I have an 85 300D. While driving to work this morning, I saw a little smoke coming out of my rear by looking at the mirror. I can't distinguish whether it was the water from the snow, or it was smoke...

Anyway, I drove another mile or two, and I started to smell some burning scent... like when one stepped too much on the brakes kind of smell. Then suddenly the car's warning light lite up (the 3 lights right next to the high beam light and the low fuel light). The temperature suddenly jumped up to 120 in a matter of seconds. I slowly drove another 1/2 miles to get off the highway and see what was wrong. My coolant was all leaked out, and the belt broke. Had to get it towed.

When I got it towed home, the car can start without a problem. But besides the regular diesel clattering, there is this other clanking noise. Some sort of metal hitting each other kind of noise.

I want to know if my head gasket is still good, how can I check? My belts are BRAND NEW! Less than 2 weeks on the car. They are on it very tight. Should putting new belts on it fix the problem? What other problems are there?

While changing the belt, I also replaced the transmission filter and the fluid. However, during this past week, I find the car leaking a little red fluid... but the transmission's dip stick shows that there are enough fluid. Would the red fluid have anything to do with the radiator or belt breaking problem?

Leaking red fluid from where? Under the transmission or under the radiator? You could have the rare bad luck of a crack forming on your transmission cooler lines in the radiator and having trans fluid mix with your radiator fluid (and vice versa). I was lucky enough to have this experience, my car is still in the shop recovering.

You can cause lots of damage if you drive the vehicle when this happens. Things like the transmission needing a rebuild come to mind.

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

What condition is the water pump in? THose bearing can go out and sieze the WP, whick will also destroy the seals and allow coolant to pump out. Which belts broke? There are two that go around the alternator, water pump and crank pully. Also check your alternator, it's bearing could have seized also resulting in broken belts. All the lights coming on like that are indicative of a no or low charging condition. Broken belts equals immediate no charge condition.

Spin the alternator and the water pump by hand. Feel for any grabbing, or play in the shafts.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

I have to check my alternator and the pulleys tomorrow. I do know for sure that there is some play on the pulley of the water pump when I installed a new belt (2 weeks ago). As for the belts, the power steering one is still attached. The dual fan belt... one belt snapped, and the other one fell off the pulley.

Would a seized water pump make weird clanking metal noises?

Yes...if you are lucky.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

use a long wooden handle screwdriver, put handle against your ear with tip on various places on the engine till you can locate the source of the "clanking". be very careful of belts, pulleys, etc.

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81 Mercedes 300SD 289k.......SOLD
82 Mercedes 300CD 252k......slow ride

82 mercedes 300 SD...mi Unknown
83 Mercedes 300D ????ksniff..gone too
84 Mercedes 300D 148k........SOLD
85 Mercedes 300TD 386k and holding some one elses project

Something doesn't make sense in the story. You should not have lost ALL your coolant in a couple of miles if a bearing seized and caused the belt to burn up. Do you know if the coolant was full when you set out on that trip? A failed water pump could have been leaking coolant for quite a while but there would have been evidence of his beforehand. It also seems unlikely that a water pump would be so badly deteriorated as to seize without giving a lot of unpleasant sounds in advance. Same with an alternator bearing.
You could remove the belts from the alternator and water pump and briefly run the engine to see if the sound is there. If it's not there, it's one or the other that is broken.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Here is the thing. Since I installed everything back 2 weeks ago, I experienced a little red fluid leak. I figured it was transmission fluid... checked closely on that and the motor oil. I forgot to check the coolant again.

Here's another though, can a belt be that is too tight causes problem too?

Yes, it can overstress a bearing.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Yes. Excessive belt tension will cause excess wear on things like alternator and water pump bearings. And it can result in belt failure. But it's tough to get a new belt tight enough to break in only two weeks. I suspect that there are other factors involved.

I have a question about the water pump. If it seized, would the only part I need is the picture below? Looking at Fastlane, there is this pump, and the housing and gaskets. My 300E's water pump is all in one. Just making sure I am buying the right item in case I need to order it.

That's all you need if the pump is bad.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

You might want to check the water pump price at a dealer before ordering one.

Thanks for all the information. Would it be cheaper at the dealer? I forgot to ask them today while I was there to get another belt...

I paid $25.00 exchange for the last one at the dealer, and they keep one in stock all the time.

It takes an hour to do, if you go slow and don't snap the 6mm thread bolts. The fan clutch and water pump hardware is 10mm hex. It's also easier if you remove the upper radiator hose, be careful with the platic radiator.