Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[David Brodbeck]

Jim Cathey wrote:

It was
_always_ second gear [of three] that worked for me, btw.  One would
just skid, and three rolled the engine over too slowly to start.)
  


I've push-started a VW diesel in 1st and Reverse, but it was warmed up.  
(Starter wouldn't engage when hot.)  It's child play, then, you only 
need one good compression stroke and it'll take right off.

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Kevin]

On Mon, Jan 16, 2006 at 08:13:40AM -0800, Jim Cathey wrote:
> You have it backwards.  The _lower_ the gear the faster the engine
> spins.  But, too low and the wheels just skid on the ground, wasting
> all that hard-earned energy.  (Hard-earned in our case, 'cause it was
> usually a push start we were trying.  If you were lucky you had a
> brother or friend or two along, and the pushing was much easier.
> I got quite adept at starting the Falcon solo, until a new starter
> cured its problem.  Believe me you also got very good at evaluating
> slope when you went to park, and you _never_ parked in a hole 'cause
> if you did it was guaranteed that you'd need to push it.  It was
> _always_ second gear [of three] that worked for me, btw.  One would
> just skid, and three rolled the engine over too slowly to start.)

Right. I used to stick the cherokee in low range and first gear when it 
had a dead battery and I was too lazy to get something to jumpstart it. A
good nudge forward would usually be enough.

K

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Tom Scordato]

"that they'll at least moderate"

When a three bedroom squeak box house only cost you $500K anywhere within 
the 100 mile commuting  (one way) radius of Boston
- Original Message - 
From: "Curt Raymond" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 7:57 PM
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good



Oh a wise guy huh? Why I outta.

 We were going to buy a condo anyway. House prices in New England are 
outta site but predictions are that they'll at least moderate as the 
boomers retire and take off for warmer locals. Condo prices should stay 
strong because of those same boomers downsizing. Thats what I'm hoping 
anyway, been reading that in different sources lately.

 Its always nice when your plans come together with the predictions.

 So I figured if we were getting a condo anyway we ought to get one that 
faces the parking lot so I've got someplace to plug in.


 I've been thinking about a new battery and thinking I ought to have BOTH 
batteries tested and then put a new one in the 190D and the better of the 
two old ones in the 240D before I sell it.


 -Curt

 Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 16:29:31 -0800
From: Jim Cathey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed


run a cord. We're looking to buy a condo with parking lot frontage

for

this very reason. For now though if the stupid block heater worked

I'd

be okay with my battery to power it.


An Espar/Webasto fuel-fired preheater, even at full-boat retail,
has _got_ to be cheaper than a condo.

-- Jim



-
Yahoo! Photos
Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands 
ASAP.

___
http://www.striplin.net
For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/
For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED]

To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Dave M.]

For those of you wondering what it's like in Bolton Landing, where
Johnny lives, in the Adirondacks... let's just say the residents there
would consider a vacation to Alaska with  Eskimos in the middle of
winter to be a nice warmup. Say Johnny, do you have electricity out to
your igloo now?

;-)

-Dave M.
(ex-Adirondack resident, now in tropical Idaho)

> --
> Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 14:15:16 -0500
> From: John Berryman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good
>
>Here's the sure start cold weather recipe: a real good battery and
> starter, a functioning pre-glow system, extra valve clearance, Mobil 1,
> block heater not needed above 0 degrees F. A hard wired timer and
> dedicated circuit for the outlet you plug your block heater into.
>There is definitely an art to starting a diesel in a cold climate. I
> have a black-belt in cold start. I live in the Adirondack region of NY
> and drive MB diesels exclusively.
>
>
> Johnny B

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Curt Raymond]

Oh a wise guy huh? Why I outta.
   
  We were going to buy a condo anyway. House prices in New England are outta 
site but predictions are that they'll at least moderate as the boomers retire 
and take off for warmer locals. Condo prices should stay strong because of 
those same boomers downsizing. Thats what I'm hoping anyway, been reading that 
in different sources lately.
  Its always nice when your plans come together with the predictions.
   
  So I figured if we were getting a condo anyway we ought to get one that faces 
the parking lot so I've got someplace to plug in.
   
