New member with "new" 300D and questions...
 

Hello, this is my first post here. I picked up an 87 300D the other night. 300D It looks and drives real nice, but there are some glitches. I've found solutions to some of the problems, but I've still got some questions. I've been reading about 300D's for the past few days, and I feel like I've just scratched the surface. Any advice would be much appreciated.

There are scheduled service records up through 110,000 miles. Right now the car has 153,000 miles. A Mercedes mechanic checked the car over before the dealer handed it to me. Anything I should check or service now (besides oil)?

The LCD display for the temperature reading is bad. So are an indicator bulb or two (tail light went out after I drove it home). The parking brake does not work (can't believe this passed inspection and the "mechanic"). It feels like there is plenty of tension in the foot pedal for the parking brake. Is this something I can easily repair, or should I insist that the seller make it right. The car was supposed to be "perfect, like new". I understand some of the minor stuff, but anything else I'm going to try and have corrected. I don't mind doing the work myself.

During the MD state inspection, the rear brake pads failed. The dealer installed a set of el cheapo pads purchased from Salvo (discount parts shop in MD). Should this be a concern? I'd hate to have to buy new rotors. I see that OEM pads are pretty inexpensive. I have read that generic brake pads are bad for Merc rotors. Could new pads require a break in period before the parking brake will hold (I doubt it)?

There is a hole in the drivers side glass headlamp lens. Anybody know where I can find a replacement? The dealer offered to pay for a new one. Used is OK too. The passenger headrest no longer works, motor is running (no big deal at all).

I pulled the oil fill cap off while the car was running, and there was no smoke pouring out. Just sloshed oil from the rockers. I'll have to look again to see which part number head is installed. The trap has been updated to the new thingy. The EGR is still connected (anybody have easy link or instructions on how to disable this?)

The car drives great, with lot's power and comfort. I'm having a blast driving around in my first MB. Thanks in advance.

Lukejt

Brakes are safety issue...
 

Fix the parking brake first.
Exterior lights are safety issue, this is repair #2.
The temperature gauge is very important, this is repair #3.
Will edit in more later, good night. :)

Thanks!

What temperature does the LCD screen read anyway, the dealer told me he thought it was outside air temp.

I found a source for the lenses. $75 shipped sound about right?

I keep trying to find excuses to drive the car. It's really nice for an old beast.

Lukejt

Lukejt,
Welcome aboard. You will certainly enjoy your new Benz. Which brings me to one small detail,
Merc = Mercury
Benz, Mercedes, great dripper of fluid, all are recognized MB nomenclature.
By the way, you have purchased a very nice model of diesel Mercedes. Enjoy the search feature and all the info it contains, which it sounds like you are well on the way to doing. Facinating reading for we MB dorks.
Again, welcome,
Jimmy

Thanks and thanks.

I've been using the search feature like crazy. This is a great site. I read most of the manual last night. I'm going to try to engage the parking brake while driving per manual to see if it starts working. May have something to do with the new pads overall.

I see that the MB OEM pads and rotors are pretty affordable. Should I just install OEM pads all around to protect the rotors?

Oh yeah, the speaker fader does not work, and the seller just installed a new radio. When adjusting the fader, the volume pretty much drops out on all channels. I'm guessing the radio is not connected correctly.

I purchased this car just wanting an affordable, efficient safe car. I find myself wanting to drive in it, sit in it and look at it all the time. Very cool car. I guess I'm a new Benz fan.

Lukejt

First welcome to the forum! Nice car to. :cool:

Now if the W124 is like the W126 their is a drum brake inside the rear disc's, thats your parking brake. My guess would be that the shoes are worn down and shot, Fastlane could sell you a kit for $36.

Now as to the cheap rear pads if they don't make noise I wouldn't worry about them, MB rotors are soft and don't last long either way. If it bothers you though get a new set of rear pads their cheap.

A few other tips: why your back their replace the soft brake lines if they havn't been done in the last 10 years. They get old and will start to get soft. Their only $10 each so do all 4 and change the brake fluid.

Change all of the fluids and filters, do a search if you have any questions they have all been covered. Do a search on oil and sit back for a days worth of reading! :D

Now you have a 603 diesel their a sweet engine but don't ever overheat it. Never, never, never let the temp get much over 110C. It could cost you $2k+. The original heads were numbered "14" they will crack if overheated. To check your casting number it is stamped on the head right above the 2nd intake runner (I think). Their will be a long MB part number with either a 14 in it or higher. The higher the number the better 22 is the latest. Also make sure to use only MB coolant, flush it right away if something else is in their.

Lukejt,

The non OEM brake pads will not hurt the rotors untill they are worn out. Just use the pads until they are worn out. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The parking brakes are independent from the service brakes. The parking brake is a drum brake inside the rear rotor. There are 2 small brake shoes that are pushed against the drum by the mechanical linkage.

These brake shoes are adjustable thru a bolt hole in the rotor via a star wheel. Often these adjusters rust solid and can't be adjusted. Then they must be replaced. The linings maybe worn out and also might need to be replaced. You have to remove the rotor to get at these brake parts.

P E H

Temperature Sensor
 

The dash temp sensor is supposed to tell you how cold/hot it is outside. This is just information for you, it isn't connected to the computer or anything other than the LCD.

The sensor is under the front bumper. It's about half the diameter of a pencil with a rounded end. To make this thing work correctly, you need to replace it and that means pull out the dash instrument panel (getting to that involves a lot of work).

Mine is 20 degrees off all the time. If it says 55, I know it's 75.

You can get an indoor-outdoor temp gizmus from JC Whitney or even Wallyworld for about $12, with a BIG display. Lots easier to hook up.

