Re: [MBZ] OT: Series on Global Warming
Michael Baker wrote: > I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person! > If that were true, it'd be an even match.
Re: [MBZ] OT - Global Warming rebuttal
Tom Hargrave wrote: > Oh, I agree that we are polluting the air and we need to stop ASAP. My only > issue is with the current Global Warming mass hysteria. It's to the point > where the "experts" were blaming this year's earlier warm weather on global > warming but now that it's actually cold in the mid-west and east coast, I > don't hear a thing. Which "experts"? I heard a lot of ignorant media speculation about it but I doubt very much any actual climate scientists were saying that. You can't point to any one event and say "this was caused by global warming."
Re: [MBZ] OT - Global Warming rebuttal
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I find it interesting that allot of US citizens (who by the way make up 5% > of the worlds population but consume 26% of its energy) refuse to believe > what we are doing cannot harm the 20 mile deep ocean of air we have > surrounding us. It doesn't surprise me. People once believed that we could never wipe out the passenger pigeon, that we could never exhaust our supply of old-growth timber, that we could never over-hunt whales, and that we could dump anything we wanted into lakes, oceans, and rivers with no consequences. People tend to assume that human activity can't influence things that are on a vast scale. It's true for one human, but there are now over 6 billion of us and that changes things a bit.
Re: [MBZ] OT: Series on Global Warming
Michael Baker wrote: > David, > I must have made some sense to you as you only objection is > semantics. However, there's no confusion here. Climate is merely the > tapestry woven by every day's weather. If one is predicting climate > then one is merely predicting what the weather will be like over a > period of time. > Not at all. Climate is a long term average over a wide area, and tends to be predictable, whereas day-to-day weather for any given location is chaotic. I point this out because the fact that you don't understand it to me means all your other rationalizations are suspect. To use an automotive example, I can say with pretty high certainty that if I average the fuel economy of my Ford over an entire year, it will get very close to 20 mpg. However, if I try to specify what my fuel economy for any given day is, I could be way off, because I might get stuck in a traffic jam and spend a lot of time idling.
Re: [MBZ] OT: Series on Global Warming
Michael Baker wrote: > Those guys cannot accurately predict next week's or > next year's weather much less weather trends over the next 100 years. > You're confusing weather with climate.
Re: [MBZ] Wolwo safety
Peter Frederick wrote: > Japanese cars DO require less work than American ones -- I've had way too > many friends who have driven them hundreds of thousands of miles with nothing > but tires, oil changes, and brakes -- and sometimes not even brakes. > They can be a pain to work on when they *do* break, though. If you ever have to change the alternator in a Honda Civic you'll see what I mean. Hint: step 1 is "remove driver's side drive axle." I think they way Honda stamps the required socket size on the head of each bolt is a rather nice touch, though. If it says "10", you reach for the 10mm socket. No guessing required.
Re: [MBZ] OT - Global Warming rebuttal
Mitch Haley wrote: > > David Brodbeck wrote: >> Any ham will tell you sun spot activity increases and decreases on a >> 22-year-cycle. Are you saying there's a similar 22-year cycle of >> temperature increases and decreases? > > I can remember the nature magazines telling us that global cooling > was caused by humans, seems like that was around 1970. There actually *is* a "global cooling" effect caused by fine particulate pollution. The sunlight hitting the earth's surface is measurably dimmer today that it was in the past because particulates in the atmosphere reflect some back out to space. Global warming is compensating for its effects and then some, though, and the effect is diminishing as more particulate pollution is eliminated.
Re: [MBZ] OT - Global Warming rebuttal
Tom Hargrave wrote: > It's also true that today's temperature changes are tracking lock step with > increased sun spot activity. Any ham will tell you sun spot activity increases and decreases on a 22-year-cycle. Are you saying there's a similar 22-year cycle of temperature increases and decreases?
Re: [MBZ] Drive shaft removal steps, 85 300TD
Harry Watkins wrote: > Hi Ralph > > No, yours was the first. Don't know what I am doing wrong. This is the > second time its happened. Gmail, by default, hides your own posts from you. You'll only see responses to them.
Re: [MBZ] Luckiest man in the world!
Werner Fehlauer wrote: > Sounds like another good reason NOT to give extra $$ to a shop to "flush" a > transmission. Other than a good "profit maker" for the shop, a flushing > process can do more harm than good, since it can bypasses the built-in > filter system, and puts a fluid of unknown quality in the system. > IMO, a complete drain of trans. and torque converter, change of filter and > gasket, and refill with quality fluid should suffice. There's no need to > connect/disconnect lines and hoses. > True for Mercedes cars, but keep in mind there are many cars out there that lack torque converter drain plugs. There is no way to completely change the fluid in those cars except by flushing it.
Re: [MBZ] OT: Series on Global Warming
It was revealed recently that American Enterprise Institute offered $10,000 of Exxon-Mobil's money to any scientist who would write a paper critical of the U.N. report, back in July. I wonder how many of the people saying global warming doesn't exist have been well payed to come to that conclusion?
Re: [MBZ] Uh oh - fuel leak
Curt Raymond wrote: > Okay, I had to clean the vent on my 240D, where does the vent land on the > 190D? > This car is alot less fun to work on, I could pretty well crawl under my 240D > while it was sitting on the ground... > I'm thinking to get a set of those drive up ramps for stuff like this. > Anybody use 'em? > I own a set. I like them a lot. I use them whenever I'm doing an under-car job that doesn't require removing the wheels. Do make sure you chock the wheels that are on the ground well so the car can't roll off the ramps on you. Chock it against rolling in *either* direction. People have been hurt or killed when cars rolled off the end of ramps. I like to give the car a good shake once it's situated to make sure it's not precariously balanced somehow.
Re: [MBZ] Oh man
Curt Raymond wrote: > I *think* its the gasket thats failed but I won't know for awhile, she's got > AAA so they're towing it here. The trans fluid was changed in '06, maybe > 10,000 miles on it but they did the full flush thing so maybe, just maybe the > pan gasket let go and tomorrow I can crawl under there (in the driveway, in > the snow, on a tarp) and replace that and the filter and get it going again. > Otherwise maybe I can get a good used trans... > Could be cooler lines, too. I had one rub through once thanks to poor installation by a trans shop.
