My first Mercedes Diesel - 1980 300D Project - come on in and join me!
#1
11-10-2011, 10:42 AM
My first Mercedes Diesel - 1980 300D Project - come on in and join me!
Hello all!
This is my first post, so I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Eliott and I just got a pretty cool birthday present over the weekend: a 1980 MB 300D.
Here is her story thus far as I know it:
It was owned by an older woman and has all service records all the way back to its birth. My mom is an acupuncturist and traded some work for it. It has ~300k miles, but it started up fairly quickly. I have only seen the car for a few minutes last weekend and only took a quick glance, but I LOVE projects and this one is by far and away my most exciting one. I have been doing research all week and have made a list of the things I am going to knock out. I will provide details and photos along the way. I know I will learn a ton from this forum. This is a lowest cost build possible, because I am broke!
My plan of attack:
Firstly is to set up a work area. I live in downtown Atlanta, the car is about 50 miles away with a flat in my mom's driveway. The current KNOWN (sure to uncover more) issues:
It needs a tie rod up front. I haven't looked underneath, but that is what I am told by the previous owner. It has a flat (no idea if just low or hole or what). It has water in the passenger side of the trunk (my guess is the light assembly or weatherstripping is leaking.) One or more power windows not working possibly. Heating and cooling system may also be on the fritz. I am sure I will find a thing or two tonight when I do the first look over.
So today's goals:
1. Get her into my laboratory: To clear out a space for it in my mom's basement. This will take a few hours, but hopefully I will have a 24/7 workstation when I am finished.
2. Wash and get her inside the work area, as well as take pictures of her. A la, deal with the flat and maybe put her on blocks.
3. Begin assessment of the situation.
I am a pretty experienced mechanic from tinkering my whole life. I have rebuilt a '77 Ford Bronco (my first car) and did a transmission job on a Nissan Pathfinder that would blow your mind. (Short story, I bought a 2wd tranny off ebay for $1. Ripped apart my 4wd tranny, used a best of breed from each and put the output shaft from the 4wd in the 2wd housing with a new bell housing, and the whole dang thing worked. The guy at the tranny shop when I showed him afterward offered me a job on the spot. Said it is the hardest tranny he has ever dealt with and was 99% sure that what I did wasn't possible. =p) I have never worked on a diesel before, but I am sure I will learn as I go.
From research, here are a few things I want to knock out early:
1. Fresh fluids. Tranny, power steering, oil, radiator.
2. Fresh filters. Air, oil, fuel (x2), tranny (if there is one).
3. Valve adjustment.
4. Rebuild kits: vaccuum pump, injectors.
5. Body work and maybe a cheap spray paint job.
Wish me luck!
This is my first post, so I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Eliott and I just got a pretty cool birthday present over the weekend: a 1980 MB 300D.
Here is her story thus far as I know it:
It was owned by an older woman and has all service records all the way back to its birth. My mom is an acupuncturist and traded some work for it. It has ~300k miles, but it started up fairly quickly. I have only seen the car for a few minutes last weekend and only took a quick glance, but I LOVE projects and this one is by far and away my most exciting one. I have been doing research all week and have made a list of the things I am going to knock out. I will provide details and photos along the way. I know I will learn a ton from this forum. This is a lowest cost build possible, because I am broke!
My plan of attack:
Firstly is to set up a work area. I live in downtown Atlanta, the car is about 50 miles away with a flat in my mom's driveway. The current KNOWN (sure to uncover more) issues:
It needs a tie rod up front. I haven't looked underneath, but that is what I am told by the previous owner. It has a flat (no idea if just low or hole or what). It has water in the passenger side of the trunk (my guess is the light assembly or weatherstripping is leaking.) One or more power windows not working possibly. Heating and cooling system may also be on the fritz. I am sure I will find a thing or two tonight when I do the first look over.
So today's goals:
1. Get her into my laboratory: To clear out a space for it in my mom's basement. This will take a few hours, but hopefully I will have a 24/7 workstation when I am finished.
2. Wash and get her inside the work area, as well as take pictures of her. A la, deal with the flat and maybe put her on blocks.
3. Begin assessment of the situation.
I am a pretty experienced mechanic from tinkering my whole life. I have rebuilt a '77 Ford Bronco (my first car) and did a transmission job on a Nissan Pathfinder that would blow your mind. (Short story, I bought a 2wd tranny off ebay for $1. Ripped apart my 4wd tranny, used a best of breed from each and put the output shaft from the 4wd in the 2wd housing with a new bell housing, and the whole dang thing worked. The guy at the tranny shop when I showed him afterward offered me a job on the spot. Said it is the hardest tranny he has ever dealt with and was 99% sure that what I did wasn't possible. =p) I have never worked on a diesel before, but I am sure I will learn as I go.
From research, here are a few things I want to knock out early:
1. Fresh fluids. Tranny, power steering, oil, radiator.
2. Fresh filters. Air, oil, fuel (x2), tranny (if there is one).
3. Valve adjustment.
4. Rebuild kits: vaccuum pump, injectors.
5. Body work and maybe a cheap spray paint job.
Wish me luck!
