Introducing myself
 

Hello all. Been lurking here a bit, thought I'd finally intro myself now that, today, I've become a proud MB owner. I just picked up a very nice 83 300SD and am excited to begin tinkering with it. I've recently sold my 87 Suzuki Samurai that I installed a VW diesel into and converted to burn used cooking oil. I'll be burning veggie oil in the Benz, too. Looking forward to learning from y'all here.

Welcome aboard Lew, and enjoy your ride!

Welcome!:cool:

You bought a nice car. The W126 is always a good choice.:cool:

ditto
 

welcome

126s are nice cars.

tom w

Welcome aboard.....

Welcome
 

I look forward to reading your posts on veggie fuel.

Have a great day.

126?
 

Umm... I thought I had a 123? It's an 83 300SD...

lew, w126 I have the same car and welcome to the board. steve 83sd

Wow. I feel stupid. Nothing like introducing yourself as a really noob noob, eh?

As you can see, I have a lot to learn.

Would have love to seen your Sami Diesel. Did you put a 1.6 into it or a 1.9?

The Zuk
 

I put a 1.6na into it, then had to drop the tire size down to 31" (from 32) and replace the transfer case with one with 12% lower gears. It does very well with that, gets 30-31 mpg and burns veggie like it loves it. That little truck will go anywhere it'll fit, and it fits in a lot of places. I hate to be shed of it, but am really gonna enjoy the Benz.

Here is what you have.
 

W126 S-Class Sedans

Chassis W126.120
Engine M617.951 I5
Model 300SD Turbo diesel
Years 1981-85
HP 120
Weight 3625
Wheel Base 121.1"

You may want to save this data, you will need it in the future.

Thanks!
 

Thanks for that info. Good stuff to know.

I ran my VIN on another site in their model lookup thing, and it says I have a gas engine ... I'm certain it's wrong.

Welcome to the forum. Finally somone else in my neck of the woods!

Hello, Giant
 

I found your sight a few weeks ago and have read everything you've written, and I sincerely appreciate the knowledge you've shared! Thanks!

Now I know where I'll be ordering my stuff from. And I'll have the added pleasure of cruising in the Merc to save shipping.

Very Happy!
 

Well, I just finished my first tank of diesel and am, so far, well pleased with my W126. I netted 28 mpg mostly commuting to work, which is not highway!

I've discovered, unfortunately, that my tires need to be replaced. Ticks me off. The edges look great, which is honestly all I really looked at when I test drove it, but the centers are flat wore out - driven overinflated, I reckon. They're Dunlops with only 16k on them.

I'm also gonna have to rework the brakes. She pulls to the left firmly when I brake, sometimes worse than others, sometimes hardly at all.

Everything else on the car works like it's meant to. The tranny shifts just as I've read it should, the engine runs like a top, the AC is cold and the temp is constant, the antenna works, the sunroof and all the windows are smooth and quick ... it's awesome.

I'm getting new tires this week (205/65 on my 15" rims to help correct the speedo that's @5 mph slow - but my odometer seems to be spot on) and will then look into the brakes. Y'all have any recommendations on brake parts - where to buy, etc.?

That may be a bad track rod bushing (AKA guide rod bushing) on the left side. They wear out and permit the lower control arm to move rearwards when braking. Depending on which side (usually both wear about the same) is shot, the steering could pull that direction during braking.

Here's some free searches:
Suspension clunk
Frontend parts
More parts

I hadn't thought that it might be suspension related. I'll check out the links provided, thanks!

if that is the problem
 

you prob would be hearing some clunking about when the brakes are applied. the sticking caliper is still the prime candidate in my book. ( if you arent hearing clunking).

tom w

Definately brakes
 

I got new shoes on the beast yesterday and, while the wheels were off, was able to give a cursory inspection to the brakes. The rears are fine. Front, however, needs a brake job. Very little pad left.

My second tank of diesel netted 28.4 mpg. I love it!

The new tires are awesome smooth and quiet. I put 205/65 on my 15" rims, which did correct my speedometer. According to my GPS, I'm no more than 2mph off at any given time.

I also got a bottle of liquid shoe polish in Navy Marine that re-dyed my blue leather seats perfectly. I coated the seats, heavily where it needed it, let it dry, then wiped/buffed them down with a conditioner, which smoothed it all out and removed any excess. I am thorougly impressed with the results. I wish I'd taken before and after pix. I figure for $3 per bottle, I can do this on a somewhat regular basis and keep those seats looking good.

Welcome!
 

The SD is a great car.

Enjoy the ride!

Tom

Welcome!

Cool swap... what trans did you use behind the 1.6L? The Zuk divorced transfer case is ideal for a swap.

Check out the SD-33T I swapped into my Jeep:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/676309

:cool:

The Samurai tranny remained in the truck. I needed lower gearing, though, and so swapped the t-case for an older pre-Samurai t-case (same case, different gears) that simply woke everything up. It is, indeed, an awesome little truck. I hated to sell it, but love my Mercedes. That Jeep of yours is awesome. I remember back when I was a kid I saw a guy with a cummins-powered CJ and thought to myself that it was the ultimate vehicle, and so later built up my Zuk the way I wanted it to be. Then I got older (notice - "got older," not "grew up"), and this old Mercedes is suiting me just fine.

Did some maintenance ...
 

I pulled my ALDA bolt yesterday and found it 80% clogged. I cleaned it up real good with brake cleaner and cleaned out the line and banjo fitting. Noticeable improvement!

I also changed the oil, oil filter and air filter. The records I have show 20w50 being put in this engine (OM617), which I thought was too heavy. I put Delo 400 15w40 in it and immediately noticed a dramatic difference in pickup and power. Cold starts are noticeably smoother (before, it'd "hitch" ever so slightly ... now it just purrs). I must admit that this was the least traumatic oil change I've ever done in my life! I truly admire and appreciate the oil filter design - open the lid, pull out the old filter, put a new one in, then replace the lid. Ingenious! And the same socket that gets that lid loose also fits the drain plug! AMEN!

Next up is some brake work. I'm pulling to the left when braking heavy and the right front pads are worn considerably more than the driver's side, which to me indicates the need for caliper work. Any recommendations; replace or rebuild?

After that, the tranny will be up for service. Has anyone here ever run Auto-RX in the tranny to clean it before servicing?

I've done it both ways. If you rebuild them yourself, you'll need a bit of patience in getting everything thoroughly clean. Additionally, you'll have to rig up something to get the pistons out. Once one piston leaves the cylinder, you can't get the second one out without sealing that open hole.

Additionally, you've got binding in one.......or both......pistons on the left side. This may required you to use the hydraulic system on the vehicle to remove the piston(s). Compressed air won't be strong enough in some cases.

Then, you have the consideration, after doing all the work to remove the pistons, the cylinder or, more importantly, the piston, won't clean up perfectly. The piston must be perfectly clean bright chrome without any corrosion whatsoever or you'll get a leak. The cylinder needs to be very clean without any raised metal, but it does not have to be perfect.

Sometimes you have to spend an hour to polish the rust on the caliper that is outside of the piston seal and underneath the dust boot. You only have .001" clearance per side. Any slight bit of corrosion will raise the metal and prevent installation of the piston.

So.......what's your time worth.;)

Answer
 

Diesel Oil Thread!!!
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/110168-oil-related-topics-%3D-oil-thread-post1098555.html#post1098555

Or insted of going through what Brian said you could just run down to Autozone and get a set of rebuilt calipers with a lifetime warranty. Throw in some new brake hoses and DOT4 fluid and in a couple of hours your done.