Removed the cruise control actuator and the EGR valve so that I could get to the exhaust manifold. (This also allowed me to remove the now-useless mount for the automatic transmission cable.) None of the manifold's retaining nuts were loose, nor was there any obvious problem with the EGR assembly. While I was there I noted that a 27mm 3/4" socket fit perfectly into the EGR valve's fitting, so I used the somewhat larger 32mm socket to trace a circle on some 16-gauge sheet metal and cut it out with tin snips. I clamped the sheet metal circle to the 27mm socket in the vise and used a small hammer to bend a lip all the way around, using the socket as a mandrel. This made a circular metal cap to go in place of the EGR valve, which clamped down nicely over the manifold fitting. The intake pipe side also got a similar plug, but using the 24mm socket as a mandrel. This wedged tightly _inside_ the intake pipe. It took longer to get the clamp's bolt started than it did to make the plug. The vacuum fitting on the firewall valving got plugged using a length of rubber and a metal plug in the end. At some future point in time I'll remove the intake crossover pipe altogether, but that won't happen until I take apart the intake manifold side.
While everything was apart I used brake cleaner and a wire brush to get off the worst of the grime. Starting the engine showed no exhaust leaks at the EGR fitting or the exhaust manifold, but it became apparent that the front muffler (resonator? First rat of three in the snake's gullet anyway) is leaking badly. It'll have to come off for me to have a look at it. Took the car back to the alignment place. They noticed that there was more play on the right-side tie rods, and that the toe-in on the right had shifted. It took them three hours to dial it in, a large part of this time was because the alignment machine was just acting flakey. They even swapped machines, and both acted the same. After _much_ fooling around, I finally noticed that the other alignment machine was firing its laser across the shop right at the one we were using! (They had a burned-out laser component to show me, and it's not a tiny one.) We put a big sheet of cardboard between the two cars and the problems all went away. Obviously the two machines were interfering with each other. This had never been a problem there before, but the particular other car had a large toe-in value that was out of whack, causing the laser to point across the shop and over to the other alignment bay. That fiasco cost us at least an hour. Anyway, he dialed in more toe-in to make up for the looseness of the aging suspension, something he's had plenty of experience with. We all weren't sure what I owed them, so I offered them $20, he seemed happy with that. Not much of a return on their three hour callback session, but at least they did learn something about dueling alignment machines. On the freeway the handling was much improved. While it's not perfect, I think I can blame most of it on loose parts that really should be replaced. (Someday!) Anyway, only a few miles down the freeway I started losing power, and when I hit the clutch it became apparent that brakes were sticking. I got over to the side and limped to the next exit, and then (foolishly, I guess) tried to limp slowly to my next stop at the bank. Right near the end it started _really_ bogging down. When I pulled in to the lot the car could barely move and was smoking, and I even had to blow out a small fire in the left rear brake area when I stopped. Disaster! I tried to jack up the car to take off that wheel, and I couldn't get two lug bolts out. They'd siezed up. I thought it was the parking brake that had somehow gotten stuck on, because the handle didn't feel the same anymore. I'd had some previous trouble with it sticking on, but not recently. While the car was up in the air there was a loud POP-whoooooosh blowout sound and the car was enveloped in a big white cloud of nasty-smelling smoke. At first I though a tire had blown, but in fact the right rear brake line had melted and blown off the other side of the car, spraying brake fluid all over extremely hot metal. Once the car had done this, however, it rolled again. I determined that I could take the car home at that point, the front and parking brakes seemed to be OK. I theorize that the overlong alignment session with the brake pedal applied took out the rear section of the master cylinder somehow, because both rear brakes had been stuck on together. Once pressure was released what was left of the rear calipers released enough to let the car roll again. Obviously I now have an undriveable mess on my hands, and will need at least a master cylinder (or rebuild), two brake hoses, and two caliper rebuild kits. I hope the heat didn't ruin the rear bearing seals or the like. Crap. We'd just gotten the insurance turned on on this car, but my wife called this afternoon and took it back off again, and put on her brown convertible instead, the 450 SL. There is some question as to whether the car had done this a bit before, as my wife had reported that it couldn't get up to speed on the freeway the first time she'd driven it, and I'd heard off and on some odd brake-type noises, especially today. Obviously it hadn't done it much, or we'd have had a brake heating episode like this before now. Given the great mileage it had on the road trip it's obvious that the brakes hadn't been dragging then. I think the three hours standing on the brakes did it in somehow. (It shouldn't have, obviously something was weak.) I'd actuated both the service and parking brakes on the freeway today, but nothing helped. -- Jim
