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#1
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Safe to drive? possible vacuum leak - 1979 300D on WVO
Hi there
First posting - urgent issue because I want to get home from work safely tonight! And you'll have to excuse me because I'm pretty ignorant about cars - the Merc is my partner's pet project with the WVO thing. In brief: 1) Brakes became hard after 40 mins of driving this morning and slow to stop completely. 2) Door locks don't seem to be working too good. 3) Engine wouldn't stop running when I turned the key - could take keys out and it was still going. 4) Got one of my work colleagues to stop engine - he blocked air intake thing for about a minute, then car stopped when it was unblocked So, checking on postings and other sites, I'm pretty sure we have a vacuum leak problem which my partner thinks he can fix okay, but I still have to get home tonight. Couple of questions: 1) How safe is it going to be for me to drive it home? I'm a bit worried about the whole hard brake thing, so am intending to leave well before peak hour, give myself extra braking room but it's still a 45 min drive, downhill mostly, to get home with lots of traffic lights. 2) Will it start okay since we "suffocated" the engine to stop it? 3) Does the 1979 300D have the fuel pump safety off switch / lever I've read about and is this a better option than cutting off air to stop the engine if I have to do that again? Just thinking about damage to the engine long-term if I have to do it more than once tonight. 4) Given I know zero about cars, am I on the money with the vacuum leak idea or could it be something else? Any help hugely appreciated. Thanks heaps Ripley |
#2
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I am almost 100% certain you have a vacuum leak.
Yes, your car has an "engine stop" lever under the hood. It's located on the left side of the engine about even with the top of the valve cover and about 3/4 of the way to the rear. It should have a red sticker on it that says "Stop." The car should still start and drive ok after being throttled to death. I've driven my 240D with a bad vacuum leak and did not consider it unsafe. However, I have pretty strong legs and can get the car stopped easily with no power assist. Others have reported having problems trying to stop without power assist. That's really a question for you. Other than the hard brake pedal, run-on, and lock issues, driving with a massive vacuum leak shouldn't hurt anything.
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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar. 83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles 08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles 88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress. |
#3
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Quote:
not being able to stop when some little kid chases his ball in the street. If you are only driving highway/interstate that would be one thing. city driving fugedaboudit, pop the hood and try disconnecting and plugging EVERYTHING except the main line between the pump(in the front of the motor} and the brake booster behind the master cylinder, see if you got brakes, if so that will get you home......figure it out at dawns early light
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81 Mercedes 300SD 289k.......SOLD 82 Mercedes 300CD 252k......slow ride 82 mercedes 300 SD...mi Unknown 83 Mercedes 300D ????ksniff..gone too 84 Mercedes 300D 148k........SOLD 85 Mercedes 300TD 386k and holding some one elses project |
#4
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Hi guys
Thanks for your help. Going to try for home tonight with both feet ready to stomp on the brake pedal. I've only got little legs, but they've got a bit behind them from chasing after / carrying kids! Luckily, can do the trip in a way that doesn't go past any residential areas and is all industry / highway which will avoid a lot of the risks. There's a guy about 10 mins away who might be able to take a look at it straightaway anyway. Can't find the stop switch - somebody took the sticker off, but will have another look. I gather it's only really small about an inch long? Besides which, I can do the air intake thing. Appreciate the help. Cheers Ripley |
#5
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On WVO? It might get you home but it cuts the lifespan of the engine significantly. The safe thing to do is use Diesel.
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#6
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Use only 70% wvo with diesel mixed.This keeps your lifespan.
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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran |
#7
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Use only 70% wvo with diesel mixed. This keeps your lifespan very short.
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#8
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I think yours is old enough to have a vacuum pump with a diaphragm in it. That could be your problem (hole in diaphragm)
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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??) |
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