My '79 SD doesn;t have a rack dampner?
 

I just finished installing new motor mounts and the difference is night and day. however, there is still a side-side motion going on in the cockpit. Not as bad as it use to be though! It use to be so bad that when the A/C was on, I'd partially hold the gas and brake at the same time to calm it down.
Anyways, there isn't a screw on the back of my IP between it and the filter housing. Is there on for a car this old?
Thanks
David

I have a 1979
 

I have a 1979 300sd with a 1978 engine in it and it has the rack damper bolt at the rear of the IP. Changing it to the new gold one and adjusting it made a world of difference in the idle.

mattdave, could you please post a pic then of it? I'll try to snap a mugshot of the back of my IP so you guys can see.
Thanks
David

Sure
 

I will try tomorrow but I have a cheap camera. I am not very good at it. I have never posted one online before, But the good news I think I have an IP both on my daily driver and a spare Ill take a picture of both. But this would not be the first thing I have found that some MBZ have and some don’t. Like my SD it doesn’t have a cut in the cam washer to align with the cam tower mark to check for chain stretch. You have to do it the way the manual says no short cuts on this car.
Dave s

I tried
 

I tried to take some pictures on the car but I could not get any to come out.So I took some from a spare 78 IP thats off the car so you could see the bolt. http://115mercedes.tripod.com/dsc01471.jpg
http://115mercedes.tripod.com/dsc01473.jpg
Dave S

Thanks for the pics. I guess I wasn't looking low enough on the pump. Now how in the world is one to adjust that with the filter cannister there?
Thanks
David

The RD was shown best in the first pic (attached with circle) that mattdave posted. Two wrenches are required. A 14 and 13 I believe. Loosen the larger nut and turn the smaller bolt in a little, tighten the nut and drive it and see if any more adjustment is neccessary. Adjust in small doses. The canister is not really in the way. Just be careful around vaccum hoses, etc.

You should
 

You are supposed to upgrade to the gold colored rack dampener the 2 bolts should be gold colored. Cost about $40 on line. And it is real hard to find at the junk yard. IT took me months to find one. But I changed it like the manual says too and it greatly improved the idle
It would have been worth the $50 spent to have bought the gold rack-damper new in the first place. Adjusting it helps some but replacing the rack damper with the new type well that really made a difference in the idle.
Dave S

My 1980 300SD doesn't have the rack dampner bolt either. I have a 79 300SD That does. What I suspect is that the orginal pump was replaced with one from a non turbo engine or at least the back plate.

really hand built
 

These cars were the last hand designed and built automobiles & I am sure they had the same production foul up’s they have today. If you run out of something don’t stop the production line be creative. Saturn swears they never made the door panels on my 96 Saturn which I received brand new as a Christmas present. Well I need a new door panel and the dealer has given up trying to get me one. The car was the first month of a new model year. They have tried older panels newer ones the right one nothing fits. It no doubt is a neon door panel. I have noticed a lot of this sort of thing on the older MBZ. Federal spec CA spec euro spec does not help things either. BY the way this is an easy adjustment and if you’re idling ruff it is well worth the hour it takes. :)