mudder5

Hey, im new here. But i have a few questions about the car im getting, my step dad has an old 80 somthing, v6 turbo diesel i think its a 300D but its been sitting for years and years he cranked it up an drove it around a little about 5 years ago, im good with cars but havnt worked on a diesel car before. What all should i do to it before i start it up, i know flush the tank an put fresh diesel in, should i change the oil and anything else?

samaritrey

I would start by changing all fluids and checking all rubber parts such as belts, hoses, bushings ect...
Needs tires as well

I believe it is an I5 not a v6

MJ50

yea, it's 3.0L I5 turbo diesel...
change all fluids, filters, rubber hoses, etc...

mudder5

Oh sorry, my stepdad said it was a v6, but all fluids as in motor oil, transmission, brake fluid, differential, everything?, and can yall tell me what year ranges this car would be in?

MJ50

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W123

samaritrey

Yes change everything and don't forget tires! as well as check out breaking system.

mudder5

Thats what im worried about expensive mercedes parts my f150 needs some stuff first lol, i hope the brakes and stuff are fine but shes been sittin a good many years, finally ran 5 years ago, i hope rats havnt chewed up the wireing

Carsy

Mudder,

This project is going to cost you more than a few dollars to do the job properly, in fact it could cost an awful lot.

I suggest doing the minimum of what is absolutely necessary to see if the car is worth restoring. First of all see whether the motor still runs well. Before cranking her over you will need to change the oil & oil filter ( if you can drop the sump & clean.), check if the air cleaner is serviceable, flush the fuel system including tank & change the fuel filters & check coolant level.

When you have it running & moving about you may be able to ascertain whether it is worth going any further.ie changing out the gearbox oil, brake fluid, coolant .brake repair, ect.

Keep us informed of your progress!!

mudder5

Well im not restoreing the car, i just wanna toy around with it an fix it up a little, been thinking of making a rat rod type deal out of it or just leaving it the way it is, if its still in good enough shape i might bottom line insure it an drive it to save some miles an gas on my truck, does anyone know what the mpg would be around on this thing? and is it truley somthing classic, that someone would want, or is it not worth anything really?

houseofdiesel

Don't bother, it is too much work! They get 30mpg on the high side if you are careful, 24-26 if you are always in a hurry (which is always, cause it is diesel). Whatever you put into it is lost, they have no real value in this condition and never will too many around that are all in rough shape. Nice ones run $4k, that need little. This car will likely cost more in parts to get nowhere even close to those cars condition. The vast majority of these cars were driven into the ground with no servicing, meaning bringing one back up to spec is very costly. Timing chain, valve adjustment, oil seals and gaskets, fuel injectors, glow plugs/reaming, pre chamber servicing, injection pump calibration, fuel lines and hoses, fixing vacuum leaks (transmission requires proper vacuum signal), trans service, exhaust mounts, engine mounts, subframe bushings, steering box adjustment, just a very short example of things usually in need of repairing.
Yes, they can run a long time but after sitting so long it will have needs that outweight its actual value. Parts are not horribly expensive, lots of specialist sites that are reasonable in fact, just lots of parts will be needed.
The general condition of the paint is rough although the body looks ok yet in the photos. If you have the time and budget it could be done, but if you want something on the road cheap buy a runner.
If its turbo diesel that dates it 1982-1985 model years.

marinejji

Looks like an 81-83 300SDL Parts are hard to find for these cars. I own an 81 stills runs like a champ but you cannot purchase air filters except online and most parts need to be located in a junk yard or performance parts online. Good luck, one of these days I will buy another old 1980's 300sd just for parts.