I'm looking for a full replacement carpet kit, I'm looking for palamino but the ones on ebay look too light, does anyone have experience with these or know where to look. I'm not trying to spend a lot of money so $700+ kits are out of the question.

Thermostat: The engine is running very cold so I assume the thermostat is stuck open. Current weather is mid 20s-30s F. I currently have cardboard covering pretty much the whole radiator right now. The temp will sometimes gets sorta close to 80C unless I turn the heater on then it'll go back down well below 60. I believe the sensor/gauge is accurate because I can feel the heat get cold.

Before I go and struggle with the crusty bolts in the housing: This isn't normal right? My last 300D had similar symptoms which makes me wonder.

Fuel filter: I bought a new one to do as preventative new car maintenance. I assume I'll need to prime it after changing. Should I go ahead and order the replacement priming pump as well or is the crispy factory one liable to work and not become a new leak?

Dash lights are entirely dead. Am I fuse hunting is is this more commonly the light switch? My last 300D had a light switch out of a house installed...

Seat belt alarm: Will anything be upset if I find and unplug it? I wear my seat belt but wouldn't mind skipping the screaming when I first fire it up every time.

Wheels: the tires on it now are older than I am. Are there any cheap steelie 15s out there? will I have clearance issues with them?

The underside of my w123 is just a pile of orange dust at this point, and i know that at least 3 thousand of you have a rust job in your past, do you have any tips or things to look out for that i should know?

Anyone else have this issue? Seems like the door lock gets frozen shut.

Shocks are blown on my 84’ 300SD and want to replace them, but not sure what style like b4 or b8 to go with. I live in the desert and go off roading often, some are smooth dirt, rough bumpy, up hilly with big pot hole dips, etc. and want to know what are best optimal shocks to use for both cruising and off roading. What do y’all suggests?

I have a 1982 300TD, when I put it in reverse the back end raises and then when I put it in drive it drops back down and rides what appears to me to be very low. 1) does it normally raise for reverse and drop low in drive? 2) how low is too low? Thank yall.

I picked up an 85 300TD wagon the other day and am starting to research what all I need to do.

The SLS is noticeably non-functional. It seems accumulators and a valve rebuild kit are the general culprits. Is there any good diag procedure before throwing parts at it? Ive looked at deleting it as well but it seems it'd cost about the same and would ride worse.

I'm going to be ordering front suspension bits to replace as well since the camber and ball joint slop is pretty bad right now. Are the front shocks SLS as well or can I just order normal shocks?

The vacuum pump is currently non-op. I plan to rebuild it then chase any leak/spaghetti issues. SLS doesn't interact with vacuum anywhere right? It seems I likely need new check valves and some seals?

Currently the engine makes 0 smoke ever. I have previously owned a non-turbo 300D that was a bit smokey and the power gap is less than I expected. With a cold engine climbing the hill on my driveway is 3-5mph on the floor. I did confirm the turbo is making boost (pulling the line off the injection pump and sticking a gauge on it). While there was no load of course, it maxed out around 4psi. It's way quieter than I ever expected a turbo could be but I can hear it coming in around 2k and I do feel it. Is it possible the boost referenced fueling isn't happening? I assume "turn it up" isn't the answer...

The green machine!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been driving a 1981 W123 240D daily for 2.5 years, clocking over 35,000 km, including long-haul trips of up to 1,800 km. I love the car, but it needs serious work, and I’m debating whether to restore it or replace it with a 190D.

Issues to Address:

• Rust repairs needed:

  • Rear chassis on the driver’s side
  • Sills (rockers) on the driver’s side
  • Lower corners of the front windshield

• Windshield: Cracked front windshield needs replacement

• Interior:

  • New carpet lining
  • Replacement of lower trim on the passenger-side rear door
  • New headliner
  • Glovebox door is damaged
  • Instrument cluster needs repair/replacement

• Fuel system: Cleaning required for the tank and lines

• Seals: Door, window, and sunroof seals need replacing

• Gearbox:

  • Locks in second gear sometimes, requiring the engine to be turned off to shift

• Heating issue:

  • Heater is stuck on hot

• Doors:

  • Door stays and bump stops need replacement

• Central locking/vacuum system: Needs repair

• Rust: rear chassis, sills, windshield corners

• Cracked windshield

• Worn interior: carpets, headliner, glovebox, trim

• Faulty gearbox (locks in 2nd gear occasionally)

• Heater stuck on hot

• Vacuum/central locking issues

• Needs new seals, door hardware, and instrument cluster

• Paint job and rear parcel shelf with speakers

I lack the tools, space, and experience to do the work myself, so I’ll need to rely on a restoration shop. However, I have no idea if this project is financially sensible or if a 190D would be a more practical choice for my daily needs.

