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Car Forum / Mercedes-Benz Cars / February 2007Vacuum Leak? (new owner/user)
I am picking up my "new" 83 300D in the morning. It has 220.000 miles, it seems to have been well kept. No rust, and for a Detroit car I thought that was a good indication. I am excited...however don’t want her to become a money pit! Anyway ~ it has a few problems. The pass. window (I have read several threads on that and think I know what the deal is there). The tach doesnt work, the locks dont work in unison and it shifts hard from 2nd to 3rd at fast speeds. And the heat is hot only in idle. From the research i’ve done I’d guess all of that is related to a (shift modulator?) or a vacuum leak. Does that sound right? (wouldn’t need a rebuilt trans would it? ..hope not!) How hard is it to find and fix a leak? Is that a mechanic thing? I read about replacing the monovalve to fix the heater issue. Will that fix the tach and lock system too? Forgive my ignorance as I am new to diesel altogther. I just want to roll using straight veggie oil, that is my goal. Any advice I’d really appreciate.  SignaturePosted at author's request, using http://www.AutoBoardz.com interface Articles individually verified to usenet standards. Visit URL to contact author/report abuse Thread archive: http://www.AutoBoardz.com/Vacuum-Leak-owner-user-Mercedes-Benz-ftopict204392.html First get the basics right then go to the Bio - because it will give you some initial problems so keep that project on hold until these get fixed. The tach is just cosmetic eye wash - nice but so what. The heat is probably the monovalve - it can be rebuilt with a kit, but before you attack it be sure the motor is operating at 80 degrees C. If not, install a new engine thermostat. Vacuum powers the door locks, engine shut down and transmission shift harshness and the climate control ducts. A vacuum leak will affect these. Transmission will shift harder with less vacuum, the heater problem could be related and the door locks typically are vacuum related - because the leak is often in the locks. You should know that to start these diesels in bitter cold weather a good battery is needed and you should preglow it two or three times before cranking to heat up the chambers. Key ON wait about 10 seconds after the glow plug light goes out, turn OFF, then ON wait 10 sec. and finally crank it. Usenet:alt.auto.mercedes Signature© 2007 T.G.Lambach. Publication in any form requires prior written permission. On Jan 26, 2:33 am, "-->> T.G. Lambach <<--" <"T.G. Lambach at NoHamorSpamcomcast.net"> wrote: > First get the basics right then go to the Bio - because it will give you > some initial problems so keep that project on hold until these get fixed. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > © 2007 T.G.Lambach. Publication in any form requires prior written > permission. The tach problem is most likely the tachometer amplifier. . Google and you;ll find a recent thread here on that. It's the barrel shaped diagnostic test connector widget, about the size of a can of tomato paste, located in the engine compartment by the driver side fender. It screws off by hand and has about $1 worth of electronics in it that turns the signal from the flywheel sensor into a voltage for the tach. Takes 1 min to replace, but try removing/replacing it, as there is a chance it's just a contact issue. They go for about $60. Other possibilities are the tach or the sensor. I'd suggest you get this car checked out by a mechanic before you buy it. You say you don't want a money pit, but with a car of this age and mileage, it is going to require more ongoing maintenance, with anything possible. I'd be especially concerned about the tranny, which is already misbehaving. I would not assume it's just a minor vacuum problem. Also, to run on straight veg oil, you do realize you are going to need a conversion kit, right? That consists of a seperate new fuel tank, and piping, controls, etc that allow the car to start up/shut down running regular diesel, then switch over to veg oil when the car is warmed up. Otherwise, in Detroit, the veg oil will solidify in the lines, injector system, etc and the car ain;t going anywhere till you get a nice warm day. >I am picking up my "new" 83 300D in the morning. It has 220.000 >miles, it seems to have been well kept. No rust, and for a Detroit >car I thought that was a good indication. I am excited...however >dont want her to become a money pit! Have somebody who KNWS THIS MODEL OF CAR look at it. This cannot be understated. >Anyway ~ it has a few problems. The pass. window (I have read several >threads on that and think I know what the deal is there). The tach Usually a switch. They just pry up; disassemble, clean put back together and it'll probably work. You can short the wires together bypassing the switch to verify this. Could be a fuse too (but not if it's just one window as they're in diagonal pairs on a fuse) or a bad motor (unlikely). >doesnt work, the locks dont work in unison and it shifts hard from 2nd Vacuum leak. Probably a door look actuator. Harsh shift are ok, the trany will wear less quickly if it shift harshly - less wear on the clutches. >to 3rd at fast speeds. And the heat is hot only in idle. From the Thermostat or clogged rad. >How hard is it to find and fix a leak? Is that a mechanic thing? I No. Get a vacuum tester. "Mity Vac" or equiv. >read about replacing the monovalve to fix the heater issue. Will that No heat is monovsalve or heat stuck on but not sometimes off sometimes on. >fix the tach and lock system too? Forgive my ignorance as I am new to Tach is easy: http://articles.mbz.org/electric/300tachamp/ >diesel altogther. I just want to roll using straight veggie oil, that >is my goal. Any advice I’d really appreciate. SignatureNeed Mercedes parts? http://parts.mbz.org Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net Agreed on all matters... the heat problem can be two fold... if engine temp not holding 80 degree on highway, then it is thermostat. Otherwise, it is the climate control amplifier/monovalve... monster unit and costly... which is most likely the culprit. >Agreed on all matters... the heat problem can be two fold... if engine temp >not holding 80 degree on highway, then it is thermostat. Otherwise, it is >the climate control amplifier/monovalve... monster unit and costly... which >is most likely the culprit. They are only expensive if they're new or rebuilt. On ebay they're $50. But if the heat is intermittent and only at idle it's not the pushbutton assembly. SignatureNeed Mercedes parts? http://parts.mbz.org Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-W-123-Heater-Valve-300TD-240D-280CE-300D _W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33548QQihZ007QQitemZ170074024253QQrdZ1 Only one I see... darn cheap! > the locks dont work in unison... That could be vacuum but could be not. My '79 TD has mis-functioning door locks that are due to the springs that allow internal override (e.g. you can unlock the door from the inside if the car has been locked) being broken. I haven't been able to locate this spring individually, and when I'm at the dealer I'm not sure what part it's attached to, so I may just have a hand at fabricating the spring myself (there are pictures in the manual, so what the hell?). I also have a vacuum leak that's as of yet undiscovered, but the car works well enough and I don't keep much in it of value so I just don't lock it. ;) -tom! -- |
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