Hi everyone. New to the site and I just bought my first diesel. It's an 82' 240d with nearly 300k in really great condition. It does have it's quirks though-such as no dash illumination, a winky tranny(by that I mean shifts funny) and a few others odds and ends that can and will be fixed.
I'm normally a muscle car guy(chevy only please) and have a 69 Nova that I'm restoring. I've decided to put that on hold to get this Benz in order and convert to veg oil. So, to sum up, I'm glad this forum is here and can't wait to bombard you all with questions!

 

Welcome to the diesel discussion.

For starters, check for vacuum leaks, it may be why your tranny isn't shifting right. Also, valves need to be adjusted periodically with these engines, also consider changing fuel filters if not done in a while.

 

Re: No dash ilumination. - Try rotating the brightness control very slowly through it's range, it is a wire wound potentiometer and you may find a spot that works... that's what I have to do with my 240D. I plan to replace it someday, but can live with the problem for now.

 

Try checking the fuse for the dash lights