Hey,

Here is a HUGE opening rant from a newbie in dire, dire straights. LOL

I am new here, but should have joined years ago. I have loved MB diesels since I was a kid driving the family 190D in '67. I also spent years cruising the Pacific in a small sailboat, so durable, well-made things make a bigger impression on me than getting anywhere in a particular hurry.

I have owned quite a few Mercedes, mostly diesels, all old. I also registered dozens of MB ".com" names back in the day, most of which I still have (SVOzone.com, 300TD.com, 300CD.com, etc....).

I love the concept of SVO, but I have never been 100% convinced that it won't shorten the life of a 617 - although Elsbett states their conversion injectors rearrange the spray angle and pattern to prevent cyls from coking up. Today, according to their site, is the last day Elsbett will sell conversion kits for most of the older models. Erf.

Right now I am in a major quandry. Here is the last few months:

I have been shuffling DD's for a couple of years. An '83 300SD was it for a long time, until I ran the tranny low on fluid. I haven't had it looked at and am not qualified, but it sounds like metal scraping and it loses fluid quickly. My guess is torque converter? A mechanic is coming out Wednesday.

I bought an '85 500SEL for $300.00 as a parts car for the 300SD. Too good for a parts car, turned out that it needed an alternator, two regulators, a window motor, an A/C charge, and tires. Beautiful car. Needs nothing. After the 617, it seems like it will pass anything but a gas station. Just sold it. Gottabediesel.

So I scheduled my #2 trusted mechanic to come out and fix the 300SD tranny.

But then I saw a 1979 300SD 116 on Craigs for $250. I really like the body style better. So it turns out to have a straight body, a good repaint in good shape, all original glass, etc, very original and VG+ cosmetically. It has not been started in two years and they have "lost" the title. Has a dead battery and a flat tire. So I bought it anyway. Towed it to my business (non-automotive), charged the battery, and presto, it starts right up. It idles rough, shakes hard enough to feel kind of good on my back, but smooths out as it warms up. The engine has *no* blow by, and no smoke other than one little puff the first time I started it.

It won't shift. It feels like the linkage is not even connected. So now I have two 300SDs, a 116 & a 126, neither of which can manage to transfer power from the engine to the wheels.

Back to the story for a sec though. I went to DMV, and they said the vehicle was still titled to a dealer and had a lien. Hmph. So I went to the dealer, who said they sold it with a new engine and that money was still owed on the car. Police time?
This is a third-string car lot, and it turns out the owner is going out of business next week after forty years. He has a '68 280SE w/clear title that has been rotting in a field for a while. If I buy it for $150, he'll sign off on the 300SD. Done. So now I own a death-by-chocolate 280SE.

I haven't mentioned the two 300D non-turbos out back, or....

So, my immediate pickle and first humble request to the experts here is with the "new" 300SD. It runs rough, and weeps diesel from the two most forward (#1 & #2?) low pressure lines and from the "cigar" return line. I suspect this is clogged injectors. Should I get Reman. OEM injectors? Just the nozzles? How do you test injectors? Should I do a Diesel-Giant flush B4 all this?
I have not changed ANY filters or fluids yet, or cleaned out the banjo fitting by the ALDA, but am doing that + oil & fuel tomorrow.

My mechanis can do the tranny, but I want to get the engine running right all by myself. That is going to include two thing I have not done: a valve adjustment and determining timing chain stretch. I once saw a video but can't seem to find it again. I am familiar with all but the valve adjustment.

Lastly, what kind of oil does anyone suggest and why? Does ULSD mean that you don't have to protect so much from sulfur compounds anymore, and can use something like a Castrol multi?

Well, glad to be here.