Hey all...weird thing happened today (doesn't it always start like this?). In case you missed it, everything is referring to a 1987 300D Turbo / W124.133


I was on my daily commute to work, sitting at a light, and my idle got suddenly worse. Put it in neutral, park, didn't change. Smoothed out above 1200 or so RPMs. Damn, and I just did my engine mounts. Did I screw something up?

I get into work, pop the hood, and...one of my injectors is happily spurting diesel onto my hood pad.

Fast forward to my lunch break... Tightening it didn't do a thing. It just sits there like it's loose - like if you were getting air out of the hard lines.

After work, I clean up the surfaces a little, but still no go. I can't get it to seal, and I have no earthly clue what caused it. The mating surfaces are a little rough on the injector line, and a little "rusty". I didn't bother to check and compare the head with another but I will tonight or tomorrow, depending on weather and temperature. Does anybody have a close-up picture I can reference until I do so? If I end up needing a new hard line (or injector), I'd like to figure it out pretty soon.

What's the going price for a used OM603 injector hard line? Number 2 injector line if anybody needs it. Is it the same configuration as with the 603 from a SDL? What about the later 602?

If it turns out that I need a new injector too, I'll probably just do them all... I was kinda hoping to do this at my leisure

Oh, one last thing. Is running on 5 cylinders for a couple of days until I diagnose and get parts going to be a problem? The idle is pretty lopey when I'm sitting at a light...

Thanks in advance!

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1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

It's most likely a cracked hard line.........and the crack is directly beneath the nut that secures it to the injector.

Don't know the cost of used..........a new one is about $50. or so.

You can run on five without any issues...........just don't push the five too hard.

Thanks Brian.

Looks like I'll be calling the closest dealer and see if they can get one in a reasonable time frame (or perchance if they have one in stock). I'll also be ordering some clips...there were a couple missing from before my ownership (culprit, perhaps?)

Do you bend them yourself? I don't have a tubing bender...and I'd certainly hate to kink a brand new line.

I just picked up 3' of tubing at Lowes...at least I won't be covering everything in diesel after this point!!

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1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

I wouldn't attempt to bend those lines by any significant amount..........although........clearly, the factory has done it successfully.

The lack of suitable support and rubber damping for the line will definitely cause it to fracture.

Oh, sorry. I was talking about new lines. After consulting the EPC, I now see a couple different part numbers, so I guess they're pre-bent.

What / where is the rubber damping on the lines? From when I last looked at it, there were just some hard plastic clips that are affixed to various parts of the nearby manifold. I think I'm only missing one or two, but I'm definitely going to change all of them now. Damping definitely makes sense.

__________________
1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

The hard plastic clip squeezes the line against the rubber pad that dampens the vibrations between the line and the bracket.

Roger! Thank you very much, sir!

__________________
1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

Email Phil. I got some from him a couple years back. ALSO, there are LOTS of places they can rub together under the intake and cause the steel to get too thin for comfort. I've used the plastic clips and small pieces of old radiator hose zip tied onto the hard line.

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1987 300D (230,000 mi on a #14 head-watching the temp gauge and keeping the ghost in the machine)
Raleigh NC - Home of deep fried sushi!

If you want a used one or set, try calling David up in CT. He parts a lot of these cars out and I'm sure he will have one for you.....or any other parts 917-843-3032. Let him Know Michael In NC referred you.

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1987 300TD 147,000 miles- Palomino leather interior, 1995 facelift and body cladding, E350 wheels, Rebuilt suspension and sport springs, rebuilt turbo, New Monarch injection pump and injectors....and the list goes on and on...

Take a look at this picture. Each line is sandwiched between the plastic clip and a rubber pad. The plastic clip snaps into the metal bracket that is bolted to the intake manifold. This holds the injector line so that it cannot vibrate; otherwise it will eventually crack. You can get a complete list from the EPC.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Ok, just got off the phone with the nearest dealer (euro motorcars / germantown)...

Ordered a #2 injector line and a dozen clips and shims. The EPC is kinda confusing for how many parts I needed for what (with superseded part numbers / multiples on the diagram), but, I should have enough clips and maybe a couple extra shims. They're all between $2.20 - 2.70 each, so if I have a couple spares, it's O.K. Everything will be here on Tuesday. We'll see if this does the trick

I swear, one of these days, I'll get to getting a MBCA membership. $80 for the hard line I think I've been spoiled with the dealership in Hampton VA, their prices are always very good (perhaps wholesale..?).

Jeremy, your engine is beautiful! Perhaps someday I will have the pleasure to work on my engine when it's that clean

Now to go MacGyver me a fuel catch and some impromptu shims to keep things from rattling around too much. The excess idle vibrations would probably exacerbate my troubles. I don't want to have to do any more than necessary right now!

__________________
1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

Well, the line is definitely broken... To say my hood pad is wet would be an understatement...I had to stop it from dripping onto the monowiper area! I only did about 10 miles with the injector in that condition, so I was a little surprised at the amount of diesel everywhere.

What would a thread be without pictures?!? The last picture is my current temporary solution for my 7 mile commute. Hopefully the bottle will be enough for that.

Attached Thumbnails

       

__________________
1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

They don't call you "Crazy Nate" for nuthin'.

So smoooth

New hard injector line did the trick. It wasn't exactly the right shape, but with a little bit of love, it fits great.

Man those clips are a pain! I still have the last two to do, but I'll probably get to it tomorrow. I may or may not have to do the one underneath the intake (IP side). That one looks like a royal pain

__________________
1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting