New to me . . . 1983 240D (Manual Trans.) - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

tankowner · #1 07-26-2009, 05:17 PM

Well, it's official; I now have two of them parked in the driveway. I picked up an '83 240D with manual transmission yesterday (217,000 miles on the clock). You can see it here as long as the Craigslist ad stays up: http://springfield.craigslist.org/cto/1271854671.html
I will throw up some other pics later, once I have had a chance to clean her up a little.

She does need some work, but at $575 (plus a parts car thrown in if I want to haul it home - engine is shot), I couldn't turn it down. Haven't yet had much time to play around yet, but I can give a quick list of the good, bad and ugly. I will no doubt be posting some threads on some of these problems later, but I thought I would take a moment to introduce the new addition.

The Good
The best thing about this car is the body. I can't believe that a car of this age has so very little rust. From the records that came with it, it appears it has been in southern Missouri all 26 years. Not Arizona, but certainly not New York either. There are only a few little places where the paint has been chipped that a little rust is showing - everything else is solid.
So, I am very happy with the near lack of rust.

There is a little damage to the right rear fender (apparently scrapped against a sign post). There is no dent, although someone painted over it with a white primer. Doesn't look terrible, but is noticeable.

The interior is also not in too bad of shape. Yeah, there are a few flaws (cracked dash, one tear in the driver’s seat) but, all in all, pretty good.

The Bad
Well, as the ad noted, there are some vacuum issues here that I will need to diagnose. Door locks don't work and the engine won't shut off. I figure this will take a little vacuum line chasing, but should be able to straighten it our easy enough. The AC and cruise don't work either, but I can fix those - all in good time.

The Ugly
Well, as was also pointed out in the ad, it does run quite rough. I didn't realize how rough until I went to look it over - holy cow. First time I started it up it was bucking and sputtering like crazy. The PO thought maybe the fuel filters - I haven't changed them yet, but I doubt it very much. The whole car pretty much vibrates when running, so probably needs new motor mounts, but I also don't think that will entirely fix the problem. I drove her 175 miles home (actually got her up to 80 mph once, but decided that was not a good idea without plates on it!), and after that it seemed to idle pretty good in neutral, but as soon as you push the clutch pedal in the idle goes to crap and the engine starts shaking. Also squeals when you depress the clutch, which also tells me I will have to do some transmission work. (PO said clutch was replaced about 20,000 miles ago – but didn’t say anything about other components.)

Well, what do you all think about "Baby Ding-Ding"? (As my 3-year-old daughter has named her - because apparently she thought of a panda bear the first time she saw it.)

JEBalles · #2 07-26-2009, 05:31 PM

Great car. As for the shaking, did you check the idle speed adjusting cable? that could be your problem (or at least part of it). But for 575, that's almost worth it for just the body.

fruitcakesa · #3 07-26-2009, 05:31 PM

Good for you I think you are going to have some fun getting yourself a 240 stick. And a parts car.
Rough running could be all or more of the issues you mention and will require some diagnosis hopefully by you.
Clutch squeal needs more info.
Still seems like a good deal.

tankowner · #4 07-26-2009, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JEBalles

Great car. As for the shaking, did you check the idle speed adjusting cable? that could be your problem (or at least part of it). But for 575, that's almost worth it for just the body.

The adjustable idle speed is new to me on this one, so good question. I did notice that when I have it in neutral and adjust the idle up it get to shaking just like it does when I depress the clutch. Do you think something could be out of whack there?

tankowner · #5 07-26-2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fruitcakesa

Good for you I think you are going to have some fun getting yourself a 240 stick. And a parts car.
Rough running could be all or more of the issues you mention and will require some diagnosis hopefully by you.
Clutch squeal needs more info.
Still seems like a good deal.

