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1984 300D - Some Questions
Greetings all.
I just purchased a 1984 Mercedes 300D and I have a few questions about it. I bought the car from my boss, who knows a little about diesel engines, but he says he's not as knowledgable about the older ones. I know next to nothing about car engines, but I have a friend who can help me if anyone here can give some insight. 1. When I begin to accelerate, it takes about 4 seconds for the engine to actually respond to the pedal. The car will roll forward, as most cars do when they are in drive, but the engine will not accelerate until about 4 seconds after I press the pedal. My boss thinks the turbo is going out, but I'm not sure. Driving in the "S" (sport?) gear helps a little, but not much. Any ideas? 2. The A/C blows air but does not get cold. What could be the cause of this, and how much would you guys estimate it would cost to repair? I live in Fort Worth, TX and it's freaking 105 degrees here LOL. 3. How the heck do you change the radio station? It's got the original factory radio in it, but I can't get the station to tune at all. I've tried every button (I think). Am I missing something? Thanks for any help anyone could provide. |
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I just completely rebuilt my A/C. New compressor, parallel flow condenser, exp valve, dryer, pressure/temp switches, several custom built hoses and R-12. Total investment about $450 and about 4 hours labor. 40-45 degree vent temps at 100F ambient. If you want to keep your stock condenser, you can do this for about $300, assuming your CCA and push-button unit is good. The condenser upgrade is well worth it. |
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You will need to adjust the ALDA on top of the injection pump. This gives the needed increase in acceleration fueling to build torque and then boost pressure. A very, very rare problem is the torque convertor with a siezed stator.....this causes no torque multiplication at low rpm's. (A feeling like pulling away in 3rd gear at very low rpm's.) .
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[http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/01/14/youve-got-problems-not-issues/ ] "A liberal is someone who feels they owe a great debt to their fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money." |
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Check/ clean the banjo bolt.
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Thanks for all your replies.
As for the A/C, an inspection of the components by my car-savvy friend showed that all the componets appeared to be in proper working order. There was a receipt in the glove box for an a/c recharged, dated in 1998. So I'm going to try a recharge first. Quote:
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Sorry guys, I don't know much about engines at all (and even less about foreign engines). Is there an online resource to find this information? Thanks again for your replies, and any other insight is welcome. |
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Think twice before before 'converting' or moving to any of the junk refrigerants.... |
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Tim,
I know an absolutely great MB-only mechanic in Colleyville. Honest and reasonable. Not cheap, reasonable. You simply can trust what he tells you. Let me know... BTW, on your radio, does the antenna come up?
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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 |
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However, if he won't work on my car, I might go with your Colleyville guy. As for the antenna, from what I have observed so far (I got the car at about 2pm today, so haven't had it for long) it has it's own mind... it's the luck of the draw when I push the antenna button. I got it to go all the way up, then down, then back up, and now it won't move LOL. Not too big of a deal, though. |
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Can anyone tell me how to adjust the ALDA or a source where I can find that information?
Thanks |
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Congrats on the new car!!!
Before replacing the antenna, if it actually came all the way up, maybe it needs to be lubricated. If you can get them, and want to splurge a bit, get Hirschmann antenna wipes and wipe once a week. Don't use WD40 because it will attract dirt to the antenna and muck it up eventually. Is it the factory Becker radio? They are not one of the strong point for these cars. Maybe there was the factory MB radio pamphlet that came with the car to help you understand the operation of the unit? If not, maybe one could turn up at ebay or a MB junkyard; better yet, there are any number of Alpine and other aftermarket units that will fit in pretty nicely. Keep with the original R12 refrigerant in the car, the R134 or other substitutes do NOT perform as well in your car, and the cost to convert is not worth it. For what it's worth, the Becker radio and the Air conditioning are the 2 most common weak points of these older Mercedes, so you didn't get a lemon car, just one with typical issues. Your particular car is one of the very best Mercedes models out there, so without knowing more, I think-and many here would probably agree with me- that you have just acquired one really nice car, and if you can keep up with the routine service and repairs, the car will last you to intergalactic mileages! Theswe are really, really good cars!
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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ... 1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold) 2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp 1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k 2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold) |
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I could tell you, or you could just search, and find so much information that your head will have a tendency to explode. This forum is the best source of information you'll ever receive for free. Spend some time reading, and you'll be speaking Mercedes in no time. Not trying to be a smart butt, just trying to help ya out. Welcome aboard, and enjoy your Mercedes.
