I have been working on my 1984 300TD since making the purchase in April 2013. She was sold new in Palo Alto, CA. The non-functioning odometer read 238,000 miles. The car reportedly never had anything but diesel put in the tank. Many thanks to the good people on the Peach Parts forum for your valuable assistance and helpful hints. Accolades to Greazzer for this injector expertise and Rollguy for his really nice Sanden AC compressor conversion kit. Also to DieselKraut who lives and breathes MBZ.

On first sight, I almost did not even bother to take it for a test ride as the lady that owned it could not be termed as being overly detail oriented. This, along with the fact she had three dogs that travelled with her, the moldy dog food embedded between the front seats, non-functioning AC, old and near bald tires, left rear window not working and an engine compartment that looked like somebody just struck oil, did not leave the best of impressions. Thinking....”Well.....we’re here, might as well take it for a ride”.

Underlying all of the grime was a 99% rust-free W123 that spent it’s life in sunny California, an engine that took less than one revolution to start, a smooth shifting transmission and a drivetrain with absolutely no vibration at any speed. The seller told me that some work had just been done on the rear but was she not sure what. The rear sat really high like a jacked up hot rod from the late sixties, not complimentary to a 300TD.

Being from Maine where cars rust out seemingly overnight and viewing a virtually rust free California car, the perceived value was probably higher to me than most. I thought the price fairly reasonable and we made a deal after a bit of negotiation. As is said, nuthin’ more expensive than a cheap Mercedes.

Following is a list of things I have done or have had assistance doing. All parts used were either OEM or Lemforder except for the Sanden AC compressor, some short hose lengths, wiper blades and axles. It is probably safe to say that having competent and experienced mechanics work on these W123’s for you would be cost prohibitive, that is true in my case. Fortunately I am no stranger to parts and pieces. 90% of the work was done without a lift, just jack stands and cardboard on the dock.

Changed all fluids and filters, air, oil, tranny, fuel, rear diff, PS, SLS & anti-freeze
Repaired odometer
Troubleshoot and repair tachometer
Dropped fuel tank, silver solder pin hole leak
Axles and seals
Timing chain
Shifter bushings
New tires
Injector fuel return hoses
Diesel purge for injection pump
Oil filter to block housing gasket
Turbo and air cleaner grommets
Rear wheel bearings
Front main seal and wear sleeve
Front shock absorbers
2 door check straps
Cruise control component rebuild
Sanden AC compressor upgrade
Parallel flow AC condenser
Driver’s side seat cover from Pick and pull
Three head rests for the rear seats from Pick and Pull
New motor mounts
Drive shaft flex joints
Drive shaft steady bearing
Repaired front grill with new chrome strips
New headlights
Complete front end rebuild including sway bar bushings, wheel bearings etc. etc. etc.......
New front rotors and pads
Resealed PS pump
Checked alternator brushes
New rear calipers, rotors and brake lines
New rear subframe bushings
Resealed SLS valve
New SLS pump suction hose
New rear hydraulic shock absorbers $$$
Pioneer bluetooth stereo with new speakers

Now I am thinking “Missy” is ready for the cross-country trip to Maine where it will only see 3 seasons duty, no winters. She has dependably been to Burbank CA on several occasions to visit my buddy George who works at the Big Dog Garage. It has been exposed to the hills of San Francisco which will put any transmission to a good test and driven at 4,000 rpm for many miles. Uses barely a cup of oil every 1,000 miles and has almost zero blow-by. I call this my forever car and hope to never let her go. She ain’t a speedster, but she will get you there safely and very comfortably. She’s a honey for sure. Average mpg is 24-25 at 70-75 mph.

This is the best vehicle I have ever owned in terms of build quality and is without a doubt manufactured for longevity if properly maintained.
I plan to drive to Maine before fall and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Still have not determined if it a ”labor of love” or a “love of labor".

Suggestions before the trip?

Or just overall in the scheme of keeping these cars performing as designed?


For the trip:

I'd be checking the cooling system, primarily fan clutch and hoses.
Oil cooler lines.

Fuel supply connections (tightness)
tank screen


Other than that, seems like you're solid.

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oh. hydraulic accumulators. (spheres)

Any idea how young they are?

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.......put the new radiator hoses on my list as those are new.

As far as the spheres, that is the component the seller was alluding to when mentioning that some work had been done on the rear end.

When changing out the coolant the existing anti-freeze mixture was is pretty good shape and flushing showed no rust or other oxidation. I have driven in 90 degree heat on fairly steep grades and the engine runs in the acceptable temperature range. I have been contemplating a replacement radiator, but probably will not get one. Will do another flush and refill just before the trip though to be on the safe side.

