new member 300d buying ???'s
 

hello i am reposting since my very first post was overwlemed by absolultly zero relplies... thanks

i have a 240d never owned a benz never owned a diesel before.

have a chance to buy a 1984 300d few questions for those more seasoned. started right up after sitting for a year or so (about 3 or 4 turns of the starter). has a little top end tap kind of high pitched valves? injectors? oil all over the place up top but had very little blow by when i took the oil cap off ( my 616 spits it every where and it has less than 85k on the od.) i revved it up and the engine tourqued and i heard and felt a "thunk" when i let off engine mount? tranny mount? anyone else have this happen? i did not drive it but i put in in gear and it seemed fine we were both pressed for time and i will be back about 3 more times before i purchase as thats just how i buy stuff.

interior is near mint no rips or tear and just a tiny bit of dash crack up near the def. vent. the ec even gave me a faint blast of ice cold air for the 3 seconds i ran it. think its worth $2500? car fax says he is the second owner. what else should i look out for thanks hope i get at least a hello this time

Aaron

Look very carefully for rust. How many miles? Any service records? Drive it an see how the tranny feels, look for any flaring or slipping (it's not unusual to put a tranny in these at 250-300K miles. Are you willing to live with the dash cracks (that would drive me nuts and it's fairly expensive to replace). If the climate control is flakey, you will eventually spend a few $100 replacing the ACC (after you take it apart and try to fix it several times, of course). The engine should sound about like your 240D, no unusual noises. Mostly just common sense.

Do you have a good shop? Take it in for a pre-purchase inspection to make sure there are no major issues.

thanks Craig,

she has 173138 on the od. she actually runs smoother than the 240. i was taken aback by how smooth it was it was as if it wasnt running at all it was so quiet (save for the top end tick which i am sure is valves) or the dreaded nailing i keep readign about. the dash is barely cracked and you cant even see them from the driver seat. it is up near the windshield. and def frost vent. the original owner serviced it regularly i have the record book but there were no entries past 80k. but all that tell me is that he stopped going to dealers. the car originated in NY but has been in NC since 1991 and 112k.
it does smoke a bit but i think he is mrunning kerosene imn it the fuel filter has a red fuel thats kero isnt it? i chalked some of the smoke up to sitting for a long time.

he owned it until 158k and the new guy has put the difference of 173k on it. since 1998.
no rust that i have seen i tapped the floor boards no bubbles of under coating.

i am lookign for a durable daily driver and i dont mind putting money in to the A/C down the road. i want a nice car to tour the north east in the fall and check out the leaves change in "style" hahahaha thamnks again not sure why my first post had 74 veiws and no replies.

$2500 doesn't sound bad based on your description, I would still get a pre-purchase inspection and see what the nailing is all about. Maybe it needs injectors?

You usually get more responses if you ask more specific questions. ;)

nailing could be bad fuel... it has been sitting so that needs to be taken into consideration.

Good point, I forgot it had been sitting for a while.

thanks guys . i am a maintanence fanatic. if i bought this i would base line all the preventivie maintianace. i would even splurge for new injectors just to have a good base for future problems. he did say that the tranny would not "lock " in park my 240d is a 4 speed so im not sure what to make of that.

what can go wrong with the park position on these trannys?

and as far as fuel goes i believe its kerosene as it is red.

i bought my 240d off this guy for 2500 as well and i am pleased. it ran a little rough till i did the valves and ran a tank of decent fuel though it. now the 616 runs like a german watch. and i dont know what people mean by the 2.4 doesnt have any power. my cruises I-95 all day at 65-70 the 2.4 doesnt even puff any smoke at all

You've posted 6 times, and half of those you are mentioning the lack of responses in some manner. Don't get your feelings all hurt, and if they are, don't tell us......;)
If you will go back and read your original post from the other thread, you are kind of all over the road from top to bottom. Best to get in, ask a question and try to stay on topic. Not a rule of course, but it seems to garner more responses, and they will be of more help too.
Oh, and punctuation can be your friend! :idea3:
You are very welcome here, and we are always glad to help. Oh, and we love pics.......

well there jimbob if yer so smart then here is a direct question to you. why will the tranny on that 300d not lock up in park?

i find puncuation waaaaay over rated

First, and most important, don't jimbob me!
Second, of the many things I might do, claiming to be smart is not one of them.
Third, check out the shifter bushings. They tend to wear, then brake apart, and you lose the correct "throw" from the gear selector to the tranny linkage. And, because I'm so smart {:rolleyes:}, I will let you know that if/when you replace those bushings and tighten things up, you might have to adjust the neutral safety switch.
Fourth, a wise man once told me "let the game come to you".......
Good luck, and you're still a welcome addition. Sounds like a decent car.

:freak:

Lol, It could be that your drivetrain is dissconnected somewhere. flex disc broken?..

I was assuming it went into gear. That is where you would be coming from if you weren't already in park. :idea3: He would be posting about car not moving in gear if flex disc was broken.....

Still think the price is high, yet location plays a large part. Specific questions do have a tendency to get more attention.

ok thanks jimmy jim (does that suit you better than jimbob?) lol anyway. are these shifter bushings a hard fix? car seems decent enough. i dont have my garage built yet and i am hard pressed for a decent place to work on my projects.
what do you think the "thud" is when i revved up the motor? the motor did not really twist but something is mout of whack to make that noise. when it revs. something shifts and drops back when you let off the throttle again we were both pressed for tim ean di have to go back for the test drive. thanks glad we can bust chops on here.

btw the car goes into gear and does move

and for toomanybnz. yea its possible this guy is running heating oil. (no tax! they also sell off road diesel around hear) he is about 85 years old and has that back woods NC country ways about him.
i needed a part for the 240 i bought from him he has about a dozen 240 and 300s in his yard i drooled.