I have contempleted replacing the sensor on mine with the sensor on a cheapo version, being as microchips have come a looooong way since 1990 and this might work, but adding 20 degrees is even cheaper. I never needed to know the temperature outside to drive a car before this.

I still do not own a cellphone. But that's just me.

Looks like a nice car. Good luck with it. When you hit 250K Kms. (156,250 miles) the company will give you a neato badge for the grille: just fill out a form and take it to a dealer. Send it in and they will send you a nifty badge. You could get another at 500K and (gasp!) 1,000,000K.

The MBCA is a useful car aficionado's club and puts out the STAR magazine. I find the local South Florida MBCA chapter a lot of fun. Not too many of them actually wrench, unfortunately. It's worth the $45 a year, IMHO.

Lukejt,

Welcome, You'll find this forum very useful. Your brake pads if cheap will begin to make a 'screatching" noise soon and that's an indication that they're worn out. Mine did I went to an Indy and he told me that, the break pads were cheapos not made for Mercedes Benz. So you'll probably have to check that out soon.

I'd suggest going back to the seller and bring all this to his attention. Never hurts to see what you can get done. Of course i'm sure he'll say that it's "sold as is". However, the way he described his car. "Like New". I'd hold him to it. Get all you can from him done right. You probably should take it to a reputable Indy there where you live and have Him check it out for you. Good luck, let us know how it's going.

I'm going to rant for a second or two...

I am disappointed in the advertisement being "as new" etc as well. There are some door dings, just a few. There are a lot of scratches and the paint has come off in a few high wear points. There is no rust though, and the interior is in great condition. I can deal with it, the car still looks really nice for an '87, but in truth it's no where even close to "like new".

I'm not worried about the LCD temp display at all, but again these minor details should have been listed on the ad. There are a few more things that don't quite work correctly or light up etc. Mostly no big deal, and I'll be able to fix most of it cheap (I hope) if I want to.

I noticed quite a bit of oil on some of the lines under the engine and at a gasket on the engine when I picked up the car. I pointed this out to the dealer (it was dark and raining, stupid time to pick up a used car) before handing over the check. The dealer swore it did not leak oil, and said this was "normal seepage". Well, there is a rather large puddle of oil on my driveway where the car was parked overnight. This is the first thing that's really ticked me off about the whole deal.

I specifically asked if it left a stain under the car, and was told no. I did ask him if they would repair any oil leaks if I found them later, and he said yes. We'll see if he keeps his word. I've already paid him, so it's his word or nothing I guess. I read all of his feedback before buying the car, and everybody seemed pretty happy. A few people said he fixed things that were a problem. This was one of the main reasons I decided to buy the car from him via Ebay. We'll see.

(Ahem, I think I fixed the problem, still, his "ace" mechanic could have saved me the time and worry).

Next issue, and this may or may not be his fault. The drivers side front tire was low on air yesterday. I added 30psi of air. This morning it was damn near flat. I don't know if this is a new issue, or if he knew about it. It seems to be leaking air more quickly day by day, so perhaps he didn't realize it would go flat in a couple days. My guess is that he would have had to add air to the tire at least once. I mentioned the tires to him as well, but didn't really push it because I knew I'd be buying new ones.

The Dunlops were sliding all over the road in the rain, so I ordered a set of Yokohama's right away. The Dunlops are not balanced well and ride pretty rough too. I don't want him to pay for the tires, but if he knew one of them was leaking badly, that's screwed up to leave it on there. I'd like to think his mechanic could have done a much better job during the inspection and fluid change.

I replaced all the indicator lamps today as one failed when I got home, and most looked real old.

I hope this car doesn't turn into a money pit. I really like driving it.

Can somebody point me to a more detailed explanation of disabling the EGR? I've read a bunch on it, and seen some pictures but it's not yet crystal clear.

Lukejt

Just took a look and cleaned up the engine and lines where it is leaking oil. Now I should be able to get a better idea exactly where it is coming from. It does not smell like diesel, so I'm pretty sure it is engine oil.

The leak is on the drivers side. Do some of the lines circulate engine oil outside the engine itself? That's where it seems to be coming from. I need to get a shop manual to figure out what is what.

The head is the original 14 part. I see no vapor when taking the oil fill cap off with the engine running.

I'll check it again tomorrow. Off to work.

Lukejt

Luke,

I just sent you an email, give me a call...

Mark

Is the oil under coming from under the drivers side bumper? Their is an oil cooler up their the crimps rot out. New lines cost $351 for my SDL.

Well any dealer that says a diesel MB does not leak oil is full of s&^t. I'm sorry but I have yet to see an old German car that does not leak something. Well unless someone has went through it. Also any dealer that uses "like new" is full of crap. Sounds like you got a good one, as long as the driveline is strong and the body is in good shape everything else is pretty cheap.

I think I over-reacted a bit. I'm pretty sure that I found the source of the leak, and why it was so large. Some of the old style phillips clamps were no longer doing the job as the fuel lines were so compressed. I replaced two of the clamps with new ones and I think I'm good to go. I'll keep an eye on the lines as they are sure to be thin weak at those points.

No wonder the engine was so dirty on that side. The car was pumping diesel fuel all over the place. Guess I'm getting used to the smell already because at first I thought it was oil. Cleaning the engine helped a lot. Wish I had a garage, this car looks like fun to work on.

The dealer did say it did leak, just not a lot. He called it normal seepage.

I'm going to mention that maybe he shouldn't call this "like new", but overall I feel good about the deal (as long as I get a new lens and the PB fixed).

Lukejt

Sorry, my mistake.
 

I did not read the original post thoroughly, misunderstood it to be his engine temperature gauge not working. :o

The park brake sounds like seized cables, check and replace them if needed.