Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum,and i'm very excited to have found it!!! I own a 1983 240D. and i'll actually get right down to it. Yesterday as I was on my way to school I noticed that my brake booster went out. I decided to shut the eingine off thinking it would be working when I turned it off and back on, so I turned the key and pulled it out... Low and behold the car kept on running, at this point I was like "ok what's going on..." lol I even put it in gear and moved it about 10 feet with the key out! There was a German motor place right down the street I was on, so I decided to head to it. As soon as I started driving the transmission went and didn't want to shift... Also the battery light indicator went on. When I got there, they were able to turn it off and told me I was having baaaad vacuum problems, I knew this already because my door locks wern't working but didn't think it was this bad. I don't know this mechanic and my question is does anyone know how much I can expect to pay? Or has anyone had anything similar happen to them? I looked up a vacuum pump online and found one for 200$ but if the system has a leak them i'm sure it will be high up there... It really sucks too because I had just gotton my windows tinted not 30 minutes before hand. Any info or advice would be awesome! thank you!!!

Get a $30 mity-vac from AutoZone or similiar. Look on this forum forthe vacuum diagrams. Locks are usually the first culprit for a vacuum leak, as well as all the rubber connectors under the hood.

Since you ran the car with out the key, it is normal to have all the dash warning lights come on.

Welcome aboard!

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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

If everything was working fine before the window tint job I wonder if they could have knocked a vacuum line off in one of the doors. Did they pull the door panels off when they did the tint? You could block off the vacuum line going to the locking system and see if it holds a vacuum then. You will be looking for a little yellow canister in the engine compartment by the firewall on the drivers side. It is just between the master cylinder and where the accelerator linkage comes through the firewall and has one hose going in from the engine bay side and two going out towards the firewall. Pull of the hose on the engine side and plug it with a golf tee and see what happens.
ben

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1985 300D 170k

Cool, I'll have to go to autozone and check it out, yeah the door locks have never worked since i've owned the car, I remember seeing the door lock vacuum line in the eingine cut and plugged with a nail I think it was. So would it have to be a different line? or maybe a leak? I wish I had the car so I could post pictures but it's at that mechanics shop... I was wondering that aslo, about the tint. Although about a week ago I turned the car off after a drive and it took about 10 seconds to turn off, I found that usual but brushed it off since it didn't do it again until yesterday, should of taken that as a hint of what was to come . The tinting guy didn't take off door panels but he went down a little more past where the wondow goes into. I just hope this mechanic doesn't charge me an arm and a leg to fix this. She was running so good to! Thanks for the welcome!

All of the above replies have good information.
However, as I understand it the car is still in the hands of the mechanic. You need to give him guidance as to what you want fixed.
All of the issues are vacuum related and the worst case is you need a new vacuum pump. I just replaced mine on a 1983 300D and the part was about $200 new. I would expect about that much more for labor. This could be a DIY if you can safely get it home and if you plan to drive this car you will need to learn how to fix most of the problems.

You may be stuck with this mechanic for this repair as your car is not very driveable as is. If you tell him to fix all the vacuum problems, it can become very expensive labor wise to trace down all the vacuum leaks. I'd suggest you tell him to just get you back to safe & driveable and to block off the other vacuum users (door lock, climate control, etc.). The system is designed to give priority vacuum to the brake booster.

Then use this forum and the suggestions above to start chasing the vacuum and other problems on your own. I think most of us have found working on these diesels to be rewarding and therapeutic.

Welcome to the forum. I assume you are a student - college?
Myself, I'm a university professor of chemistry and physics. Had by 300D since new in 1983.

Charles

Check out this http://www.dieselgiant.com/mercedesvacuumtroubleshooting.htm for your vacuum diagnosis.

