I have an '85 300D turbo, and I've been slowly trying to find the vacuum leaks on it. I believe I have all the ones under the hood and am now about to go through the interior's locking system. But I drive the car regularly and use the engine shutoff lever. First is this bad to do? Second on some longer drivers it will shut off with the key. On about half of my short drivers especially if I'm just pulling it into the garage to put it on jacks it won't shut off with the shutoff lever. What happens is that it struggles to keep going and the air intake filter housing shakes like crazy as I hold the level down. I figured out that if I use the linkage to rev the engine a few times the the shutoff lever works but after the engine stops I usually hear the turbocharger making a "power down" noise. Any advice?

Also, can Dexron 3 or 4 AT fluid be used instead of Dexron 2. The manual says Dexron 2 but nobody really carries that anymore. Thanks

Yes, you can use that manual stop lever as often as you want. It's tough, won't bend, and typically it takes more of a push to stop that engine then you would think. I'd suggest, since you're loosing vacuum and are having trouble with the locks, that first of all you pull the vacuum from the door lock system. You can do that just to the left (as you look at it) of the power brake. There near the firewall you will see a bright yellow device which I think is the door lock vacuum check valve. Pull the hose off the front of that yellow thingy, then take a golf tee or a nail or something that will plug the vacuum on the engine side. That might give you enough vacuum to stop the engine until you can fix the whole system. You of course will need a "mighty vac" or some such tool to help sort out the vacuum. They are not expensive and are really neccesary when sorting out the leaks.

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

Temporarily, just run a piece of vacuum hose from the shut off valve out through the cowl and suck on it to shut your engine off. It'll save you having to open the hood.

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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

Now wouldn't that be an impressive first date? "Excuse me while I suck on this little dirty hose to shut off my car that I'm sure you hate because it's old and stinky". Maybe on the 3rd date you can get her to suck it for you...

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<insert>clever statement</insert>

LOL

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83 SD

84 CD

Great idea. I wonder if I can soften my 1-2 shift by sucking on the transmission vacuum line.

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85 300D 75K Anthracite Grey 0-60 in 13 seconds **For Sale**
84 300D 333K Black (The Velveteen Rabbit) 0-60 in 14 seconds
00 Toyota Sienna 208K (Sold)
15 Subaru Outback 43K
11 Subaru Outback 67K
98 Ford Taurus 100K (Gertie - Was Grandma's - drove it to church and shopping - really) Daughter's car now.
30 Model A Ford 2 Door Sedan (Sold) 0-60 in . . . Never reached 60

I believe you also have a vacuum valve attached to the housing that holds the ignition switch/steering wheel lock. This is the valve that sends the vacuum to your shutoff when you turn the key off.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

"Hold on, let me turn the car off. *KAFF KAFF KAFF!* "Spitooey!" Well what do you know, the shutoff diaphragm is leaking oil, hmmm... that 15W-40 ain't so bad."

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

I wouldn't use the newer dexron, minor changes in formula. Try a synthetic.

Oil burner humor! Ha ha ha. I love it!

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

New shut off valve time.

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83 SD

84 CD

Wow..That first date scenario was one of the funniest things I've read in awhile.
In all seriousness, wouldn't the pump from a bottle of soap work just as well?

So what I am learning here is that a suckjob, creating more vacuum pressure will provide for softer shifts and a blowjob will create less vacuum providing a hard shift. There is a lesson to be learned here after all.

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1983 300D Turbo
265,500 miles

Thanks for the fabulous advice. Luckily my special lady friend already mocks my fine oil burner without me giving it a suckjob.
I've been using a hand vacuum pump and a separate gauge to try an track down the vacuum leak starting from the vacuum pump itself, which is pulling 22mmHg before it splits for the first time. There is less and less pressure as it splits more and at the yellow lines, on the floor drivers side, the vacuum is barely 2mmHg at a two way split (yellow hoses, one set red striped one green striped.)
A PO had replaced the shutoff. I tried attaching the hand pump to the shutoff valve while running then pumping the hand pump thinking the vacuum would shutoff the engine, it did not. Does this indicate a bad shutoff valve? How often do those go out? Is once every other year too often and indicative of another problem?
Where in the central locking system, other than the ignition which is holding pressure, are likely places to leak? All the doors lock themselves when the driver's door is locked with the engine running, just very sluggishly.
Is the only way to find my leak to take all the door panels off and just keep working my way back?
A guy can only handle so much sucking.

Mity Vac on shut off should shut down the engine. Does the shut off hold vacuum when you put the Mity Vac on it? If not, shut off valve is bad.

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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