Hi guys
Please be gentle I'm a newbie to Mercedes.
I've looked in the archives. I would like your opinion. I'm looking at a 84 300sd turbo 123 . I drove the car yesterday.
First thing i noticed besides the A/c not working was the total lack of power taking off from a stop light you had to just floor it(the only other diesel i've owned was a dodge cummins).I've seen Wastegate Spring Tension Adjustment link, Does this sound like the problem to you guys??
At a idle the car got into a rhythm and was shaking the car, the guy said he put motor mounts in the car last year. Are there other mounts that would cause this??
The transmission also shifts very rough is this normal??.
The steering has about one inch of play.
I got the car up on the hwy and just loved it, these problem that i've described do have me concerned. Is this car worth saving??
I talked with the owner who also owns a shop about the power issue he said and i quote him on this You have to drive it like your mad at it. It's pretty straight, needs to have the clear coat replaced.. He's asking 2000.00 and is firm.. Should i just keep looking?? Sorry for the long post. Any info would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks Robert

Please specify whigh car you are talking about. 300SD is the 126 chassis. 123 could be a 300D.

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

Hey,
If it's an '84 then it's a 126 chassis.

The Wastegate wouldn't have anything to do with power from a complete stop. The turbo wouldn't be putting out any pressure at that time. You could try turning up the ALDA.
You would definitely want to check the stretch on the timing chain. If it is far off the injection pump will be out of time also. You should also adjust the valve lash. Both easy to check and fix.

These engines will almost always shake. I would guess it's a fuel performance issue, Which brings you back to the chain. Or it could be the injectors.

I wouldn't think the hard shifts would be a problem. There is more than enough info in the DIY STICKY on how to adjust the transmission. My only concern when buying would be DOES IT SHIFT THROUGH ALL THE GEARS?
Changing out the transmission fluid probably wouldn't hurt.

I don't know first hand but I believe the steering play is easy to fix.

Danny

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

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Welcome to the forum.

It would help to know if the vehicle is a 300D or a 300SD, as VW has requested.

However, both vehicles have the same engine and the lack of power on takeoff is not uncommon to these vehicles and can be caused by a multitude of possibilities:

1) Driver expectations too high (driven gasser's exclusively)
2) Plugged banjo fitting and/or boost line and/or overboost protection valve preventing manifold pressure from reaching ALDA.
3) Bad wastegate, preventing any boost
4) Lean off idle condition, exaggerated by mileage, requiring adjustment of ALDA.
5) Linkage not allowing full movement of rack.
6) Timing chain elongated; camshaft and injection are late
7) Valves not properly adjusted

None of them stop the show. But, it takes a bit of time to go through the vehicle and check each one off, one at a time. We can't diagnose the problem on the forum.

With regard to the engine shaking at idle:

If the engine mounts have recently been replaced, this condition is typically fixed with a new rack dampener screw. The screw has a spring loaded plunger that rests against the rack and dampens its motion, resulting in a smoother idle. The new screw has a stronger spring than the one that is likely in the vehicle at the present time.

Cannot give you recommendations on price until the model of the vehicle is clearly identified.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1984-Mercedes-Benz-300D-5-cyl-Turbo-Diesel-4-Door-Sedan_W0QQitemZ4563538815QQcategoryZ6330QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The car is 84 300d turbo in the 123 chassis. I hope this helps. Robert