Hi

After moving to the US from South Africa my brother-in-law gave us (yes, gratis) a '83 MB 300SD. That was three and a half years ago. I have slowly tried to learn about the car and doing small repairs. It seems that half the MB Diesels in the country stopped working because of the cold weather we had this season, and so did mine. I plugged the block heater in, but then even the glow bulb stopped working. Thanks to the posts and previous advise from this forum I was able to change the glow plugs successfully. Now I have no more problems with a cold morning start.

While I was under the hood getting my fingernails blackened, I noticed that my fuel return lines were leaking fuel. I can kick myself for not noticing this sooner, because I lost so much Diesel (and money). So I came back to Diesel Discussion and found that it is not difficult to fix. Now I am getting great fuel mileage again.

I thought that I had a major oil leak. The underside of the engine looked like an oil spill. Turns out that who ever worked on the car last made a simple mistake. From the air filter housing there is a pipe that connects with an oil return pipe. When the air cleaner housing is replaced it is a bit tricky to get those two pipes connected. Mine was not connected, for 2 to 3 years! I have used four cans of degreaser and at last things are looking cleaner. I think this connection should be included in the list of common oil leaks, right along with worn out oil cap seal, etc.

I would like to thank all the contributors to the Diesel forum, the ones who ask the questions and those that answer. You saved me so much time and money. If I have a question or problem the "search" option and a bit of reading usually turns up more answers than I need.

Now back to work. I found a loose connecting hose on the turbo that needs tightening

MT Wessels

Another satisfied customer. That's what this forum is all about.

__________________
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

now you know we shall need pics! many many pics !

__________________
1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

It is crazy how I have not taken many pics of the Benz. We have been to NY City and back, and to New Orleans and back. So many great opportunities for photos. I will make it a priority to take more photos of "Babe".

__________________
1982 Mercedes-Benz 300SD 210k miles