You are here: Forums Classic Cars Mercedes 300D Suggestions

Mercedes 300D Suggestions

2231 messages,  Last post on Nov 11, 2009 at 9:21 AM

You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright

What is this discussion about? Mercedes-Benz 300-Class, Engine, Fuel System, Diesel, Coupe, Sedan

Messages Page 8 of 224 1 ... 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 224 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

#66 of 2231 anibald by paul29 May 28, 2002 (11:21 am)
The 123 series rear brake always wear unevenly , comparing inside to outside pads, this is normal for the rear brakes. A zone rep suggested years ago at the half way point in service to simply exchange outside to inside to even the wear and get the most economical service from the pads. they will seat in quickly and only contribute a fraction of the brake force compared to the front. To check the calipers , remove the pads and use a piece of wood to pry/ push the pistons in , any stuck pistons will soon be apparent (wood wil not mark the rotors). You can rebuild the calipers as you suggest but my experence is that the rebuilds are more cost effective and easier. Have you ever taken a stuck piston out? What about removing the sheared bleed screw? Now that you have gotten this far on a Saturday, and find the pitted piston has also got to be replaced, that piston/s alone will cost almost as much as a rebuilt caliper and if your paying some else for labour ?? Check your local parts stores , the prices are all over the map, but should be able to find for under a hundred. Your call ! MB uses two types of brakes on your car Teves or Bendix , Replace what you have with the same brand. I have found the OEM pads offer better braking but are softer than aftermarket and produce more brake dust. Two good low dust brands are Mintex and Axxis(repco) The instrument cluster fits in the dash much like a large plug ,no screws or clips are used , you basically pull it out To remove the instrument cluster , fashion a small hook from a piece of clothes hanger wire by flattening the end to about halt thickness, bend this end over to form a hook. on the other end place a piece of wood for a handle or use something similar. push the top of the vinyl surrounding the ins cluster up and insert the tool , hook towards cluster and pull out , now go to thr right side at 3 o' clock position on clock and insert again and pull . cluster should now be free , reach behind and unscrew knurled nut on speedo cable ,disconnect electrical plugs and cluster is in your hands.You can also remove the under dash panel and push unit out by hand. Performance products.com (impco) have a great catalog with parts break down, also www.alleuro.com . As to moter oil I always used Quaker State 10w40 in my MB .not saying it is better than anything else, only it is on MB's approved list of lubes and is available anywhere in Canada and US that I travel. Also use this brand in all my vehicles, different weights for different applications of course. No need to replace glow plugs unless bad , there is a failure warning if one goes but is not that accurate. PS the oil cooler hoses are $44 and $39 plus shipping (2000/01 catalog) respectively at Performance Products 1-800-243-1220 ch. Good luck
#67 of 2231 by Mr_Shiftright HOST May 28, 2002 (12:53 pm)
Great advice, thanks! Also you don't turn rotors on this Benz, you have to replace the rotors if they do not meet minimum thickness.   I agree, I don't think trying to rebuild the calipers yourself has much of a chance of success unless you are very very lucky.
#68 of 2231 Brakes by anibalb May 28, 2002 (1:58 pm)
Paul,   WOW! Great stuff. I will not rebuild the calipers. Thanks for the advice. It is only the left rear that has uneven wear.   What do you think of the Booster question? The brake pedal is a bit hard, but I am comparing it to a 2001 Subaru Outback that is known for Squeeshy brake pedal. Is there a way to test the thing out.   Thanks on the oil cooler hoses. I will have to look for them. I am not sure where they are yet. I am just going by what the last invoice of service recommended.   Paul, my clock does not work either, is that part of the tach sending unit? I presume not! But one never knows, one thing can screw up the other. One last thing, when I turn my key to let the glow plugs warm up the antenna goes up. And then when I crank the engine it goes back down and then up again. Is this right?   Where are you located Paul? I am in Bay Area!
#69 of 2231 by Mr_Shiftright HOST May 28, 2002 (4:45 pm)
You should also check on Ebay for these parts. i get lots of 300D parts from Ebay.   The 300D has a big booster. Your brakes should stop on a dime. If the booster were defective, you'd have to literally STAND on those brakes to get the car to stop. If you have a bad caliper or two, or glazed rotors or pads, your braking efficiency will be very badly compromised.   I suppose you could disconnect the brake booster vacuum feed and plug it up and then see if there's any difference. I'd be very careful how and where you do this, and am not officially recommending it.
#70 of 2231 anibald by paul29 May 28, 2002 (5:44 pm)
