New ('79) 300D. First MB/Diesel & I want to wrench...
 

Hey folks,

So I'm itching to do some wrenching on my recently acquired '79 300D. I picked it up relatively inexpensively at $700 - a steal in the SF Bay Area.

I don't know where it's been or how it's lived. What I do know is that I test drove about five within my budget, and this one ran the best, so I nabbed it.

Valve check/adjustment is on the top of the list, but after reading the string in the DIY on adjusting valves on the 617's, I feel a little uneasy about it. These valves evidently have some dissimilarities with the (few) Japanese and American engines I have experience with - i.e. keeping the valve from turning; checking clearance between cam and lifter as opposed to checking between lifter and valve...

Any other rec's in terms of what I should inspect/replace?

Any other pointers (or pics)?

Thanks!

Valves, fluids, filters are a good start. This thread might be better for the main diesel discussion area.

are you wanting to increase the performance of this car, or do you just want it working properly?
either way, your best bet is to back down to the discussion area, and search there for tune up/valve adjust procedures. www.dieselgiant.com is a great place for this too...

Thanks, I'll post there instead (thought I had in the first place...sorry)

Just to MB specs, for now, but always interested in other possibilities. Maybe after I put some miles on it and get to know the car I'll start tweaking things a little.

Thanks for the info, I'll take this to the proper forum.

Ruben

Ruben, this is not the forum for your questions. Here are the basic rules of the diesel performance forum:

Diesel Performance Tuning
Welcome to the new forum.

We've dedicated this forum to those who wish to extract additional performance.........above and beyond factory specifications...........from their diesel Mercedes.

Accordingly, it is requested that all threads be relevant to performance increases and not how to make the vehicle perform to factory specs.

I'll also request to please advise me of any existing threads on DD that should be moved to the new forum.

Thanks.

Factory spec stuff is for the diesel discussion. After you've gotten there to your satisfaction and are happy that your car is running as good as factory spec allow, come ask over here. Clearly you are not there yet.
Thank you; :)
William

So if I understand you the thread that I started about fuel economy should not be here. On the other hand I want to maximize my efficiency of my 617. Power and economy!! Which forum should I be in.
I am still wondering which mods have produced better mileage with no degradation of performance. Did inter cooling or the larger injectors increase mileage?
That is my focus in this era of $4.00 plus fuel. Any input is appreciated.

Adopting a "hypermiler" driving style will net you the most gains. Making sure everything is in working order, all wheel bearings are good, transmission shifts properly, all rotors are straight and no brakes are dragging, no fuel leaks, injectors are in good working order, engine runs smoothly (all standard maintenance items) are second on the list.

As for driving style:

essentially, you want to never give it more fuel (more pedal) than is absolutely necessary. That means sloooooooow acceleration, never ever ever accelerating up a hill, letting off as much as possible on the downgrades, driving on the smooth parts of the road (one wheel on the white line, one in the middle of the lane), and never stopping (time stoplights so you roll through, run stop signs where prudent (i.e. no cops, no traffic) etc, time spent at 0 miles per gallon affects the average tremendously).

do a google search for "hypermiler" or "supermileage" or some similar term and you are bound to get results.

edit: drag increases with the square of speed. Keep the speed below 60.

While you are correct that your thread should be in the diesel discussion, it is not me you need to understand; it is the rules- they are reproduced above. :o

While this is good advice for pure economy please dont be a traffic hazard. If your on a freeway that is moving at 75 then go 75. Making other people slow down is both bad for their economy as well as dangerous for everyone.