Chris:
The two problems are separate. Your idle speed is too low, the
injection timing is late, or the pump is worn. I would up the idle
speed a bit (this isn't just turning a screw, alas), and would check
the timing chain for stretch -- likely you have 6-8 degrees of
stretch and the IP is
You will be overcharging the battery. You will lose water, and
eventually you can overheat the battery or swell the plates inside up
and crack them. Overnight isn't too bad, but why don't you just toss
out the $90 or so and get an automatic charger -- unless to fry it
somehow, it should last
About 590 miles for my 87 300D assuming 30 mpg. My brother's SDL
should go almost 800 miles.
Too long for me, I have to stop every couple hours anymore or my knees
swell up.
Peter
First, unless you've fixed it already, it's somewhat likely the
odometer is slipping and not recording the milage correctly.
Second, you very likely have a worn timing chain unless it's been
replaced.
Fix the odometer, replace the timing chain, do a valve adjust (or valve
job if the valves
It is time for winter mix fuel to appear in most northern states, too
-- less dense, so you get worse milage.
We had a rash of bad (dirty) off-road fuel about six years ago in the
Indiana/Kentucky/Illinois area -- I did several different analyses for
people with samples of fuel with strange
They are shot, they die of old age. If you want to check, look for ANY
space between bar and bushing. They fit, when new, by compression and
there should be NO clearance at all.
Also check the brackets for the body mounts -- they tend to fracture
and rattle. Cheap and easy to replace, but
Ah, I remember those things! The WERE a redesign of an existing
gasoline engine (not a converted one, but based on existing designs),
and on top of the problems you describe they had a distressing
tendency, at least in the early ones, to spin a rear main bearing every
25,000 miles or so. I
Bad control arm bushing will make the front tires wear badly and
prevent a shop from performing a decent front end alignment. Fairly
easy to tell, as the control arm will move at the pivot end in
directions other than on axis. The noise will be similar to bad sway
bar bushing ends except for
Ball joints are cheap, installation on the W124 isn't bad, and driving
with the front wheel unattached is often lethal. Replace if at ALL in
doubt, they usually have excessive play long before they die.
Squeaks on turning the wheel is either ball joints or steering linkage,
nothing else is
Check the condition of the interior temp sampler motor -- having a bad
motor or loose hose will cause temperature mode switching (you are
hearing the solenoid for the mode switch).
A shot of contact cleaner on the rheostat for the temp control won't
hurt, either -- did both on the TE and the
Most likely a defective brake booster. It should hold vac indefinitely.
I busted one on the old dodge Aries -- stalled every time I stepped on
the brakes.
Peter
Its also an SDL or an 87 W124 (unless sold outside the US).
Peter
More heat -- you have to melt the adhesive enough that it simply pulls
apart. Don't swing it out like that, it will be bent and useless.
Later ones have a teflon strip in there instead of the goo -- makes
life much eaiser.
Peter
I've not read this whole debate, but one should remember to verify the quality
and veracity of any source of information before responding to it. There is an
amazing amount of distortion of data out there (primarily from the right wing,
but leftists aren't above fixing things either).
The
Jim:
The Pertronix system will be much better than the original, but if you want to
install the points, the black wire goes to the same place as the green one. It
will serve as the trigger for the transistor switchbox to ground the coil.
If you only have 6V to the coil, you have a wiring
Since we do not have anything resembling good data from the climate prior to
the last ice ages it would be pure speculation to say we are on the edge of a
new ice age, but there is more evidence than that.
I suspect that during the first millenium after Christ, there was in fact an
open Arctic
Ah, finally found the original post (I'm on vacation using a 31Kb modem
connection).
What is removing the rain forests is not alternative fuels (unless we start
burning wood or methanol in our diesels) but logging, both to farm and to
provide lumber and ACTIVATED CHARCOAL -- all carbon
THat is pure right-wing oil company propaganda.
The forests are being cut for lumber, farm land, and MONEY. Most of the damage
is a result of the huge overpopulation of the thrids world. We saved all the
children in the 60's and now there are nearly ten times as many people, who
all, of
Push the reset button in and let it snap back out, this usually clears it.
This happens once in a while on my 300D, doesn't seem to cause any trouble
other than that the trip odometer doesn't record.
If the odometer starts to slip (not record milage) but doesn't make any noises,
it's time to
The Brits aways did DESIGN some of the best airframes in the world.
