My tragedy involves a 1983 300D turbodiesel that I bought a couple years ago from a friend for 800 bucks. Odo busted at 317k and the friend figured he'd driven it 200k from when he purchased it (odo busted when he purchased it). Body rock solid and interior pretty good and I was just going to run it til it died. Then I found this forum and started falling in love with the beast. I figured I'd get some suspension work done as I began to believe she might just run another 100k and she certainly rocked, rattled, and rolled in terms of the suspension. Somehow I got sucked into the Vogtland springs group purchase thread on this site and ultimately started collecting more and more front end parts for an increasingly significant suspension rebuild. By the time I was done I had collected everything from guide rod mounts, vogtland springs, bilstein shocks, tie rod ends, upper and lower ball joints, steering damper, idler arms - everything - even 16" rims off a late model MB (required small spacers in front and bought those too). New sport rubber all around and got it all installed last year right around this time...... drum roll, please...

one week later had some vacuum pump issue (ignition wouldn't shut off with key; lost power to the brakes) and the next day driving to get it looked at by the guy who did all the suspension work and the timing chain broke (think large Bulgarian man stuffing pepsi cans into a garbage disposal for the sound effect). Valves bent, etc. Then I made a huge mistake taking it to a local backyard guy (absolutely no choices in Roswell New mexico) who claimed to be a "certified Mercedes mechanic" earlier in his life who was going to pull the engine and help me look for a rebuildable one... two month interval later it ends up being clear that he's an incompetent crook and ultimately I had to retrieve Helga amidst rabid dogs after being charged 1500 bucks - JUST TO PULL THE ENGINE - and the poor girl was half way up her wheel wells in mud (she had been waxed when I got the new rims on about a week before I towed he to this guy - I even took pictures to post here), a rear taillight lens was cracked and broken -still had loose pieces of plastic dangling ("how do I know it happened here?" he said). I was forced to buy another beater to drive and Helga has sat idly collected dust with entirely new suspension from the rubber to guide rod mounts. Hard to tell what may or may not have been salvagable but all parts have sat outside uncovered for nearly a year.

Here's the question part: my boss said he'd pay 5k for a new engine as a bonus - but not give me the cash or let me try to take Helga to someone competent (long tow from Roswell NM to anywhere - pretty good indy in Santa Fe) to rebuild anything. He's tired of hearing my latest tow story (the beater Pathfinder has left me on road dead a couple times, too). The only crated/shipped rebuilt I can find for 5k or less is Adsit which has a long block with most everything I think she needs - oil pump, injection pump, vacuum pump, water pump, et al. I've read and heard some bad stuff about Adsit esp. with customer service/return issues on parts - does anyone have any knowledge about their diesel engine rebuilds? I hate to throw good money after bad but also hate to look a gift horse in the mouth and I want to strike while the iron's hot so to speak in terms of a "free" (trust me I worked for it) new heart for Helga to go with her brand new legs. Anybody with an knowledge or opinion on adsit engine rebuilds?

You can get a VERY good used engine for WAY less than 5k. We found a used motor locally that was a MB rebuilt unit with less than 100k on it....cost: $550

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Do not buy anything from Adsit that has any type of warranty...........because you will not get it.

This is the place to buy the long block for less than $5K:
http://www.mercedesengines.net/products.asp?cat=40

You can also send your head to them for new valves and prechambers and springs. Total cost will be about $1500.

You'll have to chip in about $800..............DO IT!!

http://www.mercedesengines.net/products.asp?cat=24

Haven't used them but have seen other forum members say they were good. Short block lists for $3,700.

__________________

Ken

1990 350SDL (It's a work in progress) 250K mi
1991 350SDL that was SUPPOSED to be a parts car 323K mi
2000 F350 Powerstroke 180K mi, 100K mi on B20 - B99
----------------------
Gone but not forgotten
1982 300D
1991 Jetta ECO Diesel

For $5000 you can buy a pretty nice 83 300D. Your boss can have Helga

Sixto
87 300D

Metric has the short block for $4200 which won't adress the bent valves.

Sixto
87 300D

I'd say.....go to the "CARS" section and look to see what is for sale. Dave Morrison as I recall just sold his 300D (maybe it was a 240D) for less than $5K.

Lots of options.

Helga can become the parts car.

__________________
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

But my girl has the entirely new suspension and great body! And, as I said, he won't give me the cash. He's a weird guy.

I just bought a car with good engine and professionally rebuilt trans. Roy of this forum will vouch for them, since he has done some of the work on them. If you wanted to buy the whole damn car, I'd sell it for 2K plus shipping-- It also has a perfect interior .

Or I'll buy Helga from you for a reasonable price and tow it up north to storage prolly about February when I have time off.

The 5K will get you a VERY good vehicle, especially on this forum. You'd even have money left over to set up your own biodiesel rig and then some!

If you are serious, send me pics and send a private message.
I'm not kidding. Ask Roy, he knows I do this.

