Just got an '83 300SD for a song...ie...college grad just wanted to get rid of it. Gave him $100 for it. He told me roughly what the problems were...all seem easy enough to tackle....other than the trans not shifting very well in 1st and 2nd gear...after it warms up for awhile it's a bit better. Only those gears though...once it hits 3 or 4 on the highway it's fine...engine sounds great...about 245k on it.
Only other problem I have is I need a way to fix the seat controls for the drivers seat. The previous owner had the door pulled apart for some reason...ie the buttons don't seem to contorl anything...and he replkaced the seat cushion with a cushion from an office chair. Only myself will be driving this. Is there a good aftermarket seat I can just drop in and bolt in place?

Last bit. repair manuals?....I've looked around online...hayes doesn't seem to make a manual for the w126's...my mom went and got me the diesel manual for the w123's....will this have any reference?
Chilton makes one for the 300sd...but there manuals aren't very good....plus it included gas engines...so it spent alot of time on them.

Any guidance would be great. Thanks

Robin

PS. Any good shops around the Detroit area.
I dropped by the import car shop on Cass in downtown Detroit where I work....talked with the owner...his quote for a trans rebuilt was $2200 on the low end...and $2700 on the high...he doesn't rebuild them himself anymore...I seem to think it's the B-2 pistion...are there any shops around that would be willing to just install that part?

first before dropping 2k+ on a tranny rebuild for a $100 car. Alot of your tranny shifting probs will disappear if you get the vacuum under control.

Congrats on a great score!

John

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John Hughes, was in Landstuhl, Germany but currently in San Antonio, TX


1978 280CE Astral Silver now 59,xxx miles and counting "Silber-Kugel"
1986 300E Black Pearl Metallic 143,xxx miles 5-spd daily driver w/ blk leather "Schwarz-Schönheit"
1989 190E 2.6 (euro) 5-spd Desert Taupe 112,xxx kms Had to leave behind in Germany!!! "Helga"
1983 300D Pastel Beige now 312,xxx + miles SOLD

OBK#24

My 123 has an extremely firm 1-2 shift but smooths out once the engine and tranny have warmed up. It seems to be a Mercedes thing. As mentioned by John, vacuum problems can also cause hard shifts -- search this forum. Unless the tranny is slipping as it shifts, it is probably OK. Congrats on the great buy!

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Man are you lucky.....you have a master mechanic right there in the Detroit area that's a WEALTH of information and help.....just ask SADY.

You need to look up whunter and get on his good side...there are also a lot of other dieselheads in the Detroit area that frequent this board.

Your tranny doesn't need a rebuild, it's probably a 15 minute job to smooth them out...sounds like you got a steal!!

So, how about some pix?

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1998 W202 C230 - The money pit of late.
1984 W126 300SD (356,800 miles) Gone to the wrenchapart
1984 W123 300D Gone to the wrenchapart
1972 W108 280SE 3.5 (sold but not forgotten)
1986 Buick Grand National 3.8l Turbo (86k miles)
1966 Glassic Model 'A' Replica http://www.glassicannex.org

http://banners.wunderground.com/weat...Round_Rock.gif

I'll try and post some pics tomorrow....need to use my cam for something I guess. Stopping by Parts Galore up on 8 Mile area to search for some parts...need a grille...which can be had from ebay...but shipping is a pain...need to find a p/s pump...since mine was yanked...no worries on that....been driving old medium duty trucks a long time...but well...power steering is nice...and if I'm lucky...I'll find an exhaust that's more intact than the one I have...it seems to be missing the center muffler...and well..everything after it too...
I'll post some picks tomorrow....just picked up a creeper to get underneath for a beter look.
As for the shifting problem...it does seem to get better after driving it around...but it just doesn't seem to have any umm...get up and go when you start pressing the accelerator...and you can here it rev up like it's trying to shift...the guy I got it form was thinking the B2 piston was bad...
Oh...and if anyone needs any help in the Detroit area...metal workingwise...let me know...I'd be happy to assist....I work in a welding supply shop as a tech....so I have a rather large supply of metal working stuff...

Ditto on the vacumm system....replace ALL the connection, they are old and they leak. The tranny relies a lot on vacumm as do the door locks, and A/C system. Tighten it up, cheap cost, and makes the whole car run better.

Visit the DYI section and read up on transmissions BEFORE you spill a lot of coins doing a rebuild. Search pool noodle seat fix for the seat. I suggest you search and read about similar problems here...tons of info on this site.

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Mark
1983 300TD Wagon
Even a broken watch is right twice a day

Call me, I know the vac systems and transmission on these cars quite well. Lets get together at my place and go through everything. Roy, you reading this?


248/505-4832

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Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

Wow that's a steal all right. Assuming you don't need a new transmission, I bet you can get most of the problems sorted for under $2000 and have a nice daily driver.

If I were you I'd install new muffler hangers, they are probably rotten by now. Can you find a driver's seat at a wrecking yard near you?

Can you pay for a new PS box repair at the Indy shop? Shouldn't be more than a few hundred $$$. I'd say do it, as they are REAL tough to steer without power steering, to the extent it's a safety issue.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I will be happy to assist you.
Have a great day.

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ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

SCORE !!! Killer deal on the car and your allreaday hooked up with the help to get your car straightened out,good luck , keep us posted,and WELCOME ! Johnny

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85 300sd SOLD ,85 745i,95 740i,1972 Suburban,1938 International