I bought a 1982 300CD with the intention of driving it cross country from Palm Springs Cali to St Petersburg Florida... This is def not a "one-owner, garaged, well cared for beauty"... But, with 170k miles on it, I am told that it is in good shape as far as the engine & tranny are concerned... First, by the recommendation of my local MB mechanic I had all the fluids drained & replaced... Along with so many cosmetic "to-do's", I have spent the last month working on electrical and vacuum issues... This week I am going to have the belts and a few questionable hoses replaced... My reason for posting is to ask for any advice as to what I should be looking out for or what I should be taking along with me just in case (besides towing an additional car behind me...lol)...

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Always keep the tank topped off and beware of buying fuel from hole in the wall filling stations. Might want to stick to truckstops.

Have a cell phone and GPS available. AAA. Basic tool set.

Lots of water and some food just in case.

Check your fuel lines deterioration. Spare fuel filters. Tire patching kit and inflation device - foot pump?

Report your position to a family member or friend regularly.

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Codifex
1981 240D ChinaBlue (Got her running with a donor engine.)
1983 300DTurbo w/sunroof.
1984 300TD manual sunroof. (Electrical Gremlins)

Bring an Internet capable phone (for instant tech support) tools, some spare belts and fuel filters. Fix cruise control and go!

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I could not own any MB without the help from you...fellow forum members.


83 300td 207,XXX

Flex discs, drive shaft bearings. Check for wear on all drivetrain parts. At the first sign of key sticking in ignition, replace tumbler. Did you replace all of tranny fluid? Verify spedometer. Tires?

Good luck in your travels.

I once saw a thread where someone posted an extremely thorough list of what you should carry on a road trip... I think it was in a thread by DC Josh. I'll look for it.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Here it is, and it's from eatont9999:

5+ gallons of water -for you and the car- Distilled if you can.
1 gallon ATF
1 gallon 15W40
^Both can be used as emergency fuel^
Several feet of 5/16" fuel line
Several feet of vacuum line and misc fittings
A few feet of return fuel line
2 primary filters
1 secondary filter
Assorted hose clamps
Ether or starter fluid --EMERGENCY USE ONLY--
Several spare (working and tested) glow plugs
Spare glow plug relay
Healthy assortment of fuses
80Amp GP relay fuse -I order about 5 and keep them in the glove box-
One of each type of exterior marker bulb
Metric socket set with short and deep well sockets
Metric wrench set
Breaker bar with adapters, etc
5 spare lug nuts
Jack and its accessories -including the lug wrench-
Full spare tire - stock rim and stock size tire
Portable tire inflator with work light and long power cable
Long zip ties at least 30 of them
Spare set of belts
duct tape
JB weld
brake cleaner

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

In college I used to keep all my tools and spare parts in the trunk of my 300D. While driving around on long trips(8+hrs) the only parts I ever replaced on the side of the road were:

Fuel filters (WVO experiment gone wrong)
Alternator regulator (my fault, I didn't check it when I bought the car)

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

Congratulations on your new Baby.

170K may or may not be the true mileage, it may be more as these spedo`s are known to slip. may work now but a prior owner may have let it go a long time before repairing it. also it may not be the original Spedo.

Paying someone else to do the work can get expensive real fast.

Changing the fluids is good.

Replace the Belts

Check the Oil Cooler Lines, if there is any type of oil seepage, replace them.

Check the Engine mounts. If the left side collapses a belt can cut through an Oil Cooler Line as the engine will drop down some on that side.

Replacing Hoses is a good ides if they are questionable. check the By-Pass hose, they get over looked.

Check the drive line Flex Disc`s. if they have any cracks or bits of string sticking out, replace them. STAY away from URO Chinese parts. there are some horror stories of them coming apart.

Check the 1/2 Shaft Axle Boots make sure they are good.

Check the Brake pads, Rotors, and Hoses. and be a good idea to flush the old fluid, especially if it looks like Coffee.

If the tires look good, good tread, not old and cracked along with the spare you should be good. If not, replace them. be sure to have at least a good spare. check to see if the MB Jack and Lug wrench is there.

Change the Fuel Filters, any questionable rubber (5/16") fuel lines. there are the rubber lines coming out of the bottom of the Fuel tank.
There is a fuel Strainer/Filter in the tank. Screws into the tank from the bottom where the fuel line connects to. If you decide to check this one, have a very low level of fuel Before removing it. like Empty, almost.

If the fuel Primer Pump is wet and or leaking, replace it with the upgraded black Bosch one.

Change the fuel Return lines if they look questionable.

Carry a spare spin on filter (secondary) and some ATF to refill it, before replacing it.

Lube the Ball Sockets on your Linkages. MB calls for ATF, I just but a dab of grease in the socket.

Check the Pivot mount on the firewall the Linkages connect to. I had one come apart one time.

I keep a spare 80amp GP Fuse taped to the Glove Box door.

4ft of Return Line, Dykes, Razor Blade knife, Fuses, Bulbs, Nitrile Gloves, in some Freezer Bags in the trunk to keep them dry.
couple qts of oil, few rags, paper towels, spray window cleaner.

I always carry my tools, Overalls, Kroil, spray Carb Cleaner,...
(This is mostly to hit the PNP`s along the way)


We don`t live in a third world country (Yet) so if you do have problems, there are places along the way to pick up things or get help if you do have a situation the CD fails to move in a forward direction.

You can carry every spare part you can think of, and that wont be the part you will need if something does go wrong. I had a Timing Chain go south 400 miles from home.

A Visa and a AAA card is good insurance to help you out.

Have a good safe trip.


Charlie

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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

The trip you describe is 2600 miles. If we put that into more common terms it's equivalent to

7 tanks of fuel
1/2 an oil change interval
13 trips to LA

So if you were to think about the kind of problems you'd likely encounter over those intervals in normal driving, it's really not that bad.

It's good practice to do PM as outlined and to carry things that are easily fixed along the way that can stop you dead (fuel filters, fuses, spare tire).

If you stay on the interstates there's lots of support available and except across AZ, NM and West Texas the open areas are not that extensive.

Having just made a cross country trip in my diesel 380SL of 3600 miles I can appreciate all the "what if" thoughts. Just be prudent and don't sweat it. Most problems are not the kind that will strand you - you can usually make it to the next decent size city.

Best of all - just have fun.

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Current Stable

• 380SL (diesel)
• Corvette C5
• Manx
• Baja Bug
• F350 Powerstroke
• Auburn Boattail Speedster replica

Is out of warranty, and is regularly serviced at an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership (a single transaction of at least $100 in the 18 months prior to the Roadside call), you are eligible for Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance.

When I blew a high pressure fuel line 600 miles from home, Mercedes picked up 150 mile flat bed tow to a dealership. The cost to replace the fuel line was fair.

Just being able to talk to a technician can be valuable.

$100 can be several oil changes or a couple of tires. Some dealerships will match prices for some service too.

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-- Chris

'95 E300, 216k miles, Silver Surfer
'05 E320 CDI, 138k miles
'07 S550 4matic, 69k miles

Gone but not forgotten:

'76 300D, 350k miles?, SOLD in 1995
'75 240D, 300k miles, SOLD in 1991

Did you arrange a pre-purchase inspection? A second set of eyes has its value.

If something needs replacing, consider the shape of the entire system. I did a similar trip a number of years ago (LA to Milwaukee), only I bought the car basically sight-unseen with the help of an independent garage. The master cylinder was shot, which I had replaced before heading home, but by the time I got over the Rockies the seals on both front calipers were leaking.

My conclusion was that the SoCal environment may have saved the bodywork but the ozone had eaten up a lot of the rubber seals and gaskets. Both door seals and all the window sweeps also were dried out and cracked.

The nice thing is that on the Interstate you can pick up all the fluids you need to keep a leaking system topped up at any intersection with a truck stop.

I had two brief moments of panic on my trip. We overnighted in Santa Fe at my wife's request in January. The next morning the car did not want to start. I cranked for at least 20 minutes -- fortunately the battery was fresh. When the car finally fired, I left a streak of soot about 3 feet long in the hotel parking lot.

Moment 2 occurred just east of the Missouri state line near Joplin. A trooper pulled me over for doing 75 in a 70. He asked me and my wife to exit the car and asked to perform a search. Mouth agape, I nodded. I'm not sure what he would have done if I'd said no.

He went to his car and led a German shepherd out of the back seat. The dog sniffed around the coupe, climbed into the cabin and into the trunk before coming up empty. A friend later pointed out that I'd never even seen the car in person until two days earlier. There could have been any kind of substance or residue in it.

Extra fuel filters, both inline, primary and spin on secondary.

A voltage regulator.

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83 SD

84 CD

I want to thank everybody for offering some great advice...

After the initial info overload ~~ I condensed the posts into 2 lists (List #1 is things to do, List #2 is things to bring along)... On list #1, much of it was things that had already been done but some it were things I had no clue about... Same with List #2... Some of it was very obvious and other things I never would have thought of... I took the lists to my mechanic and went over it all with him... We followed thru with MOST of it... Only omitting those things that I neither had the time or $$$ to do now... If I spent much more, then I would have to postpone the trip until October and I don't want to do that... It is hard to judge some of the things that could go out in the next mile or if those things will hold out for another 10k miles or more... On those thing that are "iffy", well I hope they make it thru the next 5500 miles... Only the tale of time will tell if I am making bad choices... But no matter how much I put into it, it won't change the fact that this is a 30 year OLD car... lol... I know that there will be plenty to resume working on when I return...

My plan is to drive about 300-400 miles per day... I am carrying with me more than the basics in parts and supplies... (Also ample CASH, CREDIT CARS & AAA & a rabbit's foot )... And, assuming I make it to the first stop (Palm Springs, Cali to Phoenix, AZ), then I can evaluate the old girls condition and make the choice to go on to the next stop... If all goes as planned I will be in Florida by the 16-18th of June... Returning back to Palm Springs the first week of July...

Aighty then !!... Thanks again and here's wishing for a safe & memorable journey !! Bon Voyage !!...

Have a safe trip and keep us posted.

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83 SD

84 CD

Pics and a log of your trip would be a nice adder ,just think of it as a teaching tool for future owners and perhaps a selling trinket for your car.I live in North Houston ,will you be coming this way?I also have several 300cd s ,you need any help here let me know.