"I will admit that I drained the tank and removed the fuel "sock"
from underneath my 300SD and then cleaned the tank " in car" as soon as I took posession of my '84 300SD"

If you have access to compressed air... and take all three connections to the tank loose ( and cap the ones leading to the rest of the car ( two tubes on the drivers side, one on passender side) and take out the fuel sensor tube from inside the car and the fuel screen underneath..... I really see no problem in power washing and drying it in the car....
I just did mine out on the ground... but you have three access holes which are pretty big... and at different sides of the tank..... so with normal drying care you can save yourself a lot of work not pulling it out of the car.

For some reason my next two pictures are too large to post without reducing in size... don't know why since they were made one right after another... will post when I can...

In this picture the crud around the hole is from the gasket sealer for the large cushion gasket which seals the hole in the trunk from outside influence...

Attached Thumbnails

 

Your post confirms the fact that I have to take a class to figure out what makes my car tick......
lindjane

Don't feel bad.... I have been mechanicing for 30 years... and had to almost start over when dealing with these cars.. MB made a lot of things very differently than normal cars....
Start by getting the Haynes manual... better pictures than the MB manual.... but at some point a paper manual ( 2 manuals for chassis, one for heating and ac, one for engine , one for electrical) are really nice....
However, the 240d manual ( 615,616,617 non turbo ) manual is better in my opinion... including better pictures

There is a great book written by a woman about cars and engines.... I used to give a copy to my girlfriends ( one at a time of course)... LOL

I guess I need a man from Texas...The guys I date in SF are...let me see...UNHANDY wusses......WHATEVER happened to a man who is Handy around the House or knows how to change a tire even???
SORRY, OFF subject, Won't happen again.....

Hey, I'd rather read about that than your algae problems

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

lindajane, since youre in SF you could easily come to the diesel meet that we're planning on this board. Youll have your fill of dieselheads and wrench jockeys.

All you need is a diesel husband!
Read this thread for a smile.
Diesel aftershave!

Here are a two more threads for diesel smiles.
Oil on da brain

Muffler grease

Are you a diesel addict?
Are you obsessed with MB diesels?
Have a great day.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

I love my diesel so much! I never thought I could love a car as much as I loved "Emily", My convertible VW which I can't part with and is now very unpopularly parked in my Mom's garage in LA.
I Love the way the door sounds when it closes, a very classy, stable quality type sound. When I first got it I kept looking out the window all night to make sure it was still there! I'm glad I got over that...I was becoming quite tired.
But I will ask a question. I have washed and waxed it twice. How often should I wax it to make sure the quality of the paint stays shiney...does the wax build up? and do I have to strip it and then reapply?
Lindajane

Back in the olden days... you could get simoniz paste wax and a cleaner from them also... in those days you could ' build ' up a couple of coats....
But now the formualations are usually cleaners and waxes together... and from what I have read in Consumers Reports you can't really build them up anymore...
I had a 57 Mercury Convertible which my parents bought new... that was the Indy Pace car in 57... and I dated in it in high school... I spent 13 hours cleaning and putting two coats of wax on it one time.... and it sure looked good.... but that was hand rubbing because electricity had not been invented yet....

YAEY! Yahoo!
That is just what I wanted to hear today.
I love my car too! and I'm not afraid to admit it.
My freinds think I'm crazy
It is soo nice to hear y'all diggin your vehicles.
Lookin forward to seeing you folks at the meet!

__________________
Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

Linda, check out these guys for good stuff to keep your car lookin'nice. Beware, however, it gets addictive.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/index.jsp
PS: I use the "best of show wax" on most of my cars, but just got some of their paste wax for my "new" '86 300SDL.

Leathermang: Re:but that was hand rubbing because electricity had not been invented yet.... and I thought I was the only one in that age group. My youngest keeps asking me questions and prefacing them with things like "back when you were young and rode dinosaurs......"

Diesel addict's solution is the most reasonable,real world fix
(unless you are an A.R., Deutch lineaged fanatic like me)