Re: [MBZ] Pressure vs flow
Peter Frederick wrote: > Speaking of pressure vs flow, I remember hearing that in the 70's, Alfa > Romeo had big warnings in their owner's manuals about not exceeding > 2000 rpm until the oil pressure came down off the peg at idle -- seems > that oil in those days was viscous enough at low temperature that there > was essentially no flow to the cams until the engine warmed up, and if > you ran the revs up to 6000 cold the cam lobes wore off pretty > fast. > Even my '89 VW Cabriolet has a note in the owner's manual to avoid high RPM until the oil temperature is over 50 C, which corresponds to the bottom peg on the oil temperature gauge. I seem to recall hearing that some cars had a three-state temperature light that would light up blue at cold temperatures to remind you to take it easy, but I can't recall which ones. Sometimes I wonder just how high the oil pressure in a Mercedes gets after a cold start. The gauges only go up to 3, of course, so we can't really know. My Cabriolet has a 5 bar pressure gauge and it usually pegs out on cold starts. I'm sure a Mercedes does even better.
mercedes@okiebenz.com
Allan Streib wrote: > Wrenches. If you have deep sockets and flex adapters that will help, > stubby combination wrenches are also useful. Getting at the plugs can > be a little tight unless you have really small hands. > I haven't done a Mercedes, but on VW diesels I find those ratcheting box-end wrenches to be really helpful for this job. They're flat enough to get down where the plugs are and the ratcheting action means you only need a little bit of swing to make progress. > >> 3) Are there any pitfalls? >> Don't overtighten them. You can really shorten the life of the plugs that way.
Re: [MBZ] WOW!
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > That's better than watching the obituaries. > For getting big old heaps, gently driven, with low mileage, it's hard to beat making friends with someone who works at a nursing home.
Re: [MBZ] battery recharge and driving with the lights on
Christopher McCann wrote: > and this could vary from one voltage regulator to another, depending on how > it is designed to work, correct? > Yes. In old cars they were all pretty much the same, but in some modern cars the engine computer actually controls the alternator field windings, and will vary the charging current depending on conditions. For example, on warm days, my Honda Civic would often turn off the alternator completely while idling in traffic. I'd see the voltmeter drop to 12 volts or so. It would start charging again after I resumed speed or if I turned on an electrical accessory, such as the A/C blower. It usually ran around 13.5 volts, but on cold days, after starting the car in the morning, the ECU would call for all-out charging and I'd see a full 14 volts for a while.
Re: [MBZ] Key help
Bob Hamilton wrote: > Now, my questions. We only had one key for the 300D so I had a friend > who is a locksmith come over on Saturday and he made some new keys. We > found that the ignition key and the door keys were different. Is that > the way these cars were originally? > No, but broken ignition lock cylinders aren't unheard of, so it may have been replaced at some point. > I disassembled the door handle and now > have the cylinder with the tumblers but my son and I can't seem to get > that broken key out. Any suggestions? > If it's an original, Mercedes key, the key itself is steel. Maybe a strong magnet would extract it? If it's a brass key I don't have any clever ideas. :)
Re: [MBZ] [Fwd: Sorta OT: Kia Optima tumbles 500 feet down a cliff]
Striplin Admin account wrote: > 2007 Kia Optima goes over edge, driver survives. Looks like a cheaper > alternative to the 50ft Benz! > http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5320189,00.html > > It was a rental too, PS! > Kia should buy the car off of Hertz to use in an ad campaign! I bet they could get it for whatever it costs to helicopter the thing out of the canyon it's in.
Re: [MBZ] Speaking of safety...
Rich Thomas wrote: > A woman in Texas drove her S430 over her 6 ft husband, and she escaped > injury, but not fromjury! > "Unlike any other."
[MBZ] Speaking of safety...
A guy in Bellevue drove his S430 over a 20 foot drop and escaped without serious injuries: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003549931_webcaraccident31.html?syndication=rss
Re: [MBZ] Somebody Did Somebody Wrong....
Bob Rentfro wrote: > Holy crap...the last time I was in small claims court the limit was $1K > It's $4K where I live. Decisions on amounts less than $250 can't be appealed.
Re: [MBZ] Somebody Did Somebody Wrong....
Billr wrote: > Do not ever, ever, ever go into a legal situation without > an attorney. Attorneys are not allowed in small claims court without special permission from the judge, at least not where I live. You're free to consult with one before you go, of course.
Re: [MBZ] Somebody Did Somebody Wrong....
R A Bennell wrote: > Most people would pay no attention to something like this and just write the > fellow off as some sort of nut case. > So he is pretty much wasting his time I would think. > When I see stuff like that I usually flag it as 'discussion.' Apparently other people do, too, because it never sticks around for long. To me it's just an annoyance; it clutters up the listings.
Re: [MBZ] my 280CE destroyed by gang bangers
Chris Kueny wrote: > Maybe America has moved into a small town. In my town (Cayce, SC), the cops > would have done a lot more. > In the small towns I grew up in, it would have depended on whose kid did it. If it was the kid of someone important, they'd have let it go.
Re: [MBZ] my 280CE destroyed by gang bangers
Gary Hurst wrote: > when it comes to having their hand out and demanding money, they are not shy > nor busy > > but now they don't even have the time to take a police report over the phone > Well, it *is* the South. I'm a Yankee and I've only visited, but people always tell me that stuff moves at a slower pace down there.
Re: [MBZ] my 280CE destroyed by gang bangers
Gary Hurst wrote: > when i ask my government to take a police report on > this matter (i am not even so unreasonable as to ask them to actually take > an interest in the gang perpetrators who are likely not even supposed to be > in this country), they basically tell me "don't call us, we'll call you". > > so now i'm waiting for them to call for six hours. > > can any of you honestly say that we still have a country here? > Sounds like they're prioritizing. In hospitals they call it "triage." Police are underfunded and overwhelmed almost everywhere, these days...people like services but don't like to pay taxes for them. Since your situation doesn't involve an immediate threat to anyone's life and limb, and the perps are already long gone, my guess is it's low on the priority list.
Re: [MBZ] Head gasket sealant?
LarryT wrote: > Depends on how deep it is. Also, head gasket sealants are not usually > effective - although I;m sure there may be some that work - perhaps someone > has some 1st hand experience? > A lot of guys swear by Hylomar. YMMV.
