TAKerry Posted March 30, 2023 Share Posted March 30, 2023 3 hours ago, Robert G. Smits said: I also remember the discussion about metal guide’s about 15 years ago. I think the guy was in the Omaha Nebraska area. Obviously nothing came of it. These look like something that should cross reference with the 3d printing thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert G. Smits Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 6 hours ago, SC38dls said: anyone know of a good MB forum for a 2011 car? Go to BenzWorld.org, They will have a specific forum for your car. A great source of MB information and help. I think the 107's were the last MB to have the plastic guides. I know my 86 300SDL does not have them 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivguy Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 (edited) Congrats Angelfish! Sometimes it's worth it to take the leap! If nothing else it will provide you with fodder for years of conversations. As the Kanter ads used to say, "fix it once and fix it right!" or fix it enough to keep it running reliably. Early Jag V8s were famous for timing chain tensioner problems, but a dedicated owner can sort all that out. I hope that you will enjoy the experience. Best wishes on your journey. Edited March 31, 2023 by Rivguy typo (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintage1 Posted April 3, 2023 Share Posted April 3, 2023 Most 380's were converted to double row chains on the first timing chain replacement. It was a very common update, replacing cam gears, rails, and chain. I have a 1978 450SL I purchased from the original owner. Another source for parts on these vehicles is Pelican Parts, https://www.pelicanparts.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 (edited) The stance on your car looks very nice. I thought mine was sagging in the back but now I think it might be high in the front, it's still at the muffler shop waiting for seals and not available for pictures, but I'll get one up here for comparison. I put about 120 miles on it and it's limbering up, you can tell there's a beautiful car underneath trying to get out. Nimble in town, smooth and solid on the highway, and that's with hard rubber bushings, soft shocks and rough brake discs. My initial impression is that this is a car I will keep for many years and put a lot of miles on. My high school age son has taken a liking to it as well and with any luck he can have it when I'm done. If he hasn't scrounged up his own by then. On 3/26/2023 at 7:05 PM, Steve_Mack_CT said: Our 560, great long distance GT style car. We love it. 😊 Edited April 17, 2023 by Angelfish (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 (edited) Dual row timing chain confirmed, I'm told the color of the chain guides indicates that they don't need replacing at this time. Edited April 17, 2023 by Angelfish (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 On 3/26/2023 at 8:13 PM, trimacar said: Just remember that parts are very expensive. A number of years ago had a pagoda top, rear brakes went bad, prices for new parts were sky high. Great road cars,though. Also, check your insurance needs for a Mercedes, very expensive body parts too! Front brakes for both sides with discs, pads, pins, soft lines, wheel bearings and shocks was about $280. But not to worry, I have no doubt that Mercedes prices will be in my future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 On 3/31/2023 at 11:37 AM, Rivguy said: Congrats Angelfish! Sometimes it's worth it to take the leap! If nothing else it will provide you with fodder for years of conversations. As the Kanter ads used to say, "fix it once and fix it right!" or fix it enough to keep it running reliably. Early Jag V8s were famous for timing chain tensioner problems, but a dedicated owner can sort all that out. I hope that you will enjoy the experience. Best wishes on your journey. Thank you, I've been without the car for a week now due to a significant exhaust leak, looking forward to having it back. I have a 1000 mile trip coming up soon and I'd really like to have it ready, beats the old GMC Yukon for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prewarnut Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 2 hours ago, Angelfish said: Front brakes for both sides with discs, pads, pins, soft lines, wheel bearings and shocks was about $280. That sounds great! My dad's S-class was well north of 200K miles in the late '80s (almost 300K in the early '90s) and front complete brakes including both calipers and lines, etc at a specialized independent was at least $1200., maybe $2000...I can't fully remember. By now many parts may have dropped in price as they're not in as much demand but who knows? These are definitely made to last. Just keep an eye out for rust in the rockers. Also the undercoating can peel at the lips of the wheelwell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 3 hours ago, Angelfish said: The stance on your car looks very nice. I thought mine was sagging in the back but now I think it might be high in the front, it's still at the muffler shop waiting for seals and not available for pictures, but I'll get one up here for comparison. My high school age son has taken a liking to it as well and with any luck he can have it when I'm done. If he hasn't scrounged up his own by then. That's excellent. Our (now 34) son used ours for the Sunday afternoon dates and it is one car he has shown interest in hanging onto, the prewar cars don't capture his attention... