What else can I do? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jim messina · #1 06-11-2007, 07:15 PM

Bought a beautiful old 83 300 sd a couple of months back. She is a rare beauty never driven in the winter time, not a speck of rust anywhere. Bought it from a retired doctor around 75 yrs old. He took pretty good care of it with darn good maintence records to prove it. The car still has origanal paint which is also in excellent shape. The interior I would rate as very good looks like the back seat was never sat in. about 3 k before I bought it he put new injecters, glow plugs, left and right front thrust mount inserts, sway bar links, adjusted fuel injector pump timing, new stainless exhaust from front to back, front brake rotors and pads, 4 new tires. It got a new ac compressor at 107 k, new steering damper and water pump at 120 k. He got it serviced every 15 k at the dealer. It now has 166k on it and I have changed fuel filters, flushed cooling system and added g5, new air filter, cleaned banjo bolts and lines, adjusted alda, cleaned fins on radiator, window regulator drivers door. I now have timing chain and guides paranoia and getting that done tommorow along with a valve adjustment for 815 dollars which I think is reasonable. Putting new shocks on this weekend. The car has pretty good low end power and hardley produces any black smoke. Anybody have anymore tips maintence wise?? Would love to post a pic but can't figure out how to shrink the file size. Can anyone tell me how? I owe alot to this site and the guys who frequent it. Good solid knowledge and advice and I sure appreciate that and will buy all my diy parts here from roy, hes been a super dude.

Thanks Jim

Jim B. · #2 06-11-2007, 08:14 PM

Forget it, it's complete piece of junk, and on its last legs. Not worth anything at all.

I'll give you $150 if you ship it here.

j/k

It sounds like it's very up to snuff maintenance wise, and probably needs little. I'm really reaching here. How recently have the filters been changed?
The brake fluid should be bled every two years, is it ok? The original radiator had an unreinforced plastic hose neck which over time tended to crumble. The good replacement ones (Behr, and Nissen) don't have this problem. Maybe replace it as a consumable one, if it is original? New thermostat too?

How are the wiper blades, fan belts and hoses? Has it ever had a diesel purge? The ATF fluid needs to be changed about each 15k-30k. When was the last time the flex discs and motor mounts were refreshed?

Best shock absorbers for your particular car would be Bilstein "comfort" shocks, if you haven't got them just yet. If your car has a sunroof, have the track rails greased with the special Mercedes Benz lube it requires.

MAYBE think about the rear diff fluid refreshed. If you are doing the timing chain, do get the tensioner and plastic guide rail replaced at the same time.

Open the hood and check below the windshield, clean out all the leaves and debris from one side to another, all that crap can clog up the drains on each side and cause misery, rust and leaks.

I honestly can't think of anything else at the moment. Further maintenance tips would be in your owners manual, and also, for the W126 chassis, take a quick look at the buyers guide for the 560SEC for a few tips applicable to your sedan. Click: www.mbcoupes.com A little dated, as I co-wrote it in 1999, but worth a look..

Your car ought to last you 500,000 more miles. A good '83 SD is one of the best cars, and best diesels, that Mercedes Benz made. You have a real good one there.

As for the pictures, everyone here would like to see them. (It is newbie protocol, to show them if you can anyhow. Somehow, I was able to shrink mine, using the CP signature and avatar instructions. More help is available
in the Software Help questions section at the bottom.

I have been told that setting up a photobucket account will help you to set up the gallery of pictures for your car.

barry123400 · #3 06-11-2007, 08:47 PM

Did I understand 800.00 plus to change the timing chain plus guides and adjust the valves? Basically. Are you aware of the amount of chain stretch present? It may still be well within allowable limits.
An inspection of the amount of chain stretch and condition of the guides I could see. If the milage is authentic and oil changes were done on schedule I suspect it should not be required yet.
I would just do what is sensibly really required and save the money for replacement or rebuilding of the transmission when it is needed at some point. I also think I would locate another garage as well.
Talk to other older mercedes owners in your area for a refference to a good and honest independant mercedes shop charging fair market rates. Or a mercedes mechanic doing a little work on the side. They still exist in some areas. It"s up to you to find them.
These cars are basically for some owner involvement in the understanding and repair area. Otherwise they can become a money pit of unimaginable severity.
By and large with the exception of a few dealers with total integrity you should not take an older mercedes to a mercedes dealer. I stood in a line with people picking up their cars and paying the bills at a dealer in Maine for basically simple work. It was shocking to say the least and almost criminal to boot what they were charging. These customers I assume just did not know any better. Although one old girl did question a 500.00 charge to change a switch and I listened to the lying by the service advisor. It was very creative but still remained just lying and fraud.
When they adjusted the injection pump timing 3k ago if that chain was anywhere near requiring a change they would have told him.
I know I sound extremely harsh but my experiences with car dealerships have been so bad that I decided to do my own work years ago. Plus take the time to find good same brand mechanics that do a little work on the side in the evenings and weekends to repair anything I did not have time or the desire to do myself. I suspect the resultant bills were between 1/4 and 1/2 the dealers normal charges.

