Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
I just finished buying car from Stefan Schultze. 1982 300TD Wagon. The car was definitely not maintained very well. He apparently is buying them and reselling on Ebay. The belts were almost nonexistent and we were lucky to make it home to Michigan without a failure. There was also a leak in the Transmission line he did not make us aware of. I noticed it when we got home and the fluid level was barely touching the stick. I added almost 2 quarts before repairing the line. Mike -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kaleb C. Striplin Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 9:56 AM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Maybe he didnt know the head was cracked. Brian Smyla wrote: > Thanks, Tom. > > Well, I've got about $7K in the car right now, probably need another $2k to > get it 'perfect', including paint. Yes, I believe the car is worth it, > since I'll probably drive it much longer than something I'd buy for $30 - > 40K at a dealership. > > You're right about the 'caveat emptor' clause, but my complaint is more > along the lines of dishonesty within the classic Benz owners' community. > > Brian Smyla > > > -Original Message- > From: Tom Hargrave [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 10:57 PM > To: Mercedes mailing list > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant > > Brian, > > This all falls under the "let the buyer beware" clause. You should have done > your homework on the car before purchasing it. > > I've owned 15 old Mercedes to date and I've put serious money into every > good deal that I have bough to date. These days, I just figure that I'll > have to put $2,000 into anything I buy. And that's after I check out the car > and decide that it's in good shape. But you need to understand that I'll > purchase an older Mercedes then I'll put 50,000 + miles a year on it. > > My latest Mercedes, a 1987 300SDL, cost me $1600.00 the first month I owned > it. About this time last year, the transmission cost me $1760.00 but at > least it got me home. I'm nursing a cracked head or bad head gasket and have > been doing so for over 50,000 miles. Even with all of these costs, it's > still cheaper than the rate that my Wife's new Grand Cherokee is > depreciating and I won't complain. > > Thanks, > Tom Hargrave > 256-656-1924 > www.kegkits.com > > > > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brian Smyla > Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 9:38 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant > > > Thanks to all those that replied to my question about the vacuum pump port. > I had the engine replaced with a used one, and the shop that did the work > warranted the engine for 30 days. The day after I picked the car up, the > engine wouldn't stop. I took it back to have the problem resolved, and was > told the problem was in the vacuum transducers near the turbo. I took the > car back, then discovered that there wasn't any vacuum on the small port on > the pump. Also, the climate control had air coming from the defrost ports > only, and the shifting was very hard, as was mentioned in some of your > replies. > > > > I had a very bad experience with this engine replacement. The shop owner > claims to have many years experience working on MBZ products, but when I > picked the car up, the heat didn't work (mechanic said it was a problem with > my climate control), the starter engaged intermittently, the idler pulley > was chafing the back side of the belt, a turbo support bracket was missing, > and various bolts were missing here and there. I spent three hours checking > the climate control, only to finally figure out that the mechanic had left a > plug in the return water pipe where it connects to the heater hose that > comes off the monovalve. I returned the car for repair of the other > problems. They fixed the starter issue, installed the turbo bracket ( after > arguing with me on the phone for 5 minutes that the bracket didn't exist ), > told me the idler pulley wasn't part of what was warranted ( the idler > pulley was from the replacement engine, and I told him that since it wasn't > under warranty, I wanted my old one back ), and said the shutoff problem was > in the emission control transducers, which I know is BS, because there's no > vacuum on the port to start with. >
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
haven't been able to locate any information about the adjustment system to find out why it's not working. Anyone have any info about this? My 126 ETM has schematics in it for the orthopedic seat option, IIRC. Not much to it, just a switch to kick on the pump, and I think leak valves to let excess out. -- Jim
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Yes, it has heated seats, plus the air adjustable(?) option as well. Unfortunately, the control head for the driver seat is missing, and I haven't been able to locate any information about the adjustment system to find out why it's not working. Anyone have any info about this? Thanks! -brian -Original Message- From: Kaleb C. Striplin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 10:33 PM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant your car has heated seats? That is rare. Brian Smyla wrote: > Yes, you're correct. I fully expected there to be a few problems he wasn't > aware of, but surely didn't expect a cracked head! Caveat emptor. At least > I have a diesel to drive now! Anyone got some old style seat heater > switches I can buy, the ones that came with the car are toast? > > -brian > > > -Original Message- > From: Kaleb C. Striplin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 7:31 PM > To: Mercedes mailing list > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant > > Was it using coolant right away? If so he probably knew. If not and it > took a while before it started using it, then he might not have known or > it wasnt cracked at the time you bought it. No telling. But, with any > used car, its as is of course. > > Brian Smyla wrote: > > >>Well, my feelings are that he knew, but I'm not here to throw stones at > > him. > >>Just needed to vent. >> >>-brian >> >> > > -- 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 Okie Benz Auto parts-email for used parts
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
I have a diesel to drive now! Anyone got some old style seat heater switches I can buy, the ones that came with the car are toast? What's wrong with 'em? (I'm always looking for parts, and I'm missing one. I have the heated seat system [seats and all] out of a 500 SEL, and I'm intending to transplant the guts [someday] into our two SL's.) Sometimes I can fix these things, if labor cost is not a factor, and it usually isn't for my own crap. -- Jim
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
your car has heated seats? That is rare. Brian Smyla wrote: Yes, you're correct. I fully expected there to be a few problems he wasn't aware of, but surely didn't expect a cracked head! Caveat emptor. At least I have a diesel to drive now! Anyone got some old style seat heater switches I can buy, the ones that came with the car are toast? -brian -Original Message- From: Kaleb C. Striplin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 7:31 PM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Was it using coolant right away? If so he probably knew. If not and it took a while before it started using it, then he might not have known or it wasnt cracked at the time you bought it. No telling. But, with any used car, its as is of course. Brian Smyla wrote: Well, my feelings are that he knew, but I'm not here to throw stones at him. Just needed to vent. -brian -- 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 Okie Benz Auto parts-email for used parts