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintage1 Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 That’s great news on the timing chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted April 30, 2023 Author Share Posted April 30, 2023 (edited) On 3/26/2023 at 7:05 PM, Steve_Mack_CT said: I guess I didn't get the angle quite the same but looking at the clearance over the rims they look pretty similar. Edited April 30, 2023 by Angelfish (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted April 30, 2023 Author Share Posted April 30, 2023 I also have something of a mystery. The car stalled the other day and I had it towed home. Symptoms were textbook fuel filter so that was the first thing I looked at, and I suspect it was the problem. Replaced the filter but haven't driven it much. The PO told me that the fuel tank had been replaced, and I have confirmed that the tank and strainer appear to be new. So the question is, where did all this rust come from? The easiest explanation is that they replaced the tank but not the filter. Doesn't make sense but fits the evidence. What you're seeing here is the bottom of the fuel tank as seen through the sender hole in the top. This was after agitating the fuel with the blow gun on the compressor in an attempt to stir up the sediment. The tank is clean and apparently rust free, but I had a filter full of rust that had to come from somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 I would surmise the filter full of rust is indicative of installing a new tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 2, 2023 Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 Well, in the on going saga, it does well pushing a tow truck. The first time it died was on a quiet side street with parking and I just rolled in. I walked to the high school track meet that was my destination, called a wrecker and waited. That was when I changed the fuel filter. Two days later, it decided that a very busy intersection that was the main detour route for the road construction was a nice place to give up. Thankfully it rolled far enough that I wasn't actually sitting in the intersection, just on the far side so I had one lane blocked. Someone in a truck going the other way hollered across and said he'd be back around to help. Before he could make it back, a little beat up Subaru WRX with a miss-colored door pulled in in front of me and the shirtless sideways ballcap clad driver asked if I needed a tow. I had thrown a tow rope in the trunk that morning. He pulled me up a block and over onto a side street. A guy from work got the errant Mercedes and the hapless driver the rest of the way home. So a fuel pump and accumulator are on the way. But on the other side, I replaced the fuel filter (prior to the second stalling incident) and also discovered compression leaks around spark plugs that were not properly torqued. These two items corrected, and I'm starting to get an idea of what these cars are supposed to be. So I'll drive it till it dies, tow it home, fix it, drive it, tow it, fix it, and maybe it will get to a point where I can just drive it. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted May 3, 2023 Share Posted May 3, 2023 Regardless of year, a general statement on these from what I have seen is fuel delivery is generally more of an issue than ignition on these cars, once that is sorted you should be able to go a bit more confidently. I bet fixing plugs made a huge difference! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 3, 2023 Share Posted May 3, 2023 It doesn't matter what it is; any 'new to you' car requires sorting (some more than others)... I'm in the middle of my latest project (https://forums.aaca.org/topic/393452-my-wifes-polo-green-1993-allante/#comment-2524686) so I understand what you're going through. The good news is once sorted, you'll know the car intimately and can drive it with confidence. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 4, 2023 Author Share Posted May 4, 2023 On 5/3/2023 at 7:05 AM, Steve_Mack_CT said: Regardless of year, a general statement on these from what I have seen is fuel delivery is generally more of an issue than ignition on these cars, once that is sorted you should be able to go a bit more confidently. I bet fixing plugs made a huge difference! The fuel system seems to be the subject of a lot of air time on these cars, the filter was available locally and an easy fix. The pump was a little rattly (not a lot) and I was hoping it was just air working its way out. The "psst, psst, psst" coming from the top of the engine was an interesting find. None of spark plugs were torqued past 5#, I might be lucky I didn't blow one through the hood. It had been running very well, especially after reading about what slugs the 380s are supposed to be, but now it's a thing of beauty. Looking forward to having it this summer. On 5/3/2023 at 7:42 AM, EmTee said: It doesn't matter what it is; any 'new to you' car requires sorting (some more than others)... I'm in the middle of my latest project (https://forums.aaca.org/topic/393452-my-wifes-polo-green-1993-allante/#comment-2524686) so I understand what you're going through. The good news is once sorted, you'll know the car intimately and can drive it with confidence. I like those Allantes, and the Cateras. I'd be happy with either one. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 21 hours ago, Angelfish said: None of spark plugs were torqued past 5#, I might be lucky I didn't blow one through the hood. Well, all of a sudden I noticed a couple of spots on the floor under the Allante'. While I had it on the jack replacing the VSS I took a look underneath and saw the area surrounding the oil pressure sender was wet with oil. Figuring the sender was failing, I started the engine and was surprised to see oil dribbling down the oil filter. I shut the engine off and was shocked to find I could spin the filter off with two fingers! If I had been driving the car any significant distance I'm convinced the filter would have fallen off on the road... Fortunately, this had a happy ending like your spark plug story. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 17, 2023 Author Share Posted May 17, 2023 (edited) I finally had to just park it and order a new fuel pump replay. And since it was already immobile, what better time than the tear into the dash. #1 was the non working clock, #2 was the dead spider bouncing around under the speedometer, #3 was a general wiping down and cleaning up of the instruments, #4 is replacing all the dash bulbs with LEDs, #5 was replacing the speakers. Don't have a radio, but it's easier to replace the speaker with the steering wheel removed so might as well get it done now. I pulled the cruise control module from under the dash and will attempt to revive it by replacing the capacitors, more complicated but similar to repairing the clock. And I got the courtesy light in the trunk working. And I've been learning all about K-Jetronic fuel injection. It's not too bad if you take the time. I made a list of all the various components: warm up regulator, idle air control, etc, and researched what they do and symptoms indicating they are failing. That reenforced the need for a fuel pump relay. The build quality continues to impress, and features like the hook to hold up the trunk floor while you remove the spare tire and the built in jack points make it an interesting car to work on. Edited May 17, 2023 by Angelfish (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted May 17, 2023 Share Posted May 17, 2023 A common trick is to improve ground on dash cluster when you have it out. Another is to add a Nardi wheel while you are in the general area! 😉😁👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 17, 2023 Share Posted May 17, 2023 Congratulations -- making the decision to dive-in is difficult. I was a bit nervous about tearing into the center stack of the Allante', but if you study the shop manual and familiarize yourself with the steps involved it's all do-able and you'll feel great when you have it back together and working properly. The key, of course, is to be methodical and pay attention. This is a lot easier when the car in question is not your daily driver and you can afford to take your time. Much of the work is not terribly difficult, but the time required is not trivial and it's easy to see how a huge bill would result if someone had to rely on the dealer's service department to perform this type of work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 17, 2023 Author Share Posted May 17, 2023 (edited) 4 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said: A common trick is to improve ground on dash cluster when you have it out. Another is to add a Nardi wheel while you are in the general area! 😉😁👍 Did a quick search on that, just looks like a wire to a ground point. Does that sound right? I'll do a little more looking. It will have to run for longer than 20 minutes at a time before I spend $700 on a steering wheel. Edited May 17, 2023 by Angelfish (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted May 17, 2023 Share Posted May 17, 2023 Yes easy to add a ground wire, poor ground can cause lights to go a bit wonky. Also, the "official" R107 Benzworld gang fix for a persnickitty dash light dimmer switch is to turn knob back & forth 100 times, give or take. Cleans up the connection in the action a bit. So see, I spent $700 on only one item but, the other 2 fixes are free or close! 👍😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 19, 2023 Author Share Posted May 19, 2023 On 5/17/2023 at 6:11 AM, EmTee said: Congratulations -- making the decision to dive-in is difficult. I was a bit nervous about tearing into the center stack of the Allante', but if you study the shop manual and familiarize yourself with the steps involved it's all do-able and you'll feel great when you have it back together and working properly. The key, of course, is to be methodical and pay attention. This is a lot easier when the car in question is not your daily driver and you can afford to take your time. Much of the work is not terribly difficult, but the time required is not trivial and it's easy to see how a huge bill would result if someone had to rely on the dealer's service department to perform this type of work... And naturally the pump relay showed up today, but even with that corrected I can't even start the car until I have the instrument panel back together, and it's possible I won't see those parts till next week. Talk about first world problems. Planning to make it my daily driver to replace my trusty 23 year old GMC Yukon, why not replace an old daily driver with an even older one? And you may recall I've got the 57 Buick that has been neglected since January and I really should spend some time on that one. Lance sent a few critical parts that should be here any day that will help get it underway once again. On 5/17/2023 at 4:04 PM, Steve_Mack_CT said: Yes easy to add a ground wire, poor ground can cause lights to go a bit wonky. Also, the "official" R107 Benzworld gang fix for a persnickitty dash light dimmer switch is to turn knob back & forth 100 times, give or take. Cleans up the connection in the action a bit. So see, I spent $700 on only one item but, the other 2 fixes are free or close! 👍😉 At this point, another $700 is a rounding error. My secret weapon is Corrosion X, far and away the best terminal cleaner I have used. Works wonders on things like dimmer pots. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 19, 2023 Author Share Posted May 19, 2023 (edited) Any leads on a radio wiring harness? I haven't been able to track one down and all I have are the sockets in the back. Edited May 19, 2023 by Angelfish (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Huh? The radio wasn't connected?