One other thing I meant to add is the "Archoil" additives for the motor oil and the fuel treatment I use. I have had really good results with both to date.

Thanks for the feed back.

Can we see some pics?

Even a drive to Maine is only 3500 mi, out of maybe 10,000 mi per year, so think of it like, "what problems to expect in 3 months of commuting". Even less severe since no stops, starts, sharp turns. In most cars, loss of electrical is the most common disabler. In the 1970's, you could run a long time on the battery alone, but not today w/ all the electrical demands. But, your diesel doesn't need electricity except for headlights. Next disabler is over-heating, but your cooling system sounds up to snuff. If you make it over the Rockies on a hot day, no concerns. Just budget for fuel. 3500 mi / 23 mpg * $2/gal = $304. My last one-way flight to the east coast was $150. Some M-B diesel guys scavenge for fuel as they go, filling w/ used motor oil or even peanut oil, but the IP may not appreciate that.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans

Posted the limit in the Gallery

the hose from the head to the firewall near the oil filter is the one I am concerned about. It gets tons of abuse and i have had one burst on me on a long trip.

fkn pain in the arse to get a replacement on the road and you will have to cobble something together to drive it anywhere.

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Hey Bill, happy travels. It was nice meeting you some months ago
Sounds like you are going back to Maine for good ?

Ya have to come back to California to visit Jay Leno again

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1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
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1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

Did you do turbo drain o rings and seals? I had a car (my grey 123) go from a dime sized drip when I parked it at night to emptying the sump every 100 miles during a 600 mile trip.

Got home and while waiting for the parts to fix it to arrive had the other cars (blue 123) same seal start leaking at nearly the same rate in the course of about 7 days of driving around town, less than 50 miles and it went from a drip now and then in the driveway to leaving puddles about 8 inches in diameter at traffic lights.

Thankfully I had ordered 2 sets of seals. Now neither car drips a single drop.

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1982 300D (w123, "Grey Car")
1982 300D (w123, "Blue Car")
2001 Ford F150 "Clifford" (The Big Red Truck)
1997 Dodge Ram 2500 12V Cummins
1996 Dodge Ram 2500 12V Cummins
Previous Vehicles:
1995 E300D, 1980 300SD, 1992 Buick Century, 2005 Saturn Ion

When you turn the key is it sticking at all? If yes, even a little bit, you should replace the ignition switch tumbler. If it will not turn on your trip you are stuck.

You must have read my mind about the turbo drains.....the parts just arrived and I will be doing the repair at the next oil change. Right now it's just accumulating some dust and dirt where the seal is weeping.

The key switch right now is working quite smoothly but I do apply a bit of dry graphite every few months. I have a spare tumbler ready just in case it acts up.

As far as the return trip to California.....I need to make at least one more trip back here to take the '93 Land Cruiser back to Maine and of course I will be visiting my buddy at the Big Dog Garage from time to time for sure.

Used California rust free cars are the best, makes me sad to see some of the stuff at Pick and Pull being junked. One day there was an almost complete BMW 2002tii there, could not understand why......a sad sight indeed.

Thank-you all for the thoughts and helpful hints.

This is an awesome forum.

WOOF !!

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1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

haha, "love of labor". sounds good. i wonder if i have seen your car around town. enjoy maine!

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'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.

Update..............

Left San Francisco on June 23rd and arrived in Maine on July 15th.
First stop was Idaho Falls, Idaho, over 800 miles the first day.
Drove through Jackson Wyoming, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP and took the NE exit out of Yellowstone going over what is called the "Top of the World", and spent the night in Cody. Had breakfast in Buffalo Bill Cody's place, and arrived at the Battle of Little Big Horn, June 25th on the 140th anniversary, by pure coincidence.

Custer died for your sins.

Drove across "BIG SKY" Montana, (now I know what is meant by that, awesome), North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula Michigan and down to Traverse City and up to Northport, MI. Stayed there almost 2 weeks, wife flew in for the second week, did some sailing and then drove home to Maine.

All told I put 4,984 miles on the Benz, averaged 25.9 mpg and only added one quart of oil.
Changed the oil before I even went in the house. Longest I had gone before on an oil change was 3,000 miles.

It was an awesome trip, CC worked perfect, RollGuy AC kit was flawless and cold, Thank-you very much DieselKraut for replacing my dash vacuum modules, Greazzer injectors performed beautifully. Only had to change the secondary filter once after filling up in Cooke City.

Now I am back to work in San Francisco, Oh well.......every mile was a pleasure.