So I just purchased a 82 300SD (229,000 miles) that came into my possession after a long drive from NY to OH.

PO says these issues were not "issues" before, so I'm looking to isolate the problem(s).

1) Engine shakes a lot at idle, causing other things to shake loose

2) I start the car, wait a little, then drive down my street. At the stop sign, the car stalls. Sometimes it stalls a second time, sometimes it doesn't. The morning commute is about 25 minutes.

3) Noticed slightly black smoke emitting from the exhaust

4) The car accelerates only after you put a lot of pressure on the pedal with your foot. Kinda feels like I have to "stomp" on it

5) Automatic transmission feels like there's a novice driving manual under the hood. It sounds like it shifts hard

6) But this puppy runs nice on the highway...

Any clues???

I've been reading a lot of other posts and I'm starting to wonder if I need to do a rack damper tightening or replacement. Also, I wonder if if have algae growing in my system and whether I should run some sort of cleaner through the tank to get things out of there. Also wondering if the "shifting" issue is due to poor vacuum to the transmission. However, I'm wondering if other people may have experienced all of these symptoms combined or whether it is all separate issues.