I've been on other forums and spent most of my time since 1983 rebuilding Citroens from scratch, then truck diesels, but I started on fintail gassers in 70.

Good luck whatever you decide.

s

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Hey you didn't take the car to that guy who owns the half-baked tire store and repair shop near the outer space museum, down the street from the Denny's, did you?

I have been in Roswell and had him fix a tire. He scares me more than some of the people walking around there.

I do like the "beware of snakes" signs in Roswell, never saw those anywhere else!

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

The lowest miles tested used engine from www.pgauto.com won't cost $5000.

Sixto
87 300D

I almost bit on a rebuilt w/ 12K a rusty 300TD on it. Sold for $675 a day before I called to offer $800.

Silverstar here in cali rebuilds them and sales used ones with a warranty.

I can find out tomorrow about getting you one.

Also all you have to do is find a motor with 400psi compression and thats basically new. If you find a motor tell your boss i will come to you and install the motor if you get a used one ....i will should you how to work on them and i also have about 3-4 members on the forum that know i know what im doing and i have alot of the motor swaps ive done documented.

if you can pay for a bus ticket ill bring my tools and put in the motor you get for 300bux.

Let me know if your interested.

__________________
Wie lange wird Ihr Auto leben?

www.mbpartonline.com sold me a used 2.5 turbo for my 92 300D. It was used but ran great. It was just a drop in deal since it came with turbo and injection pump.

Cost was $2900 four years ago, and that included shipping to a freight company dock and return shipping on the core.

All in all it was as easy as spending $2900 gets.

While you are in there replace the motor mounts and anything else that is hard to get at.

Pooka

Thanks for all the info/advice guys. I spent the first couple months after her meltdown looking for a RELIABLE engine (while criminal indy back yard guy trashed her) and had a hard time and gave up... I found a lot of places that wouldn't compression test the engine with 130k milesit but would happily send it to me from Florida at my expense and allow me to return it at my expense if it didn't run - that sort of thing. The problem on the cash thing is that I don't have the cash and the boss specifically said he wouldn't give me cash - trust me my boss is a very bizarre guy and he only offered my "bonus" because he heard I was very close to accepting another job. I drive to remote medically underserved clinics and see poor people for free (he gets all the billing) as a physician assistant. He wants me to have a working car because I drive to his remote clinics in Carlsbad and Ruidoso and see Medicare/Medicaid patients that no one else wants to see and he gets all the money billed (I'm a physician assistant). His wife told me he only buys her gifts that he thinks will end up helping him (he actually bought her an anvil one xmas - I can't remember the explanation for how that was going to help HIM but she had a circuitous explanation. We could do some fun stuff with that speculation, huh?).

Hey DieselKraut, thanks man - I know you're the real deal - you actually posted some good advice when I was slowly gathering suspension info. My big problem is that I'm entirely mechanically inept (well, never learned I guess) - I was proud of myself when I took the door panel off Helga, messed around with some gearing and linkages, and replaced the window switch all by myself and actually made the window work. I was real proud when - following directions carefully - I managed to replace the fuel filter and prefilter and purge the air i.e., pretty pathetic stuff for the calibre of mechanical/engineering know-how most of you guys have. If it were my dough I'd take you up on the offer in a Helga heartbeat. He doesn't want to buy a "new" used car 'cause he's sure I'll end up doing the same fixing issues (bi-weekly charging system issue for 6 months with 7 people claiming to have fixed it "for sure" - 3 new alternators, etc. etc.), then the suspension rebuild, etc. and he doesn't want to pay anyone for labor because he (legitimately for this area) doesn't trust anyone and labor in this case is apt to be endless/bottomless. He figures if he buys a new motor everything's done on this famous old German workhorse and we won't lose anymore billable office visits because Jon's "found on road dead" again. Plus, he gets to hold it over my head for the foreseeable future.

Carlton -I just looked at the Metric motors rebuild (looks and sounds impressive) but they want almost 8K, NOT 5k or less, for a long block. I was pretty sure that was the case. Way out of range even if bosso gave me 5k cash. I've got 1500-2k barely for install and associated misc. - hoses, etc. which is why I raised an eyebrow at the long block and fixin's from Adsit for 5k. I know, I know and I figured so - you get what you pay for. I was just hopeful that someone might say "hey they're crappy on customer service and warantee but the engine rebuild is okay" esp. if someone else is paying for it. But the last thing I need is to pay the install labor, be beholden to a creepy boss, and still have ongoing car problems that I have to pay labor to do and undo... Just had the fantasy of cruisin' for a few years in a rock solid 123 turbo diesel with "new" engine and completely rebuilt suspension.

OHHHH NOOOOOO - I just got an email from my boss's wife; I gave him the Adsit info Wednesday (still thinking he would retract the offer somehow) and she says HE ORDERED THE ENGINE TODAY. Somebody please tell me they know someone with an Adsit rebuilt that's perfectly fine! Please?

I