1987 300 Turbo Diesel - 125K miles - 2nd owner - Location San Jose CA

1. Transmission front seal leak, - It does leak, needs 1/2 quart every 6 months. Changed filter and fluid etc.

I have quote to change front seal alone for $1200.

2. AC leak (R12 now) + retrofit to R134,

AC after 1 hr blows hot...2 leaks was reported. A valve change, AC manifolds, hoses recharge retro fit to R134 etc..Quote $1450.

3. 2x Hydraulic mounts collapsed.
Fix quote - $ 475

4. Fuel leak in cylinder#5 injector fittings
Fix one cylinder alone and clean others quote $250.

I do all fluid changes that's it so far.

At this rate is the CAR worth fixing?
I can live with item 1. Item 2 may be. Item 3 and 4..are they serious? I am new here and appreciate all your valuable experience. Any local suggestions for shop's etc.
Thx/Cap

While your replacing the front trans seal, it will never be cheaper to replace the rear engine main seal, a two for one.

There are some here that would encourage you not to convert to R134, but rather stay with the R12, as it is most compatible.

Hydraulic mounts, Hmmm, if you are referring to engine mounts, yes they aren't cheap but this is an easy DIY. To answer your question about "are they serious" They are not absolutely critical for safety, or detrimental to engine, but shaking can be annoying!

Leaks at #5 injector. Might it be a rotted fuel return hose? They will leak with age. I'd replace them all anyway if they haven't in several years. And "serious" smell maybe, and wet driveway, but while leaks are not a good thing, generally there is no fire hazard, but if the injector is leaking from the injector body, it might need to be removed and tightened, but I would send all 6 out for cleaning, re balancing and spray patterns tested.

If this car is generally clean, free of rust, and oil changed when specified, a car like yours with a young 125K, I would say it was worth spending the $3500

Is the leak at the #5 injector fitting at the injector itself, or at the splined nuts at the injection pump? Both are pretty easy fixes, but the latter requires a special socket for removal of the splined nuts.

First, welcome.

Next... LOL at some of those prices!!

You can have those AC hoses rebuilt or look hard for them as overstock, I got mine for $75 new for the SD. Stick with R12, I just got my CFC license here... took me around 5-6 hours start to finish and learned a few things. R12 is just a few dollars more per pound than 134A is anyway. Find the leaks and install new O-rings. Evac the system, new dryer/accumulator, etc.

1 quart every 6 months? If it leaks that little, why worry? And you're certain it's not the converter drain plug or the trans pan gasket? The biggest expense in any trans repair is the labor but $1200??? You can have a rebuilt unit for that money! Shouldn't take much more than 3-4 hours max to remove that unit from a competant trans shop. I'm not sure if the pump has to be removed for the front seal to be replaced or not but not all automatics require that to be done.

I agree about the motor mounts and the lil shock absorbing units there... parts totals to about $125 for those. So that's around $350 in labor, seems steep if a shop has the ability to hold the motor in the air suspended to swap those mounts quick...

Injector problem. That could be that washer it sits on, the line from the IP to the injector, or that stuff that looks like primer detonator cord. The small hose that primes the injectors is easy to do yourself too if that's the leak (my SD did the same). Clean them with some of that Diesel Purge.



Hope that helps... and if not, I'll consider buying your SDL. I know someone (not me) that could use a nice one.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

CAP1415

We have a group of MB owners in the bay area that can advise and direct u on how to go about doing most of the above urself.

PM me and I will add ur name to the locaL list. All of the people on list r pretty helpful.

The '87 300D is relatively easy to work on and it sounds like you can do at least some of these repairs yourself. Here's my list starting with the easiest:

Engine mounts: The mounts are fluid filled which is why you probably think of them as hydraulic. The earlier cars had a little shock absorber next to the left hand engine mount but the later 124 model (which is what you have) does not. The drivers side mount is a piece of cake to replace, the passenger side a bit harder but all tols probably a 2-3 hour job for a person with moderate skills. It's worth doing this as the difference in smoothness is amazing.

Injector leaks: I agree with BusyBenz, try replacing the small cloth covered hoses that run from injector to injector first. These get tired as they get older and will leak fuel down the injector making the injector look like it's leaking. You can buy the hose by the meter at either the dealer or here at Fastlane. This is a very easy job. If the injectors are in fact leaking they aren't hard to remove. Take them to Gus at Pacific Fuel Injection (I think that's the name) in South SF and he'll clean and test them for you. The hard part of this job is that you'll need to remove the intake manifold to get at all the injectors. Actually it's not hard, it just takes some time and you'll need to buy a special wrench and new crush washers for when you replace the injectors. Again, not expensive parts and all can be done with moderate wrenching skills.

A/C repair: I've converted to 134A and am not unhappy with it but then I don't live where we get Texas style heat. If you're going to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in Coyote Valley in August you probably want to stay with R12. 134a is fine if you have some engine RPM to turn the compressor but in slow traffic it can be marginal on really hot days. Go to a good A/C shop (not the dealer) and talk about your options, it shouldn't cost anywhere near as much as you were quoted to fix.

Transmission Leak: This will be a hard fix to do yourself unless you are a pretty good home mechanic. If you are certain it is a seal you might try some transmission stop leak available at most of the auto store chains. Conversely you could just let it continue to leak. As a British car owner take from me, after a while you won't even notice.

Overall it sounds like you are getting quoted dealer prices and you should be able to do far better by finding a good independant mechanic. Better still, try a couple of these jobs yourself. Between searches here and the help of all of us you'll be amazed at what you can learn to do.

__________________
LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

I really thnak and appreciate all the replies, they are very encouraging and informative. To the question of where fule leaks....it is the injector fitting.

I will keep you posted on the progress.

For now I will leave the transmission leak as such and work on others.

Thx again

Correction, only the crossover section of the intake manifold need be removed.