  I've been thinking about a new battery and thinking I ought to have BOTH 
batteries tested and then put a new one in the 190D and the better of the two 
old ones in the 240D before I sell it.
   
  -Curt
   
  Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 16:29:31 -0800
From: Jim Cathey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

> run a cord. We're looking to buy a condo with parking lot frontage 
for 
> this very reason. For now though if the stupid block heater worked 
I'd 
> be okay with my battery to power it.

An Espar/Webasto fuel-fired preheater, even at full-boat retail,
has _got_ to be cheaper than a condo.

-- Jim



-
Yahoo! Photos
 Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP.
From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Jan 17 01:01:22 2006
Received: from mxa.windwireless.net ([199.164.167.40])
by server5.arterytc5.net with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EyfDu-0006x7-1x
for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 01:01:22 +
Received: from dogear.com (IP-206-63-94-251.progress.wi-fi.windwireless.net
[206.63.94.251] (may be forged))
by mxa.windwireless.net (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id k0H11guJ001736
for <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Mon, 16 Jan 2006 17:01:42 -0800
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 17:01:20 -0800
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v552)
From: Jim Cathey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.552)
X-Virus-Scan: smtp-vilter
X-SMTP-Vilter-Version: 1.1.0rc2
X-SMTP-Vilter-Backend: Clam AntiVirus Daemon (clamd)
X-SMTP-Vilter-Status: clean
X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-2.0rc4
(mxa.windwireless.net [199.164.167.40]);
Mon, 16 Jan 2006 17:01:42 -0800 (PST)
X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus
Subject: Re: [MBZ] nice 190D
X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6
Precedence: list
Reply-To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Id: Mercedes Discussion List 
List-Unsubscribe: <http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net>, 
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Archive: <http://striplin.net/pipermail/mercedes_striplin.net>
List-Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Subscribe: <http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net>, 
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 01:01:22 -

> I've almost given up on trying to find a 190D with 5sp, and that
> doesn't cost  2 arms and first born.

I have one.  But it has eight (OK, seven) wheels.
Some assembly required.  Currently the cost is just
about $1k.  $350 for the car, and $600 for the tranny
and stuff.  Wait, maybe it's a 4sp?

It's next on my discretionary project list right after
the genset is done.

-- Jim

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Jim Cathey]

run a cord. We're looking to buy a condo with parking lot frontage for 
this very reason. For now though if the stupid block heater worked I'd 
be okay with my battery to power it.


An Espar/Webasto fuel-fired preheater, even at full-boat retail,
has _got_ to be cheaper than a condo.

-- Jim

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Curt Raymond]

I consider myself a blackbelt in cold starting too, I've only missed work once 
because the car wouldn't start but that day it was -20F. This is my third 
winter at this.
  I think this morning's problem was two fold, yes it was very cold but we 
recently had a warm snap (50s) so I think my fuel had some extra water in it. I 
put in some powerservice the other night but I don't think it mixed in as well 
as I'd have liked. I noticed that after work at 20F it started REALLY easy 
which I find common when its all hopped up on Powerservice.
   
  So for your checklist:
  a real good battery - this is probably the weakest link in my setup, the true 
age of the battery is unknown, its at least 3 years old.
  and starter, - Bosch rebuilt, less than 6 months old
  a functioning pre-glow system, - check
  extra valve clearance, - just a bit
  Mobil 1, - check, last change was 5w40 but I've been topping up with 15w50 
because Wal-Mart hasn't had any 5w40.
block heater not needed above 0 degrees F - uhh, right, except for my battery I 
think.
  A hard wired timer and dedicated circuit for the outlet you plug your block 
heater into. - Oh how I wish! The apartment complex says nothing doing. We live 
on the side of the building away from the parking lot so its too far to run a 
cord. We're looking to buy a condo with parking lot frontage for this very 
reason. For now though if the stupid block heater worked I'd be okay with my 
battery to power it.
   