John

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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
2002 F250 powerstroke with Plantdrive WVO conversion
1983 300SD 190K miles ,sold
2006 E320 CDI

Well the phone call finally came and it was much better than I thought it would be, all they had to do is replace a few vacuum lines and she was good to go! BIG....HUGE sigh of relief, the mechanic didn't even charge me! He did tell me though that there is quite a bit of an issue with the door locks not working, he said the past owner knew something was wrong with the vacuum system but didn't want to do anything which is why he plugged the door lock line. Now what he told me next was that something was up with my transmission because the car is really slow. I know it just needs a valve adjustment to get back up there but he thinks its the trani also the brake booster has a leak but other than that he said it ran just fine! Thank you guys so much! I really appreciate it! I'm going to see if I can DIY fix my door locks... and I personally don't think anything is up with my trani but we'll see... Cr from Texas, where in Texas do you teach? I was actually (hopefully) going to move from Southern California to San Antonio and finish Community College in S.A. and transfer to University of Texas at Austin for Astronomy! The only thing is I'm horrible with math which puts a damper on that but I'm trying! Yes, right now I'm in my first year finishing my second semester.. hangit thanks for posting that article I'm going to check out that vacuum tool he uses over at sears later on today! Again thanks to all you! It helped out sooo much!!!!

You've made a remarkable set of discoveries:
1. You may have accidently found one a few trustworthy MB mechanics that knows these diesels.
2. You should now know how to shut the engine off with the stop lever if the vacuum fails.
3. You've found a good source for information.
4. I'm in Denton, just north of DFW airport.

Charles

PS: Did the mechanic assure you that the leak in the brake booster would not be a safety issue?

Jordan;

You're welcome and don't hesitate to ask more questions. Try searching your topic and if you can't find the answer then post a new thread. The great group of people on this forum have helped me more than they will ever know!

It is also helpful to the members to post your model and year in your signature.

John

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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
2002 F250 powerstroke with Plantdrive WVO conversion
1983 300SD 190K miles ,sold
2006 E320 CDI

Again, thanks guys, this forum is the best! I wish I would of found it when I owned my 300E but i'm glad I found it! The mechanic did't mention anything about the brake booster being a saftey issue, I hope it's not :S lol the brakes feel real strong though so hopefully eveything is good. Actually a funny thing happened to me just about an hour ago, yet another mechanic looked over my car. My friend has a 1995 Jaguar Xj6 which is having starter problems. This mechanic who says he's been with Mercedes for over 10 years and is now starting his buisness came down to check out his Jag... My car was chillin right behind his. I was curious to see what he would say about my vacuum problem with the door locks, so I asked if he wouldn't mind checking out my car. He said that I don't have a leak with the door lock system and that it might be the actual door locks that are giving the vacuum lines a hard time. he also pointed out something that shocked me.... My dad and I noticed red fluid leaking when we first got the car, we thought it was trani fluid but this mechanic told me I have a head gasket leak and it's leaking coolent. I told my dad this and he said another mechanic told him it was a freeze plug or something.... The car runs great right now, but it's just one of those things in the back of your mind that bugs you. I'll post pictures tomorrow of the spot that has the coolant I guess it is leaking and see what you guys think. Hopefully everything will be all good!

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2007 BMW 328XI

Red coolant? Sounds odd. More likely ATF or power steering fluid.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

There is a coolant that's red in color. What color do you see in the coolant reserve tank? You need to find out what this is all about. A leaking freeze plug could fail and loose all the coolant quickly enough to leave you stranded.

Transmission or power steering leak can be monitored for a long time before major failure, usually.

Do a good cleaning and find the source of the leak.

None of the statements can be ruled out yet. Is the door lock system blocked off or still attached?

Alrighty, I took some pictures, and now my dad is convinced after looking at this during the day that the head gasket is failing. It's not a 100% sure thing but i'll see what you all think too.. I wasn't able to get a look at the coolent yet, as I drove it to get a hair cut this morning , but when I checked it during the first day I got the car, it looked green to me.. But i'll recheck as soon as she cools down. As of now the vacuum line for the door locks is not connected. Have to fiddle with one of the door locks and see if that is the problem.

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2007 BMW 328XI

Don't "fiddle with the door lock". Start under the hood with a hand vacuum on the door lock line and follow the steps in the link you were given. Also check the disconnected vacuum connector and make sure it has a plug in the end of the vacuum line.

From your pictures, I'd check that hose clamp area for a possible leak. Easy to spot and easy to fix.

Chevrolet Dex-Cool coolant is red in color, although not what should be in this auto.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL