Saijin_Naib

Confirmed: Not tire pressure. Tires are 36PSI F/ 42 PSI R all around.

Something bad happened :[

Saijin_Naib

Unrelated to anything, but I modded my old camera to take IR (infrared) photos. Its crappy right now, I know, but I should be able to rectify it soon.

Looking forward to taking IR photos of the car.. It looks like its going to be an interesting subject.

Here is the full spectrum (UV,Visible,IR)


Here is IR only (Not sure what wavelength, probably around 720nm)


Here is IR only


Let me know what you think!

Saijin_Naib

Regarding Brembo Brake upgrade.

AMGDave

Speaking of which, I'll have a set of those 334mm Brembos available for sale shortly... email me if interested.

Saijin_Naib

Email sent. Thanks as always Dave.

Question:
Upon start-up car makes cyclical screeching sound. Something I typically associate with a bad belt. However, belt was replaced not long ago and the sound will go away once the car warms to about 80C or so.

Background:
New problem, present only since I've brought the car to Rochester, NY and it has seen consistent temps in the 30F and below range.

Saijin_Naib

If I were to get the H&R Sport Springs (29569-2) which are 1.3" F/R drop, could I pair them with Koni Sport Adjustable (Yellows) Struts?
Koni Sport Front: 8741 1092Sport
Koni Sport Rear: 26 1198Sport

Would I need anything else? I am assuming the Konis can handle a moderate drop?

190E 16V

Oh, oh!

Have I started a run on these things, now?

BTW Saigin, you'll need to run at least 17's on your car.

Saijin_Naib

Yeah, I had heard that 17" are a requirement when you switch up to that size brake kit. My concern is that I'll have rubbing if I decide to do the 1.3" drop on the H&R Sports.

AMGDave

The KONI's would work fine. They are on the firm side though. If you want to keep some ride comfort, the KONI Specials (reds) would be fine. I have the yellows on my '87 300D right now. Both red or yellow work ok with lowering springs. KONI's are a little pricey, but at least they come with a lifetime warranty. They're significantly more expensive than Bilsteins. BTW, see the graph below... it shows the damping rates of red & yellow, note the area in the middle where they overlap. This means the reds set on the firm side should perform similar to the yellows set on the soft side. Well, approximately, anyway.

There shouldn't be any serious issue with rubbing as long as your wheels are the proper width & offset, although you will probably need to roll the fender lips and add the fender spacers if using wider wheels. I have W203 wheels on my '87, 17x7.5 ET37 all around, with 225-45 tires, rolled fender lips & fender spacers - zero rubbing. Wider is possible (especially in the rear) but you'll have to be careful to get the right wheel size, offset, and tire size to avoid problems.

I've got a used lowering kit for sale as well - reply to your email coming shortly.

Saijin_Naib

New Fun:
Radio (Mercedes/Becker 4602) has lost its backlight. The rheostat seems to be functioning fine as it dims my (now) empty Ambient Temp display.

Is there a fuse on the radio or something? I really didn't need this to **** out on me. The Becker 7990 I want is like 500$ IF I can even find the damned thing.

Saijin_Naib

Radio Fix:
Remove faceplate, ask it (sternly) "what the **** is wrong now?".
Replace faceplate. Enjoy newly functioning backlight.

Question:
The design of the interface between faceplate and Head Unit does not leave any room for "bad contacts" as it snaps into place with metal contacts against metal semi-circles. Was this some sort of temperature related fluke? I did not physically clean either the faceplate contacts nor the Head Unit contacts but upon removal/re-insertion it began to work again. Tres odd.

Saijin_Naib

Question:
Shift knob now has considerable "slack" in it. As in, I can pull/push the knob a good deal before it will physically move at the base and go into a gate position. Once in a gate position, I can wobble it back and forth (vertically) what feels about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch or so.

This seems to be a new thing as I've not noticed before. What does this mean?

Edit:
Seems to be "Shift Lever Bushings". Does this sound like the correct diagnosis? The car shifts fine once in a gate and doesn't delay (I believe about a second or two is in-spec).

ps2cho

Yes that would be the shifter bushings. I fixed mine, but after it got towed the morons who did it must have tore them again and it was back. The bushings are a couple bucks. There is a DIY over at peachparts.

Saijin_Naib

Good to know & thanks for the confirmation.

Now, is this something that normally develops or just goes at once? I honestly feel like they just let go over night. Also, will traveling an extended time/distance with them this way pose any risk of damage?

357mi and 2 weeks till I go home to get the car worked on...

AMGDave

This is pretty common, and it can happen seemingly overnight. There's no risk, just a sloppy shifter feel and maybe some rattle noise.

There are two bushings, one on each end of the shifter rod... the one on the tranny side is a breeze to replace because you can remove the bracket from the transmission and do it on the workbench. The one on the bottom of the shift lever itself is a nightmare because you can't get your hands (or tools) up there. It helps to soften the new bushing in hot water, or similar heating method, to make it go into place. If you don't heat the bushing, it's even more difficult.

Saijin_Naib

Ah, excellent. Thanks guys

Saijin_Naib

Special day for Bucky tomorrow. He is going to get some new parts

I guess that if I am going to replace the bushing on the shifter as well as by the transmission, I should take this time to replace the w124 Shift knob/shaft with the w202 one.

(Process detailed here: http://www.2phast.com/500e/techdocs/124_shift_knob.pdf)

Does this make sense?

Saijin_Naib

Installation Notes:
Front and rear bumpers replace the factory bumpers using factory hardware.

That is pretty much the best-case scenario for a bodykit right? As in, this is a good thing to read?

Source:
http://www.octanemotorsports.com/Mer...duct_info.html

AMGDave

The ad is a little misleading. That does NOT appear to be a simple bolt-on kit. That's a fiberglass copy of the 190E-16 2.5 Evo II, made into a 124 kit. I'm not convinced it would look correct on a 124 chassis. I'd almost guarantee there will be fitment problems. I think this says it all: "Please note that professional installation is required." I wouldn't buy this without talking to someone who bought it and installed it on their car, to get a first-hand report (and photos!) of the end result.

The only kits I've seen which closely resemble factory items (as far as mounting & installation), and are 95% bolt-on, are the AMG kits.

Saijin_Naib

Yeah, I'm very cautious. I like the look of it. I think a EvoII coupe would certainly be a unique looking vehicle and fit with the look I envision for Bucky.

I'm almost tempted to drive up to RaceOnUSA's office and have a gander. I need to explore canada anyway.

Saijin_Naib

Here is a clip of the screeching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb3IS-V6M80

I'll get a better one up once my friend gives me back my friggin camera

Saijin_Naib

300ce Snow Cruising:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EILEONnvVWo

300ce Screeching 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDA0LKl24JE

AMGDave

That screeching noise sounds a lot like a bearing on a belt-driven accessory. To test, you remove the serpentine belt, and do another cold start. If the noise is gone, then you know for certain that it's one of the accessories. Now you need to determine which one... alternator, water pump, fan idler, etc, etc. Or, if the noise remains - that wasn't it.

Saijin_Naib

Well, we checked out the belt and it has seen better days to be frank. I'm guessing the consistent sub-zero temperatures (0c anyway) in Rochester have taken both my battery and my belt from me. It is cracked and missing some of the threading in it. I'm guessing this could lead to noise issues as well?

Saijin_Naib

Checklist:
+ Flush Engine Block
+ Replace Oil Filter
+ Fill with Mobil 1 0w40 Synthetic

Results:
+ Quieter idle/acceleration/cruising
+ Smoother engine performance across all RPMs
+ Less hesitation
+ Slightly lower RPMs at speed

Conclusion:
+ Mobil 1 Synthetic's benefits are certainly not all hype. Both my father and I have noted a marked change in the character of the car. This procedure was by no means cheap, but I feel that it was money well spent.