I am purchasing a 300TD w/ 190k but I am traveling either to drive out there or fly out 600+ miles to pick it up and drive it home so I need some advice.

I have had 5 MK2 VW's and became very familiar to their setups.

I have been doing a lot of research into these engines and their reliability so I am excited to be finally purchasing my first one.

I have a few questions though that I would like to ask.

A) What should I look for when going to take a look at these cars. (Things I will be looking for)
- Rust *see below
- Mechanical
- Transmission

B) He said it is having problems starting cold (car sat for a while) and mentioned bringing it to a Merc. dealer and they said it was the check valve. The weird thing about this and I am unsure about is he said that it keeps gas pressure and my research so far shows that the check valve has to do with gas. What do you guys make of this?

C) He said there is a slight gas leak on the pump, is that a major issue that may make me wish not to purchase this car?

Any advice you can give me would be appreciative; besides those two things (the minor gas leak and the check valve apparently) are the only 2 things that I am questioning as to whether or not I should buy the car.

About a year and a half ago he got the following done to the car:

oFront rear brake pad
oRotors
oFront Calipers
oMaster cylinder
oMaybe 1,000 miles since then
oEngine mounts
oFluids and filters
§Oil Coolant
§Air filter
§Fuel filter
§Trans
§Brake fluid


* Here is what he told me about the rust:
oTop Edge above window frame left rear door 6” long
oLeft Front Door, by the rocker panel


Thanks for your time, I will be back on here later tonight to add details and respond.

1. not gas, it's either fuel or diesel...
2. what pump? there is no primer pump on an 87, so you must mean the injection pump. common need of orings at the delivery valves. if that's all, grab it.
3. that sounds like a lot of rust. be sure and inspect the entire car from front to back, look over all suspension points, there are some subframe failures common of these cars.
4. bring 6 glow plugs, *(get bosch not autolite or anything else) bring a meter to test the ohms of resistance of the glow plugs at the relay connector, refer to the glow plug repair on dieselgiant.com's site.
look for signs of a blown head gasket, water in oil, oil in water, fuel smell in water, etc. pressure on hose even though the motor is cold. all bad signs.
check to see if there are allen heads or phillips screws on the vacuum pump. do some research here to see which one you want to have...

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

B & C are more than likely both related to C; a leaking delivery valve. Fairly easy DIY repair once armed with data on what to watch out for. Requires a special splined MB socket to remove and torque wrench to reinstall.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

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

Good luck with your purchase. Check out the A/C Heat controls. Sounds like its running but might have a glow plug or 2 out. Check tires for even wear and tires that match. Sounds like your driving it back. So don't for get the basics, Lights, wipers, heat, etc.

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92 300D 2.5L OM602 OBK #59

Thank you for your quick responces!

Again I am really excited, and from what knowledge I have gained of the last few months of research I think this is going to work out well for me!

vstech:
"2. what pump? there is no primer pump on an 87, so you must mean the injection pump. common need of orings at the delivery valves. if that's all, grab it."

Yeah he said it was the check valve that goes into the injection pump; he actually bought the check valve its in the glove box. Thank you for the heads up on the rust, I am going to be watching out for the suspension towers, and any wear and tear areas on the chassis etc.

TMAllison:
Yeah I will have to do some testing to figure if it is a leaking delivery valve.

bobodaclown:
He said the car drove straight but yeah uneven tread wear would be something to look out for thanks for the check list!

I will be on later on tonight to clean up my questions as I think I have a few more to ask.

Again thank you all for your help!

Doors aren't hard to find, if that's the only rust. Check rocker panels around the jack-holes, bottom of tire well and 1/4panel on both sides, rear edges of fenders, under battery box. Also give the bumper covers a loving tug, mounts on the 124 bumpers will rust out of the plastic bumper covers.

I can get a set of doors for you if you need them, probably quite reasonable. Oh, also open the hatch and check the bottom seam for rust.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Wow, thanks for the help! Just do me one favor, I know just about everywhere you are talking about to check for rust except for the rocker panels around the jack-holes. I may know what your talking about but I am just not putting the name to the area.

Thanks!

Under the doors around the jack holes is an area where they frequently have rust which can harm the structural integrity.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Ideally it'll not have been started for the day when you get there. If the engine is stone cold, give the upper radiator hose a pinch. It shouldn't be holding pressure if the engine's been off for many hours. If it holds pressure that long, it could mean the head has developed cracks. Ideally you'll find that the head has been replaced with a later casting. You might be able to see numbers like 603 XXX YY XX near the #2 injector. If YY is 17 or higher, it has a later casting. Nothing wrong with a 14 casting that hasn't cracked... outside of the known propensity if overheated. Certainly not a deal breaker.

Engine oil leaking around the #1 exhaust runner and right front corner of the engine usually means it's time for a head gasket. If it's leaking externally, it's also leaking into the #1 cylinder.

Hard starting is typically tired glow plugs. You can pack replacements but it's a difficult enough job in the comfort of your garage.

I don't know where there's a fuel check valve in that car. Maybe inside the injection pump. If so, you're not going to replace it without pulling the injection pump. I've heard of folks pinching the fuel return line, the big one to the fuel tank, to diagnose hard starting. I don't know what it means if pinching the return line makes it easier/possible to start the engine. Maybe a bad check valve

Is the injection pump leaking fuel or engine oil?

