What to look for when buying a w123 diesel
#1
07-10-2008, 01:57 AM
What to look for when buying a w123 diesel
hey everyone,
i'm a freelance writer and i'm doing sort of a buyers guide for the 123 diesel.
i own a 300CD non-turbo so i've got the rust, tranny and oil leaks down. what i need help on is what other specific things go wrong, how to tell and at what mileage it happens.
like what tends to wear out with the vacuum system, climate ctrl and turbo?
any help would be greatly appreciated
ill post the writeup here when it's done
i'm a freelance writer and i'm doing sort of a buyers guide for the 123 diesel.
i own a 300CD non-turbo so i've got the rust, tranny and oil leaks down. what i need help on is what other specific things go wrong, how to tell and at what mileage it happens.
like what tends to wear out with the vacuum system, climate ctrl and turbo?
any help would be greatly appreciated
ill post the writeup here when it's done
#2
07-10-2008, 01:31 PM
RE: What to look for when buying a w123 diesel
The first thing to check for during a test drive is overheating. The needle should be in the middle of the gauge while driving and slightly above while at idle. If it gets hot on you while driving you have likely a blown head gasket.
Check the trunk for rust in the floor behind the rear wheels and check for dampness in any area of the turnk. A damp floor is usually the result of water leaking in from around the taillight lens.
The A/C on this can be tought to repair and troubleshoot. 1983 and up use a different type of air temp blender and is still hard to troubleshoot but not so pricy to repair.
Check that all windowns go up and down. Crank windows are very reliable but the power ones wear out the regulators sooner.
Run a lot of water over the windshield as the rubber seal will shrink and crack causing leaks. Waster will leak down on to the steering wheel area and ground out the horn button so that the horn will start blowing during a heavy rainstorm. This is a mess to deal with when ti goes off on a cold and rainy night.
On the plus side these are very easy cars to work on and a real joy to drive. I used to put about 4,000 miles a month on mine until the front pully broke off and left me stranded. That was at 700,000 miles. It is wise to replace the turbo every 200,000 miles with a rebuilt unit as new onew are too much money. They are not that hard to replace.
MOST IMPORTANT: Change the oil and filter every 3,000 miles and the pre-filter fuel filter every 10,000 and never let the fuel gauge drop below 1/4 of a tank. A water seperator is not a bad addetion to the fuel system, either. And have the valves adjuster every 10,000 miles.
Always use the block heater in the winter. It will save your battery, your starter and your flywheel from wearing out.
Sam
Check the trunk for rust in the floor behind the rear wheels and check for dampness in any area of the turnk. A damp floor is usually the result of water leaking in from around the taillight lens.
The A/C on this can be tought to repair and troubleshoot. 1983 and up use a different type of air temp blender and is still hard to troubleshoot but not so pricy to repair.
Check that all windowns go up and down. Crank windows are very reliable but the power ones wear out the regulators sooner.
Run a lot of water over the windshield as the rubber seal will shrink and crack causing leaks. Waster will leak down on to the steering wheel area and ground out the horn button so that the horn will start blowing during a heavy rainstorm. This is a mess to deal with when ti goes off on a cold and rainy night.
On the plus side these are very easy cars to work on and a real joy to drive. I used to put about 4,000 miles a month on mine until the front pully broke off and left me stranded. That was at 700,000 miles. It is wise to replace the turbo every 200,000 miles with a rebuilt unit as new onew are too much money. They are not that hard to replace.
MOST IMPORTANT: Change the oil and filter every 3,000 miles and the pre-filter fuel filter every 10,000 and never let the fuel gauge drop below 1/4 of a tank. A water seperator is not a bad addetion to the fuel system, either. And have the valves adjuster every 10,000 miles.
Always use the block heater in the winter. It will save your battery, your starter and your flywheel from wearing out.
Sam
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