritzer
(gasser fuel injected) long wheelbase. Any cars without the L designation
(300SD, 300SE, 380SE etc are short wheelbase models. I don't believe that
there are such designatio
My Taurus does it when the
key is in the ignition or the headlight switch isn't off.
He does this with our Dodge pickup that also has the audible alarm. He
accidentally turns on the cargo light which can't be seen due to the camper
shell (canopy for us in the PNW). He couldn't figure out why
I didn't know about the red rear fog lamps either, and I've been on this
list for 4 years now. I guess I'll never "see" the LIGHT!
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles, Ursula
Hello everyone!
Now that I have found some wonderful matching seats for my 300SD for a
wonderful price (thanks dennis T), I was ready to tackle the project of
r&r-ing them. I couldn't move the seats forward to get at the rear bolts
in the conventional way due to bad switches and bad drive ca
I do have another connector shell for the seat end, but there's no way to
know the proper color code when putting the different pins into the good
connector. Is there a way to do this? Do you just take the wires off all
of the motors on the junkyard seat and hook them up to yours?
Kevin in H
I've heard that the '85 cars have different torque converters and a
different sized crank to accommodate it. Marshall WILL know for sure. The
'85 engine and tC should mate to your tranny though. I'm surprised to hear
of any electronics on an OM617.951, and one BIG attraction to these cars for
Well, i'll have to take a "look" at things to see where the pins are
"draping." They've been hanging around for a long time in Dennis's garage
and who knows how long at the original place from where they were shipped,
so who knows what's really up or down. Hopefully, they're "draping the
righ
Contact cement like one would use to apply Formica to a counter top.
The zebrano trim on my '83 300SD seems to be warped in spots and has
partially come unglued. Will this work to keep the warped parts in place if
I press hard enough to set up the glue?
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 2
Hi, Dennis.
I didn't realize you were referring to the color of the seat and not the
color code on the wiring! DUH! My dad says that he can't distinguish the
color of the new seats with the old ones, and this was with the old
passenger's seat still in place. Noone else has looked at the sea
That's a pretty good price for your SDL! I've got just over a third of that
(roughly 1600) into my '83 300SD, and I anticipate putting a few hundred
more into it for shocks and brakes. i'm sure it will need guide rod
bushings or a ball joint or two in time due to its odometer mileage.
Kevin
My first 300D had a terribly uncomfortable passenger's seat (undoubtedly
swapped over from the driver's side) that I decided to fix one day. I got a
2" thick piece of foam cut to the size of the spring box, opened it up, and
stuffed it in. It wasn't too bad, but it felt like my butt was sittin
Well, if we're gonna speed and do crazy stuff, I guess we'll be in the W126
300SD rather than the 06 Dodge pickup with the electronically controlled
Cummins Turbo diesel. Speaking of the above mentioned 300SD, the seat will
be going in soon now that I "think" I've got the connector wired up th
I persevered with the passenger's seat in my '83 300SD and got the thing
wired up CORRECTLY without CUTTING into ANY wiring! I thought I had it
right, but when I got it into the car, I had it working with different parts
of the switch doing different things. It would be quite a shock for Wifey
Well, I finally got the power seat connector on the new passenger's seat
wired up properly and plugged it into the car. The forward/backward
function worked at first, but now, the drive cable seems to slip, and the
seat is stuck. Has anyone torn into the drive cables and successfully
gotten t
The drive cable ends have a tendency to come loose from the housing which
lets the square drive end of the spiral disengage from the hub.
What can be done about this? Is it threaded and simply needs to be
retightened to bring the end back into the hub? I haven't mounted the seat
yet, so I ca
3.0 Liter was the better engine, no head gasket problems.
My parents bought a brand new 1987 Taurus with the 3.0L engine (the only V6
available in that model at the time), and it had a leaky head gasket that
put a crunchy layor of burned coolant on the engine. Soon after finding
this out, we
Hello fellow MB enthusiasts.
I took the power passenger's seat out of the car and worked on the
backward/forward drive cable. With the use of some pliers, I pushed the
cable further into the end of the housing and it WORKS! I'm not sure what
actually holds it in place, but it's working! I w
Just thought I would write about my leaky trunk. When it is opened, water
pours out of the trunk lid itself. Is there some drain that should be
diverting this water? I would like to be able to carry things in the trunk
and keep them dry too!
Kevin in Hillsboro Oregon
1983 300SD 284K miles,
It seems that the metal around the
lower part of the window starts to rust, and water then gets into the trunk.
Nothing can be seen topside, but upon opening the trunk and doing a closer
inspection, it appears that there's some rust on the underside of the panel
below the rear window. I've got
Grab a flashlight and have someone (that you trust implicitly :^) ) lock you
in the trunk and then squirt the car with a hose.
Since I can't see, even with a flashlight, I guess I'll be the one holding
the hose. Unfortunately, finding the rust in the trunk under the rear
window leads me to be
the
side bins filled up with water, greatly aggravating the condensation
problem.
I also had this problem with the last 1978 300D that I owned. Those drains
do clog up with road debris. I believe that the W126 has them as well, so
I'll poke around under there tomorrow to see how they're doin'
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