Short-Time Lurker, First-Time Poster
 

Ladies & Gentlemen,

I’m a short-time lurker and this is my first post! I’ve been reading the archives here for a couple of months and will be a good boy and search for answers to my questions before I needlessly garbage-up the forum by asking what’s already been answered a gazillion times. :) I’m a “Beamter” and heavy user over at http://www.mye28.com/, so I don’t want to emulate the behaviors I myself find frustrating.

Now, here’s some info on my “new” ride: about a month ago, I bought an ’84 300td from a friend in Baton Rouge and drove it home to Alpharetta, Ga (~30 miles north of Occupied Atlanta) yesterday. It’s got 312K on the body, an unknown amount on the engine, the body is fairly straight, the white paint is mostly serviceable, and the interior is extremely filthy (the previous owner apparently took a bath once a year, ate most meals in the car, let greasy weasels joust in the rear compartment, and drove around with the tailgate slightly ajar). The wagon did fine on the trip home and got about 25 mpg at 80 mph average, with the cruise control being inop and the extremely feeble dash lighting being the only real frustrations of the trip.

This baby will be the daily-driver successor to my “uninsured look” AMC Eagle which I sold to my bro-in-law about five years ago; since then, I’ve used my ’86 BMW 535i as my daily driver. Already this morning, I forced a cell-phone-yappin', no-signal-usin', I-don't-need-to-yield Lincoln Navigator "driver" to merge on my terms (which were perfectly courteous and legal, BTW). Ahh, the freedoms of driving a somewhat-rough car!

Things I have on the to-do list:

1. Replace the broken vacuum levers and check the overall tranny adjustments (yep, I know about http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=158216)
2. Clean the entire car with Krud Kutter/Simple Green
3. Install the new Blaupunkt Key West CD/MP3 player (free shipping and a Skil cordless drill from Crutchfield as of this morning)
4. Check the condition of the timing chain
5. Check the injector pump timing
6. Fix the inop windshield squirters
7. Check the EGR and intake manifold for grunge build-up
8. Diagnose the inop Tempomat
9. Diagnose the inop vacuum/locking system, to include figuring out why the passenger-side front door “automatically” locks itself
10. Find the missing parts from the tailgate (the inside handle and lock knob and who-knows-what-else)
11. Diagnose the inop rear wiper
12. Replace the left rear door window that’s chipped along its top edge
13. Modify the fog lamp sections to hold H1 high-beam headlights and wire them appropriately
14. Remove the stock roof rack, buy some Yakima tracks, and install my old Yakima system on the roof
15. Get some dubs wit spinnaz!

If any of Y’all have any suggestions for this diesel W123 newbie, I’d appreciate hearing them!

BTW, is there an MB equivalent to RealOEM (example: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.do?model=DC84&mospid=47231&prod=19850700)?

Regards,
Shawn D.

(OK, that last one on the list was a joke)

Occupied? You OTP people are funny.

1. Use magic eraser buy $20 of them, you WONT be sorry.
2. Hope you are learned on Hinduism, Bhuddism, Satanism, Judaism, and Christianity. I even made up a few while diagnosiing the vacuum system.
3. Nobody has these. I've never seen a TD with them. I honestly thing the dealership may have removed them (kid proof). (Yours has third row seating?)
4. There is a relay in the rear door. Start checking there.
5. I've got a window if you want it
6. Don't bother. Get euro's and never look back.
7. Whats wrong with with the stock rack?

FYI there was a 85 TD at Conley pull-a-part. Don't know if its still there. If you go, hit me up, I am only a few miles away from there.


ITP dweller.

Welcome aboard. I didn't realize the was a site devoted to E28 BMWs. Had one until the significant other decided to total it. Item 10. There is a large latch assembly in the tailgate with what I consider a weak point. The receiver for the chrome latch handle breaks. See the attached pictures of a good and bad unit. It's a bit of a wrestling match to replace the unit. Unless you have the third seat option and kids who want to sit in back I would think it's not that urgent to replace.

Nice pics of that assembly. Thanks! ;)

Some one said get euro instead of the high beam replacement of the fog lights.
I did the high beam replacement and it works SUPER and costs peanuts compared to euros- and if you ask me, actually give better lighting on the high beam. You don't need only H1's- you can get H3's also. VW GTI golfs had a inside light that works great. Plug and play.

As someone who was born "ITP" and on average has 20 more years "ITP" than folks who use the terms ITP/OTP (i.e. non-natives)... oh, nevermind! :rolleyes:

Well, I guess the automatic numbering plays heck with folks' quoting, 'cause if I match my numbers with your numbers, those are some screwy answers!

That does make some sense (not to me, but I can see how that could happen). Maybe the dealership or a P.O. did remove them! Yes, my car has the third row seating.

I check the timing chain by looking in the rear door? :eek: Wow, these W123s are strange! :P OK, I'll start the lock diagnosing there.

Thanks -- I might take you up on that.