Take a peak at the serpentine belt tensioner. Looking down from in front of the engine, check that the small pulley to the right of the fan hub is parallel with the rest of the pulleys (why isn't it pullies?). If it's canted such that the axis points towards the driver seat, either the pulley is bad or the belt tensioner is bad. Don't let that go too long because when the tensioner goes it will send the fan into the radiator. An original head casting won't like that one bit.

Front wheel alignment problems usually mean worn lower control arm bushings. Not too bad a job if you have or can fashion the right tools. Rear wheel alignment problems usually mean worn or sometimes broken control arms. There are 4 or 5 control arms per side depending on what you call a control arm. That's a lot of bushings that can wear. Rear control arms are fairly easy to replace except for the big lower control arm. With all these suspension bits, final tightening and torquing must be done with the weight of the car on the wheels!

Automatic climate control diagnosis will drive you nuts. Some of the vacuum actuators that select how cabin air is distributed require the dash to come off for service, as does evaporator replacement. I don't know about the heater core but I haven't heard of one go bad.

This is how badly one of these cars can rust without a lot of surface indication - www.biodieselbob.blogspot.com

bob_98sr5 has posted on this forum. He has quite a bit of work ahead of him as you can see so it might take a while before he can help you with your car

Sixto
87 300D

sixto: thank you for your reply, definitely a lot of good information there for me to look out for, as for the check valve this is straight from the current owner, " I had the MB shop check the glow system and all is operating as normal, because I thought that originally maybe that was the starting issue, but it's definitely the fuel check valve.", and he mentioned that it 'threads' into the fuel injection pump which could very well be inside.

Either way that is what the MB Dealership said was the cause for the starting issues where it sometimes takes him 30secs to get the car to start cold.

Dee8go: Thanx I heard those were problematic rusting areas.

The owner mentioned that the car drove straight on the highway and that the tires were not dry rotted and had 50% tread life left. Through what he told me about the rust he hasn't done a lot of research into it however he has at least looked. He also said there is a small fuel leak at the fuel pump, do those pumps sit in the tank or out? Wouldn't make sense (obviously) if it was an in tank fuel pump.

I have to run back to work; so far do you guys think $2000 is a good deal for this car? =X

lol thanks again for all your input!

There could well be a check valve. I wouldn't touch the IP without doing the return line pinch test, though.

The lift pump is attached to the injection pump. There are a number of rubber fuel lines in the engine bay. Something like one or two meters all told. Plan on replacing the lot. And of course check the injector return lines.

If the leak is at a device sitting on the engine mount arm, that's the fuel thermostat and it can be taken apart to replace o-rings or the plastic inlet fitting.

The clear lines around the IP, they were clear when new, last a lot longer. They're sold with end fittings. Some have gotten away with using clamps to prolong service life of these lines.

$2000 could be a fair price, could be a great price. It depends on what else needs attention and how much those things matter to you. If AC doesn't work and you need AC, plan on up to $2000 unless you have time to learn and repair the system. Or look for a $4000 car with working AC. Late 80s paint doesn't hold up well. I'm fine with dull original paint as long as the car is all one shade. In fact I prefer dull original paint to a repaint, particularly a recent repaint. Others look at faded original paint and see a $2000 repaint bill to make it look presentable.

The best thing you can do is spend ~$150 to have a reputable independent shop do a prepurchase inspection.

I have no ability to qualify rust. Rust has a habit of working its way to the front spring perches which can become a major safety concern. I'd say pass on a car with rust but you might be someplace you can't afford to be picky.

Sixto
87 300D

I car transported (Beam it to Memphis, Scotty) my 300SDL from New Orleans. I would suggest you go READ what Ginny from Denver just did. She flew to Orlando and drove a car back to Denver. That's an endeavor, for sure!!!

Someone help me out with the tread!!!

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

I can strongly suggest to never ever buy any mercedes built after 1985. that's personal of course, I have experienced a complete nightmare with my wagon. They have A LOT of issues.

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1964 datsun 1500
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this is where I quote some dude, so I look smart because of quoting that dude that said something smart once

prepare to learn a whole lot more about this car if you buy it.
If you do not have the time or money to work on or have the car worked on continuously for at least 2 months, don't buy a 2000.00 87 wagon.
this could be a creampuff. it could be a nightmare. if you are not devoted to the car, and a decent mechanic, pass on the car.
certainly be ready to fly back home without the car, a ppi may not help you. you would have to KNOW who was inspecting it, and be confident of their inspection. best to get your info here, and look it over yourself. just be ready to walk away.

A) I am driving out there so I'll have a car incase this one doesn't make it
B) My friend works at a Mercedes Dealership
C) Thank you for all the speculation, from you and everyone else here; I am weary and will walk away from the deal if it doesn't look so good in person.
D) I usually engross myself in literature about the cars I own, did it for my 4 previous MK2 VW's and I plan on doing it for this.

On that note are there any good Bently Manuals (if you will) for the 300TD, 300D's I should purchase?

EDIT: Want to talk about Nightmare's, I used to own a 1989 GTI 16v with CIS-E fuel injection. ::beats head into wall:: Mechanical Mayham that was. =)