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  #1  
Old 04-10-2014, 01:35 AM
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Can anyone convice me that deciding to keep my 300SD wasn't a stupid idea?

I had decided a while ago that I wanted to sell my car rather than continuind to spend money on it, but after trying to sell it for a while and realizing it was worth less than half what I paid for it even with how much nicer shape its in now, I decided to keep it and keep fixing some of the problems, but I am beginning to think that was the wrong choice.

Here is a list of all the annoying things wrong with it:

Odometer, radio, heater fan, and a/c all don't work, and are outside of my ability to fix, and I don't currently make enough money to pay to have someone else do it.

Central locking system failed beyond my ability to fix today

Loud pop from the front suspension while turning or braking that I can't diagnose, I'm at the point of throwing $500+ at it just guessing what might be the problem, or ignoring it.

Again just today (since it was hot today), the temp gauge steadily climbs anytime I sit at a stoplight for more than a minute or two.

Less serious problems, but it also has intermittent rough idle problems, and about once a week it will take nearly a minute to shut off when you turn the key off, but all the rest of the time it shuts off right away.

It could use CV boots and a new differential mount at some point too, but that will be ok a while longer.

I have done lots of work on it other than the stuff I mentioned, and other than that it doesn't really have any other big problems, the body and interior are still pretty nice, etc. I just put in a new drivers seat with an unripped cover and good springs, rebuilt the throttle linkage and adjusted the valves, replaced the front breake pads, calipers and rotors, etc (and quite a bit more in the 4 years i have had it. But, I can't fix any of the things I listed, and it is really making me dislike the car to get so frustrated and angry every time I want to fix something but I can't. But, scrapping it and spending $6k+ that I can't really afford on a newer used car doesn't sound like that great of an idea either.

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Old 04-10-2014, 01:38 AM
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Quote:
Odometer, radio, heater fan
These are all issues that typically have simple\ easy solutions. Start with the heater fan, tell us exactly what the problem is, and I'm sure we can walk you through it step by step. If you have some screwdrivers and a socket set you can fix most of what you listed quite easily.
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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
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  #3  
Old 04-10-2014, 01:55 AM
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Odometer doesn't work, and I think I would have to have someone show me how the gauge cluster comes out in person to replace it. I'm not coordinated enough to repair the one that's in there, but I do have an extra gauge cluster that might still work.

The radio worked when I got the car except for the seek button only working in the up direction, then it wouldn't turn on anymore one day (stock becker mexico radio). I wouldn't know where to start to try to find out what happened to it.

The heater blower supposedly is wired to a toggle switch in the side of the heater box under the dash, which I think may be related to a burned and melted fuse holder underneath the passenger side carpet, either way it doesn't work anymore. The heater will turn on with the climate control and works if you are going fast enough for air to blow through the vents, but also turns on and off with the climate control turned completely off.
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Old 04-10-2014, 01:57 AM
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I feel your pain. I would be concern about the loud popping sound while braking and engine temperature. The rest can wait and is not important in the grand scheme of things. If the engine runs OK and get you from A to B then keep it as you have invested too much money in it. Prioritize the safety and must fix issues and keep driving it. Then fix the cosmetic or irritating issues over time.

CV axle and diff mount can be pulled from JY for very little money. I suspect you have got the priority somehow wrong - why spent good money on a new driver seat? It has nothing to do with driverability of the car. Brake calipers and rotors are safety issue so the money had to be spent.

If you cannot afford a $6k used car then you are stuck and any discussion on a 'newer' used car is moot.
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  #5  
Old 04-10-2014, 02:04 AM
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Hi there, I think a good many of us chimed in on your "Am I wasting my time trying to sell...) thread a month ago. Many of the same questions and issues were addressed there. Basically, you have a top-of-the-line flagship car that was designed and built to be a technological automotive showcase for a brand. There were so many new technologies introduced on the "S" that it stands to reason, they would become rather troublesome cars later on down the road. The same remains true today, Mercedes uses the "S" as the launch pad for technologies that are new, and in some cases perhaps even experimental. There's a reason the "S" loses half its value so fast...everyone knows all those amazing gizmos are bound to get tricky.

The S-Class is for lease customers to buy new, drive and enjoy the comfort and image it provides, then walk away from it...for someone to buy, at a very reduced price. For that amazing price, part of the deal is that you'll have to pay a lot to keep everything going, or just drive a nice car with "personality issues" until it simply doesn't work anymore. People buy them used because they represent a hell of a value for such an amazing car...same can be said for the BMW 750i too, these cars are great used car values...or I should say tempting used car values. But, they are much like a temptress that's for sure, only a true value to those who can fix them themselves, or have a good ability to ignore annoying faults.

If fixing these things are both beyond your budget, and or beyond your ability to repair, I'm not sure you have a lot of choices. The obvious one is, drive it till the wheels fall off.

Some things shouldn't me outrageous to fix, odo...heater motor (even if it's a Band-Aid fix like the PO did)...radio...eh, how critical is that really?

