The owner said he put 15-40 in and showed me a few spares in the trunk Castrol . . .

It is a $1,500 car. If it's not rusty, buy it! That is a great deal. For $1,500 it is not going to be perfect, but a real oil pressure problem on a 616 or 617 is so rare you have nothing to worry about.

Don't get paralysis by analysis. If that car is not rusty you'd better buy it or I will.

Come on out! There are quite a few to pick from! I just want the BEST one of the bunch!

Going hunting again tomorrow . . .

Yeah the oil pressure should register faster upon start up.

It ought to register a bit lower after the oil is hot and at idle.
So maybe the oil pump is iffy.

Its good that you are observant !.

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

But once it is hot . . . it should not still be pegged at 45 psi at idle . . . something is a little off, but I'm still playing it by ear, my truck was supossed to be sold the day I looked at it, but the guy backed out, since I was already in town, I decided to have a look see . . . my truck is still for sale

I go back to look at it, it is parked right where I parked it . . . I got there before the owner came home, so I knew it had been sitting atleast all day . . . This is what I found . . .




Looks like tires are in need of replacement too . . .

He goes to start it, and it won't even turn over . . . I jump it with the Volvo S60 it finally starts after about 5 min . . . He drives it up onto my ramps . . . I take picture underneith of it while it is running . . . looking to see what the extend of the oil leaks are . . .

Here is a picture I took before he got home, this is the tranny leaking at the pan gasket . . .


Looking up into the "dark abyss"






Hey, new starter wires! Some things he has done, but seems that oil leaks are not of a big concern . . .




This is the torsion links I believe, that hook into the lower control arm . . . ?


Certianly not "recently done front end" . . . everything felt tight with me pulling on it, but it also had the weight on the tires . . .


Rearend leaking . . . Dripping!


Looks to me like the axle boods are cracking/drying out, but seeping . . . They should be dry right?


Flex disc look ok, right? the edge looks a tad funny, but I assume that it is from the edge of the mold?


I sat down and talked with him, after I looked at the few reciepts he had . . . 06 A/C was all replaced (R12) 12/00 put in 78 motor with 375 psi compression . . . painted in 07, 06 new tie rod ends, a one lower ball joint (or control arm?) I asked him how firm he was on the $1900 price, and he said that is the price, I can't go any lower . . . it was my wifes fathers car, and she doesn't really want me to sell it . . . I told him I understand, but with all that it needs, I can only offer $1500, and that I'm being generous & kind, let me know if you change your mind. Is that fair? too high? low? It needs quite alot of work . . .

From the looks of the pictures, and the one from the first set, you could just have a valve cover leak that's wetting the whole engine. (I did on my 300SD when I first started playing with it.)

As to the flex disc, yep, just the casting mold separation lines leaving the little bits of rubber on the edges.

Tires are consumable, I wouldn't normally consider them unless they were new, but having them this bad, I'd point them out as leverage on the price.

As to the differential leak, I would look to see where it was coming from, but off the top of my head, I'd say that the rear seal would be my first suspect, along with the drain plug. Following that, the side shaft seals can start leaking, and while they aren't expensive, I'm not sure what it takes to replace them. (getting ready to do just that on my SEC, a learning experience!)

I'm not sure on the price for it, but it does seem to be a mostly sound car.
The faults it has look like they could either be easily corrected, or possibly be something that could blow up in your face. (That seems to be the case with any vehicle, but I try to keep it in mind.)

__________________
-Josh
Testing the cheap Mercedes axiom, one bolt at a time...

It is really hard to tell where the oil is leaking from . . . as most of the engine is covered with oil! It maybe all coming from up top, but it is hard to tell without cleaning the whole mess . . .

The tires I was not aware of were that bad on the previous visit, (but planned on replacing at my convience) so I looked at all of them this time, and they are all junk! Yes I understand that they wearout, just that before they apeared to be somewhat decent.

One thing that has me wondering is the battery, (I believe he got it from AutoZone) why was it dead? It was bought 4/07 with a 24 mo full replacement on it, then prorated . . . It had been sitting for one day less than four weeks since it was driven before . . . would the clock drain it that much? or is there something else draing a battery? He was just gonna put it on the charger . . . I would just go get a new one, he has the reciept! (how much is a prorate on 3 months)

The "Good"
1. Yes the body is in decent shape
2. recent paint was done at a mediocre (sp?) level, trim is faded . . . (which is fine with me!)
3. Some new front end work
4. Newer rad
5. Newer A/C rebuilt, has R12 (06)

The "bad" as I see it:
1. Oil leaks
A. Engine
B. Tranny
C. Rearend
2. Front seats are not original, and are ripped
3. One rear window needs a regulator
4. Three teenagers "learned" to drive on it . . . was "there car" through high school till they got there own car for college . . .
5. "May" need new caliper, as bleeder is leaking, "May" just need to be tightened . . .
6. Engine is not original (1978 model now) Had 375 psi in 12/00
7. A/C does not come out of center vents
8. No expansion tank on rad
9. High oil presure at idle when hot (pegged) something appears to be off . ..
10. Rear axle boots worn
11. Battery dying . . .

$1500 is way decent as an offer. , IMO
I personally would offer about $1000-$1200 bc of all the unoriginal parts and evident defects. no idea about engine mileage etc.
Perhaps in your neck of the woods, no rust carries a premium

The battery drain may indicate something like a short somewhere..
4 weeks w/o turning over should not drain a battery esp. a new one.
Could be a stuck A/C KLIMA servo (frozen in the on position internally)
Brake calipers are not cheap and will consume your time replacing, flushing etc..
Don't forget the cost of flushing and cleaning the fuel tank if algae is present in the fuel filters.

the seller ought to take it to a car wash and spray clean the engine so you can try to isolate the leak source or just take a chance and play it for price reduction traction.
If the engine leaked before and during the teenage usage, who knows if it ran short of oil on occassion(s)..

Take $1100 in cash next time and show it to him, that usually sways a deal.
Don't fall for the 'in the family story'.

Make a lsit of repairs with shop prices.
Add that to your offer price.
If it goes beyond $3500 then you have a gauge for defining an excessive offer and you have a written case to show the guy that you are a best buyer @ $1100.

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

for example

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/1263630795.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/1263107473.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/1268219260.html


http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/1268833017.html

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

Car sounds like a can of worms.. I'd look around at many others to get a bigger picture.

That coupe looks nice, but the last one has been around for a while. think it was listed for $13,500

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I had cash . . . I offered him $1500, but he would not take it, he said "The price is $1900.00 period" I showed him 8 recent 300D's on ebay that were not perfect and had sold for $900 - $1500 . . . So . . . anyways the next day I found this car had just come out on CL and I bought this instead My 1st MB . . . A 82 240D Manual! which I'm Very happy with I like the manual tranny & windows . . . I think God prevented me from making a big mistake! PTL!

__________________
82 240D Manual 277K and still rolling!
02 Volvo S60 AWD For Sale

Shawn, yup God helped and your wise methodical inspections. You did not allow your emotional desire to buy a diesel fog your mind !!

Can I ask the price or ballpark of your 240D?

It's a nice car. I'm glad you did not buy the 300d sited in this thread.

The 1976 240D auto was a peppy car due to the rear end gear ratio.

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD