Thanks for the reply but I guess I may have a toasted turbo on my hands. On the way to work this AM the noise (like an exhaust leak or wastegate open to atmosphere) got way worse, so bad that I had to return home and pick up my F250 to finish the commute. Parked the Benz in the driveway and will take a day off on Friday to tear it apart and analize.

I'm fairly certain its the turbo assembly and will confirm this weekend.

Any suggestions on where to get a quality rebuilt turbo for my '84 300D in short order - like overnight??