dawsonj3 · #4 06-11-2007, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim messina

Bought a beautiful old 83 300 sd a couple of months back. She is a rare beauty never driven in the winter time, not a speck of rust anywhere. Bought it from a retired doctor around 75 yrs old. He took pretty good care of it with darn good maintence records to prove it. The car still has origanal paint which is also in excellent shape. The interior I would rate as very good looks like the back seat was never sat in. about 3 k before I bought it he put new injecters, glow plugs, left and right front thrust mount inserts, sway bar links, adjusted fuel injector pump timing, new stainless exhaust from front to back, front brake rotors and pads, 4 new tires. It got a new ac compressor at 107 k, new steering damper and water pump at 120 k. He got it serviced every 15 k at the dealer. It now has 166k on it and I have changed fuel filters, flushed cooling system and added g5, new air filter, cleaned banjo bolts and lines, adjusted alda, cleaned fins on radiator, window regulator drivers door. I now have timing chain and guides paranoia and getting that done tommorow along with a valve adjustment for 815 dollars which I think is reasonable. Putting new shocks on this weekend. The car has pretty good low end power and hardley produces any black smoke. Anybody have anymore tips maintence wise?? Would love to post a pic but can't figure out how to shrink the file size. Can anyone tell me how? I owe alot to this site and the guys who frequent it. Good solid knowledge and advice and I sure appreciate that and will buy all my diy parts here from roy, hes been a super dude.

Thanks Jim

Jim, Good to see you on the forum, I met you the other day at the MBCA meeting. Regarding your vehicle - I don't see any mention of a transmission fluid and filter change - this should be performed every 30K.
Roy had mentioned adjusting the valves - you'll find that the engine starts quicker and has better overall power after performing this. www.dieselgiant.com has an overview of this procedure - or you can just ask Roy. Also, how about those rear disk brakes? What color is the brake fluid - if its not clear, its time for a system flush.

-Jeff

biobenz240d · #5 06-11-2007, 09:38 PM

I would pull out all the floor mats and carpeting . I have not seen a Mercedes yet that didn't have a windshield ,front or back, that did not leak. Which causes the floor to rust out.

pjc · #6 06-11-2007, 10:29 PM

Assuming you have Windows XP (or Vista) and MS Office, try the following steps:

- open Windows Explorer
- find the folder with the desired photo
- right click on the photo and select Edit (this will open MS Office Picture Manager)
- under Change picture size, click Compress Pictures, then select Compress for web pages
- At lower right, look at original and compressed sizes to make sure compressed size (probably 57.6 kb) is small enough (this forum limits photo size to 65 kb)

If that doesn't work, you'll need to find someone with a program that allows manipulation of file sizes, like Photoshop. But note: Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.2, Adobe's free program, doesn't have that capacity; you'll need a more powerful program.

vstech · #7 06-11-2007, 10:45 PM

welcome to the forum!
I just upload the entire photo to www.photobucket.com and paste the img link into my response window... simple!
of course, then anybody wanting to view the page has to load a large image... I hope y'all have highspeed!

anyway, photobucket also has image resizing buttons, for avatar, email, forum, and full size... simple as clicking.

RNCarl · #8 06-11-2007, 11:01 PM

That's not SNOW in Mount Holly is it???

Jim,

Jim B. was trying to rip you off offering $150... I'll give you $450 CASH and come personally to take it off your hands!

Welcome, I have a 83 300SD and I wish I could say it is in the same shape as yours!

