You have discovered the tube that conveys the air from the tubo to the intake. Air in that tube is under pressure; if it is leaking you will be short on air for combustion. The end result is that you will be down on power. Loosen the clamps on both ends and reinstall it make sure it is tight. Perhaps it got flipped by someone; you may want to see if it fits better if you flip it over.

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

???Isnt it from the intake to the turbo? The compressed air from the turbo enters directly into the intake manifold if I'm not mistaken.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Yes, you are correct.

My mistake, sorry.

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

I mentioned fuel filters because of the poor fuel mileage and the mention of not staying running without gunning the engine. But perhaps I'm wrong?

__________________
If it ain't broke take it apart and find out why.

1983 300SD, 4 speed
1994 C280
1987 300TD wagon
1996 HD Road King

Ride in Peace Eric Peterson, Harley of Macon

The u-tube fits pretty snug. I usually need to apply silicone grease to get mine on. If it's popping off when you tighten, then the seals are probably pushed in too far. I doubt that is going to affect mileage to that degree.

Yes, IP timing is what I was referring to.

__________________
Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

I definitely don't have the knowledge that other chiming in here have, but... here's my two cents. I'm taking it down a notch.

I was getting similarly poor fuel economy in my '83 300SD, My inline filter "looked" good and my air filter also "looked" okay. Sometimes looks can be deceiving. Those are really cheap parts, so just replace them. Also, and this is really taking it down a notch, are you measuring your mpg correctly? As in, you look at how many miles you put on it since your last fill up, then fill it up and see how many gallons it takes. Then do the math... I only say this because if you just go by the fuel gauge, there's always the chance that the gauge is busted...

If you still have such poor economy with brand new filters, I would have the injectors looked at. Having to throttle it to keep it running when you start up sounds like a fuel delivery thing. You should also look at all the fuel lines for leaks.

Besides that, I agree with Craig. Your transmission is the real issue. The best advice for a beginner is to find a really good indy and drop a few hundred bucks for a head to toe diagnosis of your car.

Those are the steps I'd take being a beginner. Too obvious? Maybe, but this is the type of advice I would have been able to take a few months ago...

__________________
1983 MB 300SD Turbo Diesel

No offense taken Ms Fowler. Were all here just trying to help.

Well, I just reread the original post and it doesn't mention excessive fuel use.
He said it starts out ok with a decrease in power over time. That would point to fuel filters.
Also he did mention there was a sucking sound when he removes the fuel cap. This happens when the fuel tank pressure regulator, for lack of a better term, malfunctions. This is a small little disc shaped part that is located near the left rear tire. Close to where the fuel lines go in and out of the tank. This would cause the loss of power that he mentioned since the IP would have to pull harder against the vacuum in the tank.
That's why I asked that question, Thre's a madness to my method.
I would remove it for a day or 2 and see what happens.
I believe the transmission get vaccum first, right after the brake booster. But since he doesn't have to manually turn off the car I would suspect a smaller leak. Those EGR lines would be the first place I would look. Right after the modulator itself.

Danny

__________________
1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination

dannym,
I guess I better read more carefully. I thought he complained of a cloud of black ( indicated excess fuel ) smoke. He did not mention the color, so it may be gray, white or black.

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Same Car ('85 300SD), Same Problem. All the vac and EGR lines are tight. What about the sucking sound when we open the fuel cap? Almost drilled a hole in it.

The database also refers to a "cat". Is this a catalyst? On a diesel? Do they get plugged up by old engines?

Thanks for all the great feedback. This forum is new to me and the talent here is totally unbelievable.

Gary D.....is this a California car? or a Federal car? If it is a California, then you have extra emissions equipment and possibly a catalyst. I've heard it described as a large "football" in the exhaust -located in the engine bay- and there is some recall information for that. Do a search on "exhaust, recall and cat or catalyst".

The "sucking" is a concern when you open the tank with partial to full fuel. If it only happens when near empty, then I would look elswhere. The "air filter" is located in one of the flex lines coming from the bottom of the fuel tank and looks like a small vacuum element.

__________________
Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )