[johna56]

I'm new to the MB world and am looking to purchase a '83-'85 300 CD turbo diesel with the om617.951 engine. I've read many posts about what to look for - rust spots, windows, ac, trans shifting, comparing various parts wear vs odometer (do the seats "look" like 50k of wear or 200k of wear) but I have't sen much on compression. For a gas auto, this is something I would check (and have a compression test kit), however, I understand that to truly check a diesel's compression, the valve's have to be adjusted. Is this correct? Should I be worried about the compression or is it rarely an issue? If it is something recommended, is there a alternative way to get a feel if the compression is good? I'm really only concerned with engine quality, since I understand diesels are difficult to rebuild and I can address most other stuff myself. Any other thought on how to assess engine quality would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Copied to W123

 

[Teutone]

I'm new to the MB world and am looking to purchase a '83-'85 300 CD turbo diesel with the om617.951 engine. I've read many posts about what to look for - rust spots, windows, ac, trans shifting, comparing various parts wear vs odometer (do the seats "look" like 50k of wear or 200k of wear) but I have't sen much on compression. For a gas auto, this is something I would check (and have a compression test kit), however, I understand that to truly check a diesel's compression, the valve's have to be adjusted. Is this correct? Should I be worried about the compression or is it rarely an issue? If it is something recommended, is there a alternative way to get a feel if the compression is good? I'm really only concerned with engine quality, since I understand diesels are difficult to rebuild and I can address most other stuff myself. Any other thought on how to assess engine quality would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Welcome to the forum.
Please click 'Forums' on the top toolbar, and you see the forum index on the left. Scroll down to W123, the forum for your car.
Your post has been copied there.
The cars are grouped according to Mercedes chassis designation.
It helps to fill out your profile with car mod and thanks for providing a location. Daimler Benz made different versions of same chassis/mod cars for different countries, so location can be important to get the correct advice on this international forum. The forum archive holds a wealth of information which can be accessed with a forum search. See attachments.
Cheers