I wish someone told me to do this...I will tell the story first. I just bought
my 300SD, it was sitting for almost two years when I got it. After changing
all the fluids I was ready to go. Then one day I was doing about 65 MPH
on the highway, then BANG and the motor stalled....I pulled over and tryed
to start it again, It started but ran and sounded like #%$@ !!! all I heard
was this god awful grinding sound coming from the top half of the engine.
After I got it home I found that three of the four cam bridges were broken.
And no oil up there. I pulled of the oil pan and found that the rubber pice of
the oil pump was rotted and half of it was sitting in the oil pan. So no oil
means BAD NEWS. I was lucky, I fixed the cam bridges and it runs fine.

So everyone that does not know the condition of this rubber oil pulp extender
should check it out. It only cost a few bucks and is easy to do. I wish I did..

89 190E " race car project"
81 300SD 137,K

or was the problem caused by blocking the oil flow?

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

No. If this rubber pice is not on, there is no oil getting to the pump.
It is about 4 inches long, and our oil pan is about 5 inches deep. It also
has the oil screen in it.

Did your oil pressure drop when this happened?

__________________
1977 300D Lost coolant while someone else was driving
1983 300D Can't run without oil
1985 300SD (gone but not forgotten)
1990 300TE 4matic Sold
1991 Yamaha Venture
1975 Kawsaki 250 triple
1974 Honda 200CL
1951 8N Ford
2008 Wildfire 650C

Targa-NF

I think Toms right on the blockage. I bought a 240D that ran, I drove it around but there was so much wrong with it, I dolled it home. Anyway when I pulled the pan the oil pump was broken ABOVE the "belled out" part that holds the screen and hanging by a chunk of casting. Meaning the pump was getting suction way above. A broken rubber gizmo wouldn't cause the pump to not get suction unless a 616 pump is allot different than a 617. ( the engine was fine)

__________________


1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

Hmmm...I have never heard of such an anomoly. Good to keep in mind though.

__________________
1981 300D 147k
1998 VW Jetta Tdi 320k
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 141k
1979 300D 234k (sold)
1984 300D "Astor" 262k(sold)
Mercedes How-To and Repair Pictorials
I love the smell of diesel smoke in my hair

Wow that makes me wanna pull my pan in the spring and double check!

__________________
1984 TDT Blue on Blue "Harriet"
314,143 9/29/05- Our first date
351,000 12/29/08- Oh, the places we have gone!

1991 SDL Black on Palomino "Winchester the III"
188,655 8/11/07
218,700 12/29/08

Work vehicles:
MCI-
D4500 125k
D4505 200k
102A-3 1.8Million! and my fav

The only rubber piece(s) that I can think of that have to do with the oil system are the oil cooler hoses. I have no idea what is being discussed here.

The good news is that removing the lower oil pan gives total access to the oil pump and you can get it off in ten minutes.

Have a great day,

Yes I cant think of any rubber pieces inside the pan at all, baring the gasket.

__________________
1981 300D 147k
1998 VW Jetta Tdi 320k
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 141k
1979 300D 234k (sold)
1984 300D "Astor" 262k(sold)
Mercedes How-To and Repair Pictorials
I love the smell of diesel smoke in my hair

on the oil rubber thing.

it must have been left in there or must have been hardened sludge not rubber ????

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

The oil rubber thing? You mean the gromet that seals the oil return tube? Maybe that dislodged and fell in. But that is not really in the inside of the pan, well maybe sort of.

__________________
1981 300D 147k
1998 VW Jetta Tdi 320k
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 141k
1979 300D 234k (sold)
1984 300D "Astor" 262k(sold)
Mercedes How-To and Repair Pictorials
I love the smell of diesel smoke in my hair

W123.123 240 D
MB# 1161860007

W123.130 300 D
MB# 1161860007

W123.133 300D Turbo
MB# 1021860007

W116.120 300SD Turbo
MB# 1021860007

W126.120 300SD Turbo
MB# 1021860007

:EDIT:
There is a rubber pickup on the OM617.

Attached Thumbnails

 

what roy says with his drawing is there is not a rubber thingie to fail as described by the first poster, which is what i would have said too but thought there might be a rubber lip on the bottom that i didnt remember.

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

There is a rubber pickup on the OM617.

how would diagnose this.. exploratory surgery or wait til the cam bridges go boom?