Hello,

I just purchased an 81 240d. Always wanted a diesel. I live in Denver and only really plan to drive it around town. I hope to get good gas mileage.

I plan on trying to do most of the work on the car myself. Just incase I was looking for some recommendations for mechanic in Denver. Any thoughts?

Not sure if it needs a tune up or not. any thing I should do right away?

Also are the brake and battery light suppposed to be kinda lit up at night?

thanks

Jake

Probably not the brake light on the dash..
need to get that checked fast as it may mean your discs are worn to touching the rotors..or close..
the battery light ... often glows softly.... but you can check the output of the alt and the battery condition.... clean all the cables first..
It is important to keep from burning valves that the valve clearance be set regularly.. I think every 15k miles is the rule... so do that if you do not know the last time...and keep up with the mileage...
very important..
later,
Greg

__________________
1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=10414

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=156207&highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

Thanks for the reply.
It is actually all 3 lights. Not sure what the middle one is yet. But the three left ones brake,middle one (yellowish) and battery.

During the daylight I cant see them.

Just like any car when you turn the key to on they come on (real bright) then when the car turns over they dim but you can still see them.

Kinda weird

The pevious owner gave me extra brake pads. Would they be any harder than a normal car to change?

Jake

I second doing a valve adjustment if you don't know when it was done last. There are several threads on here about how to do it. There are some specially shaped 14 mm wrenches that are made to be used to do the adjustment. Supposedly you can do the job with regular 14mm open end wrenches, but I went ahead and bought a set. They paid for themselves in one weekend.

Also, if you don't know when the fuel filters were last changed, it would be a good idea to do so. There are two of them, both very easy to get to, and not expensive to buy. I just did the ones on my 300D (very similar setup) in under half an hour. Same with oil and filter change if you don't know when that was done last. Take a look at your air filter if you haven't already. Trans fluid and filter if you have an automatic. And I would take the wheels off and get a look at the brakes before I drove it much.

That should pretty much get you set, but if you want to be an overachiever, you could also change your differential fluid and power steering fluid and filter.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

x2 with greg.....probably batt ight

__________________

Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

NO, those three lights should not glow.

Most likely answer/issue:
* Bad ground on the instrument cluster = other circuits seeking ground through those bulbs.

You may also have circuit board damage = burnt printed circuits.

W123: Instrument cluster Printed Circuit Board repair
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=296474




.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

Listen to whunter. He is the Mercedes diesel diety. If he doesn't know the answer and can't find the answer, the situation is almost hopeless.

__________________
1983 300SD "Guderian"
1987 MR2
2015 Camry
2015 Chevy Spark
2006 Hyundai Tucson

Jake,
Welcome to the forum!! & congratulations on your first diesel MB !!!
I am sure that all of us will make you feel very welcome & try and answer all your questions.
There is a ton of information in old threads on here. The search function on here is not brilliant but well worth the effort of using.
Please keep us informed of how you go with your trouble shooting.
I added an extra earth wire on one of my 300D's to overcome a dim glowing light problem.

X2 ,
Consider yourself fortunate that Roy (whunter) has tuned in.
Many of us are guilty of reading Roy's posts just to gain a better understanding of our cars.

Good luck with your car!!!!

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

welcome to the forum! the 240 is a very simple car, and can provide years of great transportation. most of the problems it has, can be repaired with simple tools, and this forum is the absolute BEST place to find out how to keep them running!
the manual 240 is pretty thrifty on fuel, but not GREAT. unlikely to get better than 28 probably average around 24. the automatic is a slower car, and will get lower mileage still.
the yellowish circle light on your dash is the front brake pad warning light. it has an icon in the shape of a circle with 6 dashes around it.
brake pads are much simpler to change on these cars than others. you simply remove two pins, and the pads slide out of the calipers. change one pad at a time, prying the caliper piston home, then drop in the new pad, and repeat. put the springs back in place, and slide the pins in place!
these cars are getting up there in age, so looking over the front steering suspension is a good idea. simple tie rods, a pair of control arm bushings on each side, and ball joints along with the body mounted guide rod bushings can need replacement, so check these things out.
most of all, ENJOY a very fun simple car!

__________________
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!

The good thing is most of the parts are no more expensive than those for other cars. You can actually find them really cheap on ebay if time is not too important.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Welcome welcome,

If you plan on changing out your brake pads it is a good idea to change out the brake hoses as well. Unless you know when they were last changed.
The hoses can and do deteriorate from the inside and can interfere with the brakes. The hoses are about $10 each and worth it!
Plenty of threads here on bleeding too! Home made tools/bleeders etc.

Up in the top right hand corner is a link to the DIY wiki threads. PICTURES TOO!

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/DoItYourSelf

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W123FrontPadsRotors
http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W123FrontBrakeLine

Good luck..let us know how it goes!
BTW the pads and hoses are easy. If I can do it...

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Jake,
You said those lights "kinda light up at night". These folks on here are way more knowledgeable than me but there is a small possibility you are experiencing "LIGHT LEAK" from the other lamps in the instrument cluster.

I suggest you park in a safe place at night and turn your lights off. If those lamps still "kinda light up" then I will agree with totally selling that car to me at a discount.

If those lamps do go out --- "Happy Motoring" until the time comes to pull the cluster and fix the problem. I recall the brake wear indicator starts by flickering and then stays on and I think it is reasonable bright.

Drive it around town? Hit the highway and use it.

Just my two pennies worth...Buzz

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Buzz
1977 300D 151K (TMU) DB922 Pastel Blue w/Blue
1981 300SD 450K DB753 Astral Silver w/Black
1987 190D Turbo 340K DB199 Black Pearl w/Black
1990 350SDL 190K DB199 Black Pearl w/Black
1994 E320 Convertible 65K DB(9)744 Brilliant Silver w/Grey
1995 E300 Diesel 150K DB (5)904 Midnight Blue w/Saddle

Three lights is likely a bad ground. Just get a wire and two ring terminals, and screw it to the back and somewhere else metal on the car.

Check all rubber parts and fluids. Change the oil

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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (113k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
1993 300SD (291k)
1993 300D 2.5T (338k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (265k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K)
1985 300D (233K)

Welcome to the forum.

Your 240D is a real simple car to work on, about as basic as they get. If your mechanicaly inclined, and like DIY type stuff, there is a great group of guys (And Gals) that help get you through each and every problem you come across.

Here is a valve adjustment pictoral from Diesel Giant.

http://www.dieselgiant.com/valveadjustment.htm

When you change the fuel filters, be sure to fill the spin-on with ATF, Diesel Purge, or marvel mystery oil. something from a clean container. fill it to the top, and screw it onto the bolt. then give the primer pump 15 or 20 pumps to purge out any air. then you shouldn`t have a starting problem.

Being you have an 81, there should be one rubber "O" ring on the large filter bolt, and a metal washer under the head to seal it. Here is a recent thread about the filter.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=296239

About taking it to a mechanic, remember all mechanics are not created equal. there are mechanics, and then mechanics that know about these old Diesels. there are several forum member that live in the Denver area that may give you a hand or give you the name of good MB shops.
Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Thanks for all of info everybody,

I pulled the wheels off to check out the pad life yesterday. Wow! I have never seen a car where the brake pads could be removed that easy. (I have only owned Subarus).

the back pads where great. Rotors seemed good. The front was a little weird though. Seemed liked the inside pad was worn a lot more than the outside pad. quite a bit of old oil on the caliper aswell.


Jake