I have a 1980 300sd turbo. At idle the engine wobbles (shakes) It does it most of the time. Some times it doesn't do it at all. Sometimes If im at a light and give it some gas and bring the RPM up to 1500 for about 10-15 seconds then stop and let it return back to idle. The wobble is gone and idles great.. Not all the time though.
Thanks for any ideas!

Does your IP have a rack damper pin? If you have the old style primer, is the handle locked in place firmly?

Sixto
87 300D

Go with sixto, I think you have one, it's a turbo right?

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83 SD

84 CD

There is no rack damper pin on the 1980 300SD.

I am experiencing the exact same issue with mine. Here are the possible causes:

Engine needs a valve adjustment. (do anyways if it has not been done in a while.)

Bad motor mounts. (replaced mine with no benefit)

Bad engine shocks.

If you are getting excess white/gray smoke indicating unburnt fuel you might have a dribbling injector thats loading up the cylinder. Check your oil level and make sure it is not going up or getting thinner.

If this is the case then do the following:
When the engine is completely warm get a temp gun and shoot the exhaust manifold for each cyl to see if one has a lower temp that indicates your problem cyl. If this is your problem fix the injector ASAP before it causes compression loss! Also, change your oil. Bad injectors ruin more engines than you can believe.

Worse case : you have a cylinder with low compression.

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Current Cars:
1980 300SD 201k daily driver
1960 190D 468k My Dad's car i hope to get running 1 day
2004 Acura TL 3.2 32k
1997 Honda Civic 63k
1989 Jeep Cherokee 166k
1960 GMC 1-ton 4x4 350ci v6 56k
1984 Ford F350 150K 1-ton crew cab dually
1976 Ford F350 157K crew cab 4x4 w/354 Perkins, Clark 5spd, Browning 4spd

Thanks guys! i"ll try some of those ideas this weekend and let you know how it turns out.
Thanks again for your help..

could this be under a different name? Thanks

Yes there is. The engine in my 240D is from a 80 300SD and I have removed the rack damper before. If it is a turbo 617 it has a rack damper pin.

Norcalwood - try a search for "rack damper". There are several good threads that will show you where it is and how to adjust or replace it.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

I adjusted the rack damper pin about two turns in and no wobble.. I used the links. I still have no idea what the rack damper pin does.. Thanks everyone for your help..

It stops wobbles

Sixto
87 300D

Rather well, too!

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83 SD

84 CD

Mine tends to do the same thing that you describe. Where is rack dampner pin located?

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1989 300E
103,500 miles

1982 300SD
Sold but not forgotten

At the back side of the IP. There's a set screw held by a nut that takes a 13mm(?) wrench. If the set screw is silver, it's the old style. The new style is gold/brass in color and has a much stiffer internal spring.

Sixto
87 300D

Here's an image from Fastlane - http://img.eautopartscatalog.com/live/D203017407BOS.JPG

The bolt head and a nut over the middle set of threads is what you'll see. The rest will be inside the IP.

Sixto
87 300D

Is it physically part of the IP, or is it behind the IP?

Thanks,

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1989 300E
103,500 miles

1982 300SD
Sold but not forgotten

After some digging around I found this post with a picture of the rack dampner. Going to play around with it this weekend.

Thanks

Attached Images

 

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1989 300E
103,500 miles

1982 300SD
Sold but not forgotten