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Mercedes 300D Suggestions

2328 messages,  Last post on Apr 19, 2013 at 8:29 AM

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

Messages Page 72 of 233

#709 of 2328 Re: Looking to buy a 300D turbo, curious about biodiesel/high mileage? [hey by heypete

Aug 21, 2005 (11:21 am)

Replying to: goldcar (Aug 20, 2005 9:54 pm)
Hmm. All right.
 
I actually did a bit more looking around, and I found a 1992 300D turbodiesel in surprisingly good condition. See the pictures here. No more pictures, as the camera battery was low.
 
Body was in great condition other than a few mild scuffs on the back bumper (as noted in the last photo). Engine started promptly and ran smoothly. Transmission shifted smoothly between gears at both city and highway speeds. Suspension felt really good.
 
Interior is in excellent condition, with no visible wear on anything except a small crack on the wood veneer next to the ignition (looks like someone missed the keyhole and poked the wood with the tip of the key). Doesn't look like anyone ever sat in the back seats. No wear on the leather at all, it seems. Very minor wear on the rubber on the pedals, suggesting a minimal amount of stop-and-go driving.
 
Car has 198k miles, and the seller reports that it's nearly all highway miles. He's the second owner, and has kept the car garaged all of the time it's not moving -- he bought it with the intention of shipping it to Uruguay where he spends several months out of the year, but the taxes and fees for that were too much, so he kept it here and rarely drove it. He only put 3k miles on it since he bought it 4 years ago. Previous owner was a woman, and evidently drove it regularly on the freeway, but very little in the city. Maybe she was a saleswoman or something?
 
Seller wants $8,500, which is about twice the Edmunds TMV. I may be willing to go a bit above the TMV if my mechanic examines it and determines it's in very good running condition and no major work will need to be done other than regular service for the indefinite future.
 
I'd be trading in my two-year-old Honda Insight (2003) with 20,400 miles on it for the Benz, and would like to make sure I'd be making a good impression. One of my diesel-savvy friends says that it's not uncommon for Mercedes-Benz turbodiesels to last upwards of 400k miles with proper maintenance. The Insight is a bodywork-hog, requiring expensive bodywork even for minor things like rock impacts. Even with slightly higher maintenance and service costs for the Mercedes, I think I'd save money in the long run.
 
Any advice?
 
Cheers!

#710 of 2328 Re: Looking to buy a 300D turbo, curious about biodiesel/high mileage? [hey [heypete] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Aug 21, 2005 (2:38 pm)

Replying to: heypete (Aug 21, 2005 11:21 am)
That's a lot of miles. And it is not "common" for ANY car to go 400K--that is the extreme end of the bell curve and statistically unlikely. So don't count on that any more than you should count on living to be 105----you might, but most don't
 
I'd say the average life of a 300 series diesel is about 250,000 with good care and presuming no engine/trans replacements or major restoration (after all, you can keep any car running forever if you pay enough). If you don't think so, go to a wrecking yard and read odometers. What better way to get some good data?
 
So you are buying a car in the...okay, let's be generous...last third of its life.
 
What do I think it's REALLY worth? About $6,500. What is the most you should pay? If you really have to have it, and it checks out GREAT, and you haven't seen anything nicer, then maybe up to $7,500. After that, you are over the market and on your own...your call.
 
Remember---whatever gets you INTO a car cheap at the time you buy will come back to haunt you if you want to unload it. So if you don't like the car in 6 months, it'll have over 200K on it which makes it a hard sell for top dollar.
 
If this car had 75,000 miles it could bring $8,500 or better, say from a dealer's lot with a financing provision.
 
It does look clean, though, I'll say that. I don't know about the guy's story though. you could do a CARFAX report and check his mileage claims over the last 4 years. And "highway" miles is a meaningless term in some ways. Miles are miles when it comes to market value.

#711 of 2328 diesel leak at main fuel filter by brakeengr

Aug 21, 2005 (3:09 pm)

I just can't seem to stop this fuel leak at the main fuel filter housing on my '82 300D turbo.
I changed the fuel filter- replaced the aftermarket with a MB from dealer.
I put a new metal seal between housing and the bolt (that screws into the filter).
Also, put a new rubber seal on the hollow bolt that screws into the filter (this rubber seal is in the stem of the main bolt).
I bled the air by loosening the hollow bolt that goes out of the housing.
(Haven't touched the bolt that comes back into the housing).
Still have fuel leaking from under the top of the main bolt that screws into the fuel filter. after driving 3 miles.
I don't remember seeing any leaks before I changed the fuel filter. And I can see now the difference in the diesel consumption- the gauge needle drops down faster.
Is there anything else I should look at? It was supposed to be a simple fuel filter change!!
Thanks for any help.

