Sounds like it's time for a good parts car........and if you only have 155K miles on it.....it's just getting broken in......if your body is as solid as you think it is....you should get an easy 100K miles......if you address the needed repairs....

If you aren't a great mechanic, and car person......see if you can meet someone from here who is knowledgeable in the rust issues of these cars.....the rest can be fixed relatively easily......

How do you know that you have a break booster issue??

I dunno about the shifting to 3rd.....but it may be possible that the brake booster and transmission issues are both vacuum related.....

As far as the car wandering....and the 2" of play in the steering wheel....could be a number of things.....

and why do you think the rear springs are shot?? could be just shocks...

and why do you think that the alternator is on it's way out??

SB

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Diesels:
'85 300D, "Max, Blue Benz", 155K, 27.0 MPG
'84 190D 2.2, "Eva, Brown Benz", 142K, 40.2 MPG
'77 240D (parts car)
'67 Eicher ES 202 Tractor "Otto" (2cyl, Air Cooled, 30HP)
Gassers:
'94 Ford F-150, "Henry", 170K (300 Six) 17.5 MPG
'85 190E 2.3, 148K....Parts Car
'58 Dodge W300M Powerwagon (Flat Fenders) Less than 10 MPG

Reply: The car really isn't terrible, but I'm wary of spending the $1-$1.5k needed on a car that won't be worth much more after that money is spent. An early 240D automatic with a cracked blue dash and thin original classic white paint isn't worth much! The car is what would be called in the VW world a 'survivor' it had absolutely no parts replaced before my tenure as owner-- that is what drew me to the car! The brake pads were original MB-- the prefilter even had a star on it!!! It never occured to me that the wear parts would all go at once, and that is what has happened.


Q: How do you know that you have a break booster issue??

A: Nothing is hooked up but the brakes and fuel shut-off.

It may be possible that the brake booster and transmission issues are both vacuum related.....

Reply: To my knowledge, there is no vacuum applied to early 240D Automatic transmissions.

As far as the car wandering....and the 2" of play in the steering wheel....could be a number of things.....

Reply: It's the shocks, steering damper and other multitude of parts that have been sitting under a cast iron engine for 30 years. Everyone says these cars need front-end work right around 150k, mine ought not be too different, eh?

Q: Why do you think the rear springs are shot??

A: Because I replaced the shocks with new Bilsteins 9 months/5,000 miles ago.

Q: Why do you think that the alternator is on it's way out??

A: The alternator case has an ovular lower bolt hole because I used too small a replacement when my Father forgot to tighten the factory bolt whenever the battery was on it's way out and we removed the alternator to have it tested. It needs to be replaced.

I've been meaning to make this post, but I just didn't know how well a "I thought you guys said these are good cars, but mine seems to be falling apart" thread would go over!

Thank you all very much!

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Any torque wrench is acceptable, provided you know how to convert ft.-lbs to Newton-meters. I have two Sears Craftsman torque wrenches and both are calibrated in ft.-lbs. and Newton-meters. The issue is that for most foriegn cars, MBs not excluded, the torque specifications from the manufacturers, like the dimensions and weights, are all provided in their original metric units. So, don't take a Newton-meter torque value and apply that many ft.-lbs. as you run the risk of breaking the fastener. In the other direction the fastener is not tight enough is likely to vibrate loose.

As for lubricating, yes the threads need to be lubricated but so does the bearing surface under the head of the bolt or nut as any galling, dirt or just a high coefficient of friction there as you tighten the fastener and begin to stretch it, will result in a rapid increase in torque load per degree of rotation. What you want is a predictable range of fastener stretch vs. applied torque and you don't get that without lubrication, and cleaning the threads before assembling.

Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

I didn't manage to follow this response so I can't offer much insight into the problem. There are a bunch of items between the brake booster and the rotors. Any or a combination of things with all of them could be influencing your brake performance. But, once again, I am not sure what the issue actually is yet.

You got me there. I try to stick to manual transmissions, especially with 240Ds. They are very well matched to the manual transmission MB offers, especially the Euros that have the 5-speed. They are, in general, very ill matched to any automatic MB ever offered with them.

You may have something here. Ball joints and other alignment joints that rely on rubber donuts and sleeves are likely at an age where they no longer provide really good support. But, before I just threw in the towel, I would check the cheap things that directly affect play, like the tie rods and steering arm/idler arm joints. You might also consider that if the power steering fluid has never been changed, that event is due, along with an adjustment of play in the steering box.

Once again, what was the symptom? Rear springs may be a problem, if the car was constantly used transport stuff that was too heavy for the suspension and now it squats too low. There are rear wheel alignment specifications that should be checked too.

iNeon, I believe you meant the bolt hole was ovalized. If it is truly ovular, does that mean the alternator could be about to ovulate? While you are addressing this issue, I believe that lower bolt runs in a sleeve between alternator housing (front and rear) ears. Without the sleeve you will have a similar problem again, or, you might break one of the ears off. If the thing makes electricity as it should, I would be inclined to drill the oval hole out, make it round and use a larger bolt. I believe there is just a nut on the other side, and if the other, top fastener is tight, the unit should be ok to make electricity for you for quite a while.