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Yes, you're correct. I fully expected there to be a few problems he wasn't aware of, but surely didn't expect a cracked head! Caveat emptor. At least I have a diesel to drive now! Anyone got some old style seat heater switches I can buy, the ones that came with the car are toast? -brian -Original Message- From: Kaleb C. Striplin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 7:31 PM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Was it using coolant right away? If so he probably knew. If not and it took a while before it started using it, then he might not have known or it wasnt cracked at the time you bought it. No telling. But, with any used car, its as is of course. Brian Smyla wrote: > Well, my feelings are that he knew, but I'm not here to throw stones at him. > Just needed to vent. > > -brian > > -- 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 Okie Benz Auto parts-email for used parts
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Was it using coolant right away? If so he probably knew. If not and it took a while before it started using it, then he might not have known or it wasnt cracked at the time you bought it. No telling. But, with any used car, its as is of course. Brian Smyla wrote: Well, my feelings are that he knew, but I'm not here to throw stones at him. Just needed to vent. -brian -- 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 Okie Benz Auto parts-email for used parts
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Curt Raymond wrote: > > On that last point, does anybody have a driver's seat for a w201? I've got a burgundy leather interior. I believe the driver's frame is solid, but there are serious tears in the leather where you sit. IIRC the seatbacks are quite nice. I can't remember if it's electric or manual. Mitch Haley Olivet, MI 49076
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Well, my feelings are that he knew, but I'm not here to throw stones at him. Just needed to vent. -brian -Original Message- From: Kaleb C. Striplin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 9:56 AM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Maybe he didnt know the head was cracked. Brian Smyla wrote: > Thanks, Tom. > > Well, I've got about $7K in the car right now, probably need another $2k to > get it 'perfect', including paint. Yes, I believe the car is worth it, > since I'll probably drive it much longer than something I'd buy for $30 - > 40K at a dealership. > > You're right about the 'caveat emptor' clause, but my complaint is more > along the lines of dishonesty within the classic Benz owners' community. > > Brian Smyla > > > -Original Message- > From: Tom Hargrave [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 10:57 PM > To: Mercedes mailing list > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant > > Brian, > > This all falls under the "let the buyer beware" clause. You should have done > your homework on the car before purchasing it. > > I've owned 15 old Mercedes to date and I've put serious money into every > good deal that I have bough to date. These days, I just figure that I'll > have to put $2,000 into anything I buy. And that's after I check out the car > and decide that it's in good shape. But you need to understand that I'll > purchase an older Mercedes then I'll put 50,000 + miles a year on it. > > My latest Mercedes, a 1987 300SDL, cost me $1600.00 the first month I owned > it. About this time last year, the transmission cost me $1760.00 but at > least it got me home. I'm nursing a cracked head or bad head gasket and have > been doing so for over 50,000 miles. Even with all of these costs, it's > still cheaper than the rate that my Wife's new Grand Cherokee is > depreciating and I won't complain. > > Thanks, > Tom Hargrave > 256-656-1924 > www.kegkits.com > > > > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brian Smyla > Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 9:38 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant > > > Thanks to all those that replied to my question about the vacuum pump port. > I had the engine replaced with a used one, and the shop that did the work > warranted the engine for 30 days. The day after I picked the car up, the > engine wouldn't stop. I took it back to have the problem resolved, and was > told the problem was in the vacuum transducers near the turbo. I took the > car back, then discovered that there wasn't any vacuum on the small port on > the pump. Also, the climate control had air coming from the defrost ports > only, and the shifting was very hard, as was mentioned in some of your > replies. > > > > I had a very bad experience with this engine replacement. The shop owner > claims to have many years experience working on MBZ products, but when I > picked the car up, the heat didn't work (mechanic said it was a problem with > my climate control), the starter engaged intermittently, the idler pulley > was chafing the back side of the belt, a turbo support bracket was missing, > and various bolts were missing here and there. I spent three hours checking > the climate control, only to finally figure out that the mechanic had left a > plug in the return water pipe where it connects to the heater hose that > comes off the monovalve. I returned the car for repair of the other > problems. They fixed the starter issue, installed the turbo bracket ( after > arguing with me on the phone for 5 minutes that the bracket didn't exist ), > told me the idler pulley wasn't part of what was warranted ( the idler > pulley was from the replacement engine, and I told him that since it wasn't > under warranty, I wanted my old one back ), and said the shutoff problem was > in the emission control transducers, which I know is BS, because there's no > vacuum on the port to start with. > > > > If anyone's interested, the shop is Chaney's Auto Service in Ringgold, VA. > I'm not going back. > > > > Oh, and he charged me $2000 for the replacement engine, labor to remove the > replacement engine from the donor vehicle, promised me a 10% cash discount > from the original quoted price, then added enough miscellaneous parts (motor > mounts, used starter, hoses, etc..) to make up the difference. Go figure. > > > > And
