Got a 1985 300D turbo - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ykobayashi · #1 08-20-2018, 01:24 AM

I bought this car last week. It has 165k on the odometer. It may be right given the condition of the rubber. Body is rust free. No blowby. Firm shifting trans. Bought it off a neighbor in Altadena, CA. It barely made it home. We jumped it. Dead battery. It idled poorly. No power at tip in but it made good power on steep hills WOT.

The car is really neglected. The epitome of what happens when an owner won’t take care of an mb diesel. Shameful. Every little thing that breaks in these cars was broken and left unfixed. Seat tracks, window regulators, locks, ac
Compressor clutch, sun visors, glove box, parking brake, locks, windshield wiper linkage...the list goes on and on. But I think she has good bones. I’d rather fix all that stuff than weld new sheet metal or load a new engine.

So I offered the guy $1400. He wanted $2000. California has really messed up prices on beaters by offering $1000 buybacks for running old cars. So this is what I could get away with. The P.O. had some kind of emotional attachment to the car. I think it once belonged to a deceased parent. The wife was visibly upset with me. I still don’t know who got the better deal.

Anyhow I went to work on it yesterday for the first time. I decided before I do anything I needed to get it running and move it across LA to my home with the well equipped tool crib. I needed to address the low power at low throttle position first. It responded well to a few spritzes of carb cleaner to the turbo. The vane was sticky at first then it spun freely as I cleaned it up with cleaner mist. It started idling better I set the idle and adjusted the rack damper. It stopped rocking.

I realized it was time to set the valves. I was missing a few tools but luckily I have a Harbor Freight Tools nearby. Amazing pile of disposable tools purchased for $17. I guessed if the P.O. had neglected this car they’d prolly not set the lash. Boy was I right. Three tight intakes and one tight exhaust. After that it came to life. Wow does it purr. It has a little bit of stuttering at tip in. I may have to pull the injectors and test them out. But it is 90% of the way there.

The work ahead is fixing the two dozen or so little problems that forced the couple to abandon ship.

Fun times. I’ll post updates as I whip her into shape. And questions when I’m hopelessly lost.

vonsmog · #2 08-20-2018, 08:06 AM

Congrats on getting a nice car, and its always great to see another one saved. Here on the east coast they are getting harder and harder to find. And just about impossible without rust!

eight88 · #3 08-20-2018, 11:55 AM

Should be a very good project. Looks so much like mine except for the interior color.

vwnate1 · #4 08-20-2018, 05:39 PM

Once you sort out the niggly bits and replace the clogged particle trap (Mercedes Dealers do this _free_) you're going to love this one ! .

The 1983 was a one year only in the tranny and final drive ratios, expect far more power and better fuel economy than other 300D turbos .

I've helped a few of these 1985 cars back from the dead, every one is amazing once sorted .

MAH77 · #5 08-20-2018, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

Once you sort out the niggly bits and replace the clogged particle trap (Mercedes Dealers do this _free_) you're going to love this one .

Are you saying the dealer will still replace the trap for free?

ROLLGUY · #6 08-20-2018, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAH77

Are you saying the dealer will still replace the trap for free?

Only if it has NOT been replaced already (very few left that have not been replaced already). Give them the VIN and they will let you know.

ROLLGUY · #7 08-20-2018, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

Once you sort out the niggly bits and replace the clogged particle trap (Mercedes Dealers do this _free_) you're going to love this one ! ........................................

.

That is if it is a CA model (safe to assume it is?). Of course the other option is to replace the trap with a bypass pipe.

ykobayashi · #8 08-21-2018, 09:02 AM

I don’t recall seeing it down there. I’ll have to take a look next time I work on it. I looked at some images of oxidizers online and I don’t think that big can was down there.

Not sure if it is CA. It says MB of Palm Springs on the plate frame. The air cleaner is a small diameter yet deep cylinder that doesn’t seem to come up right at pelican parts. I see the filter for my SD which was an Indiana car...a normal doughnut. Images for the little air filter I have say “this is the CA one”.

Edit - oh yeah. I must have CA. I popped over to Pelican and they have two air cleaner elements in the 85 300d area. I have the CA.

vwnate1 · #9 08-21-2018, 09:08 AM

As Rich said, *if* it's not yet been done .

I'm always surprised when one pops up, it's always dirt cheap and the buyer brings it to me complaining how slow it is .

The canister isn't 'down there' ~ it's up top next to the engine where it's plainly visible .

Agreed, replacing it with a test pipe or swapping out the entire Ca. spec. intake, exhaust and air cleaner is a better and in the long run cheaper alternative as the Ca. only air filter element is quite $pendy .

Plus of course, you can ditch the EGR valve at the same time .

ykobayashi · #10 08-21-2018, 09:18 AM

Funny I didn’t notice anything under the turbo but I just wasn’t looking because I was concerned with getting the valves set. The car is 50 miles away right now so I cannot just run down and look.

I don’t think it had it. I tested the car by running it up the top of Lake Avenue in Altadena for those who know that hill. It made good power WOT. It didn’t feel like it couldn’t breathe. The dang thing just wouldn’t tip in off the line (huh, I guess diesels don’t have tip in without throttle plates

).

Now it does after the tune up adjustments. I regret not snapping a few shots of the engine bay.

vwnate1 · #11 08-21-2018, 09:27 AM

I'm thinking 'hell, I live near there, too bad I didn't find it" then I realized that with three W123's I have zero need of any more and don't want any projects .

Yes, North Lake Av. gets pretty steep .

ykobayashi · #12 08-21-2018, 09:37 AM

I was wondering if some of the forum members were looking at the car. The P.O. said two other parties came up to look at it. They drove MB diesels and crawled all over the car just like I was doing.

I got kind of worried because both guys walked. Maybe it just wasn’t low enough hanging fruit. Maybe I’m scraping the bottom of the bucket on this one. There is a ton of little repairs to be done. I suspect other potential buyers moved on to find easier projects.

vwnate1 · #13 08-21-2018, 09:48 AM

? Was it a craigslist deal ? .

I don't even look anymore, my plate is very full .

ykobayashi · #14 08-21-2018, 11:57 PM

Yeah, it was Craigslist.

I have been looking for a second diesel for a couple of years. Just casual browsing. I can see how this can really get away with all the interesting cars that come up month to month. I think I have a long way to go. I told my wife it wasn’t like I was playing with air cooled 911’s.

It’s an inexpensive and satisfying hobby for me. The thing I lack is storage space.

vwnate1 · #15 08-22-2018, 12:16 PM

I hear you about the storage space problem .