I am the proud owner of a 1982 300SD. Yes, I am a Newbie. Overall, the old girl is in pretty decent shape. She has 97,000 original miles, good power and no smoke. She has an above average interior and fair paint (no rust). I had a local MB certified mechanic look it over and authorized repair of the following:

Valve adjustment
Front brake pads replaced
RPM Sensor replaced

From this day forward I am going to perform the maintenance and repairs myself. There are great resources for DIY repairs and frankly it is pretty fun. Also, I did have a transmission issue that the MB certified mechanic said that I did not need to worry about. It was slipping between 2-3 and 3-4. However, with help from this forum and others I was able to diagnose and repair the vacuum leaks and adjust the modulator and the Bowden cable. The transmission is shifting great now...slightly firm from 1-2 but smooth 2-3 and 3-4. I am glad I looked into it further. Last, this weekend I replaced the rear windshield seal, front shocks, and driver side door seal.

Still to do list:

I would like to replace the driver side inside doorframe seal. It is not the door seal on the perimeter of the door...again it is inside the doorframe. Also, has a felt adhered to the outside of the seal. Does anyone know where I can find this seal?

For parts (including that seal) look no further than the "BUY PARTS" button on the top of this web page, buying there also supports the forum. If the part you need is not listed, just call Phil or Roy, they will find it for you.


When you said "RPM sensor" do you mean the amplifier located on the fender in the engine compartment? or the actual sensor down by the flywheel of the engine....mine has had a dead tach since I got it, and I replaced the amplifier and tach gauge to no avail...I could still replace the sensor....I probably will at some point just to see if it will fix the problem....

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Thanks pawoSD! I will check the "Buy Parts" button for the inside door seal.

In regard to the RPM Sensor, I guess I mean the amplifier on the fender inside the engine compartment. Before you replace the amplifier, remove it and clean both the male and female contacts...and see if that takes care of it. Also, after cleaning the contacts insure that the amplifier is seated properly. Following the replacement of my amp from the MB Mechanic...the tach worked intermittently. I removed the amp and insured the female contacts were clean and tried again. The tach still worked intermittantly. I removed the amp again and for kicks removed the gasket and re-tightened the amp and the tach has worked 100% ever since. The amp gasket is about an 1/16" - 1/8" thick and was apparently preventing good contact. I will replace with a new gasket ASAP to prevent water damage. The moral of my story is to insure that the current amplifier is actually not working before you replace it.