Hi guys. Later this week I am taking possession of a 83 diesel wagon with <150k on the clock. What essentials will I be needing for the toolbox? Suggestions appreciated.

midi vac

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Current fleet
2006 E320 CDI
1992 300D - 5speed manual swapped

former members
1984 300D "Blues Mobile"

1978 300CD "El Toro"

Mity vac Im sure he means.
Digital cheeepie volt/ohm/current meter. Under $10 on ebay all the time.
Metric sockets and wrenches
Floor jack and jack stands
Nice bright LED trouble light.

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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."

Fast navigation Do It Yourself Links

Virtual automotive tools/data

Organizing Your Tool Box

Torque wrench, use it correctly or damage precision parts with brute force

Ratcheting box end wrench recommendations?

What must have tools and/or MB special do you own or need?

Home Made Special Tools, This is where members can share how they made special tools

Digital Inspection Camera



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ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

I just got into a 1978 300D the last week of August and I'll make these observations.

Open ended wrenches and sockets in the following sizes:
-8mm, 10mm, 13mm*, 14mm*, 15mm, 17mm*, 19mm, 22mm, 24mm, 27mm. * marked sizes you should have duplicates of.
-Sharp flat head and Phillips head screwdrivers in various sizes and lengths.
-Large adjustable wrench (I find a side-opening wrench more convenient but that's just my opinion.)
-Good torque wrench.
-Breaker bar. Pipe to fit around the breaker bar for some extra oomph.
-Set of stainless feeler gauges.
-A thin 14mm wrench with a long handle that you can heat and bend to fashion a wrench to adjust the lower nut on the valves. I recommend the Park Tool 14mm professional line. They are super strong, very thin, take a bend when heated and long enough to still grab onto to lock down the valve nuts.
-At least one floor jack, preferably three.
-Jack stands.
-The OEM Bilstein-Heber jack.
-Good LED headlamp and plenty of batteries or a bunch of rechargeables.
-Good splash goggles.
-Tons of rags.
-Sharp scissors.
-10 feet of the smaller sized vacuum hose you find on the vehicle.
-5 feet of the next larger size up vacuum hose.
-Vacuum connectors for different sizes in different configurations: T, X, etc.
-Both types of fuel filter.
-Oil filter and oil.
-Cetane boost.
-Wire brushes, files, chisels, scrapers, sandpaper to remove the rubber undercoating and then the rust that is underneath it.
-Rust inhibitor like POR15.
-Primer to cover the POR15 if you intend to paint the area.
-Silicone caulk for automotive use in the color of your choice to plug leaking weatherstripping and seals until you replace them with the real deal.
-A good spare tire (my 300D had the original Michelin that was completely dry rotted and cracked through to the cords but with ZERO road wear.)
-Hobby knives, box cutters, scraper blades, whatever to cut things you'll need to cut.
-Various gauges of wires and connectors of different types for those respective gauges.
-Band aids.
-MightyVac
-Multimeter or at least a voltage tester.
-Good moly grease.
-Good lithium grease.
-WD40.
-Silicone spray.
-Belts.

I got out of hand, my apologies.
There's more but this is already a daunting list. Don't get discouraged! Diving into my 300D has been one of the most rewarding parts of owning ANY car that I've ever had. I absolutely love my car now that I've spent easily 200 hours under the chassis and the hood.

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson

You need to be cool, calm, and collected when things start to get difficult. Be sure to have funding in your accounts to buy the other half of the car Mercedes didn't include. (The story goes: MB only charges you so little because they know you'll keep it so long that they'll be able to sell you lots of parts.) Take pictures of your work. Post questions on this forum. If you have difficulty handling an oil change, then you need to seek professional assistance. Otherwise, working on these cars is a delight because the results are so good!

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Pete Williams, President emeritus - MBCA-International Stars (Eastern Mich.) Now Wi. & Az.
1985 300D Manual 4 speed Green Hen's tooth
1979 MGB triple black Az car nice
1969 back 1/2 of MGB (Az home built trailer)
1991 Volvo 245 Wagon Nice AZ Restored Gold Brick
1983 Jeep CJ7 37,600 Miles Summer use only

100 count box of nitrile gloves

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1981 NA 300D 310k miles

I'd recommend building a set of cribs to safely work under the car when jack stands are not absolutely required (for example for doing suspension/brake work)

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Current Stable

• 380SL (diesel)
• Corvette C5
• Manx
• Baja Bug
• F350 Powerstroke
• Auburn Boattail Speedster replica

If you don't already have tools, buy them as you go. You will find out what you need. Buy quality and hang onto them.

