RIP my car - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ImBroke · #16 09-30-2009, 04:46 PM

Put in your location too. Some people on here wouldn't mind coming to give it a quick look. Or, in my case, tow it to their house and do an engine swap. But I love teaching too, so that could have had something to do with it.

gittins · #17 09-30-2009, 09:45 PM

Thanks for the input everyone. At first it was really an alternator problem, and the belts were actually loose. After I got the alternator repaired, the car ran very well, except for the fact of it not starting on occasion. For the person that referenced my schoolmates having newer cars-I live in a very wealthy town, but I don't come from a very wealthy family. Alot of the kids in my area are driving daddy's new BMW, Lotus, or Mercedes. In fact, there are 2 car dealerships that deal BMW, Audi, Porsche, Lotus, Rolls Royce, Bentley, and Mercedes just in the main town. I work at a pizza shop around 5 days a week, and am not really pulling in alot of money...so it would be hard for me to get money for a good car. My dad also drives a 98 Ford Windstar, which he uses to commute to work daily. At this point, I'm not sure if I want to sink alot more money into a car, or try to sell it and make some money back in order to get a newer car in better shape. I don't want to decide anything until I figure out the actual problem, but I can't afford to take it to a shop again and I have no idea how to diagnose a problem.

charmalu · #18 10-01-2009, 12:24 AM

You don`t know how to diagnose a problem, there are people here willing to help you, and walk you through them.

I think the first post you said it has 150K miles. that is low for a Diesel if it was taken care of.

List where you live, and Iam sure there is a forum member close to you that would be willing to help you.

I can`t afford to take mine to a shop either, that is why Iam a DIY selfer.

Charlie

Johnt49 · #19 10-01-2009, 12:10 PM

When the car drove did the speedometer work? If so, start it up, put it in drive and run the engine up to about 2500 RPM. If the speedometer registers the problem is behind the trans (output flange, flex disk, differential, half shaft etc). If speedo doesn't register you most likely have a trans problem.

JEBalles · #20 10-01-2009, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charmalu

You don`t know how to diagnose a problem, there are people here willing to help you, and walk you through them.

I think the first post you said it has 150K miles. that is low for a Diesel if it was taken care of.

List where you live, and Iam sure there is a forum member close to you that would be willing to help you.

I can`t afford to take mine to a shop either, that is why Iam a DIY selfer.

Charlie

Yeah, when my trans blew up, my mom had it towed to the shop. They quoted me $400 just to drop the trans. I had it towed home the same day. It sat around for a while, but I finally went out there and dropped it myself.

My town too is wealthy, so is my family... but my parents have moral issues with giving me any money, so I'm on my own for this car. They do pay for insurance and i have a garage space, though, so I'm not completely left in the cold.

If you are going to own one of these cars, you have to work on them yourself, and I'll add that you have to enjoy working on them, or else you'll just be a sour puss. Open up a new thread with your specific symptons and you'll recieve loads of help. Buy a manual, read up and poke around the car and learn about it. After 15 months with my car, I can confidently diagnose many of the common problems with it. You will learn.

280EZRider · #21 10-01-2009, 10:35 PM

Master Zachary, I must commend you upon the writing of 2 novels on the life & times of you and first car - and on an ipod! That's more than most of us could do. But alas, the syntax guys are right.

You already have so much info from all here that I am guessing you are feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point. So I suggest that you attack 1 problem at a time. I would also suggest talking to the previous owner - guys here say "PO" - and maybe he will be able to shed some light.

LNGfish · #22 10-02-2009, 09:41 AM

Work on your car like folks eat Pizza!

One bite at a time!

Don't choke on the problems!

Congrats on the Ipod and typing your thread!

Find somebody local to you "on this site" that is willing to assist you to atleast give you some confidence and maybe a few tools you may not have.

This is all you need.

You got the Gumption to atleast ask for help! Most kids don't.

For some reason you sound like a fine person.

Hope you aren't close to me, lol.

"Unlikely" as they just sell Chevys and Fords near me!!

Good luck!

(I had fun reading this tread!!)

dannym · #23 10-02-2009, 01:42 PM

Welcome to the Forum!!

You seem to take constructive criticism very well, that's a good thing!

Maybe a empty line between paragraphs would help a lot. Some of us don't have as great eyes as we used to.

The hard starting should be easy to diagnose.
First your diesel only needs the alternator to recharge the battery, it doesn't need any electrical power at all to run. Changing the alternator and tightening the belts will not effect the way the engine runs. The battery discharging is a whole seperate issue. You need to figure out whats draining the power. it could be as simple as a light on.

Put an electrical meter on all the fuses with the engine off. Find out which ones have power then look what the fuse does and determine if it should have power or not. Then find out how much power each one is drawing. Or take some of the fuses out over night and see if it cranks the next day or 2 days later.
Also some members have had a lot of trouble with aftermarket alternators. Check the voltage across the battery while running. It should read 14 or so volts & 12 volts when off. If your getting 12 volts while running your alternator is bad.

As long as you have enough battery power to crank for a while it should start. If it doesn't it could only be a few issues;
Fuel supply, preheating or compression.

Make sure your getting fuel at all the injectors, loosen the lines one at a time.
Change both fuel filters. The tank has a filter maybe check this as a last resort.
Pop test the injectors.
If your still having fuel issues it could be your injection pump.

Test glow plugs, replace any bad ones.

Do a compression test. Harbor Freight has an affordable set.

As far as the transmission, there aren't enough miles on it for it to be bad unless someone seriously abused it. I would drain it and replace the filter. Put in a good quality fluid, maybe a good synthetic. There's also an additive that you can buy. I have used it but can't remember the name of it right now.

A tune up probably won't hurt. Adjust the valves. New air filter, etc..

I agree not to give up. You purchased an old car. It will take some work & learning before YOU know where you stand with it.
Were here to help if you have any questions on testing or maintenance procedures. You can find tutorials here:
http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/DoItYourSelf
Vacuum Diagrams
Also the search function works very well!

Danny

NY300SD · #24 10-02-2009, 11:59 PM

My first MB was an '82 SD as well, and something very similar happened to me as I was driving it home for the first time. I was on a parkway, and when I gave it a little more accelerator to climb a hill I heard a loud bang followed by a grinding noise. I soon realize that the engine is spinning freely and no longer putting any power to the wheels.

Anyway, to make a long story short, it was some sort of flange that connected the tranny to the driveshaft that had stripped. I don't know the proper name for the part, but is wasn't the flex disk. Not that big of a deal to replace really, the mechanic just had to wait for the part.

I later sold the car to a friend, who reported that the tranny had gone. It wasn't shifting into 4th and his mechanic told him to replace it. I urged him to change the fluid and filter before going through all that expense and it worked! That was months ago and it is still on the road and driving great. I'm guessing close to 400,000 on it now.

Your problem could be a simple one, so don't give up.

JEBalles · #25 10-03-2009, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NY300SD

Anyway, to make a long story short, it was some sort of flange that connected the tranny to the driveshaft that had stripped. I don't know the proper name for the part, but is wasn't the flex disk. Not that big of a deal to replace really, the mechanic just had to wait for the part.

Yeah, that's what happened to mine too, but it trashed the output shaft splines too and I had to replace the whole transmission.

scottmcphee · #26 10-03-2009, 10:50 AM

Zach - get this straight: your car is your new girlfriend. If she doesn't get the attention she needs, you're not doing anyone a favor. Choose your direction!

pleiades · #27 10-03-2009, 12:46 PM

Stick with it. Put in the time to learn and do the repairs, and you'll find that a W126 diesel is one ofthe lowest cost-per-mile vehicles you can own.