Ok,
So my 300sdl is running great as always. I have noticed a slight oil leak around lower part of front of turbo (from underneath). Obnoxious, but not much; so I pulled intake hose. I tried to spin turbo and it does turn, but once spun and released, stops almost immediatley. Tried to put short peice of rubber hose on shaft to reach it better to spin; same result. This unit has apx 255k on it. Not noticeable shaft play in any direction. Some smoking on hard acceleration, and some smoking at idle. NOT injectors (thanks Greazzer!!). Is turbo due for rebuild/replace? How much free spin should it have if any?

IMO turbos are good for right about 250k miles, before the seals become so worn that the engine begins consuming oil via the turbo. This is likely the cause of your smoke at idle and while accelerating. I'd say you're due for a rebuild. I don't like to push my luck too far with turbos, because when they fail, it's usually real ugly and real expensive. Impeller shears and shatters and shrapnel gets into the engine destroying it too. Or the oil leak gets bad real fast and you have a run-away engine that goes to 9000 rpm and self-destructs.

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1998 E300 turbodiesel

America's Rights and Freedoms Are Not The Enemy!

Cordoba, TN and Mhin1956? Where have I seen that before?

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

You probably have the same issue my SDL has - leaking compressor shaft seal. The result is smoke at high RPM or hard acceleration and you do get an oil leak where the compressor housing bolts to the turbo center section from the "slobbering" it's doing. Time for a turbo. Mine's on the calendar for next spring.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

I know some of the guys have done their own. If you want to farm it out I'd recommend Tim's Turbos in VA (Falls Church, IIRC). He's done all of mine for Mutt and does top-notch work for what I consider fair prices. I pay for my turbos and I still put his sticker on Mutt - that's how much I think of his work.

EDIT: I've thought of putting "Champion Spark Plugs" stickers on Mutt. I wonder if anyone would question that?

Dan

I would if you had an Autolite glow plug sticker on the Mutt.
The OP title "what a drag" is what made me look here, sorry to take it a little off topic.
Former drag racer.

Thanks for the input. Small smoking at startup/idle. Got on it to pass on the interstate and looked like overused diesel taxi in 3rd world country....person behind me I think pulled over, as I could not see him ;o) - just kidding but it was pretty embarrassing. I'd like to get a rebuilt to swap (core), as it's my daily driver and down time is hard. Any suggestions?

Hit the used parts section on the forums, there are a couple cars being parted out.

Craigslist, junkyards, etc.

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment