Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Diesel Discussion

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 04-19-2003, 08:09 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: franklin,mass
Posts: 211
my new [used] 84 300SD

Hi, I just bought my first MB, and I'm very exited and also full of fear as I have never owned a mb diesel before. I have been hanging around the board for about a month, trying to learn all I could as I was looking for a car. I found one I like, It runs good, stops straight,no ac, black with tan inside. 234,000 miles, 3,500.00 bucks. any feedback would be great. LOL, I still don't know witch oil to use,as all arguments over this subject were very intense and I learned more about oil then I could have imagined. thanks so much steve lewis

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 04-20-2003, 12:41 AM
Nate Stanley's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Watsonville, Ca
Posts: 399
Steve,
Welcome aboard. You have just bought one of the most dependable cars ever made.

What you want to do right away, especially if you have no service records for the car, is get the valve adjustment and timing chain stretch checked. An independent shop should charge no more that an hour's labor for this. This needs to be done every 15,000 miles, give or take a few.

Another thing to do is to change the oil, hot and ofter as our esteemed Larry Bible says, and be sure to use diesel-rated oil. Any oil such as Shell Rotella and Chevron Delo will work. You will need almost 2 gallons per change. When you pull the top off the oil filter cannister, you will see a long steel tube pressed into the cover. At the bottom of that tube there are two small O-rings. They are very inexpensive, but often neglected and become hard as glass. Replace if necessary.

Feel free to do a search in the archives to learn more about this car. These are just the basics, and as you drive this car you will gain more confidence and will want to do more to tweak it to get the full performance that was designed into it. Believe me, it will grow on you.

We have two 300Ds, and I'm looking for an SD myself to replace the Crown Vic. Glad to see you've got one!
__________________
Nate Stanley
(Currently Benzless)
1985 F-250 6.9l 170K
2009 SCION XB 36.5K
2003 LS430 78K
2012 Kubota B 2320
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 04-20-2003, 10:13 AM
edge's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: CT
Posts: 1,405
I would also change the filters: air, oil, main and in-line fuel, power steering, and the fluids: bleed brakes, oil, ATF, differrential, plug the ERG, and you're rearing to go...
__________________
85 300CD Signal Red/Tan sold
83 300D Manganese Brown 109K
97 E420 Midnight Blue 197K sold
98 BMW 328i Vert White 100K, sold
95 BMW 525i White 125K, sold
93 BMW 525iT Red 193K, sold
95 E320 Green Wagon 125K, sold
94 E320 White 127K, sold
85 300SD 156K Grey (Annie), sold
84 300D Lapis Blue 170K (Judy), sold
99 ML 320 Black (lease), 1998 C230 White (lease)
00 Honda S2000 Red (lease)
86 Mercedes 300E (sold)
84 Porsche 911 Red (sold), 1965 Porsche 911 White (sold)

Last edited by edge; 04-20-2003 at 01:47 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 04-20-2003, 12:23 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: franklin,mass
Posts: 211
300sd

thank you so much for your reply, as I am very new to this. I will do all that is recommended has it is very obvious to me you people know what to do next. I can't wait to get the car, and start to learn all there is to know, I guess I will also get a manual as I will be doing as many repairs as I can do hopefully with the boards help. thanks again. steve lewis
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 04-20-2003, 01:05 PM
wbain5280's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Northern Va.
Posts: 3,386
Visit Thomaspin's web site. Cars and technical. Lots of good info there.

http://www.pindelski.com/

Regards
__________________
Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 04-21-2003, 05:19 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: franklin,mass
Posts: 211
I was looking at the car today and while laying down next to it. I could see oil stains on the exaust pipe and the muffler. Does any on know what this could be? It seems like alot of blow by, Could it be the rear main seal? I still have not bought the car yet, I'm trying to get a feel for it and I can't, as I don't know enough about MB's. Please exuse my inexperience, I really want the car, but I'm afraid I'm getting into a nightmare. 235,000 miles steve
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 04-21-2003, 05:41 PM
Rick Miley's Avatar
Spark Free
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Land O Lakes, FL
Posts: 3,086
Ok, I'll bite. Maybe this hasn't been said in the past month. You need to find a Mercedes-Benz specialist and pay them to do a pre-purchase inspection for you. Having us diagnose oil leaks second hand over the internet to help you decide whether or not to spend thousands of dollars is not a good practice. The W126 can be a fantastic automobile or a money pit. Please, please, PLEASE, get a PPI.
__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 04-21-2003, 05:52 PM
sixto's Avatar
smoke gets in your eyes
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Eastern TN
Posts: 20,841
Plus remember that the 617 rear main seal can't be replaced without removing the crank.

Sixto
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 04-21-2003, 06:39 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 18,350
I think you can replace the bottom half of the rear main seal without removing the crank.
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 04-21-2003, 10:09 PM
fz500sel's Avatar
Happy now in paradise!
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Venice, FL - "sharktooth capital of the world"
Posts: 712
how does it shift?

SteveLewis,

How does the trans shift? what about looking under the floor mats for signs of rust (indication of drains plugged and flooded footwells) also what about looking in the trunk for signs of rust (leaky windshield seal)?

Anyways, sounds like it is a good deal. 234,000 miles?! pfffft. As most MB diesel owners will attest to -- it is just broken in!

Welcome aboard to the clakety-clak club. It's MUSIC to my ears!
__________________
Frank
84 500SEL EURO 101K ( JUST LIKE MY 1ST WIFE. GLAD TO GET RID OF HER! )
85 300D 310K (sold)
90 350SDL 184K sold
83 300D 118K (sold)
88 300E 153k (sold)
93 400E 105K (sold)
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 04-22-2003, 05:04 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: franklin,mass
Posts: 211
thanks again for all the replys, I will have it checked out by a MB spec. steve
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 04-22-2003, 06:10 PM
Old Deis
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Having replaced a bad rear main seal on my 126, I would say that it doesn't nessecarily sound to me that you have a bad rear seal. It is most likely just the oil trap dripping oil. Usually those need some attention after that many miles.
First thing (after your PPI) is to remove the air cleaner assemply and clean it thoroughly. Clean the trap also. Clean the breather hose. Then replace the o-ring on the tube that runs from the bottom of the cleaner assembly down to the oil pan.
Lots of leaks occur there. You can stop a lot of them by doing this.
I have never looked under the hood of an 84, but I hope they have the same setup as the one described here...
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 04-25-2003, 10:54 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: franklin,mass
Posts: 211
thank you rick miley, following your advice, I went on a search for a mb spec. to look at my new car before I bought it. Not only did I find one but he has an 83 300sd for sale and the same price as the other one [$3,500.00] and he is willing to go through it to the point I finely have a good feeling about buying a 20 year old car. I sat and talked to him for about 2 hours and learned more about mb. He took me back down behind his house, and to my surprise, 40 to 50 mb's in the pine woods. Cars from mid 60's to early 90's part cars and wrecks. It was truly a trip into one persons obsession with mercedes-benzs cars . This is really starting to be fun. steve lewis
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 04-25-2003, 11:15 AM
Rick Miley's Avatar
Spark Free
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Land O Lakes, FL
Posts: 3,086
__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 04-25-2003, 11:34 AM
Jim B+
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
GET A PPI!

You need to have the car fully checked over...of great importance is the diesel compression test which will tell you what shape the engine's in...there should be a list somewhere on this site giving the "inventory" of stuff a PPI should consist of.

A Masschusetts area poster is Holson Adi, in the Boston area...contact him for ideas on who could do an honest PPI.

This is a good...put not great...price. If the inspection turns up something bad, you should factor that in.

Get checked for RUST. Get a copy of "The Mercedes-Benz Buyer's Guide" (Frank Barrett) which has LOTS of useful tips.

These CAN BE great cars...consider this website, which is nothing more than a collection of service tips for cars which...had they been "normal"...would have been scrap ages ago. I personally think the '80s SDs are the equals of the Duesenberg, Marmon, Packard, or any great car of yore...but on the other side, you want to avoid having to fix it if you can avoid doing so. Maintain it, and if its basically solid...it will last forever...maybe the LAST car built we could say that about. Good luck!

Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:30 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2018 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page