PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

patterson · #1 09-29-2002, 12:53 AM

Just when you think you have all of the bugs worked out something else goes wrong.

I had driven my 300D about 400 miles away from home to visit some friends. The car behaved wonderfully on the trip out. I check my oil at every fuel stop which is considered odd by most people these days. I was suprised to find that after only 400 miles it was showing at the add mark on the dipstick. The car had been using about a quart of oil every 1500 miles or so which did not worry me, the motor has 370,000 miles on it. I topped off the oil and headed on a little concerned.

After my visit was over I got in the car to head back home and it started great and sounded great as usual, but when I got on the fuel to accelerate at the first stop light I saw a huge cloud of white/blue smoke in the rear view mirror. I mean a HUGE cloud I could not see the cars behind me. Many thoughts were going through my mind as to what might have caused this. I was planning on pulling it off the road to get it towed or something but the smoking ceased and it was running fine so I decided to take a chance and limp home about 400 miles away in it.

I stopped about every hundred miles to check the oil and it was staying pretty steady. So I made it all 400 miles without a problem and only consumed 3 quarts of oil. It wouldn't smoke at highway speeds very much but would smoke if I stopped and go back on the interstate.

I got back home too late to start troubleshooting my problem that night so I started the next morning trying to figure out what is wrong with my car. I started it up and took it for a spin to the end of my road and I got the same huge cloud of smoke and it certainly was oil smoke. I put my finger in the exhaust pipe and it come out with pure black diesel oil on it, so automatically I think a bad turbo. But everyone says that these turbos don't go bad. So I pulled the turbo off and sure enough no oil in the exhaust manifold but plenty on the turbo outlet. By feeling of the radial play the turbo has way too much slack in the bearings. So I have a worn out turbo.

I go to a local salvage yard that I know well and they sell me a used turbo for $100. I figured I would try it you can't go wrong for that price the core is probably higher than that. The used turbo turned smoothly and the bearings felt tight so I took a chance. I installed the turbo and it works perfectly cured all my problems. I am curious now to find out how my oil consumption will be. The used turbo came off of a 1985 300D and it had a safety valve built into the front of the turbo. I ended up making another trip to the junk yard to get the air filter housing off of the junk car because my 1983 housing hit the blow-off valve device on the 1985 turbo. But all ended well.

Just wondering:

Have any of you had turbo problems?

I guess anything will wear out if you use it enough.