The suspension and oil leak and cooling (you don't mention here, but I remember from your previous thread) are probably the things, I'd be concerned about if I were you. Oil leaks are a pain to chase down, but some aren't that hard to fix. The suspension and cooling has to be dealt with if you don't want that "end of life" to come sooner rather than later.
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  #6  
Old 04-10-2014, 02:27 AM
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The drivers seat was a $35 junkyard seat + the base from a passenger seat someone gave me for free. I know some of the stuff I mentioned like the radio and a/c aren't that big a deal, but some of the other stuff that needs fixing will be pretty expensive, and the whole time I will be convincing myself that I need to get rid of it because all the little problems get too annoying. There are many other minor annoying problems that I have fixed along the way, the ones I mentioned are the ones I will never be able to fix.

Just to fix the front suspension and the temperature problems sounds like $1K+ (upper control arms $110 each and wheel bearings at ~$50 each to throw at it as a wild guess, and $250 for a radiator and water pump, since I think the radiator is the most likely cause for it not staying cool, and a $175 alignment at a shop that can actually get the steering wheel straight). Then I still won't be able to fix the heater or central locking system without paying $$$$$ at a shop.

It doesn't leak enough oil to hurt anything other than the ground where I park it as long as I check it once a month, so im not too concerned about that right now.

The funny thing is I actually bought this car because I wanted a cheap reliable car and it was exactly that for several years, but I didn't realize that I paid way too much for it and it would be hard to get more than scrap value for it if I wanted to sell it.
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Old 04-10-2014, 05:18 AM
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How good of a car do you need to have? How much do you want to spend? I've had doubts about keeping my W123, but then I looked at the used car market to see what was available. To me, the next best thing over a manual transmission W123 turbo-diesel is a Porsche 911. BMW 2002 and 3-series manuals were also considered, but availability was not present at the time, at least at the prices comparable to keeping the old diesel on the road.
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  #8  
Old 04-10-2014, 05:59 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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These cars are not really hard to work on. If you keep it you need to learn to do a lot of the repairs yourself. The alternative is buying a basic Asian car that is new enough to ride out for a few years at least.

If you keep it, pick one thing at a time and with help from us at the forum, fix it.
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..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #9  
Old 04-10-2014, 06:50 AM
JB3 JB3 is offline
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Like said above, the temp issue and suspension pop are your priorities.

Radio, odometer, and heater fan?

You could drive 20 years without a radio or odometer, those are annoying, bit not critical issues, and you have the summer to figure out the heater fan. Radio is a sub 100 dollar repair, go buy a cheap unit from walmart when you can afford it. It will have install instructions, and the forum is clogged with data on radio wiring with the fader switch.

Describe the suspension load pop to us in greater detail. You absolutely need to know what that is before you can ignore it. I had a similar loaded pop on my 240, which turned out to be the base of the front shock was loose on the pivot and i needed new shocks. Front suspension issues are easy to check for yourself at no cost. You need to make sure the tire isnt about to fall off.

Tell us more about the overheating, that needs nailing down as well.

If you have the suspension noise and overheating solved, the rest are "when you want to fix it" repairs, not "when you HAVE to fix it" repairs
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Old 04-10-2014, 07:47 AM
JB3 JB3 is offline
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on the overheating, process of elimination is your best bet to nailing it down.

Start with a visual checklist-

1- is it leaking from anywhere, intermittent, obvious, ect, is the coolant low. Do I see discoloring anywhere on the motor from traces of coolant
2- Is the radiator blocked with debris, are fins bent over, is there physical damage preventing air flow
3- What is the condition of my seams, hoses, clamps, ect.
4- What is the condition of my fan clutch, fan blades, are these all working or in good shape? (overheating at idle leads me to believe the fan clutch may be a problem, if its not locking up and drawing air through the radiator)
5- How does the coolant look? cloudy, clear?
6- Is there any weeping from my water pump? is there any looseness on the water pump pulley?


From your OP and other post, it sounds to me like you are getting frustrated fast at the collection of problems as a whole, which prevents solving them individually.
Break them down into single projects. Solve each project one at a time. Start with priority issues, ignore convenience issues.

Imagine an entire class of preschoolers coming at you in a body screaming. Thats what you have going on now. Now imagine lining them all up and having them go through a door, it would be easy to smack each one upside the head as the come through one by one, wouldn't it?

If you look at things that way, nothing is insurmountable.
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  #11  
Old 04-10-2014, 07:53 AM
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As long as you keep convincing yourself "I CAN'T DO IT." you never will be able to do it.

From your list of items that you have repaired, it is obvious you know enough about tools and techniques to learn everything you need to fix everything you listed that needs repair. Buck up, man up, or whatever, and start searching this forum for the details you need to learn how to fix the items, one at a time.

Start with the engine cooling and safety items, then fix the radio 3rd.

Last year, I was convinced I would never figure out the vacuum system on my SD. After searching and reading tons of info here, I deleted the leaky crap and unneeded vac lines, and now the car shifts solid and all vac systems work great. The dollar cost was just about nothing.

Attitude is the first step towards Ability.

