1980 Merc 300sd little leaky
04-19-2017, 03:53 PM
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1980 Mercedes 300sd turbo diesel
1980 Merc 300sd little leaky
Hello, everyone.
I have an old turbo diesel with about 330k miles on it. Everything works fine, there's just a bit of a leak coming from what I imagine are the nearly 40 year old seals.
I really love the car, I love the way it looks, and drives. I'm just concerned as it's getting on in years. What I would like to know is if anyone can give me a ballpark on how much these seals will cost to replace. I am willing to do it myself, which I know will lower the price, however, I really want a nice thorough run-through of all the particulars (fluids, and electrical).
I live in Oxnard, CA, and I'm not aware of any specialists in the area, and I really don't want to get screwed by some unscrupulous mechanics who want to overcharge. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I have an old turbo diesel with about 330k miles on it. Everything works fine, there's just a bit of a leak coming from what I imagine are the nearly 40 year old seals.
I really love the car, I love the way it looks, and drives. I'm just concerned as it's getting on in years. What I would like to know is if anyone can give me a ballpark on how much these seals will cost to replace. I am willing to do it myself, which I know will lower the price, however, I really want a nice thorough run-through of all the particulars (fluids, and electrical).
I live in Oxnard, CA, and I'm not aware of any specialists in the area, and I really don't want to get screwed by some unscrupulous mechanics who want to overcharge. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
04-21-2017, 11:15 AM
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2013 ML350 Bluetec
It isn't the unscrupulous mechanics who will overcharge you (well, OK they will but they're not the only ones). It is the mechanics who are good at their job but have to relearn how to work on a 40 year old car that will overcharge you. Unless you find an old mechanic who already knows how to work on these cars... I've found these cars (especially my '85 300D) to be very easy to work on - IF you know how.
What seals are leaking? Valve cover? (easy) Turbo? (not as easy, but doable) Transmission? (stepping out of my territory) Rear main or front main? (we're gonna need a bigger boat)
Thing is with these old cars if you seal up one leak the oil will find somewhere else to leak out of. You could be chasing leaks for many $$$$$ and still see some. Sometimes the best solution to a leak is a piece of cardboard under the offending seal to keep the floor clean.
What seals are leaking? Valve cover? (easy) Turbo? (not as easy, but doable) Transmission? (stepping out of my territory) Rear main or front main? (we're gonna need a bigger boat)
Thing is with these old cars if you seal up one leak the oil will find somewhere else to leak out of. You could be chasing leaks for many $$$$$ and still see some. Sometimes the best solution to a leak is a piece of cardboard under the offending seal to keep the floor clean.