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Awesome, I use Exploder unless I'm on a Linux box, inertia more than anything... Hmm, now we just need somebody, or a couple somebody's coming from VA to MA... -Curt Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 14:22:59 -0500 From: Marshall Booth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant To: Mercedes mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Curt Raymond wrote: > Jiminy crickets, learn something new every day! > Is there an online source for the 201 manual? I want to fix this, the PO bubba'd in a manual shutoff valve in the heater hose. > > I'm in New England. The interior is tan, but a lighter tan than my 240D. I think I'm probably up to swapping the upholstry (which is not perfect but good enough) if I had a seatbottom that wasn't all squashed out and broken. theres obviously a broken spring in the drivers seat although its not currently sticking through the seat there is a hole. > http://mb.braingears.com/201_Chassis.htm That link DOESN'T work reliably using Firefox (my browser of choice), but does with Internet Explorer. Marshall I have a pair of blue electric seats for an '84 201 in northern VA, but shipping would be more pain than I'm willing to endure. Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) "der Dieseling Doktor" [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi - Yahoo! Shopping Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Yahoo! Shopping From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu Dec 15 20:18:54 2005 Received: from sccrmhc11.comcast.net ([204.127.202.55]) by server5.arterytc5.net with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EmzZ0-00036z-0J for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:18:54 + Received: from ringbill.gull.us (gull.us[24.18.9.231]) by comcast.net (sccrmhc11) with ESMTP id <20051215201850011005epo6e>; Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:18:51 + Received: from [69.88.113.178] (helo=[192.168.1.109]) by ringbill.gull.us with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.51 (FreeBSD)) id 1EmzYt-000A1d-CX for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:18:48 -0800 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:19:47 -0800 From: David Brodbeck <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.6 (X11/20050715) X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Mercedes mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> References: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Spam-Score: -4.6 X-Spam-Report: Spam detection software, running on the system "ringbill.gull.us", has identified this incoming email as possible spam. The original message has been attached to this so you can view it (if it isn't spam) or label similar future email. If you have any questions, see [EMAIL PROTECTED] for details. Content preview: Tom Reynolds wrote: > Doc, > Agrgavation? To me, aggravation is getting out in a cold, dark > parking lot, (whoops, I forgot windy) trying to find the valve, pushing > down my glasses so I can "see", checking the pressure, picking UP my > glasses, then finding the darned air pump either costs money or is somehow > defective to my physical limitations (I'm somewhat of a klutz) so that when > I try to use it I LOSE air, or the pump is actually turned off. [...] Content analysis details: (-4.6 points, 5.0 required) pts rule name description -- -- -3.3 ALL_TRUSTED Passed through trusted hosts only via SMTP -2.6 BAYES_00 BODY: Bayesian spam probability is 0 to 1% [score: 0.] 1.3 AWL AWL: From: address is in the auto white-list X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus Subject: Re: [MBZ] Filling tires with nitrogen (was Re: Year End Specials) X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6 Precedence: list Reply-To: Mercedes mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Id: Mercedes mailing 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/
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
enough) if I had a seatbottom that wasn't all squashed out and broken. theres obviously a broken spring in the drivers seat although its not currently sticking through the seat there is a hole. My 190D had a broken spring, and it poked my wife in the ass when she steered it home. (On the end of a rope.) I welded a splint across the broken spring and patched up the hole it chewed in the pad. Now all I have left to deal with is the hole in the cover. Made a world of difference to the feel of the seat. I've had good luck splinting the broken springs in these seats. By splinting, I mean that I weld a steel jacket over the break, so that the spring ends (which are tacked together too) are well supported by new metal. I think that you could get much the same effect using JB Weld, though this would be a lot less easy (and more expensive) to do. -- Jim
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Jiminy crickets, learn something new every day! Is there an online source for the 201 manual? I want to fix this, the PO bubba'd in a manual shutoff valve in the heater hose. I'm in New England. The interior is tan, but a lighter tan than my 240D. I think I'm probably up to swapping the upholstry (which is not perfect but good enough) if I had a seatbottom that wasn't all squashed out and broken. theres obviously a broken spring in the drivers seat although its not currently sticking through the seat there is a hole. -Curt Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:46:58 -0500 From: Marshall Booth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant To: Mercedes mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed A 201 DOESN'T have a monovalve (124/126s have them). It has a vacuum operated heater valve that can't be repaired and requires replacement about every 12-15 years but that only costs about $20. In where part of the country are you located and what color are the seats in your 190D?? Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) "der Dieseling Doktor" [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi - Yahoo! Shopping Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Yahoo! Shopping From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu Dec 15 17:57:06 2005 Received: from pop-savannah.atl.sa.earthlink.net ([207.69.195.69]) by server5.arterytc5.net with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1EmxLl-000324-UU for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Thu, 15 Dec 2005 17:57:06 + Received: from elwamui-karabash.atl.sa.earthlink.net ([209.86.224.37]) by pop-savannah.atl.sa.earthlink.net with esmtp (Exim 3.36 #10) id 1EmxLj-Cw-00 for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:57:03 -0500 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 12:57:03 -0500 (EST) From: Luther Gulseth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Mercedes mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: EarthLink Zoo Mail 1.0 X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus Subject: Re: [MBZ] Rear Shock Absorbers X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6 Precedence: list Reply-To: Luther Gulseth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Mercedes mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Id: Mercedes mailing 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: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 17:57:06 - the '85 300D my parents bought from Kaleb had Monroe's on it. HOW DARE YOU Kaleb! Ok, I know it was the PO. -Original Message- From: Tom Hargrave <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Dec 15, 2005 12:51 PM To: Mercedes mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [MBZ] Rear Shock Absorbers Tom S., A big part of your issue was Monroe verses Bilstien. I put Monroe shocks on one of my Mercedes once and will never do it again. They were dead in 12,000 miles. I don't know for sure but I believe that the Mercedes just wore out the hydraulic fluid inside the shocks. They still had their gas charge and the car still passed the bounce test when I pulled them off. Just go ahead and purchase your Bilstien shocks from Rusty. Both Rusty and you Mercedes will appreciate you for the new shocks. Thanks, Tom Hargrave 256-656-1924 www.kegkits.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Tom Scordato Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 11:32 AM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Rear Shock Absorbers Hans said> "What I was told is if you push the bumper down and let go, it should come up > and stay there. If it bounces up and down - needs new shocks." Not always the case. I did this test on my 1977 300D. Passed with flying colors, when I did the push test. But still drove like trash. Had old monroe shocks on it. Changed to Bilestiens. Best thing I ever did. Regards Tom Scordato Bellefonte PA 1977 300D 1979 240D - Original Message - From: "Hans Neureiter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mercedes mailing list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 12:07 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] Rear Shock Absorbers > What I was told is if you push the bumper down and let go, it should