Getting them built and into use was another story alltogether. Most
egregious examples were during the Labor government in the 50s -- some
rather good designs crippled by bureacratic meddling and stupid engine
designs form the
A. V. Roe, Ltd, Canadian operation, known s AVRO Canada.
The did design work on the supersonic jets, too, and many of the engineers
came from the UK.
Peter
Well, look at it this way:
Boeing produced at aircraft that staggered up to maybe 25,000 ft when half
the fuel was burned off (Douglas DC-4 couldn't cross the Atlantic with a
full passanger load), and neither was pressurized above 6 psi.
DeHaviland produced a fully streamlined airframe (no flat
Actually, the Comet fuselage failure was somewhat more complex than just bad
design. First, there was a paperwork error that mislocated a rivet in the
windowframe by about 1/4 toward the outside, virtually certain to cause a
fatigue failure. This was NOT a design error, it was an error
Yes, the performance was amazing. So were the maintenance costs, what with
130 or so different shapes for external sheathing and no two ribs the same
Repair costs killed the Connie more than anything, along with the goofy triple
tail, a requirement from TWA that it fit a DC-3 hanger.
The
You might never notice, as the fuel will be cut off when you exceed max boost
by the overpressure cutout solenoid.
Replace the hose, it may extend your turbo bearing life.
Peter
Danseau's famous article in 1915 The Prarie Peninsula, required reading
for anyone interested in global climate change.
The amount of carbon stored in the forests that used to cover the Eastern US
was staggering, and it's all back in the air now.
Bison are better eating than cattle
Peter
The issue of forestation and human interaction is quite complex. Yes, the
Indians used to fire the prarie (and forest), but nature probably did more of
it.
Most forest/prarie ecosystems are fire dependent -- I could go on at length,
but this is really an MB discussion group anyway.
Point is
Fairly close -- standard new compression is 400+ psi, repair limit is
about 300 psi. Actual compression as built is often as high as 26:1.
Peter
Mac:
I have no idea, as I buy the correct hose to install. I have no
interest in handmaking molded hoses.
Peter
Nothing special. Two bolts on the bottom, two nuts on top. They are
gas filled, so don't cut the holding wire until you have the lower
rubber bushing and steel washer in place and have it aimed a the hole
in the fender, they are a pain to compress when new. Old ones, of
course, have to be
If the turbo seals are leaking, you will have excess oil consumption
and lots of oil in the intake. Hard to tell the difference between
normal blowby and excess, though...
If the rear seal is leaking from bad bearings, you will have blue smoke
after idling and on acceleration.
Easy test it
No Scotchbrite or glaze breaker unless you are going to disassemble and
clean everything. They both shed copious grit, and it will eat your
rings pronto.
Clean with a rag and some Kroil or other penetrating oil, wipe out
completely and re-oil with engine oil.
The rust will be considerably
There is a plug in the center of the distributor that is removed to set
the timing. Any dial indicator with a long stem will work so long as
you can secure it, but the sleeve that screws in to hold the indicator
is very nice
Peter
___
For new parts
Your turbo is shot, get it fixed. It's leaking oil into the exhaust
side, and it burns off when you accelerate. It will eventually make
such a smokescreen you will get ticketed for excessive smoke, but the
engine will run fine.
Your compression is a normal (lower than new, considerably
Marshall:
I know of two turbos that have failed in exactly that fashion, one on
my car and one on someone else's. Both showed serious lack of boost at
low speed cold and both showed excessive oil consumption. One (the MB
one) blew blue smoke on acceleration. My volvo TD didn't, but the
Yes, it's the last of the really good MBs.
Peter
Marshall:
The Volvo had 150,000 miles on it when I got it (now has 220,000 or
so), and I believe the turbo was shot when I got it. Certainly the new
one is MUCH louder, unlike my Benz turbo.
The Benz was used, and was smoking when purchased, but being a W140 I
don't know if it had the trap
I believe the updated rods will fix the problem (they are about 50g
heavier that the originals) -- and only the updated rods are available
for 603 engines. You have to buy the whole set ($2500 or so) plus new
pistons (another $2500) and have new sleeves installed, plus crank work
if they bent
Well, you can stuff an M103 into a 190e, so it's possible (you can even
stuff an M117 into a W115 chassis if you modify it enough), but I think
it's both overkill and way too much work.
Peter
You will have to ask Daimler that. They are VERY expensive for engine
rods.
