Some advice needed here...I've just been looking at an '85 300SD,146,000 miles.Interior is in very nice condition.It drives well with some zip compared to my '82 240D.However,under the hood makes me a little nervous.The car has been sitting out in a driveway for maybe a year or two...how significant is the appearance of under the hood? Most of the parts are grey and tarnished..there are some bolts,etc. that are rusted and so on...like they've taken a corrosive beating from the weather. No ,it hasn't been under water. In spite of this kind of scary appearance could the "insides" be O.K.?...could everything still function fine?..How much toll does having sat outside,not driven for an extended period take on this car?...I realise this is vague,but all advice is appreciated!

If it was driven in the winter corrosion will work fast, turning everything gray.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Hello, that Calcium Cloride that is used to slush your snow in the winter will make even a porn star look like a hag in a few seasons.....

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Over 21 years I owned several:
w108
w110
w111
w115
w116
w123
w124
w126
w212

Would think the first concern would be to treat the fuel to kill any algae growth in the tank. Then change the fuel filters a few times right away.
Most of the under hood corrosion will cause a few things to leak, maybe the alternator will act up or give out. Maybe the glow plug connections will cause a problem, maybe, maybe, maybe...

If you did a road test, and it runs and has pep, likely nothing more wrong than would show up in two years' worth of normal maintenance...albeit it will all start to show up at once...but likely small stuff.

If you get to drive it again, make sure the odo works, and that you are seeing a true mileage.

Oil change, algae treatment (AND all new few filters), and the standard pre-purchase physical should set you right...these are nice cars, with no/little electronics to go up. Check for body rust, of course.

dbgrate,

Biocide treatment only needed if fungus is in the system. If the car has never been filled with fuel contaminated by fungus, there wil be none in the fuel system.

In about 10 MB Diesels over the last 35 years, I only had a fuel fungus problem in one car. You don't have to replace the fuel filters unless you notice a drop in engine power, usually on a long hill where the engine is burning the maximum amount of fuel.

Another test is to remove the rubber fuel line from the tank where it connects to the steel fuel line. If the fuel comes out in a steady stream, the fuel strainer in the tank is not plugged with fungus and you don't have a fungus problem. If the fuel comes out slowly, the strainer should be removed and cleaned. If there is a brown silicone like substance on the strainer, a biocide treatment is needed.

P E H

Brake and fuel lines would be the main concern for me, not just in the engine compartment but under the car as well.

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82 Rabbit diesel (first d), 84 Jetta turbo d (300k when sold), 83 240d (305k when sold), 84 F250 6.9d w/Banks turbo(parts truck), 86 F250 6 cyl.gasser(waiting for 6.9d), 84 300d ( 347k Sold 8/04), Y2k New Bettle TDI (185k miles), 95 740IL (wifes), 87 300TD (206k Sold 7/05), 05 Passat TDI Wagon

Can those whitish-grey CaCl stains be cleaned up...?

I take a great deal of pride in the "under the hood" appearance of my car, but I live in MN.

A co worker and my self went out on a sales call for high speed internet service to an elderly couple. The end of the set up she asks if either one of us would like to buy here car out by the car port. When we went out by the garage was a pile of wood with the corner of a car peeking out of the bottom left of the stack. Short story-81 300sd with 68K on the odo. She said it hadn't run since 1996. They just quit driving it when it started not having power. I purchased it for a whopping $825.oo. Replaced the turbo, the brake pads, after we put the car on jack stands to remove the tires. (Melted to the driveway from summer heat.) I have replaced only the front suspension since then and another new set of tires because I drive it so much. Plenty of rust tho all over the bottom half of the car in the usual places. Maybe this will help with unused, sitting out to long subject.

My wife says I better add this-she switched the turbo. and the interior is very clean.

P.E.Haiges,
A question about the brown, silicone stuff in the gas tank. I did a cleanup on my fuel sender last summer, and I noticed it was all covered with that stuff, preventing the float from working smoothly. I then cleaned it off, and the sender has worked great since. I have never used any type of biocide, just the usual fuel additives. My question is, if the brown stuff was covering the float, can I assume the strainer looks the same? Over the years, I've only seen the black stuff, from time to time, in the secondary (clear)fuel filter, never anything brown. Any thoughts? Thanks!

SteveKaa
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1982 300SD 337k miles