We all experience problems with these old machines. Once you fix a few of them, and the car starts to respond to the TLC, it develops an intrinsic value having nothing to do with resale value. I would go anywhere with a 240D, at least one with a manual transmission, as I know with oil and fuel, and a few simple maintenance parts/tools, it is just not going to strand me. My daughter took our old 1982 240D from CT to San Diego, California after college graduation with three other young ladies and all their junk, with about 290,000 miles on the clock, and drove it back at the end of the summer, returning it to me with about 302,000. No problems at all, other than the thirst for oil to replace the leakage past the rear seal, a known problem when she left.

My oldest son then took the car to college and drove it without oil and ruined the engine. At that point, with about 321,000 miles, it was put down.

Neglect can make these things cost more to get into shape. But, once in shape if you like working on the car they are very reliable and affordable. Paying others to fix them will drive you to conclude they are no bargain. Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

Jim--

The brakes are just a hard pedal all the time-- I can hear(sometimes) a vacuum hiss when I push the pedal to release the parking brake and shift to reverse when leaving the house. The calipers are due as well, and lines might as well be changed, as they're from 1979. If they were bad, however, I'd assume the pedal would go spongy?

With the rear suspension, it's just not as high as it should be. The shocks improved the ride and handling(prior, the car would fishtail a bit in turns-- not after they were replaced) but not the ride height. In the front, the nose likes to rear up when I'm accelerating, and to dive when I'm braking. The steering system has new tie rods as of about a year ago, but I've fit a steering damper on my short list and will adjust the steering box and see where we are after an alignment.

The transmission is about due for a service, and I am thinking of taking it to an indy shop and having them look it over and adjust it while they're doing the fluid/filter change. That'll give me some idea of what's going on there.

The alternator is what it is, and I'm not worried about it too much.

I know I've already said it, but it's OK to repeat it--

Thank you!

It is a tremendous help to just talk about the issues with the car and not hear: "Why'd you buy it in the first place? You should have bought a Honda." as I do with my carchat friend.

If I speak with my Father about it, and say: "The car needs part X." He automatically flies into "Part the piece of **** out and get it out of my driveway!" mode. Which is mostly just a knee-jerk reaction to the false assumption that I want HIM to pay for the repair, and that it will be expensive.

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Craftsman torque wrenches are just fine. If you have a torque spec then go ahead and use it. The other tools you have purchased are very valuable for everything else just leave the final torquing to the correct tool.

Regarding the issues with your car. Its an old car. Its got a lot of deferred maintenance. I feel your pain. I spent and continue to spend a bundle on my car. Its still cheaper than making payments. My advice is to buy the service CD's, find a friend that is a good mechanic to teach you, dive in yourself, etc. and learn how to fix it yourself. Thats the only way keeping a MB will be "affordable". The only good thing is that once you catch up with the issues the car will be fairly easy to keep running. Rebuilding suspension, servicing transmission, rebuilding brake system, etc. should set you back $1500-$2000, max. Whats a new car payment? RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

Convert.exe



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All Bolts have a specific Torque range. However, if stuff is coming loose on Your Car you might want to deal with what is causing it to Shake.

Even as a Mechanic I only Torqued specific items where I knew the Torque made a difference. All of the other stuff I tightened by hand and I have not had any issues with stuff coming off.

On My Mercedes and the ones I have removed stuff from in the Junk Yard I have found everthing to be tighter than average when I try to remove something.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I notice in your posts that you are making assumptions about the status of various parts and systems and are therefore assuming the worst. For example, there is no reason to assume that the calipers are shot because of their age. If they move smoothly, don't leak, and retract when you release the pedal, they're fine even if they're 100 years old!

SOMETHING is worn in the front end, perhaps the steering idler or Pittman arm pivot and you need to replace what's wrong without assuming that everything is gone. That's a really common issue that I've seen a thousand times and I usually have to tell folks to slow down and we'll assess each issue individually based on actual data and not unfounded concerns. I should tell you that I've bought and flipped a number of cars when the owners didn't want to work thru the process with me. Made a LOT of money that way!

Taking the trans to a good shop is a super idea. Auto transmissions are a whole specialized field. Mine is at a local shop with a guy I can trust as we type. He'll reseal it and assess the condition. More fixing if needed, of course.

On the torque wrench thing - the others have covered that pretty well but I'll add in here that Chrysler for many years would give a spec of "mechanic's torque" for things like the oil pan bolts, for example. After you're pulled and reinstalled a couple of thousand of those you get to know how they ought to feel when tightened and if you don't you're no mechanic. So if you don't yet have that "feel" by all means buy the torque wrench in the range that will allow you to tighten everything properly as you develop the feel. I haven't seen a torque wrench in number of years that isn't double calibrated in English and metric units but I suppose there might be one so check for that when you buy. You can, of course, calculate the conversion.

Good luck on this. I'd definitely fix the odds and ends and have yourself a great car.

Dan

As far as anti seize compound and how it affects torque, I use this stuff:
ARP-bolts.com | ARP Ultra-Torque

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83 SD

84 CD