Peter
The engineering world seems to think the problem was inadequate rod
strength. The 3.5L engine used exactly the same rods as the 3.0L
engine in spite of the higher horsepower and piston weight, and they
bend in use. There are some indications that accumulated soot in the
intake manifold may
That's cheaper than what I remember from when I bought my 300d (with
possible head/rod problems, turned out to be bad pressure valve holder
seals, thank heavens!). Still $1200 or so if you have to buy six, and
you will on an older engine as you cannot have unbalanced sets.
Peter
Marshall:
Isn't the 603 originally equipped with sleeved bores? I would think
that replacing the sleeves would be a much better practice than boring
them oversize
Peter
On Saturday, December 3, 2005, at 04:01 PM, Marshall Booth wrote:
dave walton wrote:
Time will tell, and I realize
Curt:
The lens for the fog lamp is part of the cover, you need the cover.
For the price, I'd replace with Euro style headlamp assemblies as the
DOT lamps on the W201/W124 cars STINK. Take a look at the headlight
assembly, it's plastic and if the locking tabs for the cover are broken
you
Check the fuel pressure regulator, but chances are it's gonna need a
fuel distributor.
Peter
Not a W124 by any means, but not bad. The are a bit cramped, but
otherwise similar. No major problems at 87,000 miles except rear links
and swaybar mounts.
Peter
Running so rich it blows black smoke is a stuck regulator or a bad fuel
distributor, alas. I've seen enough of them in my friend's shop
Outside chance it's bad ignition, so worth a check, but black smoke
with good ignition is the above.
Peter
Check the condition of the rubber between the pulley and clutch plate
-- if at all deteriorated, you need a new clutch. In car repair, all
you need is a strap wrench to hold the pulley to get the 12mm nut off
the front. The other possibility is a bad bearing, this can also be
replaced, just
Don't panic until you have fresh gas in it, either -- old dead gas
won't light with a match, let alone burn properly in the cylinder.
Drain what's in the tank, put in 5 gal or so of fresh gas and a bottle
of Techron or RedLine and jumper the fuel pump relay for a couple
hours, then bleed the
There is rubber vulcanized between the clutch plate and the driveshaft.
However, if the pulley wobbles, it's probably the bearing the pulley
rides on, not the clutch. The rubber is there to soften the clank
you get without it. Standard Nippondenso, I believe they all have it.
Usually lasts
I would add that MB transmissions rarely fail before 250,000 miles if
maintained, so you have wear on the gear train and clutch drums much
more so that in a GM, which usually bites the dust at around 100,000.
The result is that you must check ALL the parts, not just slap in a new
set of
High sulfur fuel won't hurt the engine, but it does cause more NOx
emissions and of course, SO3. Less soot, though -- and it is a BETTER
lubricant.
I don't know the effect on any catalytic soot reduction systems,
though, so that may be a problem.
Peter
The W115/W108/W109/W123/W116 cars all lock ONLY from the driver's door
since that is the only place there is a valve. All cars with a single
line system can be unlocked from either front door or the trunk.
The key will unlock the PS and trunk on the earlier cars, but will not
release the vac
The plunger set is ALWAYS fuel lubricated, that's all that ever gets in
there. The lower part is normally lubed with engine oil.
Better than a VE pump, they die fairly often as there is NO engine oil
in them.
Peter
The injection pressure for direct injection would have to be fairly
high (500 psi or more) -- I don't know of any direct injection gasoline
engines currently in production, although there are many prototypes
kicking around. It works, for sure -- Daimler used it in the Me109
inverted V 12
I always change fuel filters on a hot engine, it cranks better.
You must bleed the PUMP to get an instant start -- bleed the FILTER as
described, then pump at least 50 more strokes on the hand pump, until
you can hear fuel, not air, singing through the relief valve (or
restriction) on the
A banjo bolt is a hollow bolt that has a banjo shaped fitting under
it with a hose of some type sticking out at a right angle. Hard to
miss.
Size depends on application -- the one for the turbo will be a 15 or
17, I'd guess. The ones on the IP are 17s if I remember correctly, and
you must
The 617 engine never came with a manual shut off pump -- they are all
vacuum shutoffs. Pull the vac line on the canister at the rear of the
pump to verify it isn't holding vac, as it won't start that way.
Unlikely, but hey.
You can also remove the top cover on the IP governor and verify
Oh, also I forgot the most obvious and probably the actual problem
(silly me!). Replace the fuel lines between the steel pipe and the
suction side of the lift pump (on the side of the IP). These die of
old age, and leak under the fabric cover. You don't have the screw it
down to seal type
You will need a pair of snap ring plier to remove a couple snap rings
in order to remove the clutch bearing. The clutch plate will pop right
off, no tool required (you do need the tools to get the seal out).
Pulley presses onto the clutch, but I'm assuming you will get a new one.
Peter
You do know what a banjo is don't you?
Round flat thing with a tight drumhead and a neck with strings?
The banjo fitting is a round device with a large hole in the center and
a fitting on the side -- looks like a banjo (or a lolipop with a hole
in it).
The hose for whatever goes on the
Watch for methylene chloride or trichloroethylene in spray cleaners.
Used to be present in carb cleaner, but not any more -- these will melt
most plastics and damage some rubber components.
The alcohol/ether cleaners are usually plastic safe, but be careful.
I hate it when my knife sticks to
Do not explain, just fix. Explainations lead to arguments, usually
totally removed from the subject at hand, and it's not worth the time.
This applies to work situations as well as spousal situations, I've
discovered.
You have at least one bad glow plug, replace them all to make sure.
A bit more difficult (although maybe not on a 603) and you must
replace with a good one (something too many people I know don't seem to
do -- endless repeats of the same old situation!).
You also don't usually get something a simple as a warning lamp,
either.
Peter
Lee:
The thermostat is on the side of the engine block, right next to the
turbo. You must remove the air pipe between turbo and filter, then
reach back and remove the two screws holding the thermostat cover on
more or less by feel. Don't remove the three bolts that hold the
housing to the
No, it's not. Either the port itself or the line is plugged, probably.
The hose coming up form the small port has a restriction in it (yellow
plastic connector) that you may need to remove to get vac at the five
way T connection.
If you have vac at the T with all the lines plugged, verify
Back monvalve, bad circulation pump, bad ACC pushbutton unit.
A bad monovalve that has corroded the solenoid housing is likely --
it's energized to stop coolant flow to the heater core, so when the
diaphram fails and water gets in the solenoid in the summer, it gets
stuck closed, No heat.
The M116 required 96-96 octane fuel, which wasn't available in the US
after 1972 when they took the high lead levels out of gas -- later all
lead was removed. It is also dirtier, and wouldn't pass the US
emissions testing.
There are some non graymarket M116s around, but they are rare, would
It need only be stuck open to work correctly as a flush tool.
Peter
Check the condition of suction line from steel line to hand pump, and
the hand pump itself. Both deteriorate, and if they leak, will cause
the lift pump to pull in air instead of fuel. The result is a no-
start condtion.
Operate the hand pump while watching the new, clean in-line filter.
You weren't in Evansville Friday at about 5pm were you?
The one I saw was the strange cream color Benz was fond of in the
70's.
Peter
It's been a while, but I believe I used a large pair of standard snap
ring pliers. Seems to me there are two snap rings, one internal and
the other external -- the internal one may be a bit of a PITA on the
car, but once it's out of the groove, you can just slide it out, the
only have to get
Lots of things will puncture a gas tank, could even have been something
flying across a lane sideways that you didn't even seen.
I'm glad the car didn't catch fire, as this is always a possibility --
a new tank is cheap in comparison.
The same thing happened to my uncle some years back -- he
No, other than what is covered by the plastic pump shield, the tank is
exposed.
Peter
Yes, in the sedans it's in the trunk, but on the wagon it's inside the
passenger side fender. Smaller, too.
Peter
Tank is in exactly the same place on the gassers, I have one sitting in
the driveway.
Peter
The other cause of creaks and groan is track rod bushings.
Ball joints squeal, creak, or groan while turning, whether the car is
moving or not. Thumps, creaks, or groans from the front end going over
bumps or while braking are usually track rod bushings.
Turn the wheel side to side while
It's not all that bad a job with the proper tools. You can use the
Harbor Freight ball joint tool with some care -- my brother and I did.
Usually the worst part is getting the old one out...
Peter
Aaron:
Jack it back up and release all the bolts -- you tightened them too much before
you lifted the suspension. The sleeves must be completely free before you lift
the axle or you get excess lift. The tires should not ever touch the fenders.
Easy enough to do -- I need to finish my TE,
Leatherique will have no effect at all on MB Tex. Get a good vinyl
restorer and try, but chances are if it's beginning to tear, the knit
backing is rotted a way and it's toast.
Options then are find a used cover or spring (ouch!) for a new set in
Tex or leather as you see fit. I'm making a
Tonight on the way home the alternator light on my 87 300D started
flickering and then more or less glowing with a medium (not full
bright) glow. Just what I need on a busy night, eh?
I replaced the voltage regulator a couple years ago (30,000 miles, no
more) -- I suppose I will have to
Yes, OEM Bosch.
