Hehe, I'd be very surprised if this was a rod bender. Besides the white smoke, there's no other symptoms.

__________________
Gabriel
'91 350SD 162k
'83 300SD 210k - rear-ended and scrapped
'84 300SD 210k - totalled

I would agree. If the engine bends a rod, there are no symptoms other than a gradual increase in oil consumption. It takes awhile to ovalize the cylinder until it finally loses compression and the oil consumption goes way up.

Gabe,

My 1983Dt has the same symptoms and I believe that it is the head gasket. The car has a rough idle, but once it revs out it runs okay. I live in Ft. Lauderdale and am also searching for a good/honest mechanic to repair the car. Our diesel mechanic for the last 10 years recently passed away and he worked from his home in Miami. Someone recommended a shop by State Rd 84 and 441, the guys name is Luigi. I am planning to go buy tomorrow, so send me your number and I will call you after finding the shop.

Regards,

Alex
collin380@yahoo.com

I sent yo a PM with a reliable indy MB specialist in Del Ray...Precision Automotive. Knows old MB diesels extremly well and honest.
AA

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

Unless you're losing coolant, and you're getting white-blue smoke, it's not your head gasket. My head gasket blew after it overheated one time, and you would not believe how much smoke it put out. A rough idle could be caused by a lot of things, like maybe a glow plug or two. Does it smooth out once the engine warms up?

The mechanic I took mine to this afternoon is on Hallandale Blvd, called Universal Foreign Car Specialists. I called three foreign car mechanics, and it was a toss-up between them Foreign Car of Hollywood. The guy I talked to, Hank, seemed pretty knowledgeable and profession. I'll find out after he looks at it tomorrow.

__________________
Gabriel
'91 350SD 162k
'83 300SD 210k - rear-ended and scrapped
'84 300SD 210k - totalled

Gabe,

Let me know.

Alex

from the first description given, my bet is that the engine now has at least one broken valve lifter.if so dont let anyone just replace the broken part, you must determine why it broke and eliminate the problem.
larry perkins
80 old cars

The mechanic got back to me. He says it is the turbo, and it's dumping a lot of oil back into the engine. He's removing it and sending it to be rebuilt.

__________________
Gabriel
'91 350SD 162k
'83 300SD 210k - rear-ended and scrapped
'84 300SD 210k - totalled

Well Larry, you were right. The 5th cylinder isn't firing, and there's no compression. I'm probably not gonna put another couple grand into it, so I'll probably just sell it as is.

__________________
Gabriel
'91 350SD 162k
'83 300SD 210k - rear-ended and scrapped
'84 300SD 210k - totalled

Ouch, That really sucks lemon.
Sorry you got such sad news.

Have you considered dropping a good used OM617 into it???

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

I'm not up on my engines. Is the OM617 the 3 liter on the 81-86 models? And if so, how much would that cost to get done?

__________________
Gabriel
'91 350SD 162k
'83 300SD 210k - rear-ended and scrapped
'84 300SD 210k - totalled

Yes, that's the one. It depends if you buy a used/junked or a rebuilt engine. A rebuilt can run you about 3k, then you need to install. A used/junked can cost as little as 1K installed, but you have to do some shopping.