Sleeping M103 Awakes...hints for killing gremlins
03-09-2010, 02:42 AM
#1
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89 300TE, and 68 280sel
Sleeping M103 Awakes...hints for killing gremlins
So,
I haven't posted here in quite some time and I haven't driven my TE in almost two years. I can't believe I just said that, but it is true.
in the fall of 08 I got a job that took me to Alaska so I parked the TE at my parents house, bought an 07 dodge ram Cummins and headed north. I love my cummins, but miss my TE dearly. I had given my dad directions to drive the car regularly so as not to have any issues with the thing not being run, well guess what, he didn't drive it and the problems mounted.
The battery died, Optimas don't like to rest or drain down. Then with that issue sorted out , the car still wouldn't fire up. This last christmas I drained the fuel and put new plugs and checked the ignition system but to no avail.
Fast forward a few months and my car was in the shop in WA as a side project for the local Euro guru who I know. He said the rings/pistons had dried out from sitting too long and had gotten washed down from flooding it when my dad tried to start it... that was only part of it though. When my mechanic got it running it ran but like a dog when under load. This is a similar situation to what I have heard with other m103's with gremlins...
It turns out that many of these m103's will get carbon buildup on the distributor cap cover, the black plastic cover, then the system will short/ground-out causing the car to run like crap. My mechanic changed that out and the car runs like a top and moves like a scalded cat(so I am told as I sit here in Anchorage).
Anyways, it is a cheap fix to a problem that can cause people to spend lots of money chasing, I know I would have NEVER thought to have changed such an innocuous part.
I am crossing my fingers that I will get relocated back in the lower 48 so I can once again enjoy that fine automobile pleasure that is a Benz.
Edit: I had never heard this before and I am pretty savvy with these cars, so I thought I would share... it may have come up in the last two years, but I am not going to do a search of that many posts!
I haven't posted here in quite some time and I haven't driven my TE in almost two years. I can't believe I just said that, but it is true.
in the fall of 08 I got a job that took me to Alaska so I parked the TE at my parents house, bought an 07 dodge ram Cummins and headed north. I love my cummins, but miss my TE dearly. I had given my dad directions to drive the car regularly so as not to have any issues with the thing not being run, well guess what, he didn't drive it and the problems mounted.The battery died, Optimas don't like to rest or drain down. Then with that issue sorted out , the car still wouldn't fire up. This last christmas I drained the fuel and put new plugs and checked the ignition system but to no avail.
Fast forward a few months and my car was in the shop in WA as a side project for the local Euro guru who I know. He said the rings/pistons had dried out from sitting too long and had gotten washed down from flooding it when my dad tried to start it... that was only part of it though. When my mechanic got it running it ran but like a dog when under load. This is a similar situation to what I have heard with other m103's with gremlins...
It turns out that many of these m103's will get carbon buildup on the distributor cap cover, the black plastic cover, then the system will short/ground-out causing the car to run like crap. My mechanic changed that out and the car runs like a top and moves like a scalded cat(so I am told as I sit here in Anchorage).
Anyways, it is a cheap fix to a problem that can cause people to spend lots of money chasing, I know I would have NEVER thought to have changed such an innocuous part.
I am crossing my fingers that I will get relocated back in the lower 48 so I can once again enjoy that fine automobile pleasure that is a Benz.
Edit: I had never heard this before and I am pretty savvy with these cars, so I thought I would share... it may have come up in the last two years, but I am not going to do a search of that many posts!
Last edited by myfirstbenz; 03-09-2010 at 02:47 AM. Reason: one more thing
03-09-2010, 10:56 AM
#3
Piston rings drying up from sitting for 2 years? hmmm...I highly doubt this...I would take the car to another shop (without any mention of previous 'idea') and request a compression test, both wet and dry. Shouldn't cost you more than $60...
Heck, both of my cars have sub 100k on them and my wagon had not been driven for 5 years according to record and it has close to perfect compression and only 6% loss
Heck, both of my cars have sub 100k on them and my wagon had not been driven for 5 years according to record and it has close to perfect compression and only 6% loss
Last edited by ps2cho; 03-09-2010 at 11:02 AM.
03-10-2010, 11:34 AM
#4
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The term "dry" can't be taken too litterally. What happened was the engine wasn't getting proper spark and it was trying to start on bad gas.... No spark and all fuel will wash the walls of the cylinder affecting the compression.
My mother picked up the car yesterday and said it ran great. I trust this mechanic more than any other.
My mother picked up the car yesterday and said it ran great. I trust this mechanic more than any other.
03-10-2010, 03:15 PM
#5
The term "dry" can't be taken too litterally. What happened was the engine wasn't getting proper spark and it was trying to start on bad gas.... No spark and all fuel will wash the walls of the cylinder affecting the compression.
My mother picked up the car yesterday and said it ran great. I trust this mechanic more than any other.
My mother picked up the car yesterday and said it ran great. I trust this mechanic more than any other.
Has nothing to do with the rings. If it sat for that long then I recommend running some seafoam through the intake manifold to clean up the buildup of carbon on the tops of the pistons. Should help everything out.