Re: [MBZ] [OT] The Imperial Presidency
Zoltan Finks wrote: > Does anyone but me get irritated at obama's face? It just looks too young - > out of place. Some people might consider that a virtue, like they did with Kennedy.
Re: [MBZ] OT: Imperial Co-President
LT Don wrote: > I'm trying to remember if I saw "protection" when Senators came thru town > during the 2004 election cycle. Don't think they rate Secret Service. > I think Secret Service is limited to people associated with the Presidency -- the President, the President's family, and major candidates for President. Campaign season is a real pain for pilots. Whenever the President travels, he's surrounded by a Temporary Flight Restriction. It moves with him and there isn't always much advance notice of changes. Last I heard, violating it, even unintentionally, was a very quick way to lose your license.
Re: [MBZ] beyond crack
Mitch Haley wrote: > In fairness, a mid-1980s 190d, especially a turbo, would have cost more > than a 1986ish Jetta. I think the main Mercedes price advantage is that > they had good diesel cars, including turbos, in the 1970s, while VWs > are all newer and more valuable due to age. (I did not want something > like my brother's 1978 diesel bunny, 1986 turbo jetta was the oldest > I'd go with VW) The VWs also get much better fuel economy, which is important to people who are buying a diesel mainly to save on fuel costs.
Re: [MBZ] Terminology
Marshall Booth wrote: > He was referring to hi-test in a diesel. I'd like to know what he means > by that. > Shell sells a "premium diesel" that they think is worth a substantial premium over everyone else's brew. I assume they put some kind of additive package in it.
Re: [MBZ] Frankenheap status
Jim Cathey wrote: > The floats in the 115 are much harder/messier to get out. I suppose > someday I'll have a look. > I ran a couple tanks of B100 in my '83 300D and the fuel gauge suddenly started working better. Probably had something to do with all the black crud that promptly plugged up my fuel filter. Might be worth a try. My low fuel light still didn't work, but from the way it would randomly flicker I think the wires were broken.
Re: [MBZ] [OT] The Imperial Presidency
LT Don wrote: > It is unfortunate that our leader must ride around in bullet-proof vehicles, > insulated from interaction with the common man over whom he Lords. That's been the trend ever since Kennedy. The Henry Ford Museum has a collection of Presidential vehicles. It's interesting to see how the trend was towards making the President more and more visible right up until the Kennedy assassination. After that point the cars started to look more and more like tanks. The last car they have is Reagan's. >From a distance, on TV, it always looked like a fairly normal Lincoln limo, but when you get up close you realize it's heavily armored and could probably go through a brick wall and drive away from the other side.
Re: [MBZ] [OT] The Imperial Presidency
Peter Frederick wrote: > Gore's involvment with the Internet was when he was a Senator and > instrumental in getting the legislation passed to create ARPANET, the > original military and research institution network. He really was one of the > fathers of the internet, not because he was a computer geek but because he > same the ultimate usefulness long before most people did. > Yeah, I'm aware of that. My point was that the press took his comments out of context and kept the story going because they liked the metaphor. It was the same way with George Bush being amazed by a supermarket scanner or Bob Dole claiming cigarettes weren't addictive. None of those things really played out the way most people think they did, but they were useful to the press in portraying those people the way they wanted to portray them.
Re: [MBZ] [OT] The Imperial Presidency
Rich Thomas wrote: > Has the airport been closed for a couple hours while he gets a haircut? > Ah, yes...some Clinton urban legends just never die. FAA records showed almost no commercial flights were delayed by Clinton having his hair cut while Air Force One was on the ramp (one air taxi flight took off two minutes late), but like George H. W. Bush being amazed by a supermarket checkout scanner or Al Gore claiming to have invented the Internet, some stories seem to be just too good to let the truth get in the way.
Re: [MBZ] OT: Psychological Insights Today
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Ah! I see you haven't had your glass bellybutton installed yet! > ;) > No, because I fear it might be a handicap if I ever want a career in upper management.
Re: [MBZ] OT: Psychological Insights Today
Rich Thomas wrote: > David supplied answers to problems that have vexed me for a long time, > since college and when I started driving. My engineering degree makes me well qualified to make blind guesses about psychological matters. ;)
Re: [MBZ] [OT] Radial Engines
Rich Thomas wrote: > My neighbor in Massachusetts had many hours in B-17s, and visited > Germany several times in them, making some deliveries of American > industrial products, but never got the opportunity to stay any length of > time. He was also afraid of heights, couldn't climb a 6ft ladder, but > had no problem in the left seat with the considerable excitement going > on all around. He had no explanation for that contradiction. > They're really two different experiences. You can't fall off an airplane...at least not most of them. ;) You've always got a solid-looking floor under you. Psychologically speaking a ladder feels much more precarious. I've also known pilots who got nervous on commercial flights. It was a control issue, for them. Kind of like people who drive fine but get anxious when someone else is at the wheel.
Re: [MBZ] Pimp my ride ...
Rich Thomas wrote: > I have for some time been trying to figure out why certain styles appeal > more to certain demographics than to others. Because people tend to hang around with people who are in their demographic group, and people determine what's normal by constant reference to people around them. (This is also why engineering school campuses are the way they are. If you take a bunch of geeks and give them only other geeks around them for reference, it's pretty obvious which direction the spiral is going to go. ;) )
Re: [MBZ] OT- Wireless networking
On Sun, 21 Jan 2007 12:48:01 -0800, Redghost wrote > I am trying to figure out how to use two wireless routers to make a > network. I want to use the radio part to link the two routers, but > have the computers on both ends wired. I had heard there was a way > to have the DHCP router be sort of left alone, but to make the > second act as an access point. I just did this, so your timing is good. You want the remote access point to be configured as an "AP Client". This is a non-standard sort of thing so the odds of it working improve greatly if the two access points are the same brand. I used a Linksys wireless router for the Internet end and a Linksys access point for the client end and it's working well so far.
Re: [MBZ] Bluetec word used in place of Diesel?
On Sun, 21 Jan 2007 15:33:24 -0500 (EST), John W. Reames III wrote > tempted to drop a 250 or 500 gal double-wall in the back yard and > have Tevis come fill it up with Biodiesel every so often. -j. You'll probably find an above-ground tank is easier to permit, even with the required spill containment pad. There's a reason you usually see above-ground tanks at farms and small airports these days.
Re: [MBZ] [OT] Radial Engines
On Sun, 21 Jan 2007 08:07:53 -0800, Jim Cathey wrote > Probably the same plane that flew over our house last fall. > Loud, I recall that. And shiny. My 5yo boy recognized it > from a book of military planes that grandpa had given him. > Aren't too many operable B17's left, and I know a guy that > bought a ride in it. (Not that day, however.) I used to live in Ypsilanti, MI, not far from Willow Run Airport. The Yankee Air Museum was based there, in a WWII-era wooden hanger, until it burned down a few years ago. I used to hear their B17 fly low over my apartment on a fairly regular basis. The sound was unmistakable, to say the least. I believe they were able to push the B17 out of the hangar before the fire got out of control, so it's presumably still flying somewhere.
Re: [MBZ] [OT] Radial Engines
On Sun, 21 Jan 2007 09:21:31 -0500, Allan Streib wrote > Heh. Yeah. We had a B-17 on display at the local airport here a > couple of years ago. The were offering rides, but it was too rich > for my blood (couple of hundred $$ for a 30 minute flight). I did spend a fair chunk of change for a short hop in a 1929 Ford Trimotor once, but it was worth it. Now there's an airplane that seems primitive until you put it in context. Sure, it's rough and noisy and the pilot flies with the window open and his elbow on the sill. But it was built a scant 25 years after the Wright Flyer made its first tentative hop, and it could fly for 500 miles at 100 mph while carrying a dozen people or a ton and a half of cargo. It's like if you could buy a ticket on the Space Shuttle today.
Re: [MBZ] OT House Build Quality
On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 17:39:36 -0600, Rich Thomas wrote > I bought a copy of the National Elec Code and state plumbing code, > they are excellent references as it appears most plumbers and > electricians are not, um, the National Merit Scholar folks, so > everything is spelled out in simple detail with multitudinous > examples. Kinda hard to go wrong -- sh*t flows downhill, and black > to black, white to white, and green to ground. Everything else > derives from that. The problem is each electrical inspector is free to apply their own interpretation to the code, so if you get a creative one you can get into trouble. (This is where a local electrician who knows the local quirks will help you.) I guess on the job I was involved in the local municipality had adopted some construction codes that were so new they weren't even published anywhere yet, but we had to conform to them just the same.
Re: [MBZ] [OT] Radial Engines
On Fri, 19 Jan 2007, E M wrote: > If you even hear a radial idle on the ground, you think they're going to > fall apart. hee hee Gotta love that rough, cammy idle. To me it somehow suggests raw power better than the whine of an idling jet engine.
Re: [MBZ] Media Bias was Expensive M-B driving
On Fri, 19 Jan 2007, Dwight E. Giles, Jr wrote: > Well -note that the media made A point of saying she ran over him in her MB. > There was discussion of that on this list in 2002-if it had been a Chevy or > Acura-would they have noted the make of car? I don't like the > implications-that the make of car was somehow important to the story. I suspect the media felt the fact that they were wealthy was important to the story, and the make of car was useful in symbolizing that.
Re: [MBZ] Bluetec word used in place of Diesel?
On Sat, 20 Jan 2007, Bob Rentfro wrote: > It's all crazy. > > Smell what you're putting in if there is a question. Generally, if you're standing in a massive puddle of oil and sawdust, you're at the right pump.
Re: [MBZ] Bad gas recourse - was Saab stranded me in cold
On Fri, 19 Jan 2007, Jim Cathey wrote: > > Could the gas really be "bad" enough to cause my engine to flat quit? > > I think so. Either by slugging the FI system with water, or > by just plain clogging up the filter. Don't modern EFI systems > run high volume/pressure and return quite a lot to the tank? When I got that loaner car with water in the tank, it refused to run after sitting all night in sub-freezing temperatures. It would fire while I was cranking it but it wouldn't stay lit. The next afternoon, when things warmed up a little, I coaxed it into running and immediately drove it to a gas station to dump in some drygas and fill the tank.
Re: [MBZ] Bluetec word used in place of Diesel?
On Fri, 19 Jan 2007, kevin kraly wrote: > It's funny that a Diesel car isn't > "cool", but any pickup powered by such an engine is clearly visible, D I E S > E L! That's because most truck owners are like Harley riders -- they think noise and rough operation is a mark of quality.
Re: [MBZ] OT House Building
Harry Watkins wrote: > My wife and I built our 1800 sq ft steel frame home on a full size > basement, clear span through out. Sounds like a pretty rewarding project. Having watched a commercial remodeling project in one of the local suburbs, though, I have to say around here just dealing with the bewildering array of permits, inspections, and plan submission requirements seems like it'd be a full-time job. I suspect that sort of project is out of reach here for someone without professional help or a lot of experience in the construction trade. The business that was doing the remodel hired professionals and still ended up getting shut down due to not pulling the right permits and having to rework about half of the job due to failed inspections.
Re: [MBZ] OT House Build Quality
Jim Cathey wrote: >> standard for industrial construction and should be for any multifamily >> structure (they don't burn easily, for instance). >> > > But they do melt. Tests show that wood beams hold up longer in > fires than steel, due to the self-insulating capabilities of wood. > This would be why commercial buildings almost always have that fuzzy-looking insulation on the structural steel members. The steel doesn't even have to get hot enough to melt for it to be substantially weakened.
Re: [MBZ] OT House Build Quality
Mitch Haley wrote: > I googled that to make sure what you were talking about (OSB I-Beam). > Google gave me lots of links to builders who explained why TGI was > far superior to 2x12. ;-) Before using OSB I-beams, you might want to check with your local fire department. When they first became popular, I vaguely remember some fire chiefs saying they wouldn't send their guys into a house that had them. Apparently they burn through and collapse much more quickly than solid wood beams.
Re: [MBZ] Heater Monovalve questions
andrew strasfogel wrote: > Then it's the monovalve or the crumbly foam connector pipe behind the > glovebox. > If it were the crumbly connector pipe he'd still get heat in defrost mode, which ignores the temperature sender. It's almost got to be the monovalve.
