New 1982 300D In Our Family!! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jfikentscher · #1 06-04-2003, 08:48 AM

About two weeks ago we picked up our 1982 300D from Chris in Connecticut. When we arrived at his house he was washing the car so we could drive a clean car home!

Drove down the merrit to 95, then over the GWB to NJ. took the turnpike to Rt.3 and stopped for hot dogs at Ruts Hut (can't pass them up!). Took the parkway to exit 98 and 5 miles to home.

The car ran great. Have put about 2000 miles on it since. we will be doing a few chores on the car in the next couple of weeks.

1. The Sunroof is inoperable.
2. There are leaks around 3 of the injectors. Possibly the retuen lines.
3. Fix the glove compartment latch. (my son did this last night)
4. Engine shocks. Tends to shake at idle. But it runs smooth, starts right up in the morning, no smoke.
5. Trans shifts hard and seems to shift too early. a bit of a rumble felt in the seat at around 40 mph.
6. Door locks, manual only. probably a vacuum leak

My son will be driving the car back and forth from Windham NY to Wall NJ on a weekly basis all summer and then taking it to college in the fall. He absolutely loves the car.

We've been having computer trouble over the last two weeks and have not been able to post earlier. Still having problems with the photo program so I can't post pictures yet. We will do that as soon as we can. have photos at Chris' house, at the Hess Station, on the highway, on the GWB etc.

Well, buying from a Forum Member was a great experience.

Thanks to all that had seen the car and responded to us.

Joe and Josh

Zoonhollis · #2 06-04-2003, 09:42 AM

1) The inoperable sunroof may be due to a dirty switch at your console. You can apply some voltage directly to the motor to make sure...if it works at the motor, you likely have a bad switch.
2)This happens a lot. They become dry and brittle. Do not settle for bargain-rate return lines; get them from the dealer.
3)N/A
4)It may or may not be your engine shocks. Shaking at idle has proven to be a real bugaboo with these cars. It might be your engine and/or tranny mount(s).
5)The tranny shift can be adjusted via the modulator, and it's a good idea to go ahead and change the fluid and filter (a messy job). The rumble in the back may be caused by a bad tire, a worn driveshaft mount, worn axle shafts...or any combination thereof.
6)Vacuum leaks are common in these cars. Look at the door lock regulators/plungers first. They become fatigued and fail long before the lines themselves are suspect.

jfikentscher · #3 06-04-2003, 03:38 PM

Josh putting on the plates.

jfikentscher · #4 06-04-2003, 03:41 PM

On the highway.

jfikentscher · #5 06-04-2003, 03:42 PM

On the George Washington Bridge.

TX76513 · #6 06-04-2003, 03:54 PM

Color = Arctic Blue?

jfikentscher · #7 06-04-2003, 03:59 PM

Getting started.

jfikentscher · #8 06-04-2003, 04:00 PM

The first fueling.

jfikentscher · #9 06-04-2003, 04:02 PM

One more on the GWB.

Not sure of the name for the color. Could be arctic blue. To my eyes it has a blue tint, kind of a blueish metallic grey.

I have a couple of pictures of Josh and Chris with the car but they are too big to post. I'll have to get Josh to re-size them.

michakaveli · #10 06-04-2003, 07:06 PM

Joe,
The pix are really nice! Glad Josh likes it.

Enjoy!

jcd · #11 06-04-2003, 07:16 PM

VERY NICE,,,,

Looks similar to my 1977 300D,,,,close color.

Enjoy and thanks for the pics

JCD

Holson Adi · #12 06-04-2003, 07:22 PM

It's really nice!

I love that color.. diamond blue or something? I wish my coupe was that color..

rwthomas1 · #13 06-04-2003, 07:28 PM

Nice car, looks good! Your trans shifting hard and the inoperable locks are likely related. Lack of vacuum causes the hard shifting and obviously the lock problem. How long does it take for the car to shut off after you turn the key to "off"? If its more than a second or two you have a leak for sure. Engine mounts are cheap and moderately easy. They make a huge difference in idle smoothness. Good luck, RT

R Leo · #14 06-04-2003, 07:54 PM

That 300D looks just like SWMBOs ride, Lilly! Great choice!

#15 06-04-2003, 08:43 PM

As vacuum from the vacuum pump assists in the timing of tranny shifts it is important to fix any leaks in order to move ahead with tranny adjustments. Adjusting the Bowden cable tension and the vacuum modulator can then be performed to get shift timing just right. Don't overlook the Rack Damper Pin adjustment for dealing with vibration. Very simple adjustment and sometimes does wonders for engine idle vibration problem.
She's a beauty! Good luck with her.