  -Curt

   
  Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 14:15:16 -0500
From: John Berryman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed


On Monday, Jan 16, 2006, at 08:15 US/Eastern, Curt Raymond wrote:

>
>   -Curt
>   '83 240D "Hammie" 251kmi
>   '85 190D "Dori" The delay fish 233kmi
>

 Here's the sure start cold weather recipe: a real good battery and 
starter, a functioning pre-glow system, extra valve clearance, Mobil 1, 
block heater not needed above 0 degrees F. A hard wired timer and 
dedicated circuit for the outlet you plug your block heater into.
 There is definitely an art to starting a diesel in a cold climate. I 
have a black-belt in cold start. I live in the Adirondack region of NY 
and drive MB diesels exclusively.


Johnny B
I Mac Therefore I am



-
Yahoo! Photos – Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover
 Photo Books. You design it and we’ll bind it!
From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Jan 17 00:11:43 2006
Received: from [70.184.21.183] (helo=[192.168.1.100])
by server5.arterytc5.net with esmtpa (Exim 4.52) id 1EyeRn-0001g6-OS
for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:11:42 +
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:11:39 -0600
From: "Kaleb C. Striplin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US;
rv:1.7.2) Gecko/20040804 Netscape/7.2 (ax)
X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
References: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus
Subject: Re: [MBZ] size of fuel sending unit
X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6
Precedence: list
Reply-To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Id: Mercedes Discussion List 
List-Unsubscribe: <http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net>, 
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Archive: <http://striplin.net/pipermail/mercedes_striplin.net>
List-Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Subscribe: <http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net>, 
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:11:43 -

yea, good idea, I remember that now.

Craig McCluskey wrote:

> On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:03:40 -0600 "Kaleb C. Striplin"
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
> 
>>>There is a little nub of a screw on the bottom.  Pliers used on
>>>it gently ought to unscrew the bottom.
>>
>>I saw something on the bottom but was not sure what it was, will check 
>>it out.
> 
> 
> Hey, Kaleb! Look at the pictures I sent you. One of the things shown is a
> disassembled W123 fuel sender.
> 
> 
> Craig
> 
> ___
> http://www.striplin.net
> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/
> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 
> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
> http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK
  89 560SEL, 87 300SDL, 85 380SE, 85 300D,
  84 250 LWB, 83 300TD, 81 300TD, 81 240D, 81 240D,
  76 450SEL, 76 240D, 76 300D, 74 240D, 69 250
http://www.striplin.net

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Curt Raymond]

>Well, a Farmall is geared rather lower than a 240D, so I'd expect that.
>My favorite tractor I grew up around was our Farmall 200.

  Mine's a Super M, it also out weighs the truck by something like 2000# which 
doesn't help. Tractors are easier to tug start with a full sized pickup. We had 
an interesting time this fall starting it when my Dad apparently didn't realize 
how light the Dakota is, I'd just barely got us moving when he had the clutch 
out in SECOND gear. This was all on wet grass and the Dakota just hung on the 
end of the chain and spun the tires. I put the truck in park, got out, looked 
things over and gave him a long look.
  "3500# truck Pop, 5500# tractor. Second gear is pretty low doncha think?" He 
got a little sheepish, the next run he let me get a little momentum working for 
us and all was well.
   
  >> Should I check resistance at the plug and then at the heater? How does 
>> the plug connect to the heater, just a press fit?

>Exactly.  Most I've seen are press-fit, but I have one that also has a
>screw collar kind of like a speedometer cable.  It's on the 
>Frankenheap.

  My neighbors can continue to think I'm crazy, I'll be out there with a 
flashlight and multimeter in a little bit.
  I talked to the kid who wants to buy the car today, we work together. He 
laughed at my not wanting to put any money into it, this gets to be a better 
deal for him all the time.
   
  -Curt


-
Yahoo! Photos
 Ring in the New Year with Photo Calendars. Add photos, events, holidays, 
whatever.
From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mon Jan 16 23:52:55 2006
Received: from [70.184.21.183] (helo=[192.168.1.100])
by server5.arterytc5.net with esmtpa (Exim 4.52) id 1Eye9c-00084U-MP
for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:52:55 +
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 17:52:54 -0600
From: "Kaleb C. Striplin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US;
rv:1.7.2) Gecko/20040804 Netscape/7.2 (ax)
X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
References: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus
Subject: Re: [MBZ] size of fuel sending unit
X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6
Precedence: list
Reply-To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Id: Mercedes Discussion List 
List-Unsubscribe: , 

List-Archive: 
List-Post: 
List-Help: 
List-Subscribe: , 

X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:52:55 -

I just bought one at autozone, 1 7/8 I think was the size, it worked 
well but was 10 bucks for 1 socket. Next question, how do you remove the 
outer tube part to clean up the inside?

