So last night I go to change the speedometer cable on the 300D I bought in Aug. Title said mileage was accurate at 231K. Speedo wasn't working at all however so who knows, but I figured a broken cable. Disconnected the trans end, pulled the instrument cluster and lo and behold the cable is disconnected from the speedo. My first thought is "I've been snookered", my second thought is "who in the world would decide at 231K that the mileage is getting rather on the high side for resale"? Anyway, aside from the fact that I might have a car with, who knows, 400K rather than the 231K I thought "the car seems to run well so I'm OK with this" and I accept I just got snookered.

I had pulled the whole instrument cluster thinking even after I saw the disconnected cable that may the cable was broken though and that's why it's been disconnected. I spun the trans end while my wife watched the dash end go round in circles so I don't bother changing the cable and figure I'll connect it and see if everything works. I was feeling kind of rushed and a bit irritated at the unknown mileage of my new ride and in my haste I guess I cross threaded the oil pressure gage connection. Backed it out tried to refit it, just didn't feel right, but after a couple tries I figured 'maybe it's just a tight fit' so I torqued it home until it felt as tight as I wanted to turn it. Took a test drive last night, all working well, speedo and odo back in action....done. This AM on my way to work, coffee in one hand, egg sandwich on the seat next to me, just enjoying my ride down the road when a guy stops short in front of me, I jam on the brakes and "huh, I think water just dripped on my shoe". I look down, and my shoes are glistening in black oil, my socks are soaked, the bottom of my pants legs are turning black and I'm ten miles from home and ten from work. There are several nice steady drips of oil coming out from various spots under the dash, the carpeting on the right sidewall of the footwell is saturated....yuck. What to do, what to do? The foil wrapper and bag for my egg sandwich go over my shoes and I continue on to work trying to do my best to avoid the dripping. I'm thinking, maybe MB should have used an electronic pressure gage with a sender somewhere in the engine compartment, not mounted under the dash.....

I got to work and just spend about 1 1/2hrs. trying to get the oil up from out of the carpeting, especially on the footwell sidewall by the gas (diesel) pedal. It's looking like I may never be able to wear khaki's while driving this car.....

The moral: 1.) the pressure gage line has real live pressurized oil in it, all the way to the dash 2.) if that line is not seated properly in the gage, make sure you are wearing old pants and bags over your shoes

No,
the moral is NEVER NEVER NEVER cross thread an oil fitting!
and if you do, NEVER NEVER NEVER drive anyplace until you have VERIFIED it does not leak!!!!!

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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!

Better to not tighten it enough and then have to re-snug that to redo the whole ordeal

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

One time I had the cluster out for something and was doing something else in the car (I forget it was awhile ago) and I thought "gee its cold, I'll run the car and get some heat."

Duh right?
I'd put a balloon over the hose to catch any drips and pretty soon I notice its FULL of oil. WHOOPS! Shut the car off, GENTLY remove the oil from the hose, GENTLY up end it into a handy empty water bottle. Take water bottle to the dumpster, toss into dumpster, hit rim, water bottle explodes, covers me with oil...

Drat.

if that were me, my ex would have been videotaping...

__________________
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!

"Engineered like no other car in the world." (That's not always a good thing.)

Nearly as good as the time I did an oil change drained the used oil from my topsider into an old washer fluid bottle and while carrying that to the car to take for recycling got oil all over my shorts. Brand new shorts too...
Diesel oil never comes out.

hahaha thats a good one




i agree having live pressure in cabin is insane. Maybe the technology just wasn't there when the car was engineered? My w126 has an electrical gauge though

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1981 300SD 512k OM603

I like simple direct mechanical gauges. I don't know how many mechanical oil pressure gauges I've installed in my cars over the years.

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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

Mechanical gauges are allways going to be more accurate than electronic gauges. Thats why i dont fuss about it.

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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.

And that's why MB engineers used them in the 123. I read in the brochure I picked up at the MBCA Seattle show & shine for the 1987 W124 lineup that said "the only digital instrument the engineers would allow [in the instrument cluster]" was the outside temperature display.

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Dale

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...MG_2277sig.jpg

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo -155k
2000 E430 - 103k
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel 4x4 - 11k
2014 VW Passat TDI SE - 7k Bro's Diesel
2006 E320 CDI - 128k Pop's Benz

Pre-glow - A moment of silence in honor of Rudolph Diesel