There are 2 blowers, that switch controls both motors depending on which mode it is set on, heating or cooling.

Make sure the float is riding up and down on all the wires....

No reason to pull dash to fix dash lights, just pull the gauge cluster.

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

Okay, well I don't know about the A/C. I will assume that doesn't work either. Who knows when it was last used.

I will see about the cluster gauge. I didn't know that could come out.

Yes, the float is operating well. Still no reading on the gauge.

Thanks.

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1975 300D

If the light's on but there's fuel, then something is wrong with the sender or the cluster. Maybe the sender is sticking at the bottom, or maybe the repair isn't perfect and something shorted.

You can check the float by plugging it in when the sender is out of the tank (dropcloth mandatory) and sliding the float and looking for motion on the needle.

I'd recommend pulling the cluster - not the whole dash - and checking bulbs, traces, ground, etc. It sounds like the rheostat is bad. They shouldn't spin 360.

Yes the front yellow and red rear should come on together when the headlights are on, but you can't assume they're on the same fuse. You might be able to isolate the problem easier with a voltmeter at the fuse box.

It will be very expensive to bring it to a mechanic (especially the dealer) and have things replaced. Lots of other things are going to go wrong with minimal use after you fix these issues.

I would recommend making up your mind in one of two ways if you keep this car (both assume you do not regularly rely on the car and have enough garage space): (1) drive it occasionally and enjoy it as is - when issues prevent it from running try to fix it yourself or bring it to an independent mechanic (2) start taking it apart, learning about it and fixing things as you go. Remember that even these two options can get expensive...parts are not cheap. In addition, it appears that you are a novice to this hobby. Tools can get expensive, too.

Another thing to consider is that the odds this car will be worth something in your lifetime is probably 1%. Unless you have a sentimental attachment to the car it may be wiser to dump this vehicle now and get a convertible to tinker with. I have learned all of the above the hard way.

Not trying to dissuade you, I'm only trying to present reality. As you can see from the responses so far, it is also not always apparent what is wrong - even to experienced mechanics.

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1984 300 SD 384,000 Miles

Yak, I pulled the cluster. I didn't see any ground wire. Maybe it is in the center harness of wires. But without a ground, none of the things would work and everything works except the fuel gauge. It could be a bad fuel gauge. Thing is, I don't know how to check for that. Or a bad sender, but I don't know how to check for that either. There is no movement in the needle.

One bit of good news though, the rheostat button was not connected to the rheostat itself. That's why it was able to spin 360. I fixed that.

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1975 300D

MBzjag, this is what I'm thinking. I don't mind fixing things myself, but there is only so much I can do. And parts are always expensive. I know replacing the seat padding is a job for an upholsterer and that will be pricey.

I don't know how expensive this whole thing will be. If I had lots of money, I'd laugh at all these problems and let Joe the Mechanic at Mercedes Benz figure it out.

However, the engine and tranny should be good. So you'd think I shouldn't have to spend too much.

So far I have spent

battery = $150
plugs = $88
Bulbs = $10


I'm okay going up to $1000 in parts. But the blower motor could be a biggie.

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1975 300D

I would bet the car would cost you $1000/year in parts even if you did your own work. My 300SD goes through lots of parts - it may have more miles but what my car has in miles yours has in age. Recently the windshield fluid reservior started leaking. New one was $160 from the dealer. I tried to get one from a scrap yard but they were all more brittle from being in the sun. Parts for things like breaks, radiator, etc. can be very pricey. Doing the seats alone will probably cost you $1K once it's all over. Everytime I work on my car I am astounded at all the parts I have replaced. It would have been more efficient for me to take much of the car apart and dump 10K in parts all at one time. Fewer headaches, too.

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1984 300 SD 384,000 Miles

I haven't put anywhere near that kind of money into my MB's. I've owned my 85TD for about 8 yrs I think and I'm guessing maybe a couple of hundred a year in parts on average.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

What I find tends to happen with used Mercedes is you spend a lot at first, fixing all the stuff the previous owner neglected. After that it tapers off to an occasional thing here and there. Actually, that's been my experience with every used car I've bought.

It does depend a bit on whether you're going for a car that's just mechanically reliable, or whether you're going for something that looks and works like new. These lead to different decisions. For example, faced with disintegrated seat foam, instead of having the seat reupholstered I bought an aftermarket seat cover and put a slab of foam between it and the seat. Faced with a dead fuel gauge sender on another car, I simply used the trip odometer. Call me a cheapskate but some things just aren't worth dumping a lot of money into, to me.

These cars aren't really all that collectible, so if you do a real restoration you will never get anything close to what you put into the car back out of it. They just aren't worth that much; people mostly see them as used cars, not classics.

With the car in question here, it sounds like there are a lot of niggling issues but nothing serious so far. It's worth keeping if you enjoy fixing things yourself, because these are all things you can easily fix. If you don't enjoy wrenching on your own cars, sell it and get a Toyota.

