Sounds like your Son is embarking on a very wise life lesson learning experience.....
Before you touch the turbocharger, make sure the primary fuel filter, the clear plastic one, is clean and clear of any debris ~ this might take some time as those greascar systems unless *very* carefully operated and maintained, almost always cause poor poor issues, you my well be able to 'drive it clean' before doing any $erious turbo repairs....
Once the boost sensing pipe, banjo and valve are clean ($5 says they're clogged) the ALDA will get the boost signal and the power will begin to come back....
All normal fiddly little repairs few ever bother to do .
Yes, the W126 chassis is an incredible engineering feat, I too prefer the W123 but your Son may well like and keep this car a long time yet as it's safe, affordable, reliable and even modern looking .
He should look for a good passenger seat to take apart and use the spring box and covers from on his driver's seat .
Please keep us posted ,
-Nate
Conrad wrote :
I've always been a person of few words on this list, but it's been the
most valuable resource I've ever found for keeping my tired '82 300D
alive. I don't like to drive the car in the rain or snow--and it
rained almost all of summer 2018--so there really hasn't been a lot of
dieseling in my life lately. A lot of deferred maintenance, but I
think that's finally coming to an end, too. At any rate, I thought
you might appreciate this story.
My 16 year old son has been taking Auto Shop 1 this year at his
school, which has given him first crack at all the various vehicles
donated to the school auto shop program. Some get fixed up and resold
by the school. Some get sold as-is, typically to auto shop students
(actually, to their parents who can legally sign all the as-is
paperwork). And some get dissected as vehicular cadavers before
getting hauled off for scrap value. They get a lot of cars--and a lot
of interesting cars that tend to have major problems that can only be
solved by a whole lot of hourly labor. They've had a gorgeous but
mechanically messed-up 560SEL there for a while, along with a Saab 93
convertible and an Audi A4 convertible. And a 63 Ford pickup.
Interesting cars, along with a steady diet of Hondas and Toyotas and
Buicks.
About a month ago, my son (hereinafter "Son") came bubbling home about
the amazing car that came in that the school was ready to scrap and
how he had to have this car and that he thought it would be an amazing
car and could I please check it out with him and yes he just kept
talking like this without ever taking a breath. The car--a 1984
300SD.
Hearing that a running OM617-powered 300SD might be available for
$500, I agreed to look at the car. And I guess it was a car more than
a car-shaped object, though first impressions weren't all that clear.
The paint...had been blue at one time, I think. Two of the tires were
completely bald. The interior was filthy and the driver's seat--well,
I've never seen a seat that tired, much less tried to sit in it. All
5 of the glow plugs seem to be out. One of the rear window regulators
has been busted (and the window partially open) for a long time, which
probably explains at least some of the dirt in the interior. Oh, and
418,000 original miles. On the original engine.
Run away, right? Well, maybe not. The previous owner, who turned out
to be a teacher at the school, didn't completely ignore the car in
some important ways. The car got either a new or factory rebuilt
transmission in the last 20,000 miles. The entire vacuum system was
tight and working perfectly (even the HVAC and A/C). The dash gauges
and clock work, though the tach won't go above 2,000 rpm. The car had
good and quite new Bilstein shocks all around. The steering and
steering box is a lot tighter than on my 300D. The radiator and
brakes looked to be fairly recent, as well as the belts. And there's
a $1400 Greasecar system installed in the car--but only for the past
20,000 miles or so. The entire body was perfectly straight with
almost no nicks or dings or rust of any type--it clearly was garaged
until pretty late in its life. And that 418,000 mile engine, once
started, ran incredibly evenly and just purred--though I wasn't
convinced the turbo is contributing very much at this point in its
life.
So, after getting permission from SWMBO, I made the deal and brought
the car home. I mean, the transmission alone was worth more than
that, and the Greasecar system could probably be sold for another
$500-700 without trying very hard. So far, I've tossed 4 new tires
and 2 new tie rods at it (one was dangerously worn; might as well
replace both of them and then get the car aligned once). Son is
scouting local yards for a W126 seat or seat bottom. And, with the
replacement of the windshield wiper blades and one parking light bulb,
the car passed VA safety inspection and is back on the road again.
Diesel purge and fluid changes are next on the to-do list.
It's interesting comparing the W123 and W126. Engine aside, these two
cars come from completely different eras, and it takes no time to see
how much newer the W126 design is compared to the W123. That said, I
still prefer my 300D, though, and the new addition has motivated me to
finally get around to some of that long-deferred maintenance. I found
the bad ground that was sapping a volt from my charging system. I
found and replaced the o-ring that's been letting entirely too much
vaporized fuel/oil out under the hood. And I've re-started
troubleshooting the 300D vacuum system, which, while not strictly
essential, sure makes driving the car a lot more fun (and reduces
whiplash when my transmission shifts). Also, that new driver's door
gasket is patiently waiting by the front door of the house for the
next nice warm sunny day when I have some time on my hands.
