These engines have aluminum heads that can warp if the engine is overheated – check for that. Otherwise they are excellent engines. You don’t want excessive smoke, hard starting, overheating, heavy shaking, oil pressure should be good, and no “nailing.� If you hear a sound that sounds like a large nail being hammered into a block of oak, walk away – you’ll know it when you hear it. The transmission should be quiet and the steering track straight. Check for rust. Check the undercarriage on a lift. Are there service records? You may not find a lot of web info on the diesels because they were only imported to the US. Good luck and keep us posted.
300 sdl questions, buying it very soon, HELP!!!
Good afternoon,
I am about to buy a 1987 300 sdl. What should I look for? I am having the shop perform a compression test and a car fax. The car has about 154K on it. Is there a website dedicated just for the sdl? I have looked but most w126 websites deal with 420 or 500 with very little mention of the sdl specifically. I searched these forums but the information is general at best and I am VERY new to the diesel thing. I have also checked out the mercedessshop but they also have limited pre-buyer information for the 300 sdl, at least when I searched they did
How should the transmission shift, any funny noises I should be aware of when I test drive the car? Any leaks I should look for? I know about the trap oxidizer, but I have not seen a pic of what a trap oxidizer looks like and what the replacement should look like.
Any assistance you can provide would be of GREAT help.
I am about to buy a 1987 300 sdl. What should I look for? I am having the shop perform a compression test and a car fax. The car has about 154K on it. Is there a website dedicated just for the sdl? I have looked but most w126 websites deal with 420 or 500 with very little mention of the sdl specifically. I searched these forums but the information is general at best and I am VERY new to the diesel thing. I have also checked out the mercedessshop but they also have limited pre-buyer information for the 300 sdl, at least when I searched they did
How should the transmission shift, any funny noises I should be aware of when I test drive the car? Any leaks I should look for? I know about the trap oxidizer, but I have not seen a pic of what a trap oxidizer looks like and what the replacement should look like.
Any assistance you can provide would be of GREAT help.
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The o/p when the engine is hot can be as low as 1.5 bar. The flex discs are in the pic below – they are on each end of the prop shaft at the tranny and rear axle. The discs below are in good shape, if cracked around the bolts or if the rubber is hard (no ‘flex’) they need to be replaced.
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