300D running after sitting 3 years?

[WANT '71 280SEL]

I am presently looking at an '82 300D that the man says has been sitting for 3 years. Would it be worth $500 to buy and try to make run? He said it ran until it sat for the 3 years. If I were to get this what would I need to do to try and make it run? I understand that I am not giving much info, but that is all I know. I forgot to ask the mileage, but I will find out and update this thread.
Thank You
David

[kerry]

Let's get a survey going: How long has any of your Mercedes diesel sat without starting and how difficult was it to start it.

My motorhome sat for 6 months last year and it started on the first crank but then stalled. The battery was then dead, so once I charged it, it started again and ran fine.
This year, it will be 11 months. I'm counting on it starting.

My sailboat engine routinely sits for a year or more before starting. Never had a problem. It once sat for two years and started right up once the fuel got to the cylinders.

[Aaron]

Get a deep 27mm socket and a breaker bar and put the socket on the crank pulley and see if the engine turns over by hand. Spin it at least a couple revolutions and if it turns, it might not be a bad buy. But do remember that if the car sat outside (especially) the brake rotors will be rusted up, the caliper pistons might be frozen, the exhaust might be rusted through...the list goes on and on. But, on the other hand, if the car was inside, some of those aforementioned things might be ok. Worth a look.

It would be a good idea to find out why the car was originally parked. It could need a head gasket or a tranny or some other major work which would quickly offset the cheap admission fee.

Let us know!

[Bill DeWitt]

This may be hard to believe! My 1974 240D was
parked for just over 10 years and started once
during that time. Then one day I thought maybe I
should see if it would start. Checked and it had oil
and some diesel but no battery so chained it behind
the van and with the granddaughter's help and after
about 1/4 mile down the road it fired. Bought a battery
and drove it another 30,000 miles...bill

[Aaron]

If you can't get a 27mm socket in time, just take a battery over and see if she'll crank over. If she starts, put it in gear and move it back and forth a little. When you drop the selector in gear, it might take a few seconds for pressure to build in the valve body before the tranny will actually engage the gear.

[mk240d]

I had two experiences with 300 td slumber lately one car had been sitting at least a year before the owner decided to sell, that one was a tough start... primed the pump, put a battery in the car and cranked and cranked and cranked but finally started and ran smooth and quiet. this was in 80 degree weather. the second was a 300sd that sat for a winter the owner didn't think would start.... I put jumpers on from my 240d, two glo cycles later and i turned the key, I swear the engine didn't make one complete revolution and it was running......smooth. always and adventure. cheers, mark

[leathermang]

My 1981 wagon sat for at least 18 months due to suspension,ac,etc needing work,,, TxBill bought it and when he came down to get it he put a new battery in it ... and I swear it started within two seconds of him hitting the starter switch....I knew it was a strong engine... but no one was more surprised than I was... actually TxBill did not seem surprised at all....pleased , but not surprised...

[mplafleur]

For something that has been sitting for more than a couple years, wouldn't you want to squirt some oil into the cylinders and let it sit a while to make sure the rings move freely?

$500 sounds like a good price, and I am sure you can make it run, as long as it was still running good when it was parked. Just expect that it will have a bunch of oil leaks that will develope as you drive it. Probally the most serious leak will be where the oil filter housing meets the up with the block. This is an easy gasket to replace, if it does infact leak...

[md21722]

My mechanic advised me to remove the injectors, pour in a little ATF into each cylinder, & let it sit for 2 days before trying to start it. He says he's seen rings blow on diesels that weren't started for a while.

[WANT '71 280SEL]

The car was sitting because it smoked heavily. It was bright white smoke. Is the car worth putting rings in,etc? I think I could get it for $400.00. He thinks it has around 215,000. Beige Int. Blue ext.
He said the seats are "chipped", not torn anywhere that he knows of. Dash is not cracked. He claimed the seats are leather, but a lot of times they aren't. Would MB-TEX seats chip? Is tha something leather would do?
Thanks
David

[Aaron]

If the smoke was bright white, then it's a blown head gasket. Not a horrible job but when the head is off, you'll want to renew the valve guides and seals, etc...And unfortunately when you do this on a high mileage car, the tight, new top end will probably reveal bottom end issues.

[WANT '71 280SEL]

mk240d said that he primed the pump. Is that the hand pump that is used after installing any fuel filters? Should I do that and take a battery with me? What else shall I do to try and make it start?
Thanks
David

Almost 2 years ago, I bought an 82 300SD with 253,000 miles. The car hadn't been started in 3 years. After looking at it's overall condition, and with the permission of the owners to try to get it going on thier property, I gave them $300 for it. 1 new battery and 1 new glowplug later, she started right up.. ran great. I drove it 60 miles home after adding some oil and putting more air in the tires. The water pump went about 100 miles later, so I replaced that and the belts. Sold it on ebay for $1800 a few months later.

[WANT '71 280SEL]

I talked to a mercedes mechanic who is well known here in Fort Wayne and he said that white smoke at 215k is probably the vacuum pump. Does that sound right? He thought that the pump was probably pumping oil into the intake or something similar to that. What else will be wrong with a car that has been sitting for 3 years?