Replaced all brake lines by professional shop. Good place. Now I bring car home-barely. The engine would run fine at idle. Sitting running the rpm's up two 2500 sounds fine. The drive home was awful. I could'nt get past 40 mph with out the car upfront makeing a loud bumping sound and engine felt like it was trying to fall through on the drivers side. then I would back off the acelerater to 35mph and everything would go back to normal. Now I'm home and find a leak at the center of the back axle. It's the fuel line inside one of those goofy clamps that hold the brake lines also. Would this be the loss of power problem then the surge of engine noise and power? Shifting also was smooth for a 1981 300sd with 135k.

Brent, are you sure you still have a motor mount there?
You certainly have to fix that leak...but there is something going on in the front...

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Motor mounts and engine shocks combined 2wks back same shop. Weather was to cold with no garage. Now in 70's and driving car again since three months parked.

That is your problem.
Plan on a full weekend to be safe.

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Whunter whats your ideas on this. Engine choking because not enough fuel in system. Lack of continual maintenance on car maybe? Or This ride is giving me some serious weekends of hell.

A cracked corroded and leaking fuel line = sucking air = foam = the symptoms you have.
I have replaced both lines in roughly one hour on a hoist = emergency = but it was a mess and I removed and repaired correctly three days later.

Don't overlook clogged primary and/or secondary fuel filters.

Wes

This site is the best. I ve got foam coming out of the top of large fuel filter also. This explains the surge and then loss of power. Blagoi's (name of shop) have never led me wrong I think with all the brake line replacement could and did dislodge the gunk that was probably preventing the now serious leak that it is. Thanks again. Brent To add I did replace the master cylinder and lines to the front brakes. I am lazy, but I still have to get out.

I've replaced a number of fuel lines with rubber splicing. Yea, it can be messy but its straight forward and easy. Get the right stuff and some nylon ties and an appetite for diesel.

Don

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It's very common for fuel lines to leak after you replace the brake line. There are 2 fuel lines and one brake line running together along the left side of the car. They are all held by the same clamps. The lines rust under the clamps and when you take the clamp off to change one line, the rust falls off and the other lines leak.

My 85 300SD just went through this. By the way, it takes precisely 15 feet of 5/16 tubing to replace each fuel line on a 300SD.

Here is a thread on replacing your own fuel lines. You might as well replace all 3 lines or in your case both fuel lines as the brake line is new.

I found it easiest on my car, to do the lines in 2 sections with a connection in the middle. When they build the car they obviously put the lines on the body before they put the body on the subframes.

Here is the link to the fuel line thread, there is some useful advice here.

Replace Rusty Fuel Lines