Okay guys I found a very nice 300D guys says it ran 30 days ago but now will not run. I think he is having air in the line issues where would be a common fail point in that system? And is there anything to worry about on these cars? Common fail points ect? Thanks guys. Ohh the car is white and has 229,000 on it

I just picked one up and love it. Just had to fix the standard things, ac, vac leaks, a couple of electrical problems and changed all filters. How much ?

Guys say 1000 obo....but I am waiting to hear from him as to the reason why it won't start now. Along with more pics and such. From his first description sounds like an air into the system bleed but will need more info on his end.

$1k sounds very reasonable, good luck.

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

one last major hurdle....the wife but when she sees how nice it is I think she will change her mind.

Sounds like a pretty good deal, how bad is the not-starting? Will it kick at all or is it completely dead? I assume it will still crank at least. Even if you need to swap in an engine or do some serious repairs, if it is as nice as you say it'll still be a good deal.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Am hoping like most around here he is clueless when it comes to diesels and just has clogged fuel filters/tank strainer or some bad fuel lines. One guy with a 1985 300D thought his engine was shot it was just the primer pump lol!

also glow plugs have allowed many of these cars to be had for cheap...

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

Just a quick question what sort of mpgs can one expect from a 1992 300D? And how is the performance/reliability compared to the 617?

1.Aluminum Head (Caution: do not Overheat)
[I.E. Make sure all the Cooling System components work.]
[As a side note the Finns take these 602 -603 engines up to 450HP
So, Normally configured they can be very reliable]
(The 617 is an "All Steel" assembly AND is seemingly Bullet-Proof as long as
it has Coolant and Lubrication)
2. "In Tune" 24-26 MPG Urban, 34-37 MPG Motorway

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'84 300SD sold
124.128

Never ever pay more than you can get for parting out a non runner. Or another guideline is to consider the worse senario and allow for it in advance. That way there is usually no downside.

All problems are not cheap to repair by a long shot. If it is something simple you can be ahead of the game. There will also be the case where you do not luck in.

Then there is also the unethical seller type lurking out there as well. For example if I was an unethical seller and had a really bad engine knock. I would get more for a car by disabling the engine as someone would come along that would perhaps asume it is something simple. I know in advance with a pronounced knock present most buyers would reject the car.

At least have a look to make sure the timing chain is present on the top sprocket. A thrown chain may mean a replacement engine for example. Or the airfilter is not saturated with oil perhaps indicating a very worn engine.

All the above said it certainly could be something simple. Just not wise to bet on it. Also at the indicated milage the interior should still be pretty good. There are far too many mercedes diesels out there with the incorrect milage on the odometer. Just a few opinions and that is all they are.

More often than not around here when someone buys a diesel they simply get over their head and can't fix it. I need to get specifics from the guy as to why the car won't start but from his initial description it sounds like an air bleed problem. But I wasn't assuming anything.

I too have benifited from your proposed senario a couple of times. Usually I inspect the whole car to help make a decision. Depends what else shows up in the process like too much deffered maintenance. For example the last owners just drove it and fixed nothing as long as the car was mobile. Or everything else seemed good.

The car seems a little too cheap if in basically good condition. On the otherhand the individuals circumstances may be playing a major part as well. It is very hard to say without seeing and inspecting the car personally.

A buyer can wear rose colored glasses for example. A neutral party with some knowledge usually does not. In your case quite a lot depends on your experience and ability to judge the seller and car accuratly. Could be anything from one hell of a deal downward.

Unfortunatly at arms length on this site an absolute guidance cannot be given. We cannot personally inspect the car for you really. If the car is in basically good shape otherwise by my standards I would buy it.

At his price if the car is basically good it may be expecting a little too much for him to tell you why it will not run. There is also a good chance he does not know. That may be why the price is what it is.

Fair to say everything is not always clear or easy? I wonder if he might let a mechanic of your choice have a look before purchase? Just do not repair it or get it running before buying it. Diagnostic by a good mechanic familuar with this model should be enough. Pre purchase inspections on mercedes cars are usually a recommended approach anyways unless you have quite a bit of experience with repairing mercedes diesels. In fact thats about the only way to know where to and what to look for.

Okay he says remember to take that into account....The car will crank and crank but will not fire and there is smoke coming out the tailpipe...ideas other than a blown headgasket? My personal vote if glowplugs but what else could this be? Advice is appreciated....going to personally look at the car on friday..

Could be as simple as bad fuel. Suprises a lot of people. Once you have experienced it a few times yourself. Then you never totally discount it.

From the added description if the glow plugs quickly check out I would want to do a compression check. The smoke indicates it probably is getting fuel.

This engine should be able to self start with no glow plugs perhaps this time of year. Or could be quite fussy and always need them.

I have never owned one of these engines. Perhaps someone else knows them well enough to mention if they do or do not require the glow plugs. Thats is at warm ambient temperatures above seventy degrees.