you came to the right site, welcome.

check your window seals for leaks. Push against the windshield from the inside at the corners and look at the seal. if it gives, you might have a bad seal, which means leaks. Check carpets after a good rain.

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1985 300TD Turbo Diesel Wagon
273,000 miles

Funny you should say that. It has a cracked windshield that needs replacin. Can I trust the local window guy to put in the seal correctly?

I had no problem w/my local shop replacing the windshield...I used a shop that specializes in only auto glass. Most shops will use a serious amount of sealant unless you happen to give them a new seal to work with. (That's what I did) You may want to order a new gasket and then take the car in...if they don't use it you can return it but I suspect they will.

Good luck and welcom to Dieseldom! You'll probably get addicted like the rest of us!

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the purchase!

110,000 is unlikely since these cars are notorious for slow odometers, slipping odometers, broken speedometer cables and the like.

The shut off issue could be a simple as a line that has been pulled off the shut off valve. A common issue when doing an oil change. It is easy to catch one of the "oil filter lid ears" on the line and pull it apart or pull it off the shut off valve all together. Then again... You could have 2, 3 or 10 vacuum leaks in the system. Lots of info. on this if you search.

The brakes on this car can get expensive in a hurry if they are not maintained. If the car stops in a straight line and has good braking power, you got lucky. Flush the brake fluid ASAP if you don't know the history. The calipers are $$$ unless you buy rebuilds. The brake lines can be found for around $10 each at NAPA and the rest of the stuff is the same as most other cars. Pretty straight forward. If you replace the front rotors, you will need a dial indicator to set the preload on the bearings per the FSM. You can do it "the old fashioned way" if you take your time. But, you will get flamed for it around here.

Stay away from biodiesel until you have had some time with the car, know its problems and have had time to replace all the old fuel hose that is NOT going to like the biodiesel.

If it runs good, start with filters and an oil change (air, fuel, etc..) if you have no record of when they were last changed. You could also start replacing fuel hose a little at a time and replace the primer pump if it has the old style. The old style pump is notorious for leaking (sucking air). Look at the belts. If they are "checking" replace them. That would be a good start. Searching on these topics are good too. You can read for days about broken belts taking out the oil cooler hoses, micron ratings on fuel and oil filters, which oil to use, etc...

The search is your friend as mentioned above. A search will reveal a lot about windshields, installations, problem areas, etc.... I have read several instances where the chrome trim was mangled beyond repair upon installation.

Oh..... And put up some pics when you get the time!

__________________
AJ

1985 300D (SOLD)

Safelite auto, $175.

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1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42