Please explain how a mess is made when running a purge which the OP stated he will do?

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92 e300d2.5t
01 e320
05 cdi
85 chev c10

I'm sure there is a was but this make it much easier

https://www.ebay.com/itm/183075241631

NorthernTool has large sockets for ~ $16. I have a NT local but Amazon also has them for about the same price.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

just make sure the socket is not too tall...

Can someone confirm the socket size? IIRC it is 1 13/16".

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

I think he was implying removing the tank strainer was messy and difficult, and driving it with the diesel purge mini tank would potentially eliminate the need to do that.

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1981 300SD

Oops 0-60 should be closer to 12 a boost gage would be soon now.

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92 e300d2.5t
01 e320
05 cdi
85 chev c10

Not sure if you have your original air intake or not, but when I had an 81 300SD, I tried to put a custom "free-flow" cone air filter setup on the intake with wide pipes and an oil catch can, and the end result is that the car just wouldn't move out of it's own way. Super slow. I didn't think that setup would restrict airflow like that, but it did. Ended up putting it back to stock, and no problem after that. The only other "slow diesel" problem I ever had was on a 1987 w124 300D Turbo where when I first got it, it felt like the turbo just wasn't working at all and it was a total dog. The vacuum line from the change-over valve was busted, and after I replaced it, it was a rocket. But not sure the 81 300SD even has that part. - Mike

Yep, the '81 has the switchover valve and if a rubber connector is busted or on the wrong nipple, it will hardly go over 30.

OK, completed the diesel purge. Went through about 1.5 bottles as I didn't want to run it dry and wanted to have some left over to deep clean something with the ultrasonic at some point in the future. Replaced the inline and the spin-on filter as well and ran it enough to get it out of the garage as I ran out of time.

But I did drive it around the block with the purge tank connected. It was not drastically different driving than when running on the tank so I'm going to defer the tank strainer service.

Ultimately the purge and filters didn't make a significant difference. The filters were both clean. Above @dieselbenz1 says I should be closer to 12 seconds 0-60 and that's not the case. To 60, I'd guess maybe closer to 16 seconds working the transmission lever through the modes to get around the start-in-2nd fiasco.

To summarize again, 215k, adjusted the valves, completed a purge, car starts fine, idles OK but a little shaky--not sure if it's beyond what's normal for these. Any idea for what I can do to pick up whatever may be missing?

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1981 300SD

Insure that the rubber isolator on the accelerator linkage isn't split. That happened to me. Driving home, I would floor it and the engine only went barely above idle. I thought I was running out of fuel. It is part of the "pivot ball" bolted to the top of the firewall, above the oil filter housing.

Re removing the tank strainer, I recently did that when stripping a salvage 1983 300D. I had a socket which fit, but don't recall the size. I vaguely recall from my metric deep impact sockets, which go up to 32 mm, but I also have a 3/4" drive set of really big sockets. It unscrewed very easy, indeed when removing the fuel tube nut, so perhaps I didn't even use a socket. BTW, the stainless screen was perfectly clean.

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

Use a GPS, watch or timer on an interstate to confirm speedo accuracy, 60 seconds per mile at 60 MPH.

If the speedo is accurate good, if not check the tire size and the rear axle ratio
as it may have been swapped. An inaccurate test instrument is very misleading.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

when was the last transmission service?


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Wanted to add in, it may be worth testing fuel delivery, my 95 non-turbo diesel was dangerously slow until a shop did some testing and found the injection pump didn’t deliver enough fuel. After it was replaced it’s been a night and day difference. Hopefully not your case but worth checking!

OMG, I know this one well. My tranny needs some help, first I need to finally find the vacuum leak so I have a full deck to draw from. But so many times I want first and can't get it. I can be going up a steep grade - one of my clients has a steep and not short driveway, on the route to another is a hairpin turn at the bottom of a ravine and up a steep grade - IOW, hard to hit either one with much momentum - so I'll be bogging down in second and maybe half the time I can summon first by mashing the pedal as hard as I can.

In the morning, not warm yet, I could really use 2 seconds in first to get moving. Hard to get it.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K