1987 300TD - I Just brought home the car I'll be burried in.... - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dieseldiehard · #16 06-03-2013, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrianfoto

Thanks - I need to pay more attention to the helpful buttons here.

wow - no trap oxidizer? That's great - where would it have been? I have read that they cause problems. In the maintenance book that came with the car I saw that this part had been giving the original owner problems, so they must have just taken it out.

I haven't turned on the extra lights - they remind me of the road lamps found on classic Range Rovers. They don't get in the way of the hood, also they don't seem to move. I will use them when I am alone on dark, windy Virginia back roads (usually when I am driving to a BlueGrass festival).

I found a link to a pic of the trap oxidizer in a sedan:1987 300SDL Turbo
Another great read on the subject:
http://www.westnet.com/~mfrank/mbexh.html

By now I hope all 603 engines with those have been fixed under the factory Open Campaign (recall). The fix was to put a bypass pipe (wrapped with a aluminum covering as thermal insulation) and add a smaller trap of some sort down lower in the exhaust, underneath you probably have one unless somebody talked the factory out of changing the exhast line between the down pipe and the center muffler. It has also been noted some folks checked the integrity of the new style trap using a rotohammer, chisel or other means. Of course they didn't bother to replace the stainess mesh covered ceramic matrix because it fell out and got swept up promptly

vstech · #17 06-03-2013, 01:55 AM

Welcome fellow 87TD owner! and another LEATHER seat owner to boot! nice.
My 3 wagons are flat out WONDERFUL! and the lenses that are crazed are fog lights, not headlights... the headlights on these cars are glass lenses. they get chipped and broken, but they do not craze.
the seat headrests are specific to the rear of a wagon unfortunately, but you can put front 124 headrests in there, with the seat folded down. * the front bars on the headrest are MUCH longer than the rear bars.
I can't tell from your pic if you have the third row rear seat or not. I do not see the seatbelts back there, but you don't give a wide enough view of the rear.
attack the rust PRONTO, and be sure to look under the brake booster, and the opposite side as well under the battery tray. also clear out the drains, as they tend to hold a LOT of dirt and mulch.

ytmtnman · #18 06-03-2013, 06:41 AM

Looks like there are injector line heaters. Do you know the wvo history of this car?

jbrianfoto · #19 06-03-2013, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ytmtnman

Looks like there are injector line heaters. Do you know the wvo history of this car?

Yup - it has injector line heaters. The fellow I bought this from has a son in college who actually owned the car. He rigged it up (nicely from what I can see) to run WVO on a single tank system, but learned that collecting and processing oil is hard work, so not much was consumed by this car. I went thru the same drill with my 1980 300TD (nearly a year of setting the car up for WVO, added a marine grade water seperator, electric fuel pump at the tank, etc, etc) - but then couldn't find a source for the oil. So I gave up and just ran dino-diesel.

I am going to remove the fuel line heaters, but leave in the accessory fuel pump. I'll also probably drain and clean the fuel tank and it's screen filter (I assume it has one just like my W123 did).

ytmtnman · #20 06-03-2013, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrianfoto

I am going to remove the fuel line heaters, but leave in the accessory fuel pump. I'll also probably drain and clean the fuel tank and it's screen filter (I assume it has one just like my W123 did).

pm sent

pwogaman · #21 06-03-2013, 04:24 PM

Strip that WVO crap out of there! Nice looking buy. Did you disconnect the drive shaft while towing?

pwogaman · #22 06-03-2013, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrianfoto

I just read the whole story about a 300td that was purchased at surplus auction in DC and has been restored to wonderful condition.

jbrianfoto · #23 06-03-2013, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwogaman

Strip that WVO crap out of there! Nice looking buy. Did you disconnect the drive shaft while towing?

Hey there! I was hoping to hear from you. Nope, I didn't bring any tools with me, just left it in neutral, hopefully that was ok. We did go for a 10 minute drive when I got it home (had to show My wife how nice it was, she agreed).

Honestly when I drove up I was skeptical about what I would find, so really only went to look. After 20 minutes and a good drive I knew this was worth the trip and the price was right.

Yes, all of the wvo stuff is coming out. And it looks like I have a buyer for all those parts. Wvo works for some folks and I say more power to 'em!

I really enjoyed your article on the surplus 300td and was left wondering about the mystery surrounding both of those cars. Maybe we should meetup soon and talk...

winmutt · #24 06-03-2013, 05:27 PM

I am jealous.

colincoon · #25 06-03-2013, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrianfoto

Nope, I didn't bring any tools with me, just left it in neutral, hopefully that was ok.

You may have gotten lucky, but generally this is NOT a good idea at all. Either disconnect the driveshaft or if you are able to run the engine in the future. You are not lubricating the transmission though it is moving.

jbrianfoto · #26 06-03-2013, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colincoon

You may have gotten lucky, but generally this is NOT a good idea at all. Either disconnect the driveshaft or if you are able to run the engine in the future. You are not lubricating the transmission though it is moving.

Ahhhhhhhh - I totally get that.

Crap, I shoulda known that, thanks. I almost rented the car haulder, but I couldn't justify twice the cost for a 2 hour trip. Of cours, if I hosed the tranny, that cost would have been well worth the savings.

Now I know.....a little bit wiser.

jbrianfoto · #27 06-07-2013, 10:47 AM

Got my new title, insurance, registration and plates. Took my son to the pizza place latt night to pickup dinner (about a 20 minute drive both ways). I kept a close eye on the temp gauge, it stayed between 80-90, hugging the 90 side. I noticed that the engine fan is very loose and wobbly, so it has to be replaced soon.

I have driven it several times around my neighborhood, and then last night, but haven't noticed anything else bad. The breaks squeel real good, gonna have to deal with that.

I guess the only way to know for sure if I have a cracked head gasket (or head) is to pull the darn thing off, right? The upper radiator hose gets good and hard after driving it, but after the car cools down, it's soft and squishey. I'll look around here some more and see what I can find on the subject.

jbrianfoto · #28 06-07-2013, 10:48 AM

Oh- yeah, does anyone know what size the rims are on this car? I was reading about a brake upgrade some folks do but it requires that you have 17 inch rims.....it was too dark this morning to read the tires.

vstech · #29 06-07-2013, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrianfoto

Got my new title, insurance, registration and plates. Took my son to the pizza place latt night to pickup dinner (about a 20 minute drive both ways). I kept a close eye on the temp gauge, it stayed between 80-90, hugging the 90 side. I noticed that the engine fan is very loose and wobbly, so it has to be replaced soon.

I have driven it several times around my neighborhood, and then last night, but haven't noticed anything else bad. The breaks squeel real good, gonna have to deal with that.

I guess the only way to know for sure if I have a cracked head gasket (or head) is to pull the darn thing off, right? The upper radiator hose gets good and hard after driving it, but after the car cools down, it's soft and squishey. I'll look around here some more and see what I can find on the subject.

DO NOT DRIVE OR EVEN START THE MOTOR UNTIL YOU HAVE CHANGED THE FAN CLUTCH AND UPGRADED TO THE 98-606 FAN BLADE!!!!!

you DON"T want that fan taking out your radiator!!!!

vstech · #30 06-07-2013, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbrianfoto

Oh- yeah, does anyone know what size the rims are on this car? I was reading about a brake upgrade some folks do but it requires that you have 17 inch rims.....it was too dark this morning to read the tires.

stock rims should be 15" the 16" rims from the 210 fit fine.
a fantastic brake upgrade is the 4 piston calipers and rotors from the 94 or newer E series. you need to change the lower control arms to fit them in, but they fit behind the stock rims.