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1981 Mercedes 300TD, 1994 Honda Civic Del Sol
http://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/67195.pnghttp://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/103885.png

I suppose it depends on what sort of shape your car is in to begin with, how many miles, how old, how perfect you want it to be, etc. Here is a running list of everything I've replaced/maintained on a 1984 300SD in the past 5-6 years - in addition to regular maintenance items not listed: all CC vacuum pods, CC blower motor, auxillary cooling fan, dashboard, interior wood refinishing, rear window slide jaws (multiple times), front bumper chrome, rear window glass due to delamination, CC pushbutton unit, Becker radio sent away for fixing, cruise control actuator and amplifier, brake pads/rotors/lines, windshield, radiator, thermostat, windshield washer container, battery, oil cooler lines, A/C compressor, alternator bushings, exhaust hangers, flex disk, central vacuum pump, waterpump, new spring assembly for front seats and new horsehair padding, battery pan, a number of suspension parts that have escaped my memory, rubber fuel lines, and odometer rebuild. There are things I have forgotten. Next up is evaporator, drier and heater core. These things are needed after I replaced the dash once before!!! Don't be fooled...this is an expensive hobby (although it may not be more expensive than rapid depreciation on a new car).

As I mentioned before these cars are very solid and the engines are very dependable. So if you look at my above list you will see that a good number of the items could be ignored. But I wouldn't find it very enjoyable to drive a car with no A/C or heat, no radio, no cruise, no odometer, an inoperative rear window defogger, leaking windshield washer fluid, etc.

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1984 300 SD 384,000 Miles

Well I definitely want the car in perfect shape. For example, the fuel gauge has to work. The seats must be supportive. The AC has to work. In addition, some items may be safety items required by law.

On the other hand, I don't really want to spend any money on an old car unless it is worth it financially and this car isn't. I value money in the bank much more than objects in my hand.

On the other hand (three hands now) it is a family heirloom since we've had it since 1975 and it was my father's pride and joy and a part of my childhood memories. And I feel that selling it is throwing away a piece of him.

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1975 300D

Here in Seattle I have the luxury of ignoring A/C problems; I realize that's not true everywhere, and that can be a big ticket item. (The cars I've had with working A/C here didn't stay working long -- the seals dried out from disuse and the freon leaked out.)

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1981 Mercedes 300TD, 1994 Honda Civic Del Sol
http://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/67195.pnghttp://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/103885.png

Just some random thoughts about your last post:
1) Well I definitely want the car in perfect shape. For example, the fuel gauge has to work. The seats must be supportive. The AC has to work. In addition, some items may be safety items required by law.

Dump this car. Buy a Honda.

2. On the other hand, I don't really want to spend any money on an old car unless it is worth it financially and this car isn't. I value money in the bank much more than objects in my hand.

Perhaps you might consider investing in the stock market, instead of stock cars. The car hobby is not a money-making investment, generally speaking. Most of us do it because we love it, not to make a profit. Personally, I just hope to somehow break about even, more or less. I know that I will never actually recoup the money I have put into my cars, but it doesn't matter to me. Many of the benefits are intangibles.

3. On the other hand (three hands now) it is a family heirloom since we've had it since 1975 and it was my father's pride and joy and a part of my childhood memories. And I feel that selling it is throwing away a piece of him.

The value of a vehicle like this is not limited to the number shown on the price tag. How do you assign a dollar figure to what you have just described above in #3? A wiser man than I (dont ask me who it was) once said that a Philistine is someone who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing. I know I don't want to be THAT guy.

'Nuff said. FWIW. You surely are on the horns of a dilemma. Let us know what you decide.

BTW, you may notice from the pic in my signature that I own nearly the exact same car that you have. And have owned it for the last 12 years.

N.B. Take the above with a grain of salt. I have the car hobby bug bad: I have 6 other cars that I fiddle with, in addition to this MB.

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[SIGPIC]
Tom
SE Connecticut
1975 W115 300D

visit my blog:
http://mercedesdieselrebuildingdiederich.blogspot.com/

It will never be in perfect shape. It's 36 years old and will continue to age.

Anyone who drives a vintage Mercedes has to put up with a certain amount of 'wrong' from time to time. Or have deep pockets for a mechanic to jump onto issues as they occur... or a passion for wrenching in their spare time.

No car is "financially worth it." All old cars require maintenance and repairs, cause headaches from time to time, and are depreciating assets (though this one is of course doing so very slowly). This car is not a collector item. It has fans, myself included, but it isn't an investment by any stretch of the imagination.

And your reference to it being worth $5,000 (in an earlier posting) is unfortunately very optimistic for the Canadian market, except perhaps out in British Columbia.

I fully understand that. I lost my mother two years ago and am still sitting with a pile of our old home furniture here in my house, none of which matches my own stuff and that is impractical for my needs.

May I suggest that you put a tarp over the car and put it out of your mind until next spring. Then decide what you wish to do. It may be that you have too much on your mind at the moment to make a decision that you will be ok with later.

Been there.

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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

Well, I pulled the instrument cluster.

1. I fixed the instrument light problem.

2. The clock does not work. I ran 12 Volts through it and nothing. Bad clock

3. I pulled the fuel gauge and ran 12 volts through that. It seems to respond. So I am left with the fuel sender being the culprit. Too bad, because that is hundreds of dollars and I'm still not sure it couldn't be some bad wire somewhere.

4. The brake light does not work. The bulb is good. The contacts are good. Power is getting to the brake reservoir. But for some reason, no power is getting to the brake light on the instrument cluster.

5. Unfortunately, in the process of this, I managed to blow the resister on the temp gauge. (where do I find a resister? Who sells resisters?)

So one step forward, one back. Now I have to repair something that was working until I screwed with it.

My key problem wasn't a problem after all. It was just the steering wheel lock all along. And still, the car does not start. No power getting to the starter.

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1975 300D