Back to your original 'how do I drain the tank' question... the strainer comes out with a 46mm or 1 9/16" socket. Next to impossible to get it with a wrench. Mine came from a late night buy from ebay with everyone else apparently asleep.

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1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Good info, there's nothing on taht in the shop manual that I can find.

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1983 300SD with bad undercarriage rust, with old greasecar 2-tank conversion. About 200K miles, just an adolescent but with premature bone disease.

I would certainly siphon out all I could before taking off that bottom plug...
On my 123 I would not take out the tank again.... I would clean it IN PLACE...
I took it out and to the local car wash... and it was very clean when I got through...
but I noticed that if I had taken the things out of the holes which exist in it... I could have squirted hot soapy water into it and hit all surfaces from those holes... You have to take all those things out to remove the tank anyway... you just do not have to do the last step or removing the actual tank...

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1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/10414-help-i-need-check-stretch.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/156207-photo-step-step-post-showing-w123-evaporator-removal-1983-240d-1982-300td.html?highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

1. Startron is THE Treatment for Diesel Tank Fungus.
(If you're NOT gonna: Drain,Pull and Steam Clean the Tank...AND ALL the lines and Filters.)
2.Petrol/Benzin/Gasoline does NOTHING for Water Contamination OR FUNGUS.
(FUNGUS grows in the interface between the Water Contamination and Diesel.)
3.Alcohol's only service is to require: A New Injection Pump be Installed.

Your "Long Term Empirical Testing"
(not to mention tabulation and extrapolation of the results) of Gasoline
as a Diesel Fuel additive scares the Dickens out of me.

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'84 300SD sold
124.128