Jarlaxle said:
Minority, maybe, Warden...but not unique.
I think we have plenty of views in common.
I think you're right on that mark...lions need to eat too, right?
Is there any truth to the rumor that rebuilding the tranny (auto) on a 300SD turbo is a wallet-shattering experience?
I don't think so...I've never had to have an M-B slushbox rebuilt so I can't speak from direct experience, but I don't think it'll completely break the bank. There may be an issue with finding a shop that doesn't have the "He has an M-B; therefore, he can afford any price I name and won't look elsewhere" attitude, but beyond that I don't think there are any major additional expenses. Also...these trannies are vacuum-modulated and can be sensitive to cable adjustments, so if you have a vacuum problem (not uncommon on these cars since everything from the ACC to the door locks to the engine shut-off are vacuum-controlled, and one leak can mess up the entire system) or a cable that's out of adjustment, the tranny may act as though it's on its last legs but the problem may be relatively easily fixed. Are you asking hypothetically, or do you have a car (or someone you know have a car) that's having problems? If the latter, what symptoms are you seeing?
Also, uhh...you say that all US 300 TDs have auto trannies, power everything, auto climate control, and air suspension? Then, uhh, *** does my friend have?! It's a tan 1981 300 TDT wagon (~410,000 miles), with the 3.0 I-5 turbo, manual gearbox, metric dash (Canadian car?), crank windows, no power locks, no sunroof, no third seat, no air suspension, and regular manual HVAC. It replaced a 1977 240D sedan...which, come to think of it, also didn't have many options except the auto tranny (putt...putt...).
Are you certain that you friend's TD is a turbo? ...if so, almost certainly, either someone installed the turbo on an n/a engine or replaced the entire engine with a turbo unit (which is a better idea from a longevity standpoint; n/a 617's have different pistons and no oil spray nozzles cooling the pistons)....and if the turbo engine is factory, your friend has a
very rare car. The car's almost certainly a gray-market car that was originally sold in Europe and was later transported to North America (as opposed to a made-for-North-America car like I was referencing when I said that all U.S.-spec 300D's are "loaded"). You said the speedo's still in km; that probably means that it went to Canada as opposed to the U.S. ...and I don't know how Canadian laws handle Euro-spec cars. Does the car have Euro headlights and/or Euro bumpers? In case you don't know the difference,
this car has a Euro front bumper and Euro headlights, and
this car has U.S. DOT spec bumpers and headlights. BTW, most gray-market cars that go into the U.S. generally retain the Euro bumpers, but have DOT headlights retrofitted in place...but you can buy the Euro headlights to put on a U.S. spec car, and this is actually fairly common since the Euro lights put out much better lighting than the DOT junk.
Finding a gray-market Euro car is rare but not unheard of...BUT, I don't believe the W123 was ever sold in Europe with the turbocharged OM617 5 cyl, and if it was, it was a very rare option. Hence my comment that your friend either has a needle-in-a-haystack car or has gone through an engine replacement. I have a friend who has a gray-market Euro 300D...it's an '84 model year and has a naturally aspirated 617, manual-crank windows, manual climate controls (with no a/c), and essentially no "options" whatsoever...but, again, you won't find that sort of setup in a U.S.-spec W123 except the 240D (and "bare-bones" U.S.-spec 240D's are the norm rather than the exception; in fact, I don't think you could even get the ACC setup in a 240D, although you could get power windows and a power sunroof).
The lack of a third seat on your friend's car isn't a surprise; actually, many U.S. spec wagons didn't have it either. The third seat is considered to be a coveted and fairly rare option, and there are people who'll pay a premium for an otherwise-"normal" 300TD with that third seat. How certain are you about the lack of power locks? AFAIK, EVERY M-B since the early '70's have the vacuum-actuated door locks (where locking the driver's door will in turn lock every other lock in the car)...if your friend's car's door locks don't act like this, maybe someone disconnected the vacuum fittings, or there's a major leak. Are there any other indications of vacuum issues? As mentioned, the manual trans, hand-crank windows, manual HVAC, the "normal" suspension (U.S. wagons actually have hydraulic, not air, self-leveling suspension), etc. are classic give-aways of a Euro car. Do you have any pics of the wagon? I'd love to see what she looks like...and make sure your friend takes good care of the car; if he ever decides to get rid of it, it would probably go for a
lot... *drool*