Added a new car to my stable

[tgatch]

I got me a 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo Diesel yesterday. For a 25 year old car with 227,800 miles on it, it is in pretty good shape. I'll get some pictures of it this evening.

I'm gonna say it needs a Valve adjustment. I also found out about this thing called a diesel purge via a place called http://www.dieselgiant.com/. Here is the link Diesel Purge Kit. Anyone have an idea if it is worth the time, effort and money?

 

[The Warden]

Congratulations!! Welcome to the 5-cylinder world!! Where are the pictures?

If you don't know when the last valve adjustment was, doing one is a really good idea. These valves tend to wear tight, so the engine will act like the cylinders have low compression.

Regarding the Diesel Purge...yes, doing a purge is a good idea. However, I don't think I would buy that kit...I haven't run any numbers, but I think that the individual parts can be gotten cheaper than the kit. Hoses are cheap, and any glass (or probably even plastic) container will work for holding the liquid. I have yet to do it myself, but based on what others have said on forums I used to frequent, the stuff you'll see come out of the return line can be NASTY...if it's bad enough, I would do it a second time and possibly replace the filters twice. Just, make sure you use the actual Lubro-Mahle Diesel Purge and not something else...and, a pure treatment (using the DP as a sole fuel source, as described on DieselGiant's page) is really the best way to clean things. Just pouring the stuff in the tank dilutes it too much for it to really do any good.

One thing to keep in mind with M-B Bosch injectors is that they're not throw-aways (like the Stanadyne injectors used on the 6.9l/7.3l IDI). So, keeping them clean is a good thing...they can even be disassembled to be cleaned, if you have the time and inclination. There's a write-up on how to do it somewhere online...I MIGHT have a copy sitting around, but I'll need to look for it.

What's the front suspension like? My old '85 300D was in good shape when I got it, except the front suspension and the interior...and, on my car, the front suspension went from bad to worse, and that coupled with some body damage from the ex-g/f is why I ended up giving up on the car...

 

[tgatch]

Here are the pictures:

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I plan on doing the valve adjustment. Front end seems fine, but the steering has some play. Probably a new steering box in the future.

 

[The Warden]

You can tighten the box some; I would go ahead and do that before replacing it (a new box is EXPENSIVE!!). Loosen the locknut, and turn the inner Allen bolt COUNTER-CLOCKWISE to tighten it up. Turn it until you feel extra resistance, and stop at that point (similar to any other gearbox adjustment). Then, make sure the Allen bolt doesn't turn when tightening up the locknut...I usually use a box wrench to tighten the locknut while holding the Allen key in place, and when I can't tighten it further with the box wrench, I'll take the Allen key out and put on a socket with a long extension, and get it as tight as I can. Worked great for me thus far

BTW, with the valve adjustment, the curved wrenches are a really good idea. I've never tried to adjust the valves without the curved wrenches, but so many things get in the way, that I can't imagine attempting it. If you don't want to buy the curved wrenches, some people have successfully taken two cheap wrenches and bent them themselves.

BTW, she looks to be in good shape! I hope you're not like me...I grew to actively dislike the Palomino interior on my old 300D. My 300SD's interior is black

 

[tgatch]

I see a small amount of coolant that drips out of the car. Hard to tell but it look like it maybe a hose. I will start there and work my way up into the more expensive things. Good thing is, if it is a water pump they aren't very expensive.

 

[The Warden]

Did you ever pinpoint the leak?

 

[tgatch]

I haven't yet.... I have noticed the car will run a bit warm in the afternoons. The leak seems to show up when the car get toward the top end of normal operating temps. I have some citric acid on the way and I will be performing a THOROUGH cooling system flush when it gets here.

So far after 600 miles I'm really liking the car.

I did some "stuff" to make it MINE. Here is pic of the blacked out grill and headlight bezels.

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[HOIB]

Congratulations, a very nice ride. Good luck and happy motoring.

 

[tgatch]

Did you ever pinpoint the leak?

I believe I figured out where the leak was coming from. When I was changing my thermostat I found that there was no gasket between the two halves of the t-stat housing.

I'm not sure if that is where it was coming from yet as I can't drive it right now. I learned not to torque cast aluminium too much.

See my pictures:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

I have someone hunting a replacement down for me. Might be able to get it for about $15 + Shipping.

 

[HOIB]

I think back then it was "pot" metal

 

[The Warden]

I think it's aluminum, actually. In any event, the metal's pretty fragile, and is made weaker for whatever reason by using "standard" green coolant. It's really better to use the M-B coolant, or Zerex G-05 (which is essentially the same stuff) instead of green coolant, on these cars...

Also, there isn't a standard gasket on the thermostat housing. A rubber O-ring goes around the thermostat itself, instead...

 

[tgatch]

Yep I see that about the gasket now....

And yep, it is cast aluminium.


Now I still have a coolant leak if the car gets toward the top end of normal range. If I had to put money on it, I'd say it is the water pump.