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79 MB 280 SEL Euro 133k 77 MB 450SL 154k 05 Mustang GT Vert (3) 104k 12 TSX Wagon Tech (66k) (192k) 06 Subaru Outback base (135k) 164k 16 Acura MDX (109k) 111k 18 Silverado 2500 LTZ Midnight (212) 56k 97 Ford Ranger 163k 11 RAV4 154k 01 Escape 173k 04 Honda Pilot 292k 1967 Mustang (Resto Project) 1968 Mustang (Parts Bin) 00 Ford Ranger 124k |
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As for the ALDA, I'll keep up my searching, but I am also going to purchase a service book on the car. I would assume the process would be in there, complete with pictures. Here is my planned list of fixes and improvements: 1. New CD player and 4 new speakers. 2. Reupholstery of the 2 front seats. Amazingly, the back seat is in very good condition for it's age, as is the headliner and sunroof (there is not a bit of rust on the entire car). 3. Finding a way to make the dashboard / instrument cluster lights brighter. How the heck did anyone deal with this in 1984? It's just as dark now as it was then LOL. 4. Fixing the A/C (preferably as soon as possible, since it is averaging 105 degrees during the day right now, but if I need a whole new A/C system, I'll have to save and have it done before next summer). I'm going to try the recharge first. 5. Fix the acceleration problem, hopefuly as simple as adjusting the ALDA, if I can figure out how . I also plan to take a look at all the filters on the car. I have no idea when they were last replaced. 6. Possibly buy a new instrument cluster altogether, as the fuel guage occasionally bounces around, and is hopefully inaccurate, because when I drove it home today from Irving (about 30 miles), the guage showed that I used about 1/4 tank of diesel, which I know is wrong. I haven't driven it long enough to figure out the gas mileage yet, and even if I had, the odometer and trip meter don't work, LOL. 7. Fix a few small things, such as the front dome light, which seems to operate with a mind of its own. It does not come on when the door is opened unless I fiddle with the knob on it. Unless it decides cto randomly come on while driving. There are a few pieces of plastic trim inside and outside the car that need replacing, a few junkayrd trips should do the trick. The lights that illuminate the shifter (P, N, D, etc) are going out, they go on and off at random. The seat belt light likes to flash at me whenever I go over a bump, maybe a little short in the system. A few of the rubber trim pieces in different sections of the car have come loose, easily fixed as well. And finally, the car shakes badly when it idles... I don't know how to fix this, or for all I know, it might be normal. I am going to purchase a service book on the car so I can fix most minor things myself. And here are some interesting facts about the car (if anyone cares, LOL): 1. The glove compartment contained the original bill of sale. The first owner purchased the car in Lewisville, TX on Septemeber 10, 1984 for about $4,500. A Carfax report that I ran showed that I am the 8th owner of this car, and it has a clean title history. It has never been owned by anyone who lived outside of the DFW Metroplex (6 owners in Dallas, 2 in Fort Worth). 2. The original first aid kit that came from the factory is still in the back, in its white bag, and nothing in it has ever been touched. 3. There was a brand new tire in the trunk, along with the spare, and an entire unopened package of roofing shingles, which amazingly match the color of my roof exactly. 4. There is absolutely no rust on the car, which astounds me for it's age. That paint job is brand new, and the only body damage is on the roof, where it appears a rock or hailstone caused a single small dent before the new paint job was put on. 5. The entire engine is very clean for its age. It obviously was washed, but all of the parts are in excellent condition with no visible wear. So anyways, that's the low down on my new car. So, if anyone made it this far, do you think I got a good deal? |
#13
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You got it for a real cheap price
Considering that non running parts cars that are '84 300Ds can run $500-$700 if all you paid was $1000, and the only problems the car has are those you described, you got a HELL of a good deal. Your boss must really like you.
Rust was a big enemy of these particular cars, but if yours lived its life around the DFW area that is a non issue... If it'a an '84 US model it would probably be the turbo model, so that's a plus too. The prices are going up quick for these, because of the interest in WVO/biodiesel conversions that so many are being put to.... You did not mention the mileage on your car, and might not know it anyhow if the odometer is kaput, but one really cheap preventative fix you might undertake is to clean or replace all the fuses. A lot of times, people get talked into unnecessary repairs when all that was needed was a fuse!!! That's pretty amazing the original bill of sale and the first aid kit lasted unused, and the spare tire too, through 8 tiers of owners though probably the tool kit (if it had one) would be gone. If you can find one (and the mounting clip for it) a good accessory would be a warndreiech ("warning triangle") which all the European spec/grey market W123 cars had. All of the cars, including yours, came with the holes for the clip and the triangle feet to slip right in to the trunk lid. This neat safety item was unfortunately required by the DOT to be deleted for U.S. bound cars Get a picture up for everyone to look at when you get a chance...
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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ... 1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold) 2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp 1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k 2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold) |
#14
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For the fuel gauge, remove the sender in the tank and clean it out. Should help, I got a ton of black crud from inside. For the dash lights, clean the bulbs, and people are reporting good results from painting the reflectors white or even covering them with aluminum foil. |
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Very useful information, though, thank you. And thank you for your other information as well. Quote:
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I did not find any kinf of tool kit, so you might be right about it being gone. What did it look like, and what was included in it? |
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