If you really are starting from scratch, buy a set of combination wrenches 10MM through23MM, skipping 11 and the even numbers above 15. Add to that screwdrivers and a set of hex keys up to 10MM. You will always have use for these items. Buy other stuff as you need it. Buy some QUALITY socket sets 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". Get a good assortment of sockets in each drive size, a ratchet and several extension lengths and add pieces from there. Buy QUALITY and hang onto them.

I started buying tools right at 50 years ago. I bought quality from the get go, and have now amassed a LARGE collection of tools and equipment. Over the years, I have spent more for tools than it would take to have a particular job done. Then when the job is done, I still have the tool. With that plan, it didn't take very many years until I had a very complete set of hand tools. Buy special items as you need them, rather than anticipating that you will need something.

BTW, did I mention that you should buy QUALITY tools and hang on to them?

Hope this helps.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

I have a goodly number of tools already, Just looking for omissions, I'ld like to sort everything into a single dedicated toolbox for the purposes of organization. I've got a bit of a problem with "random boxes of tools".
I've no experience with automotive vacuum lines so the suggestions above about keeping fitting and line on hand was very useful. Is this the mityvac referenced above?

for the differential drain and fill plugs.

And make sure you can loosen BOTH of them before your drain the oil.

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Nate Stanley
(Currently Benzless)
1985 F-250 6.9l 170K
2009 SCION XB 36.5K
2003 LS430 78K
2012 Kubota B 2320

I put $900 in parts,like flex disks,and main dangerous parts needed.Now I carry oil,crescent wrench,flat,and philips screwdriver.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I'm going to take a contrarian view on this principle.

While quality tools are the name of the game for professionals, the Harbor Freight variety are more than adequate for the home mechanic. There are a few tools that I've gone quality on, e.g. air compressor, welder but for the majority, lesser quality tools are more than adequate.

Just as an example, I've purchased 4 HF angle grinders for less than the cost of one quality one. For the amount I use them, they will likely outlast me and it gives me the flexibility to have "spares" and I can keep one loaded for each of cutoff, grinding and wire wheel. BTW none has gone bad...yet.

For the same budget I can have 3-4 times the number of tools than if I went full-on "quality". Plus I can afford to invest in tools I might only use once or twice and get the job done myself whereas without the tool it would cost a fortune for someone else to do the job.

This principle only holds for the home mechanic. If I were making a living doing this stuff, I would go max quality.

It's a trade-off for sure. I went through three diesel compression testers before I got a good one. But all it cost was my time as I returned the first two for refunds/exchanges.

My intent here is not to start a flame-type discussion on quality vs quantity, just to say that there are at least two philosophies that one could adopt for building their tool resources...and that there are very real trade-offs depending on which you adopt. Understanding the trade-offs allows an informed decision based on the particular needs and philosophy of the individual.

Finally, one should consider buying used as an economical way to build your collection. When I decided to install a 617 diesel in my 380SL I needed to get some specialty equipment. Perusing Craigs List I found a 2 ton engine lift, 1 ton engine stand, transmission jack, two 6 ton jack stands, a creeper and a 2 ton floor jack for $250. These were virtually new, having been used only once for an engine swap project.

Tools are the name of the game... shop wisely and be creative.

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Current Stable

• 380SL (diesel)
• Corvette C5
• Manx
• Baja Bug
• F350 Powerstroke
• Auburn Boattail Speedster replica

add these to the list. Metric Allen socket set. notably 6mm, as I've broken these before and tend to loose them, I buy then when ever I can find them at flea markets and garage sales.

Also, Degreaser. I don't have a preference, but for the price I've found that power purple works well. Use it on the under body to clean it before you crawl under there. Use it on the engine to clean it so you can find leaks. Use it on your driveway, especially if your renting. Use it in your washing machine with your greasy, soot filled laundry. Its a must have!

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Patience+ebay=great brand name tool deals.

__________________
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."