Peter
Hmm, now that's interesting, as the light is brighter at high rpm and
nearly goes out at idle!
Quite the opposite of the normal worn out brushes behavior (I've had
Bosch alternators for quite a few years now, staring in 1978)
Overvoltage makes me think of a loose wire. Will have to
Just tap a chisel into the gap between the clamping part, the shaft
isn't tapered and it will fall right off. Do, however, completely
remove the bolt, else the pin won't be free to drop.
Peter
Not particularly valuable, prone to serious body rust (as are all
W108s), has mechanical FI, that if not working will be EXPENSIVE to fix.
Decent (not stellar) performance, crappy milage, but nice cars.
Peter
On Friday, December 30, 2005, at 01:00 PM, Chris Granju wrote:
Hi.
A friend just
Turbocharger?
Not a chance, unless someone has swapped in a 617 turbodiesel instead
of the V8.
There is no room for a turbo in there, believe me. Hardly room for the
V8!
Rust is a deal killer, for sure.
Make sure the rear end is OK, as well, they are getting somewhat scarce.
Peter
May be, but NOT in a W108 chassis! There's barely room for the
exhaust, let alone turbo piping, and it goes fast enough as it is -- I
have one.
The 617 swap was fairly common in Germany -- reduced the taxed
considerably and didn't take too much off performance.
Peter
The 6.3 was first installed in the 600 Grand in 1963 -- all previous
Benz automotive engines were inlines -- the WWiI vintage crowngear
straight 8 in the German staff cars was supercharged -- above 3/4
throttle the blower was clutched in, went from 120 to 180 hp instantly.
No timing chain,
I've gotten more of those than I can count, plus others supposedly from
PayPal, Earthlink, Yahoo, and nearly everything else I have an account
with. Standard phishing stuff, ignore it all. If they need
something from you, you will get a message when you log in.
Peter
Loren:
The best place to look is eBay -- I see logic boards there all the time.
I've always avoided new Apple products, buy them used (currently using
a rather tired G3 beige and a Wallstreet Powerbook).
Have you done any research on the G3 700? Apple products can be
somewhat tempermental,
Loren:
I did some reading, seems that model is, well, problematic.
The rush to meet the need for very light, very fast, large screen
laptops is probably most of the problem -- all the models that run
forever are pretty solid.
The battery problem could be the charge card, or a bad battery
I'll still take a Mac over a PC -- I'm in the process of raising the
dead yet again on a PC box -- buddy of mine has a Vaio desktop that
won't boot -- probably a disk problem that any number of Mac utilities
will easily fix, but since I can't boot the damned thing with any of my
external
Loren:
A new battery may cure some of the strangeness. On the other hand, do
you really want to drop $100 on it?
Peter
I'm not really fond of Dell computers for a number of reasons, but
reliability isn't one of them -- we have them at work, and the only
problem we've had is when someone used methylene chloride base
degreaser on a keyboard -- hence I have a slightly melted, although
fully functional, keyboard.
If you are not using synthetic oil, clean the intake out and switch --
synthetic will not coke in the intake, dino does, usually pretty
dramatically.
The 606 is definitely a pre-chamber engine, but they are in the center,
between the cams, not on the side.
Peter
I think you can jack on the pivot bracket safely on the swing axle
cars, at least I have done so. The pivot bracket is bolted to the
bottom of the trunk via a large rubber mount (that probably needs to be
replaced by now!). DO NOT jack on the differential itself, though!
It's better,
Likely the AC compressor is toast -- try turning the clutch by hand --
if it's abnormally stiff, you need to replace it -- this is a big job,
sadly, and the system usually is full of crap that will kill a new
compressor pretty fast. More likely is a bad belt, though.
The AC compressor is not
However, the topsider type suction tools DO allow you to change the oil
without crawling under the car!
Not that I have one -- silly for me, as most of my cars have canister
oil filters that cannot be removed from above anyway.
Peter
The 220D is a bit slower and a bit less thirsty. The W123 will be
slower yet and more thirsty, although not by much.
A good condition 220D with auto should get 32 mpg, about -- add a
couple for a stick (desirable, as the auto is SLOW!)
Other than the displacement, the 220D and 240D w115
This is a known problem with the IP. The dampner is inadequate, and the spring
on the other end of
the fuel rack gets weak with age, allowing the rack to vibrate fore and aft in
sympathy with the
longitudial vibration of the engine (only affects the 5 cylinder, by the way).
I believe the
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