I was lucky enough to buy a low mileage (126,000 miles at purchase, now 130,000 miles) almost mint 300SD last Nov. 2010. I like to do as much maintenance on my cars as I can. My 300SD has a few flaws that I would like to fix & would appreciate some advice.
1) cruise control doesn't work
2) left front door catch doesn't work. What part do I need & any particular tricks in removing the door side panel?
3) know any good place to buy an NOS, good used, or reconditioned Hirshmann antenna for my 300SD or, does some one know the wiring diagram of the five point male antenna plug that connects to the female connector in the 300SD trunk? Then I could install a universal antenna if the Hirchmann antenna is to costly.
4) Transmission: Is the automatic transmission supposed to shift rather harshly? I have noticed other MB diesels of that vintage seem to shift the same way. During the winter, when the when the car is cold, the transmission slips when shifting from 2ed to 3rd. However when it warms up it doesn't do this nor is it doing it this summer.
5) I have another 300SD with 346,000 miles, & shows it, with a blown head gasket that was converted to run on waste vegetable oil. It has a "Vegibenz" one tank system. I am wondering if I am asking for trouble by starting to run well filtered WVO in my good Benz with a 50/50 mixture of WVO & pump diesel?
6) The A/C has been converted by a prior owner to run on 134 A/C freon. It works fairly good most of the time but doesn't want to work if the car is warmed up & I am driving on the highway when I turn the A/C on. Is the regulator going bad or is there possibly a faulty relay or connection at fault.
I live in Rural Nevada City, CA which is about 50 miles NE of Sacramento & 24 miles north of Auburn, CA on Hwy 49. Older M Benz diesels are quite common on the streets around here but it appears most people like to maintain them the way I want to. If someone in the area would like to connect with me, please do.

Welcome.
1) More than likely, the amp bolted to/near the steering column has failed, resolder or replace.
2) See attachment for panel removal. Not sure if you'll be able to locate the problem.
3) No, but I have something in the garage.
4) Don't know who decided a 722.303 was a good transmission. Harsh shifts are usually a result of low vacuum. Do a fluid and filter change.
5) Unknown.
6) Ditto.

Attached Files

door panel r&r 126:72-100.pdf (581.1 KB, 116 views)

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83 SD

84 CD

Congrats. Sounds nice.

Just remember to go gently once the screws are all out. Lift up before you pull... may seem like obvious advice, but only one out of five used Mercedes I've had still had all the plastic 'hooks' intact on the inner door panels.

I believe that George Murphy at Performance Analysis sells rebuilt Hirshmanns. He has a web page with his phone number.


YES YOU ARE. Don't wish to be rude, but there is no such thing as a properly designed, one-tank Vegoil system available anywhere in North America (unless there is a dealer for the German Elsbett system somewhere).

The cold WVO will coke up your injectors, upper combustion chambers and rings. Mixed or not. Nevada temps or not.

For further discussion on the WVO thing, I suggest you go to the alternative fuels sub-forum (look at the top of the main diesel forum page).... If you try to talk about it here on Diesel, the WVO naysayers in our midst will burn you as the local witch....

cheers

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

2) do you mean the door needs to be slammed to close tightly, or it will not close at all?
if it's needing slamming, all you need to do is remove the chassis sleeve, and replace it with a new one, or get the little plastic ramp replaced. the ramp kicks the latch over to pull the door tight.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

The drivers as well as the other doors open & close fine. However the door catch will not hold the LF door open as it does on the other 3 doors.

There was a young guy on the forum who had a supply of NOS OEM antenna masts....I will contact him and see if he still has some.

Re cruise control, while it is true that it's probably just a bad amp, it's important to realize that in some cases the bad amp can be caused by a bad actuator. So, before you put good money into a new or rebuilt amp, might be good to know what the actuator is doing. GDL is the place to go for all things Mercedes cruise.

If you can get an amp on the cheap off Ebay, that's not a bad way to go. I was able to get an amp that works perfectly for $20 incl. shipping for my 92 300D.

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 154k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 172k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Sounds like your check strap is worn for your driver's door.

Here's the opposite failure that can happen.

www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/295759-w126-door-check-strap-problems.html

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Jason

00 Subaru Legacy (fun wagon)
96 Nissan Sentra (disavowed)
82 300SD (garage queen, will run again hopefully)
87 300DT (Gone: 10/15/2010)

For the door just get a new check strap, not expensive.

Getting the interior panel off is not hard but remember to pull/push up on the panel after removing the various screws. If you pull out you will break plastic tabs. I learned that the hard way the first time.

What is wrong with the antenna? It is not hard to replace the mast. If you open the antenna motor housing you can lube the various rollers and there is a large nut that adjusts the clutch. Do not over tighten the clutch because the system is supposed to stop when it sees enough resistance.

134 refrigerant in a r12 system will not cool as well. Lots of discussion about this.

Some of the transmission issues can be adjusted out. There is a really good write up about doing this.

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1983 300SD
200000miles