Re: [MBZ] Number of cylinders
Jeff Zedic wrote: > I wonder how VW has done it with te engine I saw in a Passat the other day. > It's a V5! Yes, I read t twice just to be sure! > Their narrow-angle V6 is interesting, too. A pretty clever solution for transverse-engine cars without much space under the hood. The bank angle is so small, both banks share a single head casting.
Re: [MBZ] front lug bolts 300SDL
Tom Hargrave wrote: > I guess neither of us will ever know for sure which is more damaging. I just > know that both practices lead to over torqued lug nuts or bolts. Given the choice between using anti-seize and having them slightly over-torqued, and not using anti-seize and not being able to get them off later, I'll take the anti-seize.
Re: [MBZ] Mercedes Quality
Peter Frederick wrote: > Lawn mower engines aren't all that balanced, and the hp output is so > low the resultant vibration isn't much of a problem. > > A single cylinder 50 hp motor has to weigh a ton or so to keep it from > dancing under load, and that's with a huge flywheel. I remember seeing a self-launching sailplane that used a 2-cycle, one-cylinder engine. To reduce vibration, it had a large *external* balance shaft.
Re: [MBZ] Mercedes Quality
Tom Hargrave wrote: > I'm sure that today's Mercedes are more reliable (better quality) than those > manufactured in the 90's and those manufactured in the 90's are more > reliable (better quality) than those manufactured in the 80's, etc, etc. > A lot of the complaints seem to be in the "fit and finish" category. Interior pieces falling off, paint flaking off, etc. Those things don't make a car unreliable, but they do really hurt its image. It seems like when a car maker wants to cut costs, the interior is the first place they go. GM's current cars, for example, drive pretty nicely but they have the interior materials of a much cheaper vehicle.
Re: [MBZ] Heavy lifting
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/q1/070116d_pr.html > When they were test-flying that airplane earlier late last year, I had a "what the heck is that?" moment when I was driving on I-5 and saw it sitting at Boeing Field. A couple weeks later I was sitting in a restaurant in Tukwila and saw it fly overhead. It looks like a 747 with a glandular disorder.
Re: [MBZ] Driving safety while covered with ice
LarryT wrote: > I think most truck offenses are expected to be caught at Weigh Stations - I > suspect the CB/CellPhone communications network keep the 18 wheelers > informed of the locations of radar - they know when to go fast and they know > when to slow down. > Yeah, and like any industry there's a certain percentage of scofflaws. At one of the properties my company owns we had a sign in the parking lot that said, "NO SEMI PARKING, NO U-TURNS." It's gone now. A semi hit it while making a U-turn. > If you want to make time get behind a 18 wheeler who is moving at your > comfortable speed and stay there - safely back far enough for comfort -- but > that's an old trick. Course, I'm old so it works for me - ;-) > I like to follow them in stop-and-go traffic. They're good at figuring out the average speed traffic is moving and going constantly at that speed, instead of constantly stopping and starting.
Re: [MBZ] OT: volvo transmission
Allan Streib wrote: > David Brodbeck <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > >> If it's an actual five speed (instead of a four speed plus >> overdrive) it may have a bad trans. They had a lubrication problem >> with 5th gear, due to the fill hole on the case being drilled too >> low. They're reasonably durable if you "overfill" the trans >> somehow. >> > > Looking through the window, it has a typical floor shifter with 5 > gears indicated (not counting Reverse). > That's the one. That makes it an '87 or later, BTW. I used to have an '86, which was the last to get the four speed + electrically-shifted OD unit.
Re: [MBZ] Driving safety while covered with ice
Steve MacSween wrote: > Okay, I'll bite, why do they dip the tanks? > Make sure the drivers are using taxed diesel, instead of "off road" diesel (which is dyed) or home heating oil. A while back they busted a street sweeping company in Seattle for using off road diesel in their sweeper trucks, to dodge road tax. The eastern seaboard must have better enforcement. I rarely see semis pulled over here, and I almost never did in Michigan, either. In Michigan I almost never saw weigh stations open, but they do seem to be used a bit more out here. I figure the trucking lobby must push for budget cutbacks or something.
Re: [MBZ] Mercedes Quality
Allan Streib wrote: > There's a really clean Volvo 240 with a 5 speed sitting outside where > I work. Apparently abandoned. No plates, and has not been moved in > weeks. Which I could just say "finders keepers". > > Allan > You could always wait for it to be towed and then try to pick it up when the company that impounded it auctions it off. In most places the police department publicly announces when and where these auctions happen. If it's an actual five speed (instead of a four speed plus overdrive) it may have a bad trans. They had a lubrication problem with 5th gear, due to the fill hole on the case being drilled too low. They're reasonably durable if you "overfill" the trans somehow.
Re: [MBZ] OT Passat Jetta Country of Manufacture quick question
Curt Raymond wrote: > Fuel injected cars today will tolerate much worse gas than years ago while > still performing reasonably well so I bet people don't use drygas like they > used to. > An iced gas line will stop a car totally dead with no regard to how good a > "winter car" it is. > I've never made a habit of using drygas, and in a decade of driving in Michigan I only had one problem. That was a loaner car that I had from a mechanic, and it had been sitting for several days with a half-full tank. I think temperature changes caused condensation to collect. I suspect, if this is less of a problem than it used to be, part of the reason may be that a lot of places are now adding 5-10% ethanol to gasoline, as an oxygenating agent and/or a subsidy to corn farmers. Ethanol will sequester water and allow it to be "burned" just like the methanol in drygas will.
Re: [MBZ] Driving safety while covered with ice
Werner Fehlauer wrote: > So how do Canadian Semi drivers keep any snow and ice from collecting on the > tops of their trailers? Seems like a law against "dropping" mother nature's > benevolence is pretty hard to justify in the real world! > I've seen some pretty monster ice sheets blow off semi trailers, but I suppose it's impractical for drivers to clean them off. If Canada is like the U.S., the semi drivers probably get a pass from law enforcement anyway. When was the last time you saw a semi pulled over?
Re: [MBZ] OT Passat Jetta Country of Manufacture quick question
R A Bennell wrote: > Don't know if it is coincidence or not, but several vehicles that I saw > abandoned along the road last week when it was really cold were mostly > Passats and Audis. We see all sorts of beater cars along the road when it is > really cold but the above noted brands were all pretty new and good looking > to be dead on th road. Sort of makes you wonder if they are not really > designed for cold climate. > I've recently seen a lot of abandoned cars alongside the road here in the Seattle area, but in this case it's not the cars that couldn't handle the weather, it's the drivers. Seriously, when it snows here some people just give up and abandon their cars on shoulders and exit ramps. On Thursday morning it was really icy and I saw a lot of people had slid off the *inside* shoulder of exit ramps, too. (When a steeply banked curve is covered with ice, there's both a maximum *and* a minimum speed that will let you stay on the road...) I used to have a VW bus and it always started in cold weather. You didn't get any heat in the stupid thing, but it would run. The funny thing was it would dependably start on the fifth compression stroke. Even if the battery was so dead it would barely crank over, if it managed five compression strokes it would fire up. I started it by rolling it down hills and popping the clutch a few times, too.
Re: [MBZ] OT: free will, etc.
LarryT wrote: > So, it;s not a God given right after all. > Gods can be so fickle...
Re: [MBZ] Watch Quality
Sunil Hari wrote: > It's not a watch, it's a piece of jewelry that happens to tell time. No one > poo-poohs a $2k diamond ring, and it doesn't -do- anything. Yup, and what makes it valuable is the craftsmanship and the exclusivity. It doesn't take much to turn out an accurate quartz watch, but a mechanical one that runs smoothly and accurately takes a high degree of skill. I don't even wear a watch, but I can appreciate precision mechanical devices.
Re: [MBZ] Mercedes Quality
Chris Kueny wrote: > Somebody who knows more than me should point out the difference in Japanese > QC vs German QC. The Germans accept a certain amount of bad cars, and try > like heck to catch them and fix them before shipping them, while the > Japanese see any bad car as a problem in the process, and find a way to fix > the process so that problem just doesn't happen anymore. Have I got that > right? > I'm not sure about Japanese vs. German, but the Japanese were much quicker to pick up on statistical process control methods than Americans were. To put it very simply, if you imagine the specifications a product has to meet as two vertical lines on a graph, and the actual values of products coming off the line as a bell curve, American companies would focus on finding the finished items that were in the "tails" outside the specs and reworking them to make them good; while Japanese companies would focus on refining the process to narrow the curve so the "tails" were smaller and more of the finished product landed inside the specs to begin with. This is the basis of statistical process control...you measure and graph things so you know where your actual output is compared to the specs. Is the average too high or too low? Is there too much variation? This has to be applied to the whole manufacturing process, from gaskets and bolts on up. W. Edwards Deming was a big advocate of statistical process control. He had very limited success convincing American companies to change how they did business, but after WWII he traveled to Japan. People there listened, and the rest is history.
Re: [MBZ] Mercedes Quality
LarryT wrote: > Bob wrote< seems it's not that way anymore>> > > You know, the internet has changed things more ways that we can even dream - > communication is probably one of the biggest changes - I wonder if perhaps > owners who have problems have a better way to publicize their problems than > before? Before the New, it was word of mouth, newspapers and if lucky, TV. > Now, a problem appears in the morning and before lunch it can be part of a > forum (or several) being spread all over the world. Even if it's only the occasional lemon, that points to bad quality control. Even if the bulk of their output is good, inconsistency is always worrisome. How can you know if you're buying a good one or a bad one?
Re: [MBZ] Mercedes Quality
Gary Hurst wrote: > and yet they sell more cars then ever before. people just like junk? A lot of people these days only keep a car for a couple years anyway. They only care that they hold together for the lease term.
Re: [MBZ] Turbo hp boost percentage
Jim Cathey wrote: > Such as all the MB turbo diesel engines. Or the Cummins. Probably > others too, but I have no knowledge of them. > VW turbodiesels also have oil squirters to cool the pistons. It's the main difference between a "turbo" block and a non-turbo one.
Re: [MBZ] Rear Brake Job - 1983 240 D
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > The W210 chassis is cute about that; it throws an error in the cluster > (instead of the odometer) that the parking brake is on and chirps at you, > then if your speed goes above 10mph or so (maybe 15mph) it will change the > illumination color of the message area from amber to RED and really squawk. > It sort of resolves the issue :) > My Ford has an even simpler way of avoiding this. If you put the shift lever into any forward gear, a vacuum servo under the dash pulls the parking brake release. This also means if you have to use the parking brake for its other function (emergency brake) it will spring-return instead of latching.
Re: [MBZ] UNconfirmed Diesel Runon and Bus Accident
Zoltan Finks wrote: > Was just overhearing the TV and a news brief stated that there was a bus > accident in PA (involving the thing rolling unmanned? - need more info). The > driver said he or she "tried to shut off the ignition but could not stop the > bus." > Can happen. Some diesels have an emergency air cutoff for exactly that reason.
Re: [MBZ] Why are the FEDS boycotting diesel cars?
Curt Raymond wrote: > I'm given to understand that the GM 6.2l engines can be a bear to get started > in the real cold. Of course the block heater makes things better but as one > who spent several winters without anywhere to plug the block heater in thats > small comfort. > At one place I worked we had a Chevy work truck with a 6.2L engine. We once had a crew stranded at a hotel in Denver because with the cold and high altitude the darn thing wouldn't start until mid-afternoon. Great engine otherwise, though. I'd never seen a 3/4-ton pickup get mid-20s fuel economy before.
Re: [MBZ] OT : VW passat OBD2 code
Allan Streib wrote: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > >> most of the 98 through 2000 models had problems with the coil packs >> > > "coil packs" -- is this where each plug has its own little coil? Had > a Ford Triton V8 with that and they were toublesome. > That's "coil-on-plug," sometimes called COP. "Coil packs" are usually separate objects that contain coils for multiple spark plugs. My '95 Crown Vic has two coil packs, one on the front of each cylinder bank. Later models went to coil-on-plug. The theory is sound -- why run high voltage wire around when you can generate the high voltage on top of the plug itself? The problem is the coils are delicate compared to spark plug wire boots and are vulnerable to damage from ham-fisted removal, engine washing, etc.
