I think I'm hosed... advice? 1987 300D - Benzworld.org

w2pa · 10-09-2006, 11:04 AM

I was the proud owner of a 1987 300D Turbo. It ran nice for the first couple weeks- no real complaints. Alas, then the nightmare started.

I took it to the dealer who found several needed but unremarkable repairs. The most pertinent was resealing the injection pump (darned o-rings!). From that moment on, the best the engine would do was 5 (of six) cylinders. After the back and forth, they basically said that the injector pump was bad and needed to be replaced.

I had the car taken over to an independent mechanic (Walter's in Bethlehem, PA). Before going any further, he ran a compression test. The results were mixed.

From my understanding of things, that's pretty well that. Even if the pump is replaced, it will not necessarily run right.

Do I understand things correctly? Is there any hope (other than a new engine)? And if not, then is anyone looking for a beauty of an '87 300D for parts?

Any advice in another direction would be great, but I'm afraid this may be one of the shortest-lived Mercedes ownerships on record. Maybe in a few years...

flyboyike · 10-09-2006, 11:31 AM

My advice would be for you to tell us how many miles are on the car, what the maintenance history is like and what exactly is meant by "mixed" results of the compression test.

w2pa · 10-09-2006, 11:45 AM

Just shy of 180k miles. Previous owner had it about five years and was meticulous in care (oil changes, fluid checks and changes, tires... all of it). He mixed DIY and work through his local MB dealer.

The numbers that Walter's gave me were between the high 170's and the mid 220's for compression. My understanding is that 300 is the magic number.

Hope this helps some. Thanks.

augapfel · 10-09-2006, 06:55 PM

Send me a private message wit the VIN. That will allow me to see exactly what equipment and colors it is. I'm an hour south of you and *might* consider a diesel project if the conditionand price are right. Thanks.

kn90d3 · 10-10-2006, 01:31 PM

sounds like one injector was not primed correctly. Bled all of the injectors again.

w2pa · 10-19-2006, 12:36 PM

The plot thickens, and I've really lost respect for my local MB dealer...

Walter's has the car, but would not touch the injector pump until the trap oxidizer recall item was fixed (yes, I know it's a 10 year old campaign). Further, he wonders whether that would explain (thus fix) the other issues.

I presented this to my local MB dealer (Keenan Motors in Doylestown PA) and was told that the parts for that campaign are not available and it could be a month before they can get them.

Fast forward, I talked this afternoon to Knopf Automotive in Allentown. Within an hour, they had the parts ordered and on their way.

With some luck this may clear the rest of the mess up, and in any case it has been an education in why I stopped dealing with Dealer mechanics a long time ago.

Thanks to everyone who has replied and/or private messaged. Stay tuned.

94Wagenmeister · 10-19-2006, 05:57 PM

Trap oxidizer=CAlif. specs=no end of trouble. Beware the trap oxidizer!

w2pa · 02-08-2007, 02:50 PM

One last follow-up. Walter's does great work. He got a new injection pump in, and the thing has run nicely ever since. I was a little concerned when the weather turned cold in the Philly area, but I think the car likes the cold.

Thanks to everyone who responded both publicly and privately.