The test you did is a standard brake booster test and indicates the booster is functioning, I agree with Mr Shiftright, the brakes on these cars are like setting anchors when they are working right, . The oil cooler hoses run from the oil cooler at the front left side of the rad (stand alone device) and run back the left side of the body to the oil filter housing on the left rear of the engine. The clock is a separate stand alone item and removes from the rear of your instrument cluster, they get a little "jerky " before quitting, Palo Alto Speedometer Inc. fixes them or it might be more cost effective to get a used one. Potomoc German Auto 1-800-831-8901 is a good source for used MB parts such as this (I bought my clock there). I've been to their yard, lots of Mercs there. When you go to start, most electrical devices are disconnected, you can shut the radio off before stopping the engine, to prevent this on starting and turn it on afterward. If this is the OEM radio and antenna , the antenna will go to different heights depending on Am or Fm. I'm in the North East near Maine.
#71 of 2231 Mr. S. & Paul by anibalb May 29, 2002 (7:39 am)
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your tips. This is great stuff. Mr. Shiftright, I will try the test that you outlined above on a nice flat empty parking lot. I understand that you are not recommending it. The LR caliper may be failing as it is the only one that is wearing out the pads unevenly. It just may need a good Brake fluid flush! I will look for glazed pads. And when I replace the back pads I will just get new rotors since they are not that expensive. I don't like half jobs. If I do them I will replace everything.   I think that I will also have to replace the CV boots. I am sure that will be time consuming. It seems that you have to take off the cover of the differential to release the axles. Euffff! Maybe it is not as complicated as I think. I just have to remember that when I get the CV boot kit to get a new gasket for differential and new 80/90.   Are the Mercedes CD's really worth it? I need lots of pictures to help me spot these things. Like the oil cooler hoses. I will look for them now. Paul you said oil filter is in left back of the engine. Driver's side? There is a filter in the front of engine Driver's side that looks just like and oil filter. So what is that?   I am taking a big exam this Saturday. After that I will have time to fix all these little odds and ends and my 300 will be in tip top shape. I will let you know how it goes! And am sure that I will have more questions.
#72 of 2231 by Mr_Shiftright HOST May 29, 2002 (8:08 am)
The problem with the CDs is of course you can't easily take them out with you to the car. This is why I prefer the workshop manuals. You don't have to buy all the manuals at once, just the one you need for the job you are doing. These manuals are very helpful.   Most people don't understand that what makes Mercedes different from most cars is that they are made to be taken apart and repaired. Most components are very well built and also built to be disassembled and renewed and even adjusted for best service.
#73 of 2231 Manuals CD's by anibalb May 29, 2002 (8:25 am)
Mr. S,   I presume that with the CD's you can print out the pages you may need. Is this the case? I just did look in EBAY and they have a set of Manuals (Printed Copy) up for $60. I am not sure if that is a good deal or not. Also I see a lot of ads for the CD's and they are much cheaper. Any reasons for this?   Also I saw an alert with one of the parts about the Flex Discs on the driveline. The guy mentions that in a few cases they break and cause a lot of damage to the car. Is this true? It is the first I hear of this.
#74 of 2231 by jrosasmc May 29, 2002 (8:54 am)
So if Mercedes are made to be taken apart and repaired, then any GM product is the same way, right?
#75 of 2231 Taking Mercedes apart... by haspelbein May 29, 2002 (9:21 am)
You cannot fully appreciate a Mercedes until you've taken it apart. When I compare it to my BMW, the Benz can be serviced with a minimum of proprietary tools, and most services are very straight forward.   For example, I've never had another car with a drain plug for the torque converter, so that you can fully drain the transmission without having to flush it. Or the oil filter and oil drain are so nicely laid out, that it is possible to perform an oil change without getting a single drop of oil on the floor.   Or take my instrument cluster. It is just a perfect and tight fit into the dashboard, no fasteners whatsoever. It just sits in place. The electrical connectors to it use small handles to release and reconnect, so that it is essentially impossible to bend the pins of the connector itself. This extreme focus on detail is just very nice.   Compared to GM, the "taking apart" of the Mercedes is optional for about the first 10 years of its life. With GM it is mandatory, all the time...and not as much fun. Replies to this message: phidel (May 17, 2005 11:30 pm) poods2 (May 19, 2005 4:05 pm)

Messages Page 8 of 224 1 ... 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 224 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

You are here: Forums Classic Cars Mercedes 300D Suggestions