Re: [MBZ] Why are the FEDS boycotting diesel cars? (used to be) Ford Diesels?
kevin kraly wrote: > My '06 Dodge/Cummins is smooth, quiet, and doesn't have the TRADITIONAL > diesel smell. I can smell that sooty smell when a PowerCHOKE goes by, > powerCHOKE since one practically CHOKES when smelling the exhaust. To be fair, the Powerstrokes burn pretty clean as they come from the factory. But truck owners can't resist "chipping" their trucks, and that invariably makes more soot.
Re: [MBZ] Why are the FEDS boycotting diesel cars? (used to be) Ford Diesels?
Hans Neureiter wrote: > And our infamous EPA, in bed with the Detroit giants, has everything and all > to do with that. > Oh, one more thing...if the EPA was in bed with Detroit, I wouldn't expect them to be pushing hybrid tech. The Big 3 are way behind in that area. They'd have an easier time making diesels instead of trying to catch up to the Japanese on hybrid technology, if they were capable of successfully pitching diesel cars to the public.
Re: [MBZ] Why are the FEDS boycotting diesel cars? (used to be) Ford Diesels?
Hans Neureiter wrote: > Funny how that thread veered off from Diesels in NA to Mazda. > The article exclaims that cars with diesels don't sell in the USA. > They are not available, that's why. > VW TDIs tend not to stay on the lot long, but I suspect VW is carefully limiting supply to make sure that stays true. Americans just aren't as keen on diesels as Europeans, present company excepted. Part of this is because diesel is taxed less than gasoline in Europe, whereas is the opposite here, which makes the financial incentives to buy diesels a lot lower. It will also take a while for the new, cleaner diesels to win people over. A lot of people still think of diesel cars as smelly, sooty, noisy, underpowered vehicles that won't start in cold weather. Diesels are well accepted in the truck market but seeing Ford Powerstrokes clattering and belching soot doesn't help people accept the same technology in cars. ;) Besides the "gee whiz" factor, I think a big reason hybrids have caught the public's attention is they're seen as delivering diesel fuel economy, but with "clean" gasoline instead of stinky, sooty diesel.
Re: [MBZ] Ford Diesels?
kevin kraly wrote: > I had a Mazda diesel pickup a couple years ago, tired and ugly, but enough > for the moving job it was purchased to do. I believe that this engine was > put into Ranger pickups, and there was a turbodiesel of some sort up to '87 > or 88. The Ranger pickup *is* a Mazda. Same vehicle.
Re: [MBZ] What kind of oil would I use for this?
Levi Smith wrote: > I go the other way and fill them with that sodium chloride or whatever it is > they use to weight tractor tires. Gets better traction in the winter and > gets better mileage cause all that extra mass just keeps going so I can just > let off the accelerator and my 300D just keeps going. > If you put smaller tires on the front wheels, you'll get even better fuel economy, because you'll be going downhill all the time.
Re: [MBZ] defrost/heat questions (83 300SD
kevin kraly wrote: > My '83 SD sure does have a GREAT heater! Is the temperature of the heat > regulated by the ACC system when the defrosters are on? I'm pretty sure defrost commands full heat, regardless of the cabin temperature. It's kind of annoying, because in bad weather you have to keep switching back and forth to keep the windshield clear without roasting yourself out. Maybe Mercedes intended for people to drive with a window partially open when it's snowing? ;)
Re: [MBZ] Vergasser vs. Diesel, was 87 TD for sale
LarryT wrote: > And to make one more stretch of the assumption - and say *all* gassers are > better than *all* diesels - and if this change in the longevity & > maintanence of gas and diesel engines is industry wide, will we see big 18 > wheelers changing to big gas engines? Or will they be staying with diesels > for the torque to pull heavy trailers? > You can't really draw a comparison between the high-speed diesels in cars and the medium-speed diesels in heavy trucks. They're totally different animals. Torque isn't really the issue -- you can make any torque value you want with proper gearing. Trucks use medium-speed diesel engines because they offer efficiency that isn't found in other practical powerplants. If something else was cheaper to run you can bet they'd switch. Ships use low-speed diesels for the same reason. The figures for the low-speed, two-stroke diesels used on container ships are pretty amazing -- some can reach 50% thermal efficiency.
Re: [MBZ] Trying out 0Wxx Mobil 1
LarryT wrote: > I believe it happens like this - you turn the key, a spritz of fuel is > injected to the proper cylinders, concurrently, the GPs start heating the > prechamber or cylinder depending on model... Actually, at least in a mechanical-injection engine, no fuel is going to get spritzed until you start cranking the engine.
Re: [MBZ] Brake Calipers
Zoltan Finks wrote: > Is this a "just kidding", or do you mean it literally? Just curious for > future reference. It really does seem to help to tap on the end of a rusty bolt for a while with a hammer. It breaks the rust bonds, or wakes up the sleeping thread demons, or something.
Re: [MBZ] Octane and detonation....
Peter Frederick wrote: > Diesels WILL run with a fuel/air mix, but there is no control over the > ignition timing that way. I know at least one person who had a VW > diesel get return holes in the head plugged up, and when the oil filled > the valve cover and spilled over into the intake on the highway had > QUITE a full throttle run until it all burned out That sometimes happens with VW diesels when they get bad rings, too. The blowby can drive enough oil mist through the valve cover breather vent and into the intake to cause runaway. Some of VW's gas engines have a plastic baffle between the cam and valve cover. Retrofitting that helps keep the oil out of the breather. Propane injection is used by hot-rodders to increase power on diesels, these days. The propane is mixed with the intake air, and it ignites with the diesel fuel when injection occurs.
Re: [MBZ] To start or to let slumber
Zoltan Finks wrote: > Would it be better for the vehicle's health if I started it periodically? If > so, how often? > - or - > Would it be better for the vehicle's health if I let it sit undisturbed > until I intend to actually drive it? And why would it be better? I vote for "undisturbed." Starting the engine and letting it idle doesn't get the oil hot enough to cook off the water that's a byproduct of the combustion process. The result can be corrosion due to the oil becoming acidic. I would change the oil before parking it and then leave it undisturbed. As for the fuel tank, put in some fuel stabilizer and then fill it up. Minimizing the amount of air in the tank will decrease the amount of water that collects from condensation. We're only talking a few months here, which isn't all that long to store a car. You probably don't need to take any other precautions, other than putting some kind of trickle charger on the battery. Make sure the tires stay inflated, though; low tires will flat-spot badly in storage and might be ruined.
