Mb56091

Thats is true that it does have more power, but the Mercedes website for owners says to use 91 octane for a 85 380se. Higher octane has a better anti-knock factor and it will have less carbon build-up inside the engine. The carbon hurts performance and is better for the long run. But if it says to use 87 then I see no reason not too. I still have to get another owners manual. But it's nice to work on the car. My rims are aftermarket from what I'm told. They're 14 inches, but they look the same as the 86-91 s-class stock 15inch rims. Can't find lugs or replacement rims anywhere.

Untertürkheim

From what I remember, the 380 US cars were tuned for 87. From what I can see there, the only fuel economy improvements will come from synthetic oil and better spark plugs. I am running Bosch Iridium +4 plugs in all the cars, including the 560SEC, and have been very happy with them, I have found fuel economy and performance to improve is each case.

elolson

I got the copper plugs since they were recommended on the internet somewhere as running better than platinum in these engines. I have no basis for comparison. When I dropped it off last week for that missing problem the mechanic re-gapped all plugs, he said they were not exactly where he wanted them. I'll ask what he set them to and whether he had to open or close the gap from what they were.

On talking with him the previous time he said the cars could be finicky and plugs can make the difference between running good and running not quite right. They would have problems with emissions, etc...

Untertürkheim, did you get your 560 back from restoration yet?

Untertürkheim

Yes, the 560 is back, although not entirely complete since it is my daily driver until my new diesel arrives. I have yet to get the passenger seatbelt delivery arm, install the factory radio (since I bought the two-piece unit that needs to be installed in the trunk, running cables through the car), fix the headliner (which is not too bad), or refinish the wheels.

Mechanically, the car is perfect. All fluids have been changed, synthetic now in the engine and differential, I had requested the transmission but due to someone's mistake it is not, at the next change I will have synthetic in there.

I actually had the Bosch Ir+4 plugs in the car when I had it smogged, and the tech was completely amazed at how clean the car was running, as I was when I saw the emissions report. He said he has never seen those numbers for one of these cars and asked if I had made any modifications, which of course I had not.

The funny part is that I was able to achieve this result even though my O2 sensor is nearly dead and I was burning a bit of oil (now fixed, O2 sensor at next service).

elolson

I could not leave well enough alone. I seemed to recall the ashtray wood also being in short supply. Sure enough, of the two pieces left in the US, one of them is now installed on my 380se.

I dropped the car off on Thursday and just picked it up here is what was done:
1) Replaced all injector seals as the mechanic said they were leaking vacuum.
2) replaced ashtray wood veneer as the old one was cracking
3) R&R all shocks and install rubber stops as well as covers for the front shocks

When I picked it up it was the roughest start ever, but ran great all the way home. Now at 330 miles and a little less than a quarter tank to go. I'll go fill it up after dinner and will provide the first MPG number.

Then I intend to go down to the clinic and sign up to sell plasma to pay for any more repairs to this car as I am just about broke after all of this.

On a side note, I am absolutely ecstatic that I have found a mechanic that I trust and can go back to. They are honest and reasonable and seem to know what they are doing. That would be Craig's Auto Repair in Tucson. This is after a long line of losers including dealerships.

elolson

335 miles
19.948 gallons

~16.79mpg

Found on the internet:
1985 (California) MERCEDES-BENZ 380SE - MPG and Detailed Vehicle Information
City MPG: 14 Highway MPG: 17 Combined MPG: 15

Guess I am not doing too bad as my miles are city with the AC and a lead foot.

Untertürkheim

That is good city milage. I have heard that the 380 can do over 20 highway, the 560 is much thirstier.

elolson

Here are some pictures of all the new wood. Glovebox, ashtray - shifter, ashtray and center console.

Untertürkheim

elolson

BTW, I still have that occasional miss at idle. It was gone for some time, and has returned over the last month.

I got to thinking about it and decided to take another look at timing. I checked the timing on the engine and it was something like 12deg at idle, vacuum unplugged, accessories off, and fully warmed up. Holy cow I thought. My mechanic had mentioned setting it.

I got out my metric hex sockets and my timing light and went to work. OK back to 0deg TDC. Sluggish as all get out. Drove around and checked it again. This time it was retarded by about 10deg