Aren't there a couple of tire kicking test in which the prospective buyer observes how a loose oil filler cap dances on the fill hole, and capping the PCV line to see how long before the engine quits.

ah-kay, that might be a new way to change the oil - plumb a hose from the oil dipstick tube to a collection bottle and send pressurized air into the valve cover vent :)

Sixto
87 300D

That may be an alternate way to 'push' the last drop of oil from the engine as requested in another thread. I personally would not do it as it is not going to work. However, I do use a pump to suck oil thru the dip stick hole. It is fast and convenience. I may not be able to empty it 100% but it does not matter in the grand scheme of thing. There are other things to worry about in life.

It looks like I might have found an engine. I took my neighbor's 300SD for a spin and I wasn't overwhelmed, but it seems like it'll be good enough. He has a turbo boost gauge that read as high as 9 psi, should it be more like 11 or 12? I didn't check the banjo bolt for carbon, but that's a possibility. Also, this car doesn't get a lot of highway miles and it's running 100% biodiesel. He also has the older transmission with the modulator on the passenger side, and it didn't feel like it was timed correctly with the rpm's of the engine. The engine had a fair amount of blowby, but at least the cap didn't fall off of the engine.

You pinched the pcv hose when you changed the air filter.

I checked the PCV hose when I got the car running the other day and blowby was passing through it. The air filter replacement took place at least two weeks ago.

If the IP is covered with oil it could be a split in the oil feed tube/hose going into the injection pump on the side. Check the condition of those clear small lines.

I had a 1976 240D years ago. Went to a quick oil change place, who used a flat paper gasket instead of the "O" ring on the oil filter housing. Drove home (25 miles) then the next morning on the way to work, thoil pressure gauge started dropping to 0. I stopped and added 2 gallons of oil, drove the rest of the way to work and returned to the quick change oil place.
No apparant damage to the engine,,, so hopefully (I haven't read more than the first page) you're OK.

I had a coupe that would pump the oil out of the dipstick tube if the stick wasn't fully inserted. It had massive blowby but pretty good power.

Do yourself a favor and get some good degreaser and go down to your local coin-op car wash and clean the engine bay real good. It will be much easier to pinpoint the leak, and easier (less messy) to work on it once you have found the problem (or go to change the engine).

I was able to get the engine up to 90*c today and still no leak to be seen. I figured that the higher temp would open up the oil filter housing thermostat and give me some answers. This is a mystery that probably won't get solved until I get the engine out. I did a second check on the PCV and air filtration system and checked the oil feed to the injector pump.

The good news is that I bought a 1983 300SD beater with a good engine and decent transmission in it today for $750. The engine had good pep and minimal blowby. I'll get started on pulling that engine tomorrow and start a new thread on the swap.

Have you done a compression check yet? I still think an engine swap is premature. I also still think the PCV hose got pinched somehow causing the increased crankcase pressure.

If I can't drive the car for more than 5 minutes with out the engine shaking and threatening to stall when at 2000 rpm, what's the point of the compression test? When the car has warmed up, my oil pressure is now roughly 15% less than it used to be and the car is gutless. This is my daily driver and I drive hundreds of miles to get to gigs. Doing this swap is the quickest way for me to have a work car again. I drove my donor car 50 miles home today and it performed wonderfully. I need to get this done.

I agree with ROLLGUY, go to a 25¢ car wash with a pocket full of quarters and blast as much as you can off the old engine and the engine bay. sure wouldn`t want to get my new White Overall`s dirty.:D

Charlie

Here's a pic of the damage that Charmalu found in the oil pan after we removed the engine. We never found the leak!

reply to your 20 mercedes out of your yard
 

I'm fairly near you and I have a list of parts that I need .Please call or send
me your e-mail and address. Gray c. 919-923-4321 ///graycjones@hotmail.com.