#2
11-11-2011, 08:33 AM
Thanks!
Hey guys, thanks for the ideas! I have heard to look for ceramic fuses online and replace with these. Yeah? I will also go full synthetic, why not spend the extra. I feel like it is like either buying a nice craft hoppy IPA vs. Natty Ice. You need good fluids to get you going!
Ok so as for yesterday's update:
New information, it is not in fact a 300D, it is a 300SD Turbo Diesel, which is SWEET. Never had a turbo nor worked with them, so this might be interesting.
I was detained a few hours because I was told I needed to pick my little sister up from school. Little did I know she had cheerleading. Fast forward three hours and two basketball games later, we are heading home. After dinner I went down to look at my "workshop". Well, it has turned into a junk hole. I am going to have to take a few hours this afternoon clearing that crap out. I have to put the spare on and hope it holds air to limp her into the garage. Pictures are of the mess, my new baby, the tires (I think the stock size is 195/75/14, but not sure), and the engine compartment. Sorry for the cruddy pictures. I took them quickly this morning on my way to work. Hopefully once I get her set up, I will get more detailed shots. So last night in bed I started dreaming about what I want the final product to look like. I am going with the bang for the buck mentality. So current thoughts. Murder it out. Do surface prep rust stuff, spray with a primer and get everything fairly straight, then cover it with a flat black vinyl. Apparently you can do this cheap and quickly. Then do some dark tint, and maybe whitewall tires. Go old school cool with it. I also was cleaning up and found 2 15" subs in the work area, so those may be going in the trunk. I don't know what the alternator is rated to. I would assume pretty low, like 80 or under amps, so maybe a big sound system might run too much amperage.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or warnings are quite welcome. I will try and update tonight after I get her in her home for the winter.
Ok so as for yesterday's update:
New information, it is not in fact a 300D, it is a 300SD Turbo Diesel, which is SWEET. Never had a turbo nor worked with them, so this might be interesting.
I was detained a few hours because I was told I needed to pick my little sister up from school. Little did I know she had cheerleading. Fast forward three hours and two basketball games later, we are heading home. After dinner I went down to look at my "workshop". Well, it has turned into a junk hole. I am going to have to take a few hours this afternoon clearing that crap out. I have to put the spare on and hope it holds air to limp her into the garage. Pictures are of the mess, my new baby, the tires (I think the stock size is 195/75/14, but not sure), and the engine compartment. Sorry for the cruddy pictures. I took them quickly this morning on my way to work. Hopefully once I get her set up, I will get more detailed shots. So last night in bed I started dreaming about what I want the final product to look like. I am going with the bang for the buck mentality. So current thoughts. Murder it out. Do surface prep rust stuff, spray with a primer and get everything fairly straight, then cover it with a flat black vinyl. Apparently you can do this cheap and quickly. Then do some dark tint, and maybe whitewall tires. Go old school cool with it. I also was cleaning up and found 2 15" subs in the work area, so those may be going in the trunk. I don't know what the alternator is rated to. I would assume pretty low, like 80 or under amps, so maybe a big sound system might run too much amperage.
Any thoughts, suggestions, or warnings are quite welcome. I will try and update tonight after I get her in her home for the winter.
#3
11-12-2011, 10:18 AM
update
Hey everyone,
Last night was a success in my eyes!
The Good:
That spare held air!
She is warm and cozy and dry. Got it in the house, made a little work area!
She starts right up and shifts into gears fine!
The Bad:
She is rusty in the rear, but nothing that is a deal breaker.
She had a pool of water in the trunk (passenger well). I found the problem and attached a picture. Help here would be appreciated.
So, yesterday I tore into the rear end. First thing I noticed is a "support" for the bumper was collapsed and the bumper was tucked up against the car. I had to then stop and marvel at this engineering. I assume it is some sort of piston to cushion rear impacts. The bumper then slides along a tracking stud on the sides of the car. I need a little help getting it the last way off. My best guess is you have to slide the bumper all the way forward then it will be clear of the guidance studs (that or bolt these studs out from inside the wheel well.). The pistons get in the way, so I guess you have to bolt them off from the inside of the bumper housing? 13mm bolt with I think 13mm nuts behind that bracket. It is going to require some TIGHT wrenching if this is the correct procedure. Any clues?
So in the trunk:
Water is coming from some drain tube (pic attached). I found a drain hole in the floor, but it was rubbered over, looked factory. I poked a little hole through it so the water could drain out. I do not know where this tube should exit, but it is clearly the issue here. I don't even know what water it is collecting.
Also I found some random plugs and things heading nowhere. One looks tire pressure related? Maybe a spare pressure sensor? That would be so awesome! (Pic attached) Another is a small coaxial looking cable, again, no idea. Finally is a big block of all sorts of plugs. It had a plastic cover that might clip to the hinge of the trunk. I don't know what it does either! (Pic attached)
I will be out all day with my family for my sisters bday, but I hope to get a few hours of work in tonight, so any help would be awesome!
Thanks again!
Last night was a success in my eyes!
The Good:
That spare held air!