Jim Cathey wrote:

>>What size socket is needed to remove the fuel tank sending unit? (126).
> 
> 
> 46mm, IIRC.  I have a cheap on-sale Harbor Freight 3/4" metric socket
> set I use for this, and other big duties.
> 
> -- Jim
> 
> 
> ___
> http://www.striplin.net
> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/
> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 
> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
> http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Kaleb C. Striplin/Claremore, OK
  89 560SEL, 87 300SDL, 85 380SE, 85 300D,
  84 250 LWB, 83 300TD, 81 300TD, 81 240D, 81 240D,
  76 450SEL, 76 240D, 76 300D, 74 240D, 69 250
http://www.striplin.net

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[John Berryman]

On Monday, Jan 16, 2006, at 08:15 US/Eastern, Curt Raymond wrote:



  -Curt
  '83 240D "Hammie" 251kmi
  '85 190D "Dori" The delay fish 233kmi



	Here's the sure start cold weather recipe: a real good battery and 
starter, a functioning pre-glow system, extra valve clearance, Mobil 1, 
block heater not needed above 0 degrees F. A hard wired timer and 
dedicated circuit for the outlet you plug your block heater into.
	There is definitely an art to starting a diesel in a cold climate. I 
have a black-belt in cold start. I live in the Adirondack region of NY 
and drive MB diesels exclusively.



Johnny B
I Mac Therefore I am

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[R A Bennell]

I would start out just checking continuity on the block heater to ensure
that the element is not open. Then check for continuity to ground to see if
it is shorted out. If that checks out, you could check the resistance as
well. Ohms law will tell you how big the heater is. E = I X R & P = E X I
( E is Voltage which we know is 110 to 120) (P is watts which we can
determine with the voltage and the resistance)

If it does not check out at the plug end of the cord, then suspect the cord
to start with and pull it out and check it or else check the element at the
block.

Randy

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Curt Raymond
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 10:15 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good


DUH I can't believe I had that backwards, of course I should be in a lower
gear for roll starting, what a chucklehead. I think I may have gotten it in
my head because its nearly impossible to pull start my Farmall tractor with
my Dakota in any gear lower than 3th (of 5) because the truck is too light.

  Should I check resistance at the plug and then at the heater? How does the
plug connect to the heater, just a press fit?

  I know that batteries lose capacity, my assumption was its good to start
with more capacity since I'll be losing it...

  -Curt

  Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 08:13:40 -0800
From: Jim Cathey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

> The battery charger dropped to 2a within about 15 min indicating to
me
> that the cold and the inverter had just taken the surface charge off
> the battery and the block heater had done nothing.

Yeah, it wasn't doing what you expected.  Check the cord, and check
that it is plugged into the heating element on the block as well.
They _do_ burn out, but they're fairly easy to replace.  (But _not_
that easy to put in the first time.)  Cord problems are just as likely
however, that's a harsh environment for a power cord, so you need
to get your meter onto the heating element's pins as well if there's
a problem in order to be sure of what you need.

>   When the starter was dying I was using 3rd to start with, todays
> shot with 4th was an experiment which I'm thinking didn't work out so
> well. I'd thought 4th would help get rpms up but apparently its
> difficult to overcome the resistance of the engine in that gear.
Maybe
> tonight I'll experiment with a couple starts in each gear.

You have it backwards.  The _lower_ the gear the faster the engine
spins.  But, too low and the wheels just skid on the ground, wasting
all that hard-earned energy.  (Hard-earned in our case, 'cause it was
usually a push start we were trying.  If you were lucky you had a
brother or friend or two along, and the pushing was much easier.
I got quite adept at starting the Falcon solo, until a new starter
cured its problem.  Believe me you also got very good at evaluating
slope when you went to park, and you _never_ parked in a hole 'cause
if you did it was guaranteed that you'd need to push it.  It was
_always_ second gear [of three] that worked for me, btw.  One would
just skid, and three rolled the engine over too slowly to start.)