I already bothered. I did look at getting the Euro lights and didn't because:

1. I didn't want the extra expense
2. I didn't think the look is all that much different/better, especially on this 300td
3. I don't want or need fog lights (which the Euros have as an integral component)
4. I didn't want to have to source harder-to-find and more-expensive replacements when the inevitable break comes along
5. Round lights almost always have better optics than squared-off lights
6. The Hellas I'm installing actually are "Euro"

I took 7" H4s with me when I went to get the car and installed them for the drive home; the 5-3/4" H1s will go in once they get the X-Pel film on them like I have on the H4s.

It's pretty flimsy compared to the Yakima I already have. Also, the stock piece appears to only be good for suitcases or maybe a Christmas tree. I don't know how you'd use it to carry three mountain bikes up there in a civilized and safe manner, nor for carrying lumber -- I do both of these with the Yakima which is adjustable, customizeable, and easily removable.

Thanks for the notice and the offer. If I head down that way, I'll let you know.

Yep, there are at least four forums dedicated to the E28 out there.

In my case, the receiver part is still there (the part that looks as if a screw would go into it) and the door can be opened by using it, but the handle itself is missing. No, it isn't urgent to replace it, but there are certain things I want to have functional.

Thanks for the inputs, Y'all.

Yes us true natives who stay ITP are rare indeed.
Excellent. I was thinking the exact same for my wifes TD. I just always found the cheap doors and sealed beams to be the only part of the car that was truly ugly.
Ya it is certainly not a bike rack kind of car. You "sporty" beamer owners. Tsk. Do you have the Yakima wind deflector too? (rubbing elbow in ribs).

Welcome.

If I could have stayed ITP after my stint in the Air Force, I would have done so, but the metro population doubled in the time I was gone and going back to Brookhaven (where I went to high school) or Sandy Springs (the ITP part, where my grandparents lived and I spent much wrenchin' time) wasn't in the cards.

If you're looking into them, http://www.classicgarage.com/ and http://www.rallylights.com/ have been my sources over the years. http://www.xpel.com/ is where I got the film.

I never left the rack on the BMW for longer than I was using it, but it lived atop the AMC Eagle when that was my daily driver. Nah, I don't have the wind deflector -- I just use the little airfoils that snap over the bar.

Thanks again!

As far as the roof rack, I always just wanted to remove the rub strips that are between the roof bars. It has been discussed here and they are on with doublestick tape or adhesive and will come off. I was concerned that I would mess up the paint taking them off, so I haven't done it. The roof bars themselves are easy to remove but the headliner has to be removed first.

My tailgate latch is broken too. I can't believe they had that flimsy cast zinc part for the interior rear hatch release. I even bought one off eBay Germany and the first time I tried it, it broke. I looked on the EPC and it shows a later part number. Maybe they fixed the problem.

Mercedes does not have the RealOEM that BMW has. They have the EPC (Electronic Parts Catalog). This is a link to the Russian MB site that has the EPC for our cars online. http://www.detali.ru/cat/oem_mb0.asp?TP=1

If the rub strips are held on by double-stick tape, you can "saw" them off with dental floss. I plan on leaving the rub strips "just in case" and observed that I'd have to undo the headliner to get to the mount hardware.

Excellent -- thanks!

Hey guys,havent been here for a while since I sold the the Diesels,just wanted to put in a good word for Shawn D . He is a standup guy and will be a great member of this board.Jimmy L be nice to him ! Miss this great board,Johnny :) :) HEY MATT hows the 300sd ?????

welcome to the forum...
 

great cars,mine came with the rear door latch intact- until i tried to use it. i was a little less than gentle with it:o third row seats...

i use mine as a work truck, so i have thule load bars. theyre great. cant even strap a sheet of plywood to the factory racks. i use mine right over the top of the factory ones, gutter mount. i usually remove them unless i need them.
if ya ditch that one, i am looking for a new spreader bar or 2;) (damn canoe)maybe we can deal on a rear hatch latch and trim- palomino. my mount is toast, but the handle and trim are fine. door works just fine from the outside, too!

the SLS system on these is great for hauling stuff! i've put a lot of weight in mine, and it rolls level.

headlites are next on my list of "luxury" repairs.

good luck.

If the roof strips are removed, you may experience "oil-canning" of that large nearly flat rear roof. I had it pretty bad on my 1980 300 TD until I added some mahogany ones of my own, applied with 3M 5200 (Don't use this on anything you might want to remove !). The dental floss sounds like a good idea; I'll remember that. Hitting bumps even at low speed, or just driving over about 50 MPH caused the roof to flex and make a booming or rumbling noise, very noticeable. Steve

jrgslg,

Thanks for the good word! ;)

mobetta,

I'll keep your offer in mind if I decide to toss the old rack completely.

Sbean,

Yep, I know the oil-canning effect and didn't plan to remove the rub strips -- I was just suggesting a method.

Thanks again for the welcome, Y'all!

Commentary....
 

I spent the majority of my adult life in the N'awlins area....learned early, that turn signals are a sign of weakness....indicating your intent to turn/change lanes/merge....just gives the stronger driver a chance to block you:D

Another boat nut:eek: .....3M 5200 is dangerous in the hands of the average landlubber......if one uses 5200 on anything, the general removal process involves the biggest hammer that you can find:D

SB