Questions:

1. Have any of you restored a W123 with similar issues?
2. How much would a restoration like this typically cost?
3. Is it worth restoring a W123 for daily use, or is the 190D a better option?
4. Does restoring a W123 hold its value, or is it mostly for the love of the car?

Looking forward to your advice—thanks in advance!

Hello everyone, I need help diagnosing a problem with my son's 1984 300 Turbo diesel that broke down yesterday. No crank no start no glow plug light, yet, all the warning lights on the instrument cluster come on when the key is turned to on, both signal lights are illuminated but not flashing. It has a new battery and was running perfectly before he parked it for the night. I would appreciate any help.

So after a solid 3 hours of tinkering with stuff, 2 cans of brake clean, and a lot of exhaust gasses breathed in. Here’s the conclusion I came to

My conclusion is that oil was blowing out of the dip stick tube and that’s how I lost all my oil, that would explain why everything from the power steering pump forward is completely dry, and everything behind it was soaked. This leak was slow hence my 3 mile long oil trail, the reason the puddle underneath the car was so large is I also had a fuel leak on the return filter caused by a lose hose clamp.

One of 2 things happened that caused the dip stick tube to pop up and then spray oil everywhere,

1. I check my oil every time I drive and while I don’t think this is the case it’s certainly possible I didn’t put the tube all the way down

2. the aftermarket catch can that was installed by the PO of the car was too restrictive and allowed the crank case pressure to pop the dip stick out of the tube.

I believe that is the more likely scenario because I’ve been chasing leaks everywhere from the valve cover, to then the oil fill cap gasket. A restricted catch can would certainly drive crankcase pressure up and cause other things to leak. What I have done as a (temporary?) fix is bypass the catch can and I have the breather tube going directly into my turbos filter, when I did this and went in multiple test drives oil would not seep past the dipstick unlike when I had the catch can in place.

It’s still not a perfect solution for multiple reasons but after about 5 miles of test drives at speeds ranging between 30-70mph it’s the best thing I can do at this moment.

Attatched is a picture of the o-ring I replaced. Also not a perfect solution but it appears to seal better than the one that came off, I think. I don’t know none of them seal very well I need to get on McMaster Carr and order something proper.

And for those wondering that is a 2x10mm o-ring with 2 1x9mm o-rings under it to position it, I am probably gonna order something like a 2.5x10mm silicone one and see how that goes

Hi all. I have a Mercedes gle 450 but I can’t connect the Mercedes me because the previous owner still connected I went to the Mercedes dealer they told me they can do it, but it cost $350 anyone can help me with this???

Hello everyone. Does any of have the w123 Dashboard speaker cover model for 3D printing?

Turbo went out in my 83 300d. Just wondering what everyone goes with. Oem? Aftermarket?

Looking to keep it close to stock as far as power goes.

I was cruising on the freeway when the car lost power, I looked down and my oil pressure was reading 1 bar and going down. Threw her in neutral and shut it off to coast to a stop. I think I put a hole in my oil pan while driving and it just leaked out.

My question is would oil make its way all up the side of the engine? I have oil on the top of my valve cover. I don’t believe it’s the oil cooler lines since the rubber part of them isn’t wet with oil at all. Or is there anywhere else I should check? A quick glance at things showed nothing inherently wrong/broken but it was late and I wanted to get home so I had it towed back to my work.

Any tips would be appreciated

My 1984 300TD will only go into reverse. From some research Im thinking its a vacuum issue, however I cant find anywhere online that sells a sort of “vacuum line kit” that would allow me to change out the old hose and brittle plastic. Does anyone have any advice or know where I can find instructions on how to replace all the vacuum lines/fitting to fix this issue? Thanks guys

Hello!

Does anyone here can tell me what's the recommended oil for a 5 speed manual transmission installed on a 300D European?

I am having trouble to find a specific answer, I've read SAE50 and ATF is the ones used for these vehicles, but witch one is the correct one?

Does anyone here have a manual that says exactly what the car needs?

Thank you!

I checked everything and I googled, can’t find anything. Happened one day after work

Got one of those clear little fuel filters and I'd like to install it somewhere under the hood so I can easily check how dirty my fuel is. Found rust particles in the carburetor so extra filtration can't hurt, right?

A very attractive spot under the hood is the line between the fuel pump and the carburetor. Is this a good or bad location for a filter?

Would adding filters mess up the pressure or break something? I see the diesels have at least two filters.