Hi, i just bought a 82 300sd. I love this car, but there are quite a few electrical issues with it i need to figure out. My fuse keeps blowing for my right side marker lights, all my dash lights are out including all other instrument lights, the climate control doesn't work at all, i had to install a switch wired straight to the blower motor just to have heat for now, and also the glow plugs are not working, i checked the fuse and all the connections and they seem good. It just won't start when it's cold without some starting fluid. Also the right front window and the left rear window don't move. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated! thanks!

I would not use starting fluid on my car. You should do a search for testing your glow plugs and fix the problem right away. You named a few different issues...A/C can be quite a pain to figure out. First you have to solve your electrial issues and then move to your A/C. Testing each fuse with a test light is a good place to start...replacing bad fuses and cleaning the rest.
The dash lights problem are most likely the dimer switch...wiggle it around if the lights flicker, replace the switch.
If the fuses are not the window problem, test the power to each window switch. If the motor makes noise but doesn't move the window, replace the plastic clip that slides the window up and down.

A search for each topic will bring you a wealth of info....Good Luck!

__________________
1983 300SD 343K everyday car
1983 300SD 285K from junk yard-tooks parts from deer car- runs great. Brothers car.
1984 300SD parts car-Hit deer
1979 300D 175K non-turbo "Doctor"
1979 300d parts car

Don't neglect the ground connections. There are several places where many electrical circuts are attatched to a stud to make a ground connection. Over the years, and after working on lots of cars from mant different manufacturers, I am only half-kidding when I say that all electrical problems are due to bad grounds.

Unplug the sockets and check the sockets for water and corrosion. If the fuse still blows with the sockets unplugged, then troubleshoot the wires themselves.
This could be simply a 'bad' dimmer control.
Good improvisation. Blower should work on high speed with DEFROST selected (leftmost button) regardless of engine temperature. Let us know if DEFROST does not work also. Could be ACC fuse, blower fuse, or bad ACC.
Does the cabin courtesy lamp dim when you switch on? If one or two plugs are out, the indicator may not light, but the lamp may dim, indicating that the other plugs are trying. Wait a good 30 seconds to let any remaining plugs get as hot as possible. To check plugs, unplug the glowplug harness from relay box on/near left front inner fender in engine compartment, use an ohmmeter to check resistance of each to ground. Should be less than 1-2 ohms. Also, check resistance of strip fuse under philips screw terminals on top of relay, if it's 'blown' plugs cannot glow.
Check both sides of each fuse with a voltmeter of trouble light, to be sure the fuse isn't cracked. Replace them all if you like.
Does the cabin courtesy lamp dim when the window switch is acivated? If it is mechanically stuck, the motor will draw current and dim the light. Otherwise, it's likely a bad switch contact or broken wire.

My suggested priorities:

1. Engine start/glow plugs. Don't use any more starter fluid than you ABSOLUTELY need to...

2. Side marker lights. Avoid "Officer Friendly" stopping you to inform you that your lights are out.

3. Air Conditioning Control (ACC) since it involves your comfort, and Defrost involves safety.

4. Windows.

Let us know how you progress

Best Regards,
Jim

All of the previous advice is excellent.

However, prior to doing any of it, please spend $12.00 and purchase a set of new fuses made with either brass or copper.

Many times the old aluminum fuses will crack and you won't be able to tell by looking at them.

The problem with the two windows that don't work will almost certainly disappear with a new fuse.

Just don't get the POS aluminum fuses.

How do you seperate different parts of a post, and make seperate "quotes"?
Slight hijack...

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Ah, Jimmy, that's easy:

Just do it manually:

Put (QUOTE=JimmyL) in front of the quote.

Put (/QUOTE) at the end of the quote.

But, you must use the brackets [ ] instead of the parentheses ( ). I had to illustrate it with the parentheses otherwise the software would make a "quote" out of it.

Done.