C.

vstech · #9 06-11-2007, 11:08 PM

well, technically it's sleet... from february...not recent. we havn't had snow in two or three years...
anyway, back to the discussion

jim messina · #10 06-12-2007, 05:12 AM

Barry,
I am not having car serviced at the dealer, I am taking it to a shop that came highley recommended by this site. Replaceing the guide rails and chain and tensioners was also recommended by some highley respected people at this site. Most people I talked to do it at 100 k. I am quite sure Motor Werks will do the inspection as we dicussed before replacement, although most people I talked to said just change it why take any chances because if it breaks will be quite expensive. Any of you other guys care to comment on this issue?? Jim B. most of the stuff you mentioned was done as part of the 15000 mile maintence when he took it to the dealer I replaced all the filters when I got it. Brake fluid looks good but will change it this spring after I pull it out of storage, its never seen a michigan winter and won't as long as I own it. I thought 800 dollars was reasonable to do the work 6 hrs labor and 280 dollars for parts. the valve adjustment alone was 150 dollars so that leaves 650 to replace chain tensioner and guide rails. Most places I called were over 1 thousand one was 1400. Thanks to all who replied good advice is hard to come by.

Jim

toomany MBZ · #11 06-12-2007, 05:53 AM

Sounds like you have a pretty nice ride. On top of maintenance too. Mine has window issues, and the idle is ROUGH! Still trying to pinpoint that. I've got 185k on it, I like it. My daily driver. Just down loaded photobucket, will try to send a pic soon. Enjoy.

barry123400 · #12 06-12-2007, 10:38 AM

As a general rule the chains do not just let go. There is no percentage in changing them if the stretch is well within sensible limits. I am glad you are having it checked first. Many garages would change a chain just on request with no real need. It always takes a dial gauge to accuratly determine the amount of chain stretch. Twenty five dollars from harbour freight buys one good enough and useful for many other things.
The critical thing is to look at the guides for wear and integrity. If they break up then you can loose your chain. This is the usual senario by the way not the chain letting go itself. A really worn chain just damages the sprockets and affects timing. If the oil has been changed regularily the chain can remain safely serviceable for a lot of miles. There is also no milage for this job. It should only be done if required on actual results of checking it properly from time to time. The chain is also the item that wears the greatest with inadaquate oil changes.
The failures you read about in the vast majority are usually cars with great accumulated milage. No matter what the odometer states. Also the chain and guides basically where never checked properly at reasonable intervals. The other senario is the car was from a negligent owner that never changed oil regularily. I personally expect this is the real issue usually.
In your case primarily because of the owners age and him the only owner you have been lucky enough to aquire a car with a good possibility of original miles and frequent oil changes.
I always check my chain stretch and condition of the guides when aquiring any new example of this type. Just in case the last owner never checked it and why loose an engine or cause damage to the sprockets because of that? Remember some people out there think a diesel engine does not require anything as well.
If mercedes thought that 100-150 k was a reasonable change period with a well maintained vehicle they would have opted for a rubber belt drive instead of a very strong chain. I suspect 300 k might be about the time a chain and guides where worn enough to justify the change with proper oil changes using diesel spec oil.
As for todays service rates in your area they are high in comparison to my area. For instance to compensate a little you could buy a set of valve wrenches and do the valve clearance and adjustment check every fifteen thousand miles yourself. If you keep the car for say another 100k it would save you another thousand dollars alone for just the simple recommended valve checks. I suspect your car will go another 100k quite easily with a little luck by the way.
I really like examples like yours with reasonably low milage and records to boot. They are not at all that common in my opinion. Should be a pleasure for you to own.

jim messina · #13 06-12-2007, 08:05 PM

Barry appreciate your advice but when a ase master mechanic says just change it thats what I will do. note : And its not the shop I took it too. I believe for the money spent its good gp after all the car is 24 years old with 160 k. I will just change it and worry about it no furthur if any part of those guides break off it becomes a parts car and I am not ready to let go of her just yet. Talked to a mb dealer here in michigan today and he said it was recommended at 100 k. Thier price 1800 dollars so guess 650 not too bad eh? I got a super deal on the car so mind putting a few bucks into her.

Thanks Jim

jim messina · #14 06-12-2007, 08:18 PM

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Here are the pics of the car

barry123400 · #15 06-13-2007, 10:01 AM

I understand your point of view and it is your money. I also believe in preventative maintenance by the way. If we all thought the same it would be pretty boring as well. What makes a person feel comforatable is important too.