My 85' 380SE has 268K miles.... aside from the vac. leak- it runs well. However, since I have owned it- it has a slight knock or tap that can only be heard when the windows up/radio off between 1500-1800 rpms- under acceleration. I am pretty sure that it is the camshaft on the passenger side is the cause... I am sure it may be worn. It has 268K - still does NOT burn or leak one drop of oil between the 3-4K oil changes.

I have considered selling this car (getting PS leak fixed now), but since I have realized how poor the fuel mileage is on my truck I just bought- I have been thinking of maybe keeping the Benz for the good mileage I get with it- which is about 19-23 mpg in town vs. 13-16 mpg with my truck.

I know my timing chain may need replaced- I have no idea when it was last changed. I have been quoted about $500 to replace that. Maybe cheaper with another mechanic I may get a quote from- that is fixing the PS leak.

Now- about the camshaft.... will that probably take care of the slight knocking/lifter noise that I hear? Has anyone else had this problem and if so- what all was required to fox and how much $$$ are we looking at? If too much (more than I want to go) I will just not worry about it and drive it until it hits the road. Or I may sell it yet- to someone that knows about these cars and can work on them and give it the TLC it needs. I am not a DIY'er- so I cannot do as much to it as I would like. BUT someone that knows these cars and likes to tinker on them- could turn this in to a nice car. I think she has many more thousand miles left in her. I hate to let her go though... I love the style, the ride, the class, the features, etc.

I could always drop a low mile 3.0L turbo diesel out of a wrecked 81-85 300SD in it? Probably too much of a conversion though.

Any info on these engines appreciated.