help! oil change ruined my '80 300D**

Hi, I am new to owning a 1980 300D. I went to have the oil changed yesterday, and the "kid" could not change it because he told me I bought the wrong filter. He opened the front right cap that had one lock and used a rag to absorb the thick, black oil that was in there. He pulled out a small, round metal filter that was the same size as the palm of my hand. He insisted that what he pulled out was the oil filter.The one i bought was much larger and had pink holes at one end. He then put pink fluid in the tube where the dipsticks goes in the left-hand back area that is I believe the transmission fluid. After I pulled out, the power steering is almost nonexistent and it grinds when I turn the wheel. Is it possible he drained my power steering fluid? I'm very confused, could you help me understand my car, please? jessa.murray@yahoo.com

I attached a picture of a 1980 300D and circled where the mechanic unlocked and absorbed the black fluid.

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That is your power steering pump. And there is a filter in there.

Please tell us he didn't tinker with the brakes...

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My occupational hazard bein'
my occupation's just not around...
1980 300SD
1980 300SD

I assume he put the tiny filter back in? You need to flush and fill the power steering fluid. The red circle is indeed your power steering fluid.

The yellow square is the oil dipstick. The yellow circle is your oil filter.

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
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THANK YOU!!!! So how do I flush that out and start over again to fix it? What fluid should i put back in??

and no tinkering with the brakes, thank god!!

what kind of power steering fluid should i get?

Find the return line back to the PS pump (the device that the moron filled with oil).

Disconnect the return line...............should be just a hose clamp holding it on.

Get a one gallon bucket.

Put the end of the hose in the bucket.

Purchase one gallon of automatic transmission fluid.

Get another person.

Open the gallon container of transmission fluid and get ready to pour it in the reservoir (the device that the moron filled with oil).

Get the second person to start the engine and slowly turn the steering from lock to lock.

Pour like mad to keep fluid in the reservoir as the pump tries to blow it all out the return line.

Hopefully, one gallon will be sufficient to eliminate most of the engine oil. What residual remains won't be a problem. Be sure that the second person moves the wheel from lock to lock several times during this process. It is easier on the system if the vehicle is raised off the wheels and supported via the body.

I would recommend trying to figure out exactly what the tech did and what type of fluid was put where. It's possible maybe three systems were affected: oil, power steering and transmission.

It sounds like he tried to put oil in the power steering pump. As noted above by vwbuge that is on the front driver's side. If so, yes a flush and re-fill is in order. This shouldn't be catatrosphic if done properly. If the fluid in the PS pump was black and nasty, it needed changed anyway. Note that this does not excuse the tech in any way, shape or form. If he put "pinkish fluid" in the PS pump, that may have been okay since the recommended fluid is also auto tranny fluid (ATF). But, to be sure a flush, fill and filter change is in order. The filter looks like this and you can buy them on the site: PeachParts FastLane Mercedes Parts Store


Again as indicated, the filter in on the rear of the compartment is for the oil. Mercedes diesel oil filters are not your "normal-looking" filter. The fit in the canister that's connected to the side of the engine: PeachParts FastLane Mercedes Parts Store

Please tell me the "tech" didn't drain and re-fill the engine oil. The drain is on the bottom oil pan. The filler is on the top of the valve cover. Diesel oil quality is important. Diesel oil is also really black and nasty looking when compared to gasoline oil since it absorbs more soot faster. It doesn't mean it's really old if it looks that bad. But to be on the safe side, you should also probably have your oil changed by a competent tech. Draining from below is traditional, although vacuuming out the dipstick tube is also OK. If there is ANY doubt as to quantity, type, or quality of the oil in your engine you should have it changed AND have the oil line fittings to include the drain plug inspected right away.

You also indicate maybe the tech did something with the auto tranny. The dip stick is a red cap on the passenger side rear. This is supposed to be checked warm, with the engine running. If he checked it cold, or off, and then added up to the fill line, then there's a chance he over-filled it.

Given the uncertainty of what was done, having the car checked out in place would be wise. You can damage the systems by driving with too much, too little or the wrong fluid in the systems. Document everything that was done, ask for the location of a competent independent mechanic, and consider having the vehicle towed there if things don't look or feel right. If the distance driven so far are small, and the fluids are mostly full with reasonable stuff, it's probable that no significant permanent damage has been done. But it difficult to tell.

E-mail also sent.

he filled it with 15w-40 oil which is the only fluid i know that goes into my car. He put everything back where it belonged. Where do i put in the steering fluid? Thank you so much for helping me. I really appreciate it. I've been crying since yesterday.

The steering fluid goes into the reservoir you circled in the first post. I'm going to disagree with some here and say that I do not use ATF for my power steering. I use the generic stuff labeled "power steering fluid". ATF formulations have changed since these cars were new.

Next, I would change my engine oil and filter, and double check the level and condition of the transmission fluid, or maybe just change it to be on the safe side.

Finally, could you please post the name and location of the place you took your car so the rest of us know to stay far far away from it?

There's a reason I do almost all my own maintenance.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Mayfair Express Lube
7114 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19135-1009
(215) 331-1444

When I called the mechanic said he's worked on many diesel Benz and could easily change my oil. I was nervous to begin with since it is the first car I have ever owned. Thank you for telling me where the fluid goes!!

A few other tips or hints for using the forum and getting advice or finding parts online. Assuming your car designation is correct as an '80 300D, that means it's a W123 body style. You should have a 617 inline 5 cylinder diesel engine. I'm not sure if the '80 had a turbo charger or not.

The engine number and body styles are used a lot without context in the forum. Don't be afraid to ask a question if you don't understand something.

For advice for a mechanic, you can try searching the shops thread: Pennsylvania - PeachParts Mercedes ShopForum

Or just start a topic "looking for good mechanic near Philly for my '80 300D" in the Diesel discussion forum.

No turbo on the '80 123 models. TD's got the turbo motor in '81. Sedans and coupes got it in '82. 116's had them from '78 onwards.

It's sad to see someone mess up an oil change on a W123 diesel. You can do it in 15 minutes with nothing but a 13mm combo wrench and a drain pan. I usually take my time and let it drain longer while I break for tea or coffee. I still get it done in a half hour.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

take my advice:
change your own oil.

I had a firestone shop do it while I was on a road trip, and they accidentally disconnected all of my vacuum lines while changing the filter. I had no power brakes, and it almost caused me to run the first red light I hit from the shop! Which, without exaggeration, could have killed me. Your LIFE is in your cars' hands, dude. Don't let some knuckle-dragger touch that thing. At least get a reputable technician.

I think I'm going to do that. You guys really break down stuff step by step and thanks for clearing up the w123, I was trying to figure out what that was. It seems easy enough to change the oil. I'll take pictures of my power steering filter and show you guys what that looks like. And I have a 13 mm combo wrench!!