The oil gauge in my '85 300D starting leaking over a month ago. It wasn't at the connection, but the actual gauge itself. I searched for weeks at a junk yard until I found a replacement.

In case anyone else has this problem, it might be helpful to know that the old style oil gauges (the ones from the non-turbo 300Ds that read oil pressure in lbs/sq inch and show the temp in degrees fahrenheit) work as a direct replacement. I got mine for only $12 Sure beat buying a whole new instrument cluster.

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

Hi. I'm curious - did you swap the gage mechanism into your faceplate or did you remove the fuel/temp/oil section and replace it as a whole? I have the same problem and got a used cluster w/dry gage and I wanted to swap the oil pressure unit only. How did you get the needles off the gages if that is what you did. BTW how much oil did you have on your floor before you fixed it? What a mess!

I replaced the entire gauge (fuel, oil, temp) as a whole. I first noticed a problem when oil started leaking out from under the instrument cluster onto the dash just above the steering wheel. I drove around for about two months with the instrument cluster removed and just my speedo and oil gauge hooked up with a large rag under the oil gauge to catch the oil. I had to take the instrument cluster completely apart to get all the oil out. It really is a mess! I hope the new (used) gauge doesn't start experiencing the same problem. I also went ahead and painted all my needles while everything was apart. You might want to do the same if yours are faded. It makes a big difference. Good luck!

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

My oil gauge went out on my 190 a while ago. I didn't notice the problem until I removed the rear seat one day. Oil was everywhere. I had to remove the carpeting and everything. It was a huge mess. After hours of cleaning I was still unable to get all of it.

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Ed
-1984 Mercedes 190D 2.2 5-speed gray market(bought@30,000 miles) (Sold back to original owner@170,000 miles)
-1999 Mercedes E300DT (245,000 miles)
-1999 Mercedes S500 Grand Edition (80,000 miles)

If you're not planning on keeping the old one, you might want to check with R Leo. If I recall correctly, at one time he was offering to pay the shipping costs, as he wanted to experiment with repairing "leakers".