Purchased my 1st diesel, driving it home next month, has vacuum issues?? please help - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

TylerH860 · #1 08-16-2007, 09:41 PM

I took the plunge and bought an 1985 300d on ebay for $2000. (pictured in profile pic) Originally a Louisiana car (pre-katrina I'm sure) no rust (or so he claims, supersize pics look convincing though) with 165k.

Problems: climate control is on heat only, idle slightly rough, engine takes up to 10 secs to shut off, power locks work only when car is on. I know from my 107 that this is likely all related to my vacuum system. Once past Idle, though, the engine runs great and shifts are normal.

I've seen several great tutorials on checking for vacuum leaks, but don't know where to get hand pump or how to operate it. Is there a hose or connection I should look at first based on my description?

Also, any reassurance that I didn't make a horrible purchase decision would be helpful as well. Thanks

Scroll down for more pics of the car

tobybul · #2 08-16-2007, 09:53 PM

Seems to be a decent looking car.... as u said, u have to sort the Katrina stuff yourself...

u can get a mityvac from autozone.. am assuming theres one where u r. its a good tool to have when owning a benz. troubleshooting vacuum leaks is not difficult but requires patience. u will probably not find it at the 1st try. Its a process of elimination thing..

the door elements are notorious for leaking as the bellows wear out and develop a tear. That where my leak was - rear passenger door. leaks would normally be in devices that operate.

the mityvac comes with various connection fittings that will work with the MB vacuum lines. You'll figure it out once u see it.

kerry · #3 08-16-2007, 10:02 PM

Vacuum issues shouldn't be any problem for the drive home. You could simply plug the lines to the doors and climate control with golf tees to assure good vacuum to tranny, and off you go.
I'm afraid that instead of reassurance, you have just caused a bunch of guys to start wondering what a sight unseen Ebay purchase will turn out to be. Sorry. A number of people have reported good luck with such a purchase.

TylerH860 · #4 08-16-2007, 10:02 PM

also thinking about going veggie. Like the price of single tank conversion but sounds too good to be true. I see alot of anti-lovecraft signs, so looking for a similiarly priced kit.

Richard Eldridge · #5 08-16-2007, 10:50 PM

The best advice for fixing the vacuum door locks is to be found in the booklet sold by **************.com. There is probaly enough good advice on this site to fix them as well.

Harbor Freight sells both the MityVac and a cheaper Chinese vacuum pump that seems to be a tad more durable.

My MityVac's gauge just broke off, rendering it useless. I have repaired it with JB Weld, and it seems to work okay, but I bought the HF cheapie pump just in case. Its gauge seems to be attached by a brass, rather than potmetal fitting. I am hoping that this will make it more durable.

A $20 tool that is unavailable at the corner autostore can easily save a day's work. The local yokels at the Autozone and the Advance Autoparts stores have never heard of a vacuum pump or a MityVac, and could not find one even if they had it back behind the desk somewhere.

JimmyL · #6 08-16-2007, 10:58 PM

First and most important thing to note: Merc = Mercury! No exceptions. Clean up that sig mister.......
Car looks nice, but only you will know what kind of shape it is really in, and you'll know before we do.
You can find mucho info here on various ways to track down your vac leaks. You will simply HAVE to get a Mityvac, or similar device. The cheaper version from Harbor Freight only measures vac, not pressure, so that is something to consider. I have the plastic Mityvac, and it has been great.
Keep the pics coming, and keep us posted on your:
Mercedes
Benz
MB
{NOT Merc}

biobenz240d · #7 08-16-2007, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TylerH860

also thinking about going veggie. Like the price of single tank conversion but sounds too good to be true. I see alot of anti-lovecraft signs, so looking for a similiarly priced kit.

I bought 2 mbs on Ebay and was very pleased with both of them. The key is to do your homework like carfax report, email owner ,talk over the phone , request additional pics, check out the ebayers profile and feedback.
As far as going veggie, a 2 tank system is the only way to go , I am more than pleased with the system I put together from parts that I bought on Ebay. It works better than any kit on the market and combined with all the info from this forum and wvo forums , I was able to put together a system that performs way beyond my expectations.

I have logged over 5000 miles on wvo and only changed the filter once after 4000 miles. Prefiltering the oil to 1 micron is the key to eliminating problems.

TylerH860 · #8 08-16-2007, 11:26 PM

here are some more pics of the 123 purchase, feel free to comment either way.

TylerH860 · #9 08-16-2007, 11:27 PM

interior

JimmyL · #10 08-17-2007, 12:39 AM

From the pics Tyler it looks good. I have always liked that color. I have a passenger door leaning up next to the garage in that color.

Interior looks good too. Seating surfaces and wood. I would certainly be optimistic about it if I were you. But again, you will know for sure when you pick it up.
And, I would certainly recognize the over-abundance of 1985 vacuum hose routing anywhere.....
I hope your tach works. It's no fun if it doesn't.

Like that signature too.....

charmalu · #11 08-17-2007, 01:01 AM

It looks like you did good by what the pictures show. you have some
cleaning up to do under the hood. It looks like the PO rerouted the upper
oil cooler hose and used a screw on clamp. If that thing pops off there
or starts leaking while zooming down the highway, you will pump out your
engine oil real fast.
I love that color, don`t see many like that.

Charlie

ImBroke · #12 08-17-2007, 04:05 AM

+1 on what he just said. It'll take less than a half mile to dump your oil, just ask how I know. I caught it, hope you would as well. +1 on the Petrol Blue color as well. Always liked that one, and you don't see them around very much. No pinkamino, which is nice. Good luck with it.

Jim B. · #13 08-17-2007, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyL

First and most important thing to note: Merc = Mercury! No exceptions. Clean up that sig mister.......

Keep the pics coming, and keep us posted on your:
Mercedes
Benz
MB
{NOT Merc}

What are YOU on about?

Have you never been to England or read a British newspaper ad, book or visited a British Mercedes owners' website?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=d8eXlJKR5gk

"Merc" is a perfectly acceptable term for a Mercedes Benz throughout the United Kingdom.

Correct your parochial thinking. The world does NOT begin and end with the United States of America.

Thanks

TylerH860 · #14 08-17-2007, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charmalu

It looks like you did good by what the pictures show. you have some
cleaning up to do under the hood. It looks like the PO rerouted the upper
oil cooler hose and used a screw on clamp. If that thing pops off there
or starts leaking while zooming down the highway, you will pump out your
engine oil real fast.
I love that color, don`t see many like that.

Charlie

Where should this bubble gummed oil line be routed through? Owner claims he did it that way b/c he didn't want to lift the engine. He also claims he drove it for a year + and over 10,000 miles with this fix. Either way I will be sure to watch the oil pressure frequently on the drive home. (8 hours from denver to Wichita, ks) Im also glad people are liking the color; I thought I was the only one.

SD Blue · #15 08-17-2007, 02:01 PM

Well the PO caused more work for himself than he avoided but you don't need to tell him that. The oil cooler lines are routed together until the bend to connect to the top/bottom. To "lift" the engine all that is needed is to remove the bottom bolt of the engine mount, use a bottle jack with a 2x4 on the crank pulley and raise it about 1". Even if he has "driven it for a year" this way, personally I would purchase a new oil cooler line and install it before a long return trip. It is not that difficult of a job and most "bubble-gum" fixes are an accident waiting to happen.