There is oil leaking out of the ignition on my 85 300sd. I noticed there are vacuum hoses going into the ignition, so I imagine that's how the oil is getting there. Anybody know where the source of this oil is? I wouldn't care, but it's getting on the carpet.

The shutoff valve on your injection pump has a torn diaphram, and you will need another one. I will find a link to where I replaced mine on my '85 300TD. Not a hard job at all, you just need to make sure it is connected correctly to the shutoff linkage in the IP.
Also, you dont need to keep driving it until you get your replacement, as you will be injecting oil into your vac lines, which will fill up your brake booster.
Oh, you will also need a couple of gaskets...

Replacement thread:
IP Injection pump shut off shutoff replacement

Shutoff valve from Fastlane
http://catalog.eautopartscatalog.com/mercedesshop/sophio/quote.jsp?clientid=catalog.mercedesshop&cookieid=1OS1AQYWM1OS1ARF3Y&baseurl=http://catalog.peachparts.com/&partner=mercedesshop&year=1985&product=D2020-11537&application=000004565

Shutoff valve from Perf. Products (quite a $ difference!)
http://catalog.eautopartscatalog.com/mercedesshop/sophio/quote.jsp?clientid=catalog.mercedesshop&cookieid=1OS1AQYWM1OS1ARF3Y&baseurl=http://catalog.peachparts.com/&partner=mercedesshop&year=1985&product=D2020-11537&application=000004565

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I read your repair post, and noticed you had some problems with shifting after the repair. Did you figure out what was causing that? I am wondering if I really need to do this repair, It's not leaking enough to run on my leg. It's mostly on the carpet to the side right below the kick panel. The oil at the ingition is more like a grease, very little of it was fluid, so I imagine that it is a very slow leak and most of it just solidified into grease. But I guess it is something I should plan on replacing down the road once the weather warms up!

I'd say you need to do it because oil filling up your vac system and your brake booster is taking unnecessary risks when all you need to do is replace a part with information you can find on here.

__________________
Seth

1984 300D 225K
1985 300D Donor body
1985 300D Turbo 165K. Totaled. Donor Engine. It runs!!!
1980 300SD 311K My New Baby.
1979 BMW 633csi 62K+++? Dead odo

"J",

If you wait long enough the oil will get pulled into the HVAC system (pods, Etc.)
Then you will have a fun time!
A lesson I did not need to learn on my '84SD!

My shifting problems was a binding of the linkage on the vac. adj. on the back of the IP (tranny adj). I put it back wrong the first time.
You CANNOT let this ride and hope it doesn't get worse for awhile. Several reasons. First, your brake booster could, and eventually will fill up with oil. Dangerous for braking, and expensive to replace. The oil will also contaminate your climate control stuff ie: those switching valves behind CCU, the vac elements, etc....
Your door lock vac system will contaminate...
Get the picture, oil oil everywhere. Not to mention your car will eventually fail to shutoff with the key.
It is broke, it needs to be fixed. It's easy to do. DO IT

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

This needs to be replaced now, as it is a disaster just waiting to happen. That oil will get into every line under the dash and drive you crazy. It can also get into a lot of the Climate control electrical plug connections via some strange drool down paths. The PO of our car let it go way too far and it was all over everywhere.

__________________
1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150

If you have to drive the car, unplug the shut-off line and cap it. That way it won't suck in more oil and you can use the manuel shutdown lever until you replace the valve.

$68 at Fastlane

Also need gasket

__________________
Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

You could've caught this early on if you placed an inline filter in the vacuum line that connects from the main brake booster line to the 4/way valve that has the lines that go to the cabin. I placed mine on yesterday, it's shutting off faster now, another benefit.

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

That sounds interesting. Where did you get the inline filter, and is it just a generic vac filter? I wonder if it should be placed in the line from the IP. My '85 has a million vac lines. Is the IP shutoff the only potential oil supply, or can the vac pump also send it?

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I used one of these filters, I got it from the local BapGeon Foreign Auto Parts stores in town, $1.75 each.



Here's the instructions on where to place it
http://www.mbca.org/pages/tech/MBCA_diesel_run.htm (It's down towards the bottom.)

It should be placed on the vacuum line to the brake booster.

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.