Re: [MBZ] rusty turd
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Kaleb > I happen to like the Sears Bias Ply tires and snow tires on the rear. And the spare. Hey, it's only flat on one side!
Re: [MBZ] Dakar Rally starts today
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Dakar Rally Begins January 6! I've programmed my PVR. Thanks for the reminder!
Re: [MBZ] Trying out 0Wxx Mobil 1
Zoltan Finks wrote: > Yup. I know pumping is bad - my foot just wants to do it. I'ts like, come > on, baby, you can do it! I've been known to talk to the car to try to coax it into starting. Probably about as effective as pumping, and less wear on the throttle linkage. ;) Repeated pumping doesn't help a diesel at all, doesn't help a fuel-injected car at all, and can actually be counterproductive on a car with a carb. (That shot of gas from the carburetor's accelerator pump may, in moderation, help with cold starting, but repeated pumping is more likely to just flood the thing.) *One* pump before starting can be beneficial, though. On Mercedes diesels it's rumored to get the rack away from the stop position. On carbureted engines it often sets the high idle cam. And on some early throttle-body-injected Fords it calibrated the throttle position sensor.
Re: [MBZ] Washington State
>> For $25k you can find some land on the escarpments of low lying >> mountains on the dry side of the state. Around 22k sqft with no >> utilities for miles >> Did you see a while back when someone was auctioning off an old Titan missile silo near Moses Lake? Had power on site and everything. All I could think of was that it would make a great undergroundlair for an aspiring Bond-style supervillain.
Re: [MBZ] compression ratio 300SL
TimothyPilgrim wrote: > Funny, my motorcycle (1999 Honda CBR1100XX) has a ratio of 11:1 and it > runs on RUG-87. It also Compression ratio can't be the only factor in > determining octane rating required. > Modern electronic ignition and fuel injection have allowed manufacturers to run higher compression with the same octane ratings without knock. Most modern engines have knock sensors and run right on the edge of pinging all the time, with the ECU dialing back the ignition advance when it sees the first signs of it.
Re: [MBZ] Sorta OT: Octane rating question
Rich Thomas wrote: > I got to wondering why this was. I was thinking it might have something > to do with altitude, and lower octane being OK, but that does not take > turbos into account. Or the MBTE/ethanol lack? > > So, can someone explain this? > >From what I've read in the Gasoline FAQ, it's because the lower oxygen content in the air makes the fuel burn slower, reducing the octane requirement. As you noted, turbos are a bit of a special case, but most turbos have knock sensors and will cut back on boost and/or timing advance as needed to prevent knocking.
Re: [MBZ] OT: Just when it can't get any worse
Be sure to call all three credit agencies and have them put a fraud alert on your account. Also pull a credit report from each of them. If the identity thieves have gotten that far they may already have some cards you don't know about yet!
Re: [MBZ] compression ratio 300SL
James Zavesky wrote: > I'll bring in E320's from time to time and irregardless if it's a small 6, 8 > or 12 cylinder they all ping when run on back to back tanks of regular. We > alternate tanks between Shell premium and super with no ill effects on all > the cars. knocking is non existant. Won't run regualr as I don't want to > spend $1600 for a pair of MAS air flow sensors. While I don't doubt that regular fuel can cause damage to that engine, I doubt the airflow sensors are going to be the victims. They don't see any gas, just air.
Re: [MBZ] Gas vs. diesel prices?
Werner Fehlauer wrote: > A car that is designed with a high compression ratio that requires fuel that > has good antiknock properties will perform better and more efficiently with > the proper grade fuel. > Generally you want to go by what the owner's manual says. If the manual says 87 octane, you won't gain anything by using 91.
Re: [MBZ] rear exhaust hanger question
Zoltan Finks wrote: > Any word on whether Washington state requires vehicle inspections? Or are > all you WA guys boycotting me because I'm getting ready to add two more > people to your paradise? > No vehicle inspection except an emissions test. The diesel emissions test is ridiculously permissive. Make sure the car is good and warmed up before you go and it'll pass easily. All joking aside, I've found people here to be extremely friendly, but sometimes a little defensive of their home state. Californians are generally also of the strong opinion that California is the best place in the universe, and I suspect that's what's caused a lot of the conflicts with transplanted Californians. As a transplant from the Midwest, I have nothing to prove and I get along fine. You'll find that transportation policy here is a complete mess. Everyone's petrified that we'll turn into L.A. so any move to expand freeway capacity gets met with heavy resistance.
Re: [MBZ] Washington State
Zoltan Finks wrote: > I'm a vegetarian environmentalist who is against gay > "marriage" and handouts for illegals (for example). Homosexuals seem to be one of the few minorities it's still okay to discriminate against. I've always found it striking that the arguments against gay marriage are mostly the same ones that were used against interracial marriage, back when that was illegal.
Re: [MBZ] Washington State
Zeitgeist wrote: > Dude, I've met folks just like that. I'm just the messenger. This state is > plum full of kooks. > I think people just got kind of tired, during the 90s, of Californians moving into the area, driving rent up to extraordinary levels, and then whining about the rain.
Re: [MBZ] 300CD damage and value.
woodlandtaylors wrote: > So the body shop has had it for two weeks and done a small amount of work on > it and the estimate is $2300 for repairs. Now the insurance company is > wanting to total vehicle and offer the $2300 as pay out. I say not enough... > they state value in Washington State is what similar vehicles are selling > for. > > any thoughts... > Their offer is just that, an offer. You can reject it and try to convince them your car is worth more than they're claiming. The best way to do this is to search eBay and Craigslist for similar cars that are selling for more money. If you can get the seller to send you a letter confirming the price the car sold for, that's even better, because it represents an actual selling price, not an advertised price. You probably don't need a lawyer, but you will need to devote some time. There's a good narrative from someone else who went through this process here: http://gerry.vanagon.com/files/auto-insurance-madness.html Keep in mind that you can always buy the car back for its "salvage value" if they do total it. It'll have a salvage title, though, which will forever reduce its resale value and may make it hard to get collision or comprehensive insurance on.
