Well, after conducting a nationwide search I finally pulled the trigger and acquired a pristine W124 1993 300D 2.5 Turbo! On my post-purchase drive of about 150 miles I was enormously impressed with the solild handling and stability of the vehicle. The car has 178,000 miles and two previous owners. I found it in Maryland and delivered it to DAS Auto Shippers this morning for the trip to California.

These cars are almost impossible to find in California since they were never sold new there due to tough restrictions on diesel emissions. But the new ultra-low sulfur fuel should help with that issue. I have a couple of questions for the diesel gurus here:

1. I'm planning to run biodiesel in the car since we have a 24-hour card pump in Monterey. What modifications, if any, do I need to make to accommodate biodiesel? I've heard that I should swap the flexible fuel hoses for ones made of Viton?

2. The previous owner installed a fuel/water separator, but for some reason his mechanic ended up taking the unit offline. Should I bother to reconnect it and get it working?

3. The only known problem with the car is a minor fuel leak which seems to be coming from the injection pump. The previous owner's mechanic said he thought it was the "stop shaft seal" and had trouble obtaining that part. Any thoughts on the best way to attack this problem?

4. What's the best engine oil to use in this vehicle? I'd be grateful for your recommendations.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Mike

 

Many thanks for your help!

Mike

 

Well, the engine diesel fuel leak turned out to be wrong-sized fuel hoses. Replaced them all and the problem went away...

I suspect the previous owner sold the car for less because his mechanic had been unsuccessfully chasing engine fuel leaks for a couple of years, replacing one expensive component after another. But it turned out the leaks were simply coming from the fuel hoses, a relatively inexpensive fix. Go figure!

The car now has new Mobil 1 5W-40 synthetic oil, new Mahle oil filter, new primary and secondary fuel filters, fresh brake fluid, and a new front flex disc. This weekend I'm going to do a diesel purge but the engine is already sounding better than when I acquired it. It's a keeper!

By the way, anyone know where can I find a 2-micron fuel filter? Are stock Baldwin filters that capable?

Mike