Yeah, I really like this car now, I can't wait until I get it running good. It's a project car, so I am looking forward to getting it back into good running condition. I stand to learn a lot from this one too. The parts car is a nice bonus, I think I'll go harvest the trany out of it in a couple weeks.

leathermang · #6 07-27-2009, 01:28 AM

Have you set the valves yet ?

tankowner · #7 07-27-2009, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

Have you set the valves yet ?

No I haven't, but that is a good thought. I don't have to do that on my '95, so that will be a new experince. I will read up some more about it here.

I checked out the air filter tonight and I see that it is covered in oil (along with the rest of the filter housing). Perhaps it is also worth noting that there seems to be a good deal of blow-by (enough to blow the oil filler cap off if I just lay it on top of the opening). PO noted that it doesn't leak oil, but that he had to add about a quart every month when he was driving it.

Brandon_SLC · #8 07-27-2009, 05:36 PM

Is it a 5 speed or the more common 4 speed.

tankowner · #9 07-27-2009, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon_SLC

Is it a 5 speed or the more common 4 speed.

It's a 4 speed. White exterior, blue MB-Tex on the interior. Manual windows and sunroof. It does have an electric passenger side rear-view mirror.

I just want to go out and start working on it, but I don't have the time - probably not until the weekend.

So, the glove-box door doesn't latch - or, I think it probably does, but I think I need a key. Does the glove box take a sperate key? If so, I don't have one.

toomany MBZ · #10 07-27-2009, 08:42 PM

The glove box uses the master key. You should have gotten two different keys with the car, the other is a "valet" key. It can't open a locked glove box or the trunk when locked with the master key.

tankowner · #11 07-27-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toomany MBZ

The glove box uses the master key. You should have gotten two different keys with the car, the other is a "valet" key. It can't open a locked glove box or the trunk when locked with the master key.

Well, that stinks. I guess I have the valet key then? I haven't tried it on the trunk, but I guess if the trunk isn't currently locked (which it's not) then I am okay there. The PO told me that he had lost the keys and had to send off to Mercedes to get a new one (I believe he said he had to send them the VIN # and $25 to get the key made.) Will they also make a new valet key? (I would be nice to close the glove box.)

Brandon_SLC · #12 07-27-2009, 11:38 PM

The glove-box latch is weak point on the 123s. Mine worked well when I first got the car, but now I have to carefully center it. Even then, it sometimes falls open while driving.

They rarely fit flush with the dash. That bugs me. I haven't looked in to what it would take to fix it properly, yet.

toomany MBZ · #13 07-28-2009, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tankowner

Well, that stinks. I guess I have the valet key then? I haven't tried it on the trunk, but I guess if the trunk isn't currently locked (which it's not) then I am okay there. The PO told me that he had lost the keys and had to send off to Mercedes to get a new one (I believe he said he had to send them the VIN # and $25 to get the key made.) Will they also make a new valet key? (I would be nice to close the glove box.)

Yes, a trip or call to the dealer is necessary. You need to prove ownership.
I had a set done once, was there for over an hour and a half, I think they did an FBI background check on me, only for them to tell me they'll have 'em made and sent to me.
I paid $14 per key plus $4 for shipping. I had the option of picking them up at the dealership, but that would cost me more than the shipping cost.

tankowner · #14 08-01-2009, 01:09 AM

So today my new starter arrived, so I will probably slap that on tomorrow. Not sure if I mentioned earlier that it needed one, but it does. Does anyone know off the top of their head what size wrench is need to remove the bolts that hold it to the bellhousing?

Also, I had some time to really crawl around under it tonight. A lot of the rubber is shot - that was expected.

I also investigated the motor mounts and was shocked (even though I expected them to be bad) at what I found. I remember thinking that I couldn't get a good look at the driver's side when I lookig it over pre-purchase - and for good reason. There was a bunch of old wadded up paper towels or something covering it up. Pulling that garbage out reveal a completely toasted mount. It looked to be nearly busted in half with only remanant of rubber bit still hanging out. The passenger side didn't look nearly as bad, but I will be replacing them both next week. Hopefully that will cure a lot of my rough running woes.

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