Hi All,

I have done some extensive searching of these forums and can't quite get the information I need. Perhaps some of you can help.

I recently purchased a 1979 240D. I had some initial trouble with the car that seemed to be resolved by changing the diesel fuel filters and hoses. Although the odometer is broken, I believe that this car has between 150,000 and 200,000 miles on the chassis.

The good news: 1. the car starts right up and idles pretty well when cold. No to very little smoke comes from the tailpipe. 2. The automatic transmission seems to shift very well and at appropriate times.

The bad news: 1. the car is very slow. I mean really, really slow. It is not so much an issue around town, but on the highway any incline produces a dramatic loss of speed. For example, let's say I'm on the highway going 60mph and I hit a slight hill, the speed will drop to 50 very quickly and flooring the accelerator does very little to curb it. If I floor it all the way, sometimes I can get the car to stop decelerating. 2. I feel as though the car is not making any power over about 3000 rpm. This is a problem for accelleration around town and up hills, and a problem for accelleration on the highway for merging and the issues described above.

I have changed the engine oil and filter, changed the diesel fuel filters and hoses, and corrected a vacuum leak since purchasing the car.

Finally, I can't get the cruise control to work. After correcting some vacuum issues, the cruise will work only when I'm holding the cruise control lever in the accelerate position. As soon as I let off of the lever after having set my speed, nothing happens. I can get the acceleration every time by moving the lever, but it never sticks. Any clues there?

Sorry for the babbling, but I would really appreciate any help you can offer.

Thanks