Sixto - the sound does seem to be coming from that general area. Kind of shakes the car when coming to s stop or off a rev. Would the tension damper be number 332 on the attached?

Attached Files

AR-M455N_20120118_135608.pdf (132.5 KB, 222 views)

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'87 300D, w124, 171k
'82 300CD, w123, 200k or so. (sold)
'82 300TD, w123, 168k (sold)
'81 300D, 118k, w123 (sold)

Yes.

Sixto
87 300D

Great, thanks for the info! I guess it makes sense to do the belts at that time. Radiator has the green stuff in there so I would like to drain and flush it as well. Do you recommend anything else be done in that area while it is open? Most likely wont be a month or two until it warms up before I can get to it.

Thanks again for your advise.

__________________
'87 300D, w124, 171k
'82 300CD, w123, 200k or so. (sold)
'82 300TD, w123, 168k (sold)
'81 300D, 118k, w123 (sold)

I didn't go back to the start of this thread so this might be a rehash - There are a couple of things to check when you're that far into the engine. The first is the belt tensioner system. The damper is part of it. There's also the tensioner arm and tensioner pulley. The tensioner arm should pivot smoothly without clicking or wobbling. The tensioner pulley should spin smoothly and quietly and should wobble. Replace what has to be replaced. Risks include sending the fan into the radiator on an engine sensitive to overheating and cracking the engine front cover. The second is the engine vacuum pump. The early style these cars came with have a... umm... unideal bearing design. The bearing can fail sending debris into the timing chain and oil pump and messing up the IP timing sprocket. A less dramatic failure is an oil leak from the crimped on front cover plate of the pump itself, often mistaken for a failed front crank seal. If you don't see 4 screw heads holding the front cover plate to the pump body, consider installing an updated design pump. Caveat = there is a middle production range of vacuum pumps with screws in the front plate cover but the old style bearing. Look carefully if you ever buy a used vacuum pump.

There are special tools to remove the fan. I get by with an 8mm hex key and a deep socket and breaker bar for the bolt through the fan clutch, and this pulley holder - Pulley Spinning Tool


Give the radiator a good spraying while it's out. Spray from engine side forward. Don't use so much pressure that the cooling fins bend. If you don't see metal sleeves in the radiator hose necks, save your nickels and dimes for a new radiator within 5 years. Likewise, spray the AC condenser from the engine side forward. If you're more industrious than I am, remove the electric auxiliary fan before spraying the condenser.

Sixto
87 300D

My W124 95 E300D gave no warning noises that the right lower ball joint was going to fail . Luckily it dropped out while I was basically stationary or someone could have been killed and the front fender would have been damaged. Why is it always the passenger side ball joints that fail? Replace yours NOW!

My vehicle is an absolute dog, what is this transmission amplifier? Anything else I can check? I have done purges and replaced the filters still a dog. Why since its basically the same engine that is in my 97 E300D and that one is pretty quick.

ANy link for a wireless door lock opener?

What is this trap recall spoken about in this post?

Would messing with the ALDA give me more power? Any instructions?


Thanks guys!

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1994 S350D
1995 E300D
1997 E300D

Sixto, you stated:

If you don't see metal sleeves in the radiator hose necks, save your nickels and dimes for a new radiator within 5 years. Likewise, spray the AC condenser from the engine side forward. If you're more industrious than I am, remove the electric auxiliary fan before spraying the condenser.

Im not sure what you mean about these metal sleeves? Im asking because the radiator is out of my 1994 S350D because of a leak. Im wondering if I should have it boiled out and soldered for $125 or purchase a new one for $300. ANything I should look for to tell if my radiator is still in pretty good shape? Not sure if the shop will be totally honest with me?

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1994 S350D
1995 E300D
1997 E300D

It's a dog because it doesn't have a turbo? What are you comparing it to to conclude that it's slow? It shouldn't be much slower than your '97 which has the benefit of a more accommodating transmission. Maybe you should scan for DTCs (error codes). You can build a test device that plugs into the diagnostic port to rear DTCs as a series of LED flashes.

Your car doesn't have a transmission amplifier. Be thankful.

PeachPartsWiki: Keyless Entry Install

Your car doesn't have a trap oxidizer and never had one.

Your car has an ADA where turbo cars have an ALDA. By itself it can neither slow down your car enough for you to call it a dog nor be modified to make your car much quicker or faster.

Sixto
87 300D

It shouldnt be much slower than my 97 E300D but it is and thats the problem. I would love for this 95 to be anywhere close in performance to my 97 which is off the road due to a bad transmission.

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1994 S350D
1995 E300D
1997 E300D

I don't know how to say it differently. The plastic end tanks MB uses get brittle over time, seemingly more quickly when exposed to green coolant. A particularly stressed point is the radiator hose fittings. Quality radiators have a metal sleeve inside the radiator hose fittings to take the brunt of the engine shaking the hoses.

There's not a lot of support for fixing radiators with plastic end tanks. It's a when rather than if they're going to fail. If it's leaking, buy a new Behr or Nissen radiator. Some have noted Nissen radiators for the '87 300D need trimming to fit properly. Others have noted that aftermarket Behr radiators have fewer rows than Behr radiators sold by MB dealerships with MB part numbers. It's been a long time since I've read a radiator debate here so sentiments might be different now. I don't know what radiator shop technology exist that can reverse the embrittlement of radiator plastic.

On a 140 Diesel, check the metal pipe that crosses under the radiator from the coolant reservoir for corrosion. MB put it right where road salt and grime collect. It's part of the pressurized system so when it leaks, it takes all the cooling capacity with it.

Sixto
87 300D

Have you looked into a conductor board for the '97?

Sixto
87 300D

You might check this - E300D timing chain stretch

Sixto
87 300D

Are you sure you're getting full pedal travel to the IP? Have someone floor the pedal while you check that the IP bell crank is pivoting as far as it will go. Sometimes the plastic end of the throttle cable sheath cracks and deforms rather than translating all pedal travel to throttle movement.

Have you tried driving with the fuel filler cap off? If the tank doesn't vent as fuel is drawn, it can restrict fuel delivery. Have you tried removing and capping the engine shutoff vacuum supply at the brake booster line check valve? Be gentle because snapping the nipple means buying a new brake booster line. And make sure first that the backup engine shutoff knob at the big fuel filter functions properly. Or ask Jeremy about his STOP lever mod. The hypothesis is the shutoff vacuum system isn't venting when you turn the key to glow so effectively the STOP lever never fully releases.

Maybe the nozzles need service. How's the mpg compared to the '97?

Sixto
87 300D

Sixto,

No I haven't tried any of your possible fixes for dogged performance. I'll give it a try. Could the engine shutoff valve actually hurt performance> Don't the glow plugs only help with starting the car and does not affect performance?

The Glow plugs and the injectors are less than a year old and 7500 miles. MPG is usually 30mpg. Never checked the mpg of the 97 Thanks

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1994 S350D
1995 E300D
1997 E300D

Considering the job of the shutoff mechanism is to cut fuel, yes, a faulty shutoff mechanism can restrict fuel in/to the IP.

Yes, preglow is only to get the engine started and from '90 to help the engine stabilize for a minute or so when it's very cold (afterglow is MB's term for this feature). I used glow as a reference because turning the key to the glow position vents the line that routes vacuum, as it were, to the shutoff actuator. If the vent port is clogged or the key switch malfunctions, the shutoff actuator isn't fully released and thus confounds proper fueling of the engine.

If it's not obvious, I'm grasping at straws If a turbocharged car is slow, you blame the turbo. If a naturally aspirated car is slow, you blame... what, the owner?

Sixto
87 300D