> (which has a 1000cca battery vs Hammie's 900cca) so I'm somewhat
> loathe to spend any money on Hammie.

Pffft.  Measure them and see whether those ratings are still (or ever
were) any good.  Those numbers change a _lot_ over the life of a
battery.  You need a carbon pile battery tester to do that, though.

-- Jim



-
Yahoo! Photos
 Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands
ASAP.
___
http://www.striplin.net
For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/
For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED]

To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Jim Cathey]

I think I may have gotten it in my head because its nearly impossible 
to pull start my Farmall tractor with my Dakota in any gear lower than 
3th (of 5) because the truck is too light.


Well, a Farmall is geared rather lower than a 240D, so I'd expect that.
My favorite tractor I grew up around was our Farmall 200.

Should I check resistance at the plug and then at the heater? How does 
the plug connect to the heater, just a press fit?


Exactly.  Most I've seen are press-fit, but I have one that also has a
screw collar kind of like a speedometer cable.  It's on the Frankenheap.

-- Jim

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Curt Raymond]

DUH I can't believe I had that backwards, of course I should be in a lower gear 
for roll starting, what a chucklehead. I think I may have gotten it in my head 
because its nearly impossible to pull start my Farmall tractor with my Dakota 
in any gear lower than 3th (of 5) because the truck is too light.
   
  Should I check resistance at the plug and then at the heater? How does the 
plug connect to the heater, just a press fit?
   
  I know that batteries lose capacity, my assumption was its good to start with 
more capacity since I'll be losing it...
   
  -Curt
   
  Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 08:13:40 -0800
From: Jim Cathey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

> The battery charger dropped to 2a within about 15 min indicating to 
me 
> that the cold and the inverter had just taken the surface charge off 
> the battery and the block heater had done nothing.

Yeah, it wasn't doing what you expected.  Check the cord, and check
that it is plugged into the heating element on the block as well.
They _do_ burn out, but they're fairly easy to replace.  (But _not_
that easy to put in the first time.)  Cord problems are just as likely
however, that's a harsh environment for a power cord, so you need
to get your meter onto the heating element's pins as well if there's
a problem in order to be sure of what you need.

>   When the starter was dying I was using 3rd to start with, todays 
> shot with 4th was an experiment which I'm thinking didn't work out so 
> well. I'd thought 4th would help get rpms up but apparently its 
> difficult to overcome the resistance of the engine in that gear. 
Maybe 
> tonight I'll experiment with a couple starts in each gear.

You have it backwards.  The _lower_ the gear the faster the engine
spins.  But, too low and the wheels just skid on the ground, wasting
all that hard-earned energy.  (Hard-earned in our case, 'cause it was
usually a push start we were trying.  If you were lucky you had a
brother or friend or two along, and the pushing was much easier.
I got quite adept at starting the Falcon solo, until a new starter
cured its problem.  Believe me you also got very good at evaluating
slope when you went to park, and you _never_ parked in a hole 'cause
if you did it was guaranteed that you'd need to push it.  It was
_always_ second gear [of three] that worked for me, btw.  One would
just skid, and three rolled the engine over too slowly to start.)

> (which has a 1000cca battery vs Hammie's 900cca) so I'm somewhat 
> loathe to spend any money on Hammie.

Pffft.  Measure them and see whether those ratings are still (or ever
were) any good.  Those numbers change a _lot_ over the life of a
battery.  You need a carbon pile battery tester to do that, though.

