'91 300D
 

What's the life span of a '91 300D? I'm looking at one with 277K. Do these have the same longevity as the pre '86 300D's or is 277K pretty much used up?

it ALL depends on how it was serviced.

it's a durable vehicle, so if decent maintenance was done it should be good. LOTS of things will need service soon though, so factor that into your offering price.

a buddy of mine is driving one with over 350K on it.
I have a 93 where it was not serviced well, and the chain snapped at 315K

Mine with 244k runs great....although I just had to have head gasket replaced. At 277k, you really can't COUNT ON getting much more out of the tranny....although you might. I'm aware of some of these cars getting over 400k. Who knows how long they could go if really well taken care....I'm aiming to find out!

Thanks for the input!

Obviously
 

Obviously, the more miles, the more wear and tear. But it seems to me I've seen some on this forum with 600-800,000 miles on them, and certainly 400,000 miles is not out of the question; they should reach that with relative ease. Of course, parts are going to fail along the way.

HG, timing chain, vac pump. Get a compression test.

The tranny scares me more than anything else....

As it should....it's a roll of the dice. I recently bought a 95 with 304k on it. Think of it as an adventure.

I for one feel a 91 300D will go a long time (or at least I hope mine does :) ).

Mine was not well maintained but after some work it's a solid car that I recently drove from PA to Montreal two times. You can read a bit about my time with this car, repairs, mods, etc at my Benz-Site (check signature).

As for the transmission, I don't understand the comments in this thread. Personally it's my belief that if you change the fluid and filter regularly it should last. This car had tranny problems when I bought it, but after multiple fluid and filer changes it works perfect.

Most people are religious about oil changes but forget the tranny and diff.

It's been a fairly routine experience of folks on this forum that 250-300k is, in many instances, the upper limit of a 722 tranny's life. Of course, there are some that go much longer....we hope, for example, yours and mine. I know that both of mine (the 91 and 92) have been well maintained for the entirety of their lives, so I'm cautiously optimistic that I will exceed 300k in each case by a good margin. However, in cases where one cannot be confident in prior maintenance history, it seems (obviously) that there's a greater likelihood that maintenance has been neglected and therefore a greater likelihood of a shortened life span. No amount of faithful maintenance going forward can undo damage already done.

Is there maintenance other than changing fluid needed for transmission?
 

I change my transmission fluid every 30k. I think the manual calls for every 15k which my mechanic agrees is ridiculous. But is there any other maintenance or adjustments needed along the way?

The 15k interval is only for for "severe operating conditions" etc....which includes predominantly city driving. So, to the degree that that's the kind of driving you do the interval should be shortened. I do 30k or maybe a little sooner. I'm not aware of any other maintenance that's required.

I would have to think they're nearly as rugged as most any other model diesel MB car made.

I'm glad to read that I'm in good company in that observation here amongst other MB diesel heads. Esp. the ones with firsthand ownership and knowledge of them.


I don't know why (AT) transmissions seem to scare several used car buyers, unless when you're looking over and test-driving the prospective vehicle, something turns up as deficient. Be watchful and vigilant when testing the car.



In over one million miles in (6) MB diesels w/ATs my family has owned and driven over 44 years, not one transmission failiure (or differential for that matter) has occurred - not even the trans. gaskets. However, (4) of them were purchased new, and (2) with less than 100K on them when bought used. FWIW: (2) of them were driven to; 305K, and 400K miles - no transmission issues.

.

I've got 262k on my 91 300D.

I've no problems to report. I am curious as to what exactly fails on these transmission when they get up to 300K or so.

Presently my transmission shifts smoothly and firmly. No flaring or issues of that sort. I replaced some plastic gears in it when I first bought it (governor related). But other than an odd tendency to want to drop into neutral when coasting in 4...I've nothing to report.

My 300D has:
-the upgraded vacuum pump,
-upgraded injection pump (of some sort, not sure all the details)-
-a new radiator
-radiator fan clutch,
-alternator
-springs and shocks
-front end rebuild
-rear subframe bushings
-rear lca bushings

Its due for an ATF change and rear rotors/pads need done too.

That is why, because a trans with under 100k or when bought new, is going to last a very long time. Buying one with 150k+ on it is a different story.

Either way, even with 8 different cars and covering close to 400,000 miles, we only experienced one failure so far, mine lost reverse at 281k, it failed completely in the ensuing 200-300 miles.