I am looking at a 1982 300d turbo and I just want to make sure what I noticed during the test drive was normal. First is the accelaration. I am well aware that these are not race cars, but from a standstill it had to be floored; then it picked up speed at around 30-35mph(I didn't get it past 40mph because I just drove it in town). What is this I hear about a kick-down switch? Where is it/how do I do it? There were a few instances were it would of come in handy. I also noticed that it will probably need motor mounts(shakes at idle) Do I need to get this fixed imediately? How much will it cost aproximately? Also, how much would you pay for this car at a dealer?everything else is in good condition. Any other info would be great.

 

peak torque stock is 170 ft/lbs @ 2400 rpm. thats where its going to accelerate the hardest. the kick-down switch is mounted on the floor behind the throttle. you can test it at about 25 mph. let it get into 4th gear. depress the accelerator to nearly WOT. it should shift down to 3rd. then press ur hard against the flor to hit the kickdown switch. it should drop down into 2nd, and stay there until about 40 mph. if it doesnt work, dont automaticallt suspect the switch is bad. check the wire going to the tranne. i believe it is green, and it connects in the back of the tranee. easily accessable from under the car. check the wire. sometimes they work their way off the terminal.

 

Hey thanks for that. That tachometer did not work so I could not tell what RPM it was at. Does the shake at idle sound like motor mounts? If so, how much is that to fix? Thanks again

 

well, its a diesel, so it will shake more than the average car at idle. it should idle around 750 rpm. the lower the idle, the rougher it will be. but if the shaking you are experiencing is excessive, thenyes, i would expect motor mounts. i couldnt tell ya how expensive the mounts will be, but i bet the labor will cost more.

 

Yeah I know it won't be as smooth as a gas engine, but it disappears once you give it some gas(excuse me, diesel) Thanks for all of your info.