But that 300SD? That's going to be Son's ongoing challenge. Though,
based on driving it down the road to and from state inspection, I've
already named it "Escargot." That car is a slug, at least for the
moment.
--Conrad J.
most valuable resource I've ever found for keeping my tired '82 300D
alive. I don't like to drive the car in the rain or snow--and it
rained almost all of summer 2018--so there really hasn't been a lot of
dieseling in my life lately. A lot of deferred maintenance, but I
think that's finally coming to an end, too. At any rate, I thought
you might appreciate this story.
My 16 year old son has been taking Auto Shop 1 this year at his
school, which has given him first crack at all the various vehicles
donated to the school auto shop program. Some get fixed up and resold
by the school. Some get sold as-is, typically to auto shop students
(actually, to their parents who can legally sign all the as-is
paperwork). And some get dissected as vehicular cadavers before
getting hauled off for scrap value. They get a lot of cars--and a lot
of interesting cars that tend to have major problems that can only be
solved by a whole lot of hourly labor. They've had a gorgeous but
mechanically messed-up 560SEL there for a while, along with a Saab 93
convertible and an Audi A4 convertible. And a 63 Ford pickup.
Interesting cars, along with a steady diet of Hondas and Toyotas and
Buicks.
About a month ago, my son (hereinafter "Son") came bubbling home about
the amazing car that came in that the school was ready to scrap and
how he had to have this car and that he thought it would be an amazing
car and could I please check it out with him and yes he just kept
talking like this without ever taking a breath. The car--a 1984
300SD.
Hearing that a running OM617-powered 300SD might be available for
$500, I agreed to look at the car. And I guess it was a car more than
a car-shaped object, though first impressions weren't all that clear.
The paint...had been blue at one time, I think. Two of the tires were
completely bald. The interior was filthy and the driver's seat--well,
I've never seen a seat that tired, much less tried to sit in it. All
5 of the glow plugs seem to be out. One of the rear window regulators
has been busted (and the window partially open) for a long time, which
probably explains at least some of the dirt in the interior. Oh, and
418,000 original miles. On the original engine.
Run away, right? Well, maybe not. The previous owner, who turned out
to be a teacher at the school, didn't completely ignore the car in
some important ways. The car got either a new or factory rebuilt
transmission in the last 20,000 miles. The entire vacuum system was
tight and working perfectly (even the HVAC and A/C). The dash gauges
and clock work, though the tach won't go above 2,000 rpm. The car had
good and quite new Bilstein shocks all around. The steering and
steering box is a lot tighter than on my 300D. The radiator and
brakes looked to be fairly recent, as well as the belts. And there's
a $1400 Greasecar system installed in the car--but only for the past
20,000 miles or so. The entire body was perfectly straight with
almost no nicks or dings or rust of any type--it clearly was garaged
until pretty late in its life. And that 418,000 mile engine, once
started, ran incredibly evenly and just purred--though I wasn't
convinced the turbo is contributing very much at this point in its
life.
So, after getting permission from SWMBO, I made the deal and brought
the car home. I mean, the transmission alone was worth more than
that, and the Greasecar system could probably be sold for another
$500-700 without trying very hard. So far, I've tossed 4 new tires
and 2 new tie rods at it (one was dangerously worn; might as well
replace both of them and then get the car aligned once). Son is
scouting local yards for a W126 seat or seat bottom. And, with the
replacement of the windshield wiper blades and one parking light bulb,
the car passed VA safety inspection and is back on the road again.
Diesel purge and fluid changes are next on the to-do list.
It's interesting comparing the W123 and W126. Engine aside, these two
cars come from completely different eras, and it takes no time to see
how much newer the W126 design is compared to the W123. That said, I
still prefer my 300D, though, and the new addition has motivated me to
finally get around to some of that long-deferred maintenance. I found
the bad ground that was sapping a volt from my charging system. I
found and replaced the o-ring that's been letting entirely too much
vaporized fuel/oil out under the hood. And I've re-started
troubleshooting the 300D vacuum system, which, while not strictly
essential, sure makes driving the car a lot more fun (and reduces
whiplash when my transmission shifts). Also, that new driver's door
gasket is patiently waiting by the front door of the house for the
next nice warm sunny day when I have some time on my hands.
But that 300SD? That's going to be Son's ongoing challenge. Though,
based on driving it down the road to and from state inspection, I've
already named it "Escargot." That car is a slug, at least for the
moment.
--Conrad J.
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Posted by: vwnate1@yahoo.com
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