#712 of 2328 Re: diesel leak at main fuel filter [brakeengr] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Aug 21, 2005 (3:32 pm)

Replying to: brakeengr (Aug 21, 2005 3:09 pm)
That's weird. Maybe you can find a neophrene seal that will fit around the bolt. do you think you might have tightened down too hard?

#713 of 2328 Re: diesel leak at main fuel filter [Mr_Shiftright] by brakeengr

Aug 21, 2005 (5:03 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 21, 2005 3:32 pm)
No, I don't think I tightened too hard. With the old seal, i did tighten hard, thinking that would help. When it didn't, I got a new seal and noticed it was thicker than the old one, and it's brass- so I knew it was soft; hence took extra care not to tighten too hard.
Maybe I should run a very fine sand paper on the housing surface where the metal seal sits?
I cannot think of anything else, and I wanted to make sure there wasn't any other "trick" associated with changing the fuel filter. Is there anything else I need to be aware of?

#714 of 2328 air conditioner blows fuses by riverview

Aug 22, 2005 (6:28 am)

Replying to: shehzad (Jan 08, 2005 11:39 pm)
I have a 1981 300d it is not a turbo. I am having a problem with the air conditioner. What could be making the fuse for the air conditioner keep blowing. I have had to change it several times.

#715 of 2328 Climate Control Problems. by samgm2

Aug 22, 2005 (6:28 am)

I have a 1985 300D that maybe having problems with the climate control switch (perhaps its something else). The usually does not come on. I believed the problem was in the climate control switch and took it apart and tested all the relays by applying 12 V to the circuit board as necessary and what I could of the switches. I also cleaned the contacts. Everything seemed to be in order with a cursory check with a multimeter but still no go.
 
I do get heat ( not that I want it in the summer, but only as a result of natural air flow if the vent is open). No AC, no blower, no defrost.
 
Anyone have a clue what direction I can take now. The maintainance manual refers to a diagnostic tool that I don't have for trouble shooting the system.
 
Sam.

#716 of 2328 Re: INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT [brynarose] by 300cdveggie

Aug 22, 2005 (12:40 pm)

Replying to: brynarose (Aug 19, 2005 8:18 pm)
here's a website that I found recently that should help.
 
http://boostnbenz.1baddsm.com/DIY/

#717 of 2328 Re: diesel leak at main fuel filter [brakeengr] by brakeengr

Aug 22, 2005 (9:14 pm)

Replying to: brakeengr (Aug 21, 2005 3:09 pm)
Well- this problem is now solved. The metal washer needed to seat better on the housing. I sanded the housing top lightly with very fine sand paper (waterpaper) to get rid of the little build up and a very small protrusion; reseated the washer and hollow bolt- voila! drove 50 miles without fuel leakage. I guess every small bit must fit properly!

#718 of 2328 Mercedes 300 D Won't Start by jnicol

Aug 24, 2005 (3:43 pm)

I took my 82 330D in and had the transmission flushed. It was running great. Went to pick up the car and it wouldn't start. It sputtered and blew a cloud of black smoke and then just turned over and over. Brought my 300SD to it and tried jumping it. I fiddled for about an hour looking for vacuum leaks and whatever I could see. Oddly after about an hour of cranking on and off it started and ran great. I drove it home, turned it off, restarted it no problem and left it over night. The next morning the same problem.
 
I changed the fuel filters, reprimed it, pulled the glow plugs and checked resistance all about 1 ohm, took the glow plug relay out of the 300SD and popped it in - still won't start. Took a rag and dipped it in gasoline and put it inside the air cleaner (outside of the filter - eventually got it going - it ran great. Next morning it won't start.
 
The glow plug light comes on for about 3 seconds and goes out normally. There is no smoke at all coming out of the exhaust while it's cranking.
 
I'm out of ideas. Could the transmission shop have knocked something loose that's causing this problem? Could it be a bad fuel pump, injector pump...? How can I tell? Any help or suggestions will be most welcome.

Messages Page 72 of 233

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