what to look out for buying 78 300SD
 

Hi,
going to look at a 300SD
turbo diesel for sale.... It is pretty clean
but, .. it is a 1978.....
What should I look out for....... You know...
What are the Inherent problems in these cars.......?
Someone over at Benzworld sent me over....

He was saying the temp servos go bad....
ANy one got a picture of one....So I can Indentify it....
He said, if it isn't an aluminum one.....
expect to have to change it...........

How do I check if this is servo is bad.....?


AND I am concerned about the turbo...
How do I check to see if the turbo
is functioning?

THe guy over at Benz world had a good analogy
for the turbo functioning........
He said,,,,,, If the turbo is not working it will feel like
you are pulling a tractor............
He said these cars move out pretty fast............

Any specifics I can check.... for a failing turbo.......
can I hear it spinnnnn:eek:

Also..... the guy(seller) said the car has 85,000 miles on it..
The car was locked so I couldn't get in.......
Does the car have a 6th digit on the odometer............
can these cars go around and you can't tell if it might have
185,000.......

The car from the outside is rather cherry.....
except for some rot on the Fuel Cover...(covering fuel fill cap)
and some on the roof near the roof window.
AND I was not impressed by the wheels.... they looked kind of
peeled and stuff.... from what he said, a little ol' lady drove
it summers only.... I think he changed the wheels......
AND the accelerator pedal... It looked broken...........
Do these break? It looked like just a metal rod.........


So any help here would be greatly appreciated...
I don't want to over pay for the car..... and I don't
want to have to dump money into it(like a real lot)..... I do my
own work..... I own like 7 or 8 cars now..(one jetta diesel)......
I am getting overwhelmed............ but that is ok......
I just don't want to be under the hood constantly...

Peace, Monst




















Thanks, Monst

Where are you and where has the car been all it's life? First look for rust, second look for rust, third look for rust. And I don't mean rust you can see. you need to take up the carpets and remove the rear seat. Also check under the rocker panels beneath the car. The HVAC will likely not be working. Others will be able to chip in with more specific stuff. The mileage sounds ridiculously low and they do have six digit odometers. So I'd be curious about that. Of course there's always the possibility it could be time warp. In which case it would be a great car to have.

- Peter.

Thanks for the bit on the rust....
I am going to bring my hydraulic jack.....
jack it up...... I'll pop out the rear seat.....
so what about leaky moon roofs....?????


The Turbo is one of my big concerns.......
Is this something you get rebuilt..... or
do you buy a new one??????????

Climate control...... How do I test it?????
IE: if it doesn't blow out all the ducts
when it is supposed to???????

Rebuild kits are readily available via ebay and other sources. I rebuilt mine a few years ago with a kit from an ebay seller. Even sent the shaft and blades to the guy and he balanced it

Do a site search on servo. You will get much reading material to peruse. There are a few current threads in the Diesel forum discussing the very topic.

The turbos rarely give trouble and last a very long time. I worried about them at first too but they are very very reliable.

Thanks everyone.
I'll send back with a pic
If I go through with it....
good to hear about reuild kits

I'll do a search on servos...

Peace.

THe pulling a tractor thing is right - an old MB diesel w/o a turbo can be passed by an ol' lady with a walker. I know - I drive one.
If it works - it will work forever. Dont worry about it.

The car has the extra digit on the odo. When you test drive though make sure the numbers turn - they have a habbit of not working.

Look for wet floors - it means the drains may be plugged.

I have been around them a long time, rarely if ever seen a turbo go bad this side of 300K
These engines are pretty bomb proof if serviced. Service history is a good thing, ask for it. As mentioned - rust is the main issue, if she has been sitting then the regular deal , fluids , rubber stuff ect
The ACC II ( automatic climate control) cannot be repaired ( well not easily) and if not functioning, prepare for 400- 600$ for the parts

Hidden rust and degrading rubber are the main things. If you operate and test all systems during your test drive, as well as inspecting fluids and general under hood and under car condition, you should be able to catch anything else that is seriously deficient.

The odometers on these cars fail all the time. Even if it works now, it may have failed at another time and been driven for years before being repaired. Do not trust a low mileage value unless there is significant documentation to back it up. That much being said, condition is MUCH more important than mileage in establishing a fair price for a car this old. It's possible to have two '78 300SD's side by side and one of them have 100,000 miles and be a $500 parts car, the other have 300,000 miles and still be worth a few thousand.

I wonder how strong Granny's right foot was to break the gas pedal.

Good question. Not a common failure on any make or model that I know of, and I saw lots of old beaters when I was working at a junkyard.

Well, 300SD; She has stories to tell......
and this 300SD got her name well before
we even got to get that last look at her....
The wife's friend, an avid Benz enthusiast
heard she was of the color red and named
this Ol' 78 300SD, Ruby..........
The story about Ruby,,, Ruby is
being coined as
"an ol' dame with too much lipstick"........
At a closer look the car was repainted, the
masking job was horrendous. It only took
a few moments to realize that Rudy wasn't
going to find a new home with us.
I then pulled up the carpets on the back floor
to find a floor that lacked that lovely too much
lipstick look. I remember having floors like this
in an old AMC cherokee, right before the vehicle
became a Fred Flintstone mobile...
And the Steering, how the seller made claims
about all the money dumped into
the front end.....(at 85K?) you begin
to wonder..... The steering box was
completely shot(money must have been
spent on the wrong front end parts).
I've driven some serious junk in my day,
even owned quite a few too... Rarely, do I sell
my cars. I resurrect them; then use them up...
This Ruby, she was used up. I gotten free
cars in better shape than this.
Amazing, what a little bit of lipstick can do!