-- Jim



-
Yahoo! Photos
 Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP.
From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mon Jan 16 18:16:31 2006
Received: from web32806.mail.mud.yahoo.com ([68.142.206.36])
by server5.arterytc5.net with smtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EyYu7-0004oq-2q
for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:16:31 +
Received: (qmail 48153 invoked by uid 60001); 16 Jan 2006 18:16:26 -
DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.com;

h=Message-ID:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:In-Reply-To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding;

b=h4wyxMZvUhG/5/qkGxw8PQIrZsv/APfCyq4WN8ugCDsNGEuiZ+np1jumDnlw3Cqvt5MMSO4shaRrv1n3dZhjOPgXlvGzKazRcHrk4NfOg1urHQrAzYN1DR3KyxxnbA3PgvXL9loIVKoE8p5eqDVXsUyV3kq0IbJVI69xsuiU7vw=
; 
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Received: from [198.51.119.130] by web32806.mail.mud.yahoo.com via HTTP;
Mon, 16 Jan 2006 10:16:26 PST
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 10:16:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Curt Raymond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.6
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Today's crack triva,
can anybody spot the crack in this auction?
X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6
Precedence: list
Reply-To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Id: Mercedes Discussion List 
List-Unsubscribe: <http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net>, 
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Archive: <http://striplin.net/pipermail/mercedes_striplin.net>
List-Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Subscribe: <http://striplin.net/mailman/lis

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Jim Cathey]

The battery charger dropped to 2a within about 15 min indicating to me 
that the cold and the inverter had just taken the surface charge off 
the battery and the block heater had done nothing.


Yeah, it wasn't doing what you expected.  Check the cord, and check
that it is plugged into the heating element on the block as well.
They _do_ burn out, but they're fairly easy to replace.  (But _not_
that easy to put in the first time.)  Cord problems are just as likely
however, that's a harsh environment for a power cord, so you need
to get your meter onto the heating element's pins as well if there's
a problem in order to be sure of what you need.

  When the starter was dying I was using 3rd to start with, todays 
shot with 4th was an experiment which I'm thinking didn't work out so 
well. I'd thought 4th would help get rpms up but apparently its 
difficult to overcome the resistance of the engine in that gear. Maybe 
tonight I'll experiment with a couple starts in each gear.


You have it backwards.  The _lower_ the gear the faster the engine
spins.  But, too low and the wheels just skid on the ground, wasting
all that hard-earned energy.  (Hard-earned in our case, 'cause it was
usually a push start we were trying.  If you were lucky you had a
brother or friend or two along, and the pushing was much easier.
I got quite adept at starting the Falcon solo, until a new starter
cured its problem.  Believe me you also got very good at evaluating
slope when you went to park, and you _never_ parked in a hole 'cause
if you did it was guaranteed that you'd need to push it.  It was
_always_ second gear [of three] that worked for me, btw.  One would
just skid, and three rolled the engine over too slowly to start.)

(which has a 1000cca battery vs Hammie's 900cca) so I'm somewhat 
loathe to spend any money on Hammie.


Pffft.  Measure them and see whether those ratings are still (or ever
were) any good.  Those numbers change a _lot_ over the life of a
battery.  You need a carbon pile battery tester to do that, though.

-- Jim

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Curt Raymond]

I think its a little of column a, a little of column b and even a bit of column 
c.
   
  I've been using 15w50 oil which is probably a bit thick for this weather but 
it leaks less.
  I forgot about putting the multimeter on to check resistance, I'll check that 
tonight. The battery charger dropped to 2a within about 15 min indicating to me 
that the cold and the inverter had just taken the surface charge off the 
battery and the block heater had done nothing. I've never been able to hear the 
block heater make any sound but invariably when I'm listening theres a million 
cars driving by.
   
  When the starter was dying I was using 3rd to start with, todays shot with 
4th was an experiment which I'm thinking didn't work out so well. I'd thought 
4th would help get rpms up but apparently its difficult to overcome the 
resistance of the engine in that gear. Maybe tonight I'll experiment with a 
couple starts in each gear.
   
  Finally this car has had this battery for the 3 years I've had it and I've 
run it pretty flat a couple times which can't have helped it. Supposedly the 
battery was brand new when I got the car but who knows what that really means. 
I should pick up a new one. However I'm replacing the car soon with Dory (which 
has a 1000cca battery vs Hammie's 900cca) so I'm somewhat loathe to spend any 
money on Hammie. Of course that means the next owner will have to, since Hammie 
is already sold (pretty much anyway) I should probably just do it, I don't 
think my Indy would charge me a tremendous amount to put a new heater in...
   
