multiple problems with 83 300SD, any help appreciated
 

After driving my 300SD for a little while up at school, and down home, i've encountered quite a few annoying and perplexing problems.

1. The brake pad wear light is on, now for those saying "thats an easy one", the brake wear sensors havn't been installed for over a year, and this is the first time the light comes on. How do non-existant sensors trigger a light??

2. After having the car aligned, my alignment is once again way off. The car still tracks strait, and does not pull, but what is up with this?

3. It is hard to keep the car going straight at higher speed (80mph), it is kind of hard to explain, but it's like the car is getting blown around by wind and it's not. It's quite unnerving to myself and passengers on the interstate. It feels like the wheel isn't centering itself, could an over-tightened steering box cause this?

4. My drivers side door lock is broken, it is sitting about 45* from where it should be, and the key will not go all the way in. Is this somethign i can fix or am i looking at ordering a new lock tumbler from the dealer ($$$) or having two keys to the car? The problem just kind of appeared one day...

5. Tonight when i went to start the car, it started fine like normal, and unexpectantly died. Starting it back up again was difficult, and once it started it died again right away. I finally got it started, out the driveway(died again, started easy though) and out my subdivision, and then it died again. It started back up, i had to floor it to get it to move at all, and parked it in my garage. Five minutes later it was fine. This is not temperature related, and the car was driven the day before.

I realize this covers a broad range of area on the car, however i know there has to be at least one person who can help with each of these on this massive forum. Thanks in advance to those who can help, and for those you can't, thanks for reading anyways! If anyone would like any more information just let me know! thanks guys(and gals),
Ryan

Starting and then stalling problem could be due to plugged or dirty fuel filters, including the one in the tank.

I have had good luck with WD-40 on lock problems, even helps keep them from freezing in cold weather. Some have suggested that it is not a good product choice for this application, and have preferred to use graphite powder.

This hypothesis is not very likely anymore, but I once put both radial and bias belted tires on a car. It was very dangerous. Crossing joints in the road parallel to the direction of travel was taking your life in your hands.
Moisture in the area of he wear light connections could cause the light to come on.
I agree, change the fuel filters.

On the door lock, it's possible that the tumbler is shot. If this is the case, the only option is a new one. Fortunately, it's not as outrageous as you might think, because this car is pre-alarm and it doesn't have the pigtail that has to be connected to disarm/arm the anti-theft system. On the other hand, if the tumbler is stuck at a 45 degree angle, the latch itself could be at fault. You'll need to remove the handle to properly diagnose which is at fault.

As to the "wandering", a loose steering box is very possible. When the gears wear out inside a box, tightening is only going to help so much. Eventually they get to a point you need to rebuild or replace it. You can tighten them down in a badly worn box to where it feels like you've gotten the slop out when the car is sitting still, but that's from the worn gears being pushed against each other, but the gear teeth themselves have side to side slop that will show up when your trying to keep the car going straight.
Another thing is to check is alljoints, tie-rod ends, pitman arm, and something alot of people overlook is the front subframe bushings. The front end of these cars is quite heavy, and all that weight is supported by the subframe. The bushings get old and worn, and the whole thing can shift around slightly as your driving. Not sure if it would be enough to cause the exteme wandering you seem to be having, but it can contribute to it.

I had the same problem with the door lock on my '82 SD. I removed the door handle assembly and was able to free it up with some lubricant. It is not a difficult job. As for the alignment issue, I agree with rickg, check the subframe bushings. Does the front end make any noises? The stalling could be filters or a plugged tank vent. To test this open the filler cap slightly and see if the problem goes away. With the brake wear indicators, you do not say how they are terminated. Could they be grounding out?

Tom
'82 SD
'86 SDL

You might also look for a fuel leak while changing filters, air in the fuel lines could cause it to die a couple times.... not as likely as the plugged fuel filters I would guess but still possible.

As far as the brake sensors go, grounding out cold very well be a possibility. However, wouldn't that be more intermittant than constant? Could the steering box being adjusted too tight cause the wandering i'm talking about?? I'm seriously starting to think about just driving it into the ground and not fixing anythign else, the trunk also leaks and is causing things to rust, and i really dont have the money to fix it all. Alright, enough rambling from me! thanks for the tips, keep em comin if you have anymore
Ryan

With my 81 SD the brake light will come on if the brake fluid is low.