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 6 minutes ago, EmTee said: Huh? The radio wasn't connected?? Missing altogether. If they had at least left the harness I'd have something to work with. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Are the speakers and their wiring missing also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 What you have is a stereo sleeve. The head unit slide into it and the connections are on the back of the sleeve. Research factory MB stereo for that year car and see what's out there unless it's an after market stereo and then you will have to pull the sleeve and see if there is any information on make or serial numbers on the back side of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 Speakers and wires are in place, along with the power antenna. Just a big empty hole in dash where the old Becker used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 You can pull it out by pulling up the tabs located in the front of the sleeve that are bent down to secure it in the dash. Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 1 minute ago, Laughing Coyote said: What you have is a stereo sleeve. The head unit slide into it and the connections are on the back of the sleeve. Research factory MB stereo for that year car and see what's out there unless it's an after market stereo and then you will have to pull the sleeve and see if there is any information on make or serial numbers on the back side of it. Are you saying that the radio just mates to the sockets in back without an intermediate wire harness? The radio was a Becker and I could look up the model, it's part of the option list stamped on a data plate. They are available but very expensive and have limited capabilities compared to what's available now. Pulling the sleeve should be easy enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 So I set off this afternoon in my reassembled car with the clock working for the first time in many years. New fuel pump relay, new bulbs in the instrument panel (LEDs did not work so it's the standard 194), new speaker in the left side, no cruise control module. It is the perfect teenagers' car, it will drive 10 miles, but not 15. Far enough to get to school or work but not much more. And like a teenager, when it's had enough, it just quits and sits and sulks. It stalls out at 10-15 miles with amazing regularity. Just shuts off without warning and quietly rolls to a stop. I had brought along my custom made yellow wire with bullet connectors on each end. I pulled the NEW fuel pump relay, jumped 30 and 87 and the pump whirred to life. Cranked, tried to fire, and died. No start with the jumper. I replaced the relay, it cranked, tried to fire, and died. I waited 30 minutes, it cranked, fired, and I drove it home. The Ignition Control Module was recently replaced by the PO with a solid state unit. The green wire appears to be original. Plugs and wires are new, cap appears new but not for sure. The car runs perfectly except for when it doesn't run at all, there's no in between Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Yes. It's a DIN sleeve. It may have came with a Becker unit, but someone could of changed it out with an after market stereo. Installed a lot of these type of stereos in my younger days. Those types of stereos where big in the 80's and they had removable head units so people couldn't steel them. All that was in the dash was just the sleeve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 On 5/20/2023 at 8:51 PM, Angelfish said: The Ignition Control Module was recently replaced by the PO with a solid state unit. Hmmm... I'd investigate that further. Many times, the last thing that someone touched before problems began is responsible, or very close to the root cause. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 23, 2023 Author Share Posted May 23, 2023 (edited) 13 hours ago, EmTee said: Hmmm... I'd investigate that further. Many times, the last thing that someone touched before problems began is responsible, or very close to the root cause. I'll have to look at bench testing the ICM. It's a solid state unit that sells for $30 on ebay. Not a hopeful combination. And the plug doesn't seat as firmly as I'd like, thinking about using some fine copper wire to make shims inside the socket. I did discover (later than I should have) that the distributer has been neglected and is very scorched. New cap and rotor are on the way. If it's not the problem it would have been at some point. That leaves the infamous Mercedes Green Ignition Wire, the coil, and the discount ICM. Edited May 23, 2023 by Angelfish (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 How does your 'green wire' look? From what I just read, it sounds like one of the connector bodies fail and that may include the attachment of the wire to the connector pin/socket. Next time it quits, jiggle that wire, if you haven't already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 On 5/20/2023 at 6:55 PM, Laughing Coyote said: Yes. It's a DIN sleeve. It may have came with a Becker unit, but someone could of changed it out with an after market stereo. Installed a lot of these type of stereos in my younger days. Those types of stereos where big in the 80's and they had removable head units so people couldn't steel them. All that was in the dash was just the sleeve. I did get the sleeve out and the factory harness is plugged into the back, appears to be in good condition. Do you know source for a wire harness to plug into the factory connectors? I haven't located one but car audio is not something I'm good at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 Post a picture of the harness and how it's plugged in to the sleeve please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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