  -Curt
   
  '83 240D "Hammie" 251kmi
  '85 190D "Dory"(Good catch Jim) 233kmi
   
  Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:10:21 -0800
From: Jim Cathey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good
To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

> I'm not 100% sure the block heater works and my confidence is 
lowering 
> each cold spell we have.

On a battery it should be very easy to tell.  The heater draws 400W
more or less and should have removed roughly 33 AH from your battery,
which would be in the 85-100 AH rating.  A serious drain in other 
words.
Your battery charger could tell you after the fact.  At a 10A recharge
rate (high) it should take something like four hours or more to
replenish the battery.  Much less than that and it's apparent that
your block heater is not up to snuff.

Also, the block heater should measure only in the tens of ohms range
via multimeter, and when operating often makes a sizzling sound.

>   We live on a pretty good hill so we hauled him up to the top and I 
> rolled him down in 4th gear. Didn't do much good, I was surprised 
that 
> in 4th the car would stop in about 50 feet even on our hill.

Having roll-started more than my share (of gassers) in my 'yewt',
I'd say fourth gear was much too high a gear.  We always did it
in second or third.  Gotta get those revs up.

If you don't have a multimeter it's time to get one.

Other 'portable' ideas include a propane torch on the intake
manifold or a hair drier pointed into the intake air horn
while starting, assuming your battery/inverter is up to
the 1kW+ load of the typical hair drier.  I use a heat gun
(garage hair drier/cigarette lighter) on my Unimog (which
has no glow plugs).  It works.

-- Jim



-
Yahoo! Photos – Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover
 Photo Books. You design it and we’ll bind it!
From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mon Jan 16 15:29:50 2006
Received: from wproxy.gmail.com ([64.233.184.206])
by server5.arterytc5.net with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EyWIn-tW-VN
for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Mon, 16 Jan 2006 15:29:50 +
Received: by wproxy.gmail.com with SMTP id i11so2438769wra
for <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Mon, 16 Jan 2006 07:29:48 -0800 (PST)
DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=beta; d=gmail.com;

h=received:message-id:date:from:to:subject:cc:mime-version:content-type:content-transfer-encoding:content-disposition;

b=fEdAR3w8YlWZGIUNO3F5+mOhNxBDpRVQvGWGBkQ6jZC2/wZxWyvI3jct4qmM/LwtvgpHH9ZckHpPRxNCiogKQHuN1fdihPK6N/ixlxOGqci98m5g1xwffur3I4bhcHn/PXfBdTnqHOuNfXi2JQ/bjAI0Zxl3wpyyrEhXeOeM3OM=
Received: by 10.65.188.12 with SMTP id q12mr2932730qbp;
Mon, 16 Jan 2006 07:29:47 -0800 (PST)
Received: by 10.64.232.5 with HTTP; Mon, 16 Jan 2006 07:29:47 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 08:29:47 -0700
From: "Dave M." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Disposition: inline
X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an An

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Jim Cathey]

  '85 190D "Dori" The delay fish 233kmi


Spelled "Dory" in the movie.

-- Jim

Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Jim Cathey]

I'm not 100% sure the block heater works and my confidence is lowering 
each cold spell we have.


On a battery it should be very easy to tell.  The heater draws 400W
more or less and should have removed roughly 33 AH from your battery,
which would be in the 85-100 AH rating.  A serious drain in other words.
Your battery charger could tell you after the fact.  At a 10A recharge
rate (high) it should take something like four hours or more to
replenish the battery.  Much less than that and it's apparent that
your block heater is not up to snuff.

Also, the block heater should measure only in the tens of ohms range
via multimeter, and when operating often makes a sizzling sound.

  We live on a pretty good hill so we hauled him up to the top and I 
rolled him down in 4th gear. Didn't do much good, I was surprised that 
in 4th the car would stop in about 50 feet even on our hill.


Having roll-started more than my share (of gassers) in my 'yewt',
I'd say fourth gear was much too high a gear.  We always did it
in second or third.  Gotta get those revs up.

If you don't have a multimeter it's time to get one.

Other 'portable' ideas include a propane torch on the intake
manifold or a hair drier pointed into the intake air horn
while starting, assuming your battery/inverter is up to
the 1kW+ load of the typical hair drier.  I use a heat gun
(garage hair drier/cigarette lighter) on my Unimog (which
has no glow plugs).  It works.