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant -NOW SEATS
In my experience, the driver seat in the W201 does not provide as good lumbar support as the W124 or even my old W123 240D seat. If you can find an used W124 E320 orthopedic seat and make it work you will be very happy, especially if you are going to make long trips in that car. Tan --- Jim Cathey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On that last point, does anybody have a driver's > seat for a w201? I > > have > > a quote of $500 to rebuild it with a new seat > frame. I wonder if this > > is something I could do myself and save some > money? > > It is very common to take a donor passenger seat and > to combine parts > to make a good driver's seat. I have a seat set for > the 201 (or did I > have two?), and the best passenger cover is now in > our 107. We do now > own a 201 car, so I may well be using my extra > parts. I vowed not to > touch the 190D until the genset was back together > again, so it's > getting close. > > A pair of front seats is $20 at the U-Pull here, > that's where I got > the extras. I figured $20 for a good seat cover > that might work in > the SL was a good deal, and any extra use I got out > of them would be > gravy. > > Shipping entire seats is a bit of a killer, though. > Your best bet > (cost-wise) is to find something locally. To be > fair, your $500 will > get you an as-new seat, other approaches will give > you somewhat less. > > -- Jim > > > ___ > 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] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
On that last point, does anybody have a driver's seat for a w201? I have a quote of $500 to rebuild it with a new seat frame. I wonder if this is something I could do myself and save some money? It is very common to take a donor passenger seat and to combine parts to make a good driver's seat. I have a seat set for the 201 (or did I have two?), and the best passenger cover is now in our 107. We do now own a 201 car, so I may well be using my extra parts. I vowed not to touch the 190D until the genset was back together again, so it's getting close. A pair of front seats is $20 at the U-Pull here, that's where I got the extras. I figured $20 for a good seat cover that might work in the SL was a good deal, and any extra use I got out of them would be gravy. Shipping entire seats is a bit of a killer, though. Your best bet (cost-wise) is to find something locally. To be fair, your $500 will get you an as-new seat, other approaches will give you somewhat less. -- Jim
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Curt Raymond wrote: Hey Tom, I'm currently going through that with my 190D. I won't even talk about how much I paid, but I decided I was going to make it into a very nice car before I started driving it. Brakes Thermostat Monovalve flexjoint motormounts ball joint tie rod end switches drivers seat On that last point, does anybody have a driver's seat for a w201? I have a quote of $500 to rebuild it with a new seat frame. I wonder if this is something I could do myself and save some money? A 201 DOESN'T have a monovalve (124/126s have them). It has a vacuum operated heater valve that can't be repaired and requires replacement about every 12-15 years but that only costs about $20. In where part of the country are you located and what color are the seats in your 190D?? Marshall -- Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions) "der Dieseling Doktor" [EMAIL PROTECTED] '87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5 turbo 237kmi
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Hey Tom, I'm currently going through that with my 190D. I won't even talk about how much I paid, but I decided I was going to make it into a very nice car before I started driving it. Brakes Thermostat Monovalve flexjoint motormounts ball joint tie rod end switches drivers seat On that last point, does anybody have a driver's seat for a w201? I have a quote of $500 to rebuild it with a new seat frame. I wonder if this is something I could do myself and save some money? -Curt '85 190D 2.2l 5spd Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 21:57:06 -0600 From: "Tom Hargrave" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant To: "Mercedes mailing list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Brian, This all falls under the "let the buyer beware" clause. You should have done your homework on the car before purchasing it. I've owned 15 old Mercedes to date and I've put serious money into every good deal that I have bough to date. These days, I just figure that I'll have to put $2,000 into anything I buy. And that's after I check out the car and decide that it's in good shape. But you need to understand that I'll purchase an older Mercedes then I'll put 50,000 + miles a year on it. My latest Mercedes, a 1987 300SDL, cost me $1600.00 the first month I owned it. About this time last year, the transmission cost me $1760.00 but at least it got me home. I'm nursing a cracked head or bad head gasket and have been doing so for over 50,000 miles. Even with all of these costs, it's still cheaper than the rate that my Wife's new Grand Cherokee is depreciating and I won't complain. Thanks, Tom Hargrave 256-656-1924 www.kegkits.com - Yahoo! Shopping Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Yahoo! Shopping From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu Dec 15 15:34:47 2005 Received: from bee.hiwaay.net ([216.180.54.11]) by server5.arterytc5.net with esmtps (TLSv1:DES-CBC3-SHA:168) (Exim 4.52) id 1Emv83-0003wt-Fl for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:34:47 + Received: from tomserver (pcp04555837pcs.huntsv01.al.comcast.net [68.62.187.239]) by bee.hiwaay.net (8.13.4/8.13.4) with SMTP id jBFFYhaM1231314 for <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Thu, 15 Dec 2005 09:34:45 -0600 (CST) From: "Tom Hargrave" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mercedes mailing list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 09:34:48 -0600 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0) X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.3790.1830 In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Importance: Normal X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.6 Precedence: list Reply-To: Mercedes mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Id: Mercedes mailing 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: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:34:47 - Brian, I agree with Kaleb. He may not have known that the head was cracked, particularly if he was an owner who drove the car 3 miles to work and back. But on the other hand, you can't tell who's a crook and who's not and it's up to he buyer (You and I) to check out a car. An honest seller will have no problem with you doing your homework and will be earnestly concerned if you uncover a major issue. Thanks, Tom Hargrave 256-656-1924 www.kegkits.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Kaleb C. Striplin Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 8:56 AM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Maybe he didnt know the head was cracked. Brian Smyla wrote: > Thanks, Tom. > > Well, I've got about $7K in the car right now, probably need another $2k to > get it 'perfect', including paint. Yes, I believe the car is worth it, > since I'll probably drive it much longer than something I'd buy for $30 - > 40K at a dealership. > > You're right about the 'caveat emptor' cla
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Maybe he didnt know the head was cracked. Brian Smyla wrote: Thanks, Tom. Well, I've got about $7K in the car right now, probably need another $2k to get it 'perfect', including paint. Yes, I believe the car is worth it, since I'll probably drive it much longer than something I'd buy for $30 - 40K at a dealership. You're right about the 'caveat emptor' clause, but my complaint is more along the lines of dishonesty within the classic Benz owners' community. Brian Smyla -Original Message- From: Tom Hargrave [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 10:57 PM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Brian, This all falls under the "let the buyer beware" clause. You should have done your homework on the car before purchasing it. I've owned 15 old Mercedes to date and I've put serious money into every good deal that I have bough to date. These days, I just figure that I'll have to put $2,000 into anything I buy. And that's after I check out the car and decide that it's in good shape. But you need to understand that I'll purchase an older Mercedes then I'll put 50,000 + miles a year on it. My latest Mercedes, a 1987 300SDL, cost me $1600.00 the first month I owned it. About this time last year, the transmission cost me $1760.00 but at least it got me home. I'm nursing a cracked head or bad head gasket and have been doing so for over 50,000 miles. Even with all of these costs, it's still cheaper than the rate that my Wife's new Grand Cherokee is depreciating and I won't complain. Thanks, Tom Hargrave 256-656-1924 www.kegkits.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brian Smyla Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 9:38 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Thanks to all those that replied to my question about the vacuum pump port. I had the engine replaced with a used one, and the shop that did the work warranted the engine for 30 days. The day after I picked the car up, the engine wouldn't stop. I took it back to have the problem resolved, and was told the problem was in the vacuum transducers near the turbo. I took the car back, then discovered that there wasn't any vacuum on the small port on the pump. Also, the climate control had air coming from the defrost ports only, and the shifting was very hard, as was mentioned in some of your replies. I had a very bad experience with this engine replacement. The shop owner claims to have many years experience working on MBZ products, but when I picked the car up, the heat didn't work (mechanic said it was a problem with my climate control), the starter engaged intermittently, the idler pulley was chafing the back side of the belt, a turbo support bracket was missing, and various bolts were missing here and there. I spent three hours checking the climate control, only to finally figure out that the mechanic had left a plug in the return water pipe where it connects to the heater hose that comes off the monovalve. I returned the car for repair of the other problems. They fixed the starter issue, installed the turbo bracket ( after arguing with me on the phone for 5 minutes that the bracket didn't exist ), told me the idler pulley wasn't part of what was warranted ( the idler pulley was from the replacement engine, and I told him that since it wasn't under warranty, I wanted my old one back ), and said the shutoff problem was in the emission control transducers, which I know is BS, because there's no vacuum on the port to start with. If anyone's interested, the shop is Chaney's Auto Service in Ringgold, VA. I'm not going back. Oh, and he charged me $2000 for the replacement engine, labor to remove the replacement engine from the donor vehicle, promised me a 10% cash discount from the original quoted price, then added enough miscellaneous parts (motor mounts, used starter, hoses, etc..) to make up the difference. Go figure. And no, it's not worth going to court over. And to make matters worse, I bought the car from Stefan Schultze, who assured me that the only thing wrong with it was bad hood hinges. Flew to Indiana to pick it up, where he told me that the heater had been intermittently working. Drove it back, then discovered it had a cracked head. All 6 cylinders. Refused to reply to follow up emails asking for a $1k concession. I know, my fault, caveat emptor and all that. Thanks for letting me vent. Brian Smyla ___ 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] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Hi, Dave. Thanks for the good information, I'll follow up on some of that today. The car is an '86 300SDL. I believe a crash destroyed his 350 about 6 months after I bought the 300, and he spent some time in the hospital as a result, according to his posts to the list. -Brian Smyla -Original Message- From: Dave M. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 12:03 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Hi Brian, I missed the type of car here, but I gather it's a W124 or W126 with an OM603 engine. I've tinkered with those a little myself, and have a couple of comments. First, you need to test vacuum directly at the port on the pump - disconnect the hose that goes to the 4-way branch fitting. If there's zero vacuum from the pump, the pump is bad (or the port is blocked somehow). The pump isn't cheap, either. If the pump does NOT have 4 Torx-head screws in the front cover, it should be replaced on principle even if it is working OK. Anyway, if there is a leak on any of the vacuum 'consumers', that can cause all the other vacuum operated items to not function. That would be the emissions junk (which can be disabled), the tranny (which will shift harshly with no vacuum), and the climate control vent flaps. The large port on the vac pump feeds both the power brake booster *and* the engine shutoff. If the engine won't shut off, it could be the diaphragm on the injection pump, a leak in the brake booster pipe, or (once again) a bad vacuum pump. It sounds like you have verified that the pump is bad, but first I'd want to disconnect both ports, plug the large one, and measure at the small one. A big leak on the main port could possibly cause no vacuum present at the small port. (?) Don't mess around with that idler pulley - the serpentine belt system is not something to screw with, it can cause the timing cover to fracture (read to fix). If the belt isn't perfectly parallel at the tensioner/idler pulleys, REPLACE the idler lever. The idler puley only needs replacement if the bearing is bad. Only use an OE (Genuine Mercedes) belt shock - the eyelet bushings are different than the OEM (aftermarket) shocks. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with that shop. I remember Stefan's name from the previous (MBZ.org) list, I had forgotten he sold the car. Wasn't that a 350SDL...? Best regards, -- Dave M. Boise, ID 1994 E500 - 95kmi (Q-ship) 1987 300D - 261kmi (Sportline) > -- > Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 22:37:38 -0500 > From: "Brian Smyla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant > > Thanks to all those that replied to my question about the vacuum pump port. > I had the engine replaced with a used one, and the shop that did the work > warranted the engine for 30 days. The day after I picked the car up, the > engine wouldn't stop. I took it back to have the problem resolved, and was > told the problem was in the vacuum transducers near the turbo. I took the > car back, then discovered that there wasn't any vacuum on the small port on > the pump. Also, the climate control had air coming from the defrost ports > only, and the shifting was very hard, as was mentioned in some of your > replies. > > I had a very bad experience with this engine replacement. The shop owner > claims to have many years experience working on MBZ products, but when I > picked the car up, the heat didn't work (mechanic said it was a problem with > my climate control), the starter engaged intermittently, the idler pulley > was chafing the back side of the belt, a turbo support bracket was missing, > and various bolts were missing here and there. I spent three hours checking > the climate control, only to finally figure out that the mechanic had left a > plug in the return water pipe where it connects to the heater hose that > comes off the monovalve. I returned the car for repair of the other > problems. They fixed the starter issue, installed the turbo bracket ( after > arguing with me on the phone for 5 minutes that the bracket didn't exist ), > told me the idler pulley wasn't part of what was warranted ( the idler > pulley was from the replacement engine, and I told him that since it wasn't > under warranty, I wanted my old one back ), and said the shutoff problem was > in the emission control transducers, which I know is BS, because there's no > vacuum on the port to start with. > > > > If anyone's interested, the shop is Chaney's Auto Service in Ringgold, VA. > I'm not going back. > > Oh, and he charged me $2000 for the replacement engine, labor to remove the > replacement engine from the donor vehicle, promised me a 10% cash discount >
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Thanks, Tom. Well, I've got about $7K in the car right now, probably need another $2k to get it 'perfect', including paint. Yes, I believe the car is worth it, since I'll probably drive it much longer than something I'd buy for $30 - 40K at a dealership. You're right about the 'caveat emptor' clause, but my complaint is more along the lines of dishonesty within the classic Benz owners' community. Brian Smyla -Original Message- From: Tom Hargrave [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 10:57 PM To: Mercedes mailing list Subject: Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Brian, This all falls under the "let the buyer beware" clause. You should have done your homework on the car before purchasing it. I've owned 15 old Mercedes to date and I've put serious money into every good deal that I have bough to date. These days, I just figure that I'll have to put $2,000 into anything I buy. And that's after I check out the car and decide that it's in good shape. But you need to understand that I'll purchase an older Mercedes then I'll put 50,000 + miles a year on it. My latest Mercedes, a 1987 300SDL, cost me $1600.00 the first month I owned it. About this time last year, the transmission cost me $1760.00 but at least it got me home. I'm nursing a cracked head or bad head gasket and have been doing so for over 50,000 miles. Even with all of these costs, it's still cheaper than the rate that my Wife's new Grand Cherokee is depreciating and I won't complain. Thanks, Tom Hargrave 256-656-1924 www.kegkits.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brian Smyla Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 9:38 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Thanks to all those that replied to my question about the vacuum pump port. I had the engine replaced with a used one, and the shop that did the work warranted the engine for 30 days. The day after I picked the car up, the engine wouldn't stop. I took it back to have the problem resolved, and was told the problem was in the vacuum transducers near the turbo. I took the car back, then discovered that there wasn't any vacuum on the small port on the pump. Also, the climate control had air coming from the defrost ports only, and the shifting was very hard, as was mentioned in some of your replies. I had a very bad experience with this engine replacement. The shop owner claims to have many years experience working on MBZ products, but when I picked the car up, the heat didn't work (mechanic said it was a problem with my climate control), the starter engaged intermittently, the idler pulley was chafing the back side of the belt, a turbo support bracket was missing, and various bolts were missing here and there. I spent three hours checking the climate control, only to finally figure out that the mechanic had left a plug in the return water pipe where it connects to the heater hose that comes off the monovalve. I returned the car for repair of the other problems. They fixed the starter issue, installed the turbo bracket ( after arguing with me on the phone for 5 minutes that the bracket didn't exist ), told me the idler pulley wasn't part of what was warranted ( the idler pulley was from the replacement engine, and I told him that since it wasn't under warranty, I wanted my old one back ), and said the shutoff problem was in the emission control transducers, which I know is BS, because there's no vacuum on the port to start with. If anyone's interested, the shop is Chaney's Auto Service in Ringgold, VA. I'm not going back. Oh, and he charged me $2000 for the replacement engine, labor to remove the replacement engine from the donor vehicle, promised me a 10% cash discount from the original quoted price, then added enough miscellaneous parts (motor mounts, used starter, hoses, etc..) to make up the difference. Go figure. And no, it's not worth going to court over. And to make matters worse, I bought the car from Stefan Schultze, who assured me that the only thing wrong with it was bad hood hinges. Flew to Indiana to pick it up, where he told me that the heater had been intermittently working. Drove it back, then discovered it had a cracked head. All 6 cylinders. Refused to reply to follow up emails asking for a $1k concession. I know, my fault, caveat emptor and all that. Thanks for letting me vent. Brian Smyla ___ 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] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
"Kaleb C. Striplin" wrote: > > Stefan? Is he on this list? I don't think so. He was on Diesel, then took a temporary assignment in Mexico. He was looking at 350SDLs and gassers, don't remember if he bought one.
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Stefan? Is he on this list? Tom Hargrave wrote: Brian, This all falls under the "let the buyer beware" clause. You should have done your homework on the car before purchasing it. I've owned 15 old Mercedes to date and I've put serious money into every good deal that I have bough to date. These days, I just figure that I'll have to put $2,000 into anything I buy. And that's after I check out the car and decide that it's in good shape. But you need to understand that I'll purchase an older Mercedes then I'll put 50,000 + miles a year on it. My latest Mercedes, a 1987 300SDL, cost me $1600.00 the first month I owned it. About this time last year, the transmission cost me $1760.00 but at least it got me home. I'm nursing a cracked head or bad head gasket and have been doing so for over 50,000 miles. Even with all of these costs, it's still cheaper than the rate that my Wife's new Grand Cherokee is depreciating and I won't complain. Thanks, Tom Hargrave 256-656-1924 www.kegkits.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brian Smyla Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 9:38 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Thanks to all those that replied to my question about the vacuum pump port. I had the engine replaced with a used one, and the shop that did the work warranted the engine for 30 days. The day after I picked the car up, the engine wouldn't stop. I took it back to have the problem resolved, and was told the problem was in the vacuum transducers near the turbo. I took the car back, then discovered that there wasn't any vacuum on the small port on the pump. Also, the climate control had air coming from the defrost ports only, and the shifting was very hard, as was mentioned in some of your replies. I had a very bad experience with this engine replacement. The shop owner claims to have many years experience working on MBZ products, but when I picked the car up, the heat didn't work (mechanic said it was a problem with my climate control), the starter engaged intermittently, the idler pulley was chafing the back side of the belt, a turbo support bracket was missing, and various bolts were missing here and there. I spent three hours checking the climate control, only to finally figure out that the mechanic had left a plug in the return water pipe where it connects to the heater hose that comes off the monovalve. I returned the car for repair of the other problems. They fixed the starter issue, installed the turbo bracket ( after arguing with me on the phone for 5 minutes that the bracket didn't exist ), told me the idler pulley wasn't part of what was warranted ( the idler pulley was from the replacement engine, and I told him that since it wasn't under warranty, I wanted my old one back ), and said the shutoff problem was in the emission control transducers, which I know is BS, because there's no vacuum on the port to start with. If anyone's interested, the shop is Chaney's Auto Service in Ringgold, VA. I'm not going back. Oh, and he charged me $2000 for the replacement engine, labor to remove the replacement engine from the donor vehicle, promised me a 10% cash discount from the original quoted price, then added enough miscellaneous parts (motor mounts, used starter, hoses, etc..) to make up the difference. Go figure. And no, it's not worth going to court over. And to make matters worse, I bought the car from Stefan Schultze, who assured me that the only thing wrong with it was bad hood hinges. Flew to Indiana to pick it up, where he told me that the heater had been intermittently working. Drove it back, then discovered it had a cracked head. All 6 cylinders. Refused to reply to follow up emails asking for a $1k concession. I know, my fault, caveat emptor and all that. Thanks for letting me vent. Brian Smyla ___ 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 ___ 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 Okie Benz Auto parts-email for used parts
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Hi Brian, I missed the type of car here, but I gather it's a W124 or W126 with an OM603 engine. I've tinkered with those a little myself, and have a couple of comments. First, you need to test vacuum directly at the port on the pump - disconnect the hose that goes to the 4-way branch fitting. If there's zero vacuum from the pump, the pump is bad (or the port is blocked somehow). The pump isn't cheap, either. If the pump does NOT have 4 Torx-head screws in the front cover, it should be replaced on principle even if it is working OK. Anyway, if there is a leak on any of the vacuum 'consumers', that can cause all the other vacuum operated items to not function. That would be the emissions junk (which can be disabled), the tranny (which will shift harshly with no vacuum), and the climate control vent flaps. The large port on the vac pump feeds both the power brake booster *and* the engine shutoff. If the engine won't shut off, it could be the diaphragm on the injection pump, a leak in the brake booster pipe, or (once again) a bad vacuum pump. It sounds like you have verified that the pump is bad, but first I'd want to disconnect both ports, plug the large one, and measure at the small one. A big leak on the main port could possibly cause no vacuum present at the small port. (?) Don't mess around with that idler pulley - the serpentine belt system is not something to screw with, it can cause the timing cover to fracture (read to fix). If the belt isn't perfectly parallel at the tensioner/idler pulleys, REPLACE the idler lever. The idler puley only needs replacement if the bearing is bad. Only use an OE (Genuine Mercedes) belt shock - the eyelet bushings are different than the OEM (aftermarket) shocks. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with that shop. I remember Stefan's name from the previous (MBZ.org) list, I had forgotten he sold the car. Wasn't that a 350SDL...? Best regards, -- Dave M. Boise, ID 1994 E500 - 95kmi (Q-ship) 1987 300D - 261kmi (Sportline) > -- > Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 22:37:38 -0500 > From: "Brian Smyla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant > > Thanks to all those that replied to my question about the vacuum pump port. > I had the engine replaced with a used one, and the shop that did the work > warranted the engine for 30 days. The day after I picked the car up, the > engine wouldn't stop. I took it back to have the problem resolved, and was > told the problem was in the vacuum transducers near the turbo. I took the > car back, then discovered that there wasn't any vacuum on the small port on > the pump. Also, the climate control had air coming from the defrost ports > only, and the shifting was very hard, as was mentioned in some of your > replies. > > I had a very bad experience with this engine replacement. The shop owner > claims to have many years experience working on MBZ products, but when I > picked the car up, the heat didn't work (mechanic said it was a problem with > my climate control), the starter engaged intermittently, the idler pulley > was chafing the back side of the belt, a turbo support bracket was missing, > and various bolts were missing here and there. I spent three hours checking > the climate control, only to finally figure out that the mechanic had left a > plug in the return water pipe where it connects to the heater hose that > comes off the monovalve. I returned the car for repair of the other > problems. They fixed the starter issue, installed the turbo bracket ( after > arguing with me on the phone for 5 minutes that the bracket didn't exist ), > told me the idler pulley wasn't part of what was warranted ( the idler > pulley was from the replacement engine, and I told him that since it wasn't > under warranty, I wanted my old one back ), and said the shutoff problem was > in the emission control transducers, which I know is BS, because there's no > vacuum on the port to start with. > > > > If anyone's interested, the shop is Chaney's Auto Service in Ringgold, VA. > I'm not going back. > > Oh, and he charged me $2000 for the replacement engine, labor to remove the > replacement engine from the donor vehicle, promised me a 10% cash discount > from the original quoted price, then added enough miscellaneous parts (motor > mounts, used starter, hoses, etc..) to make up the difference. Go figure. > And no, it's not worth going to court over. > > And to make matters worse, I bought the car from Stefan Schultze, who > assured me that the only thing wrong with it was bad hood hinges. Flew to > Indiana to pick it up, where he told me that the heater had been > intermittently working. Drove it back, then discovered it had a cracked > head. All 6 cylinders. Refused to reply to follow up emails asking for a > $1k concession. I know, my fault, caveat emptor and all that. > > Thanks for letting me vent. > > Brian Smyla >
Re: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant
Brian, This all falls under the "let the buyer beware" clause. You should have done your homework on the car before purchasing it. I've owned 15 old Mercedes to date and I've put serious money into every good deal that I have bough to date. These days, I just figure that I'll have to put $2,000 into anything I buy. And that's after I check out the car and decide that it's in good shape. But you need to understand that I'll purchase an older Mercedes then I'll put 50,000 + miles a year on it. My latest Mercedes, a 1987 300SDL, cost me $1600.00 the first month I owned it. About this time last year, the transmission cost me $1760.00 but at least it got me home. I'm nursing a cracked head or bad head gasket and have been doing so for over 50,000 miles. Even with all of these costs, it's still cheaper than the rate that my Wife's new Grand Cherokee is depreciating and I won't complain. Thanks, Tom Hargrave 256-656-1924 www.kegkits.com -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brian Smyla Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 9:38 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [MBZ] Vacuum pump question answered, plus rant Thanks to all those that replied to my question about the vacuum pump port. I had the engine replaced with a used one, and the shop that did the work warranted the engine for 30 days. The day after I picked the car up, the engine wouldn't stop. I took it back to have the problem resolved, and was told the problem was in the vacuum transducers near the turbo. I took the car back, then discovered that there wasn't any vacuum on the small port on the pump. Also, the climate control had air coming from the defrost ports only, and the shifting was very hard, as was mentioned in some of your replies. I had a very bad experience with this engine replacement. The shop owner claims to have many years experience working on MBZ products, but when I picked the car up, the heat didn't work (mechanic said it was a problem with my climate control), the starter engaged intermittently, the idler pulley was chafing the back side of the belt, a turbo support bracket was missing, and various bolts were missing here and there. I spent three hours checking the climate control, only to finally figure out that the mechanic had left a plug in the return water pipe where it connects to the heater hose that comes off the monovalve. I returned the car for repair of the other problems. They fixed the starter issue, installed the turbo bracket ( after arguing with me on the phone for 5 minutes that the bracket didn't exist ), told me the idler pulley wasn't part of what was warranted ( the idler pulley was from the replacement engine, and I told him that since it wasn't under warranty, I wanted my old one back ), and said the shutoff problem was in the emission control transducers, which I know is BS, because there's no vacuum on the port to start with. If anyone's interested, the shop is Chaney's Auto Service in Ringgold, VA. I'm not going back. Oh, and he charged me $2000 for the replacement engine, labor to remove the replacement engine from the donor vehicle, promised me a 10% cash discount from the original quoted price, then added enough miscellaneous parts (motor mounts, used starter, hoses, etc..) to make up the difference. Go figure. And no, it's not worth going to court over. And to make matters worse, I bought the car from Stefan Schultze, who assured me that the only thing wrong with it was bad hood hinges. Flew to Indiana to pick it up, where he told me that the heater had been intermittently working. Drove it back, then discovered it had a cracked head. All 6 cylinders. Refused to reply to follow up emails asking for a $1k concession. I know, my fault, caveat emptor and all that. Thanks for letting me vent. Brian Smyla ___ 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