She is warm and cozy and dry. Got it in the house, made a little work area!
She starts right up and shifts into gears fine!
The Bad:
She is rusty in the rear, but nothing that is a deal breaker.
She had a pool of water in the trunk (passenger well). I found the problem and attached a picture. Help here would be appreciated.
So, yesterday I tore into the rear end. First thing I noticed is a "support" for the bumper was collapsed and the bumper was tucked up against the car. I had to then stop and marvel at this engineering. I assume it is some sort of piston to cushion rear impacts. The bumper then slides along a tracking stud on the sides of the car. I need a little help getting it the last way off. My best guess is you have to slide the bumper all the way forward then it will be clear of the guidance studs (that or bolt these studs out from inside the wheel well.). The pistons get in the way, so I guess you have to bolt them off from the inside of the bumper housing? 13mm bolt with I think 13mm nuts behind that bracket. It is going to require some TIGHT wrenching if this is the correct procedure. Any clues?
So in the trunk:
Water is coming from some drain tube (pic attached). I found a drain hole in the floor, but it was rubbered over, looked factory. I poked a little hole through it so the water could drain out. I do not know where this tube should exit, but it is clearly the issue here. I don't even know what water it is collecting.
Also I found some random plugs and things heading nowhere. One looks tire pressure related? Maybe a spare pressure sensor? That would be so awesome! (Pic attached) Another is a small coaxial looking cable, again, no idea. Finally is a big block of all sorts of plugs. It had a plastic cover that might clip to the hinge of the trunk. I don't know what it does either! (Pic attached)
I will be out all day with my family for my sisters bday, but I hope to get a few hours of work in tonight, so any help would be awesome!
Thanks again!
#4
11-13-2011, 03:30 PM
The big plug appears to be for the central locking system. Can't help you with the other one--sorry
#5
11-14-2011, 09:19 AM
Update (if anyone is still watchin!)
Ok,
So yesterday I tore into the rear. Got the rear bumper, all trim, all carpet, trunk, etc. off. The only thing that wouldn't come off was one of the bumper mounting posts. One came off pretty easily, but the other one in spinning both post and nut when I turn it. It still turns the whole assembly, but if I grab hold of the exterior mounting post, everything spins on the inside. They only thing I can think is the stud on the inside has come loose, but is still providing some grip. I have no idea how to get it out other than grind the rear post until I hit the nut and hope it frees itself with a quick blast of torque. That or get an extractor bit to drill into the stud and use a box end wrench to try and loosen the nut. I am hoping I don't have to ruin it, because something tells me those are hard to come by at a reasonable price.
After that I turned her around in the garage and put the front on a stand. I used a big tractor tire and 2 4x4 posts on the cross member up front. It is pretty engineered, but it seems to be holding. I took off the air box (hardly any blowby to speak of), the mounting bracket is broken. I am going to try and JB Weld the tab back on. The turbo looked pretty clean. I found a horrible wiring job with 2 fusible links in the fuse box as well as the nastiest looking fuses ever. I need in investigate further. I also found some vacuum lines loose. There is what looks like a sensor wire running from the top of the water pump to the harness near the alternator, which I also noticed the looks completely new, so that is nice, but the wire for the sensor is frayed. No smoke when starting to speak of.
Ordering parts soon, and hope to get back up to my mom's to get working again once I get some parts. in.
So yesterday I tore into the rear. Got the rear bumper, all trim, all carpet, trunk, etc. off. The only thing that wouldn't come off was one of the bumper mounting posts. One came off pretty easily, but the other one in spinning both post and nut when I turn it. It still turns the whole assembly, but if I grab hold of the exterior mounting post, everything spins on the inside. They only thing I can think is the stud on the inside has come loose, but is still providing some grip. I have no idea how to get it out other than grind the rear post until I hit the nut and hope it frees itself with a quick blast of torque. That or get an extractor bit to drill into the stud and use a box end wrench to try and loosen the nut. I am hoping I don't have to ruin it, because something tells me those are hard to come by at a reasonable price.
After that I turned her around in the garage and put the front on a stand. I used a big tractor tire and 2 4x4 posts on the cross member up front. It is pretty engineered, but it seems to be holding. I took off the air box (hardly any blowby to speak of), the mounting bracket is broken. I am going to try and JB Weld the tab back on. The turbo looked pretty clean. I found a horrible wiring job with 2 fusible links in the fuse box as well as the nastiest looking fuses ever. I need in investigate further. I also found some vacuum lines loose. There is what looks like a sensor wire running from the top of the water pump to the harness near the alternator, which I also noticed the looks completely new, so that is nice, but the wire for the sensor is frayed. No smoke when starting to speak of.
Ordering parts soon, and hope to get back up to my mom's to get working again once I get some parts. in.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
jannashome
Audio/Visual Electronics
0
05-05-2013 09:46 PM
Wedowee
New Mercedes Benz Forum Members Area
3
07-09-2010 09:12 PM
ryanlou
New Mercedes Benz Forum Members Area
0
10-18-2008 05:50 PM
turdb0
Mercedes SLK Class
1
04-26-2005 11:06 PM
