W123

Hi All,

I purchased by 1983 300 TD in November 2009 so this is my first summer with Frau Blucher as we have named her. The AC worked well as it started getting warmer. We have had a nice hot summer in Atlanta and I'm getting some interesting behavior from the AC.

On the hottest days when you start out, the air blows cold and the car is comfortable. As long as you are driving it is fine. When you stop to go into a store or something, very often when you start back you get an intense blast of heat out of the vents for at least 3-5 minutes. Sometimes the cool kicks back in and other times it doesn't. It is not just lukewarm air but feels like it is actually heated.

Hi Kent et al.,

I have a 1982 240D with manual transmission. Lately I've been having intermittent starter trouble. I've followed the 'Why Wont My Mercedes Engine Crank Over' guide.

My battery is in good condition and reads 12.4VDC, and I'm confident the charging system is working correctly.

When I jumper the solenoid I get the same behavior as turning the key. Here's what happens:

The solenoid seems to be working properly, and sends current to the starter. The starter spins, but fails to fully engage. I hear a rattling/grinding sound, which sounds like the gears failing to mesh, and instead chattering against each other.

I recently changed the fluid and filter for the automatic transmission in my 1980 300D. I'm not sure how many versions of the fluid pan Mercedes made, but mine has a drain plug that screws in to the pan through the filler line. The plug has opennings in it that allow the fluid to pass through to fill the pan. I cleaned everything well and replaced the aluminum washers with new copper ones, so I was surprised to find it leaking. I was thinking about putting a thin layer of RTV on the washers to improve the seal, but was wondering if there are any other fixes I could try first.