Congratulations on this nice surprise! Phew! Thank goodness it wasn't anything serious. Still, with that amount of blow-by, start keeping an eye out for a decent engine. The non-turbos should be pretty cheap.

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[GONE] - 1995 Mercedes E300 Diesel - 130k miles - Smoke Silver (702) over Mushroom leather (265) - Bladder blasting, coast-to-coast work machine.

I've seen worse blowby on engines that started and ran fine.

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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

Might be worth setting up a water+methanol injection system on it if you plan ti keep it for a while. It's get those combustion chambers squeaky clean.

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2004 F150 4.6L -My Daily
2007 Volvo XC70 -Wife's Daily
1998 Ford F150 -Rear ended
1989 J-spec 420SEL -passed onto its new keeper
1982 BMW 733i -fixed and traded for the 420SEL
2003 Volvo V70 5 Speed -scrapped
1997 E290 Turbo Diesel Wagon -traded for above
1992 BMW 525i -traded in
1990 Silver 300TE -hated the M103
1985 Grey 380SE Diesel Conversion, 2.47 rear end, ABS -Sold, really should have kept this one
1979 Silver 300D "The Silver Slug" -Sold

NICE!!

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

former members
1984 300D "Blues Mobile"

1978 300CD "El Toro"

Congratulations on sticking with it. You da man, dude

I had a feeling it would get going eventually, but from what you're saying so far it sounds like it's better than we could have hoped.

I bought a 300sd as a parts car outside Boston some years ago that both the dealer and an indy had pronounced having a dead engine. I got it going and ended up needing the motor for my w116 when it broke its chain.

That motor, which was pronounced dead, has now been on the road again for 12 years and is now powering yet another chassis after the SD rotted away.

x2. He lives in AZ, not Vermont. It may start fine from now on, with healthy GPs, proper cranking speed, and synthetic in the pan over the cold months (or alternatively a heat source on the motor, block heater or pan pad, should suffice).

My black '83 SD had at least that much blowby on its original engine and it made it through a Canadian northeast winter, though when we got temps similar to the current deep freeze (-24 C / -10 F) I had to leave it idle at night as it didn't have a functional block heater.

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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 went out earlier, let the glows cycle just once and she popped right off. Its 40 degrees out when I started her. I don't think I will be having any more problems starting her. Got very little smoke out the rear this start too. Went out and filled her up, so now I will work on her steering. The fluid is black, return line cracked and tie rod boots are torn....when your driving you have to hold the steering wheel at an angle to drive straight...not to fun

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Sounds like the tie rods werent replaced properly ,this will give you a misalignment right quick.When replacing I have a trick that works everytime ,I place the tie rod assembly on a board ,mark the center of the back of the tie rod ball with a sharpie,then mark the board to its center marking ,do the same with the new assmbly using the boards marks, this will give the replacment tie rod the same length as the one being replaced.Its usually recommended to get a new alignment done when opening up the alignment ,I usually can get away with out this step if I can get the exact length as the worn rods.

Sounds like it would be very accurate if due dilligence is exercised. Scribing a line on the lower ball joint containment perpendicular to the rod portion accuratly on both should not be hard.

Will be very accurate I would think as long as the base of the ball socket is concentric. Plus if you are replacing two or even just one tie rod end you are not going to drift the steering wheel centering off.

That is good news!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.