Here is what I fixed since mid-January:

Remove cruise control amp, send out for repair, re-installed & tested.
Made EGR blocking plate.
Installed center cap on wheel.
Replaced injectors and heat shields.
Replaced leaking fuel overflow tubes.
Driver door seal glued.
Cluster lights, rheostat, replace tach gauge, add tach amp, & wire between.
Flush P/S system, install new filter, R&R low pressure P/S hose.
R&R IP primer pump
Change engine oil & filter, add 1 qt. AMS additive.
Clean overflow tank, vacuum flush cooling system, add NAPA Kool.
Drain & fill differential.
Adjusted vacuum lines/system.
Install new horn contacts & oil cap gasket.
R&R hood insulation pad.
Adjusted IP rack bolt & idle ….
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1st MBz: 1982 300SD
2nd MBz: 1987 300SDL
3rd MBz: 1995 S420
4th MBz: 1987 190DT
5th MBz: 1984 300SD w/1983 300DT engine
6th MBz: 1999 C230k I'm 3rd owner, got it w/57,235 miles.
and manages Mom's 2007 R320 CDI

Last edited by Gregory; 04-10-2014 at 08:15 AM.
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Old 04-10-2014, 10:48 AM
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I'm guessing that you're looking at $1,000 - $2,000 in parts to do everything. You will also need to learn to wrench. There are pictorials here and other places.

I'd fix it if I had another car to drive. I'd sell it if I didn't have another car AND had a way to buy something that didn't have to be worked on except for maintenance. You don't want to trade 1 set of problems for another, or continue to sink money into something that you'll never get working.

There is a concept in finance regarding "sunk costs". Money you've spent is gone and not a consideration for decision making. Only consider the future. Will you be better off selling it for the price you can get. It is a yes/no question. You have $x available now and $Y additional possible from the sale. The car is only sheet metal and wrenching. Do you want $$ or sheet metal/wrenching?
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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.
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Old 04-10-2014, 10:54 AM
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I pretty much already know I am eventually going to sell the car for $1k just because the heater blower and central locking system don't work, etc, I have lived without it for the 4 years I have had it, but its just pretty annoying.

I just don't know how long I should keep fixing the really expensive stuff that is needed to keep driving it before I give up and try to get a better car.

As far as possible cooling system problems, none of the things listed appear to be the case except for coolant condition, which i need to check. Similar problems on another car turned out to be a partially clogged radiator, but I don't know if that's the case this time. A couple times the coolant level had dropped about an inch in the reservoir over a day or two, but the system holds pressure and its not low now, and there are no visible leaks.

The suspension noise seems to be coming from the drivers side front, if you turn the wheel to the left with the car stopped it makes a loud pop, same when turning either direction while moving or during braking. There is no noticeable play in anything but the wheel bearing, but I don't think it is more than what is acceptable.
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Old 04-10-2014, 12:06 PM
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My SD has a pop in the steering. That turned out to be upper ball joints. Parts were $400 and didn't include tie rods or guide rods. I could have saved a little perhaps $100 by going with cheaper parts.

I need to find time and a spring compressor before tackling the job.

Don't guess at suspension parts. At least take it to one on the McQuick alignment places & get their list of what needs to be done. Given your stated wrenching skills, I'd expect your car to be down for a while while you learn suspension work.

Over heating is not difficult. Perhaps thermostat or radiator needing a flush or replacement. It sounds like you need to change the coolant anyway. You will get electrolysis started which will eat your heater core if you don't change the coolant. NAPA has full strength Zerex G-05.

Shut off is likely vacuum leaks. You can plug the dash/climate control vac lines to test. Your vacuum locks don't work so plug those also.

There are vacuum diagrams available for all interior systems and the engine compartment. There are also youtube vids and some how tos at dieselgiant.

The problems you've listed all fit into my learning by trial and reading while in school which was before the easy information access of the web.
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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.
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  #15  
Old 04-10-2014, 12:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gregory View Post
As long as you keep convincing yourself "I CAN'T DO IT." you never will be able to do it.

Attitude is the first step towards Ability.
What he said.^^^^^

Or to paraphrase what an wise old guy on another forum once said, "The guy who gets paid to fix these cars puts his pants on in the morning, one leg at a time... he isn't a genius any more than you are, so stop telling yourself you can't do it."

There are numerous DIY repair threads and articles on this site and on the "B---World" forum. Not to mention a few individuals who have DIY pictorials on private sites.

Many people have done large jobs by starting a thread then asking questions as they go along, with people on here helping out at various steps.

If you are at a point where you lack the basic skills to understand the DIYs here, do what I did years ago and hit used bookstores for textbooks from basic mechanics courses. Look for the old books by John Muir on VWs, where he explained the function of parts in plain language and by using exploded diagrams.

To sum up: You seem to have reached a tipping point in terms of the mass of problems that are piling up. If you want to fish, people here will help you out. If not, it's time to cut bait and move on - begin to attack the issues, or give up and dispose of the car.

Personal aside: I never took shop, there wasn't even such a thing at my high school, my dad couldn't pound a nail into a wall so I had no elder mentor, and I don't have a particularly coordinated or mechanically adept bone in my body. That challenge was precisely WHY I got into the DIY thing -- in my mid-40s.

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2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

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