-- Jim

[MBZ] Fat lotta good

[Curt Raymond]

1F this morning when I woke up.
  Put Hammie on his block heater for an hour. If I had somewhere to plug him in 
for real rather than lugging a battery outside I'd have had him plugged in all 
night.
  No start, the engine seemed mighty cold. I'm not 100% sure the block heater 
works and my confidence is lowering each cold spell we have.
  Wife came down and we hooked up the jumper cables to the Dakota, 5 minutes 
later we hadn't gained much.
  We live on a pretty good hill so we hauled him up to the top and I rolled him 
down in 4th gear. Didn't do much good, I was surprised that in 4th the car 
would stop in about 50 feet even on our hill.
  Hooked back up to the truck and I told my wife that once we were moving to 
wail on it. She did and I dropped the clutch, I expected much slipping like 
will happen when we try to start the tractor on the farm but within about 100' 
Hammie sputtered to life. There was much farting and puttering but I kept a 
heavy foot into the go pedal and now he's idling outside while I write this 
note so I can have a somewhat unfoggy windshield...
   
  -Curt
  '83 240D "Hammie" 251kmi
  '85 190D "Dori" The delay fish 233kmi


-
Yahoo! Photos
 Ring in the New Year with Photo Calendars. Add photos, events, holidays, 
whatever.
From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mon Jan 16 13:32:59 2006
Received: from ms-smtp-04-lbl.southeast.rr.com ([24.25.9.103]
helo=ms-smtp-04-eri0.southeast.rr.com)
by server5.arterytc5.net with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EyUTi-00078B-Qk
for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Mon, 16 Jan 2006 13:32:59 +
Received: from trampas (cpe-024-163-121-050.nc.res.rr.com [24.163.121.50])
by ms-smtp-04-eri0.southeast.rr.com (8.12.10/8.12.7) with ESMTP id
k0GDWt1u012086
for <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Mon, 16 Jan 2006 08:32:55 -0500 (EST)
From: "Trampas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'Mercedes Discussion List'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 08:33:01 -0500
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook 11
In-reply-to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2180
Thread-Index: AcYanyUHTlCeRKJfSR+2Qbjuvt7MkAAAfLQA
X-Virus-Scanned: Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine
X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Fat lotta good
X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6
Precedence: list
Reply-To: Mercedes Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Id: Mercedes Discussion List 
List-Unsubscribe: <http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net>, 
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Archive: <http://striplin.net/pipermail/mercedes_striplin.net>
List-Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
List-Subscribe: <http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net>, 
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 13:32:59 -

Sounds like it is time for a compression check followed by a rebuild. 

My 1985 300SD has low compression on #2 and the others are not great and it
will start in -10F with two cycles of glow plugs. Of course against all
advice, I put a few gallons of gas in the diesel during winter. 

Trampas

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Curt Raymond
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 8:16 AM
To: Diesel List
Subject: [MBZ] Fat lotta good

1F this morning when I woke up.
  Put Hammie on his block heater for an hour. If I had somewhere to plug him
in for real rather than lugging a battery outside I'd have had him plugged
in all night.
  No start, the engine seemed mighty cold. I'm not 100% sure the block
heater works and my confidence is lowering each cold spell we have.
  Wife came down and we hooked up the jumper cables to the Dakota, 5 minutes
later we hadn't gained much.
  We live on a pretty good hill so we hauled him up to the top and I rolled
him down in 4th gear. Didn't do much good, I was surprised that in 4th the
car would stop in about 50 feet even on our hill.
  Hooked back up to the truck and I told my wife that once we were moving to
wail on it. She did and I dropped the clutch, I expected much slipping like
will happen when we try to start the tractor on the farm but within about
100' Hammie sputtered to life. There was much farting and puttering but I
kept a heavy foot into the go pedal and now he's idling outside while I
write this note so I can have a somewhat unfoggy windshield...
   
  -Curt
  '83 240D "Hammie" 251kmi
  '85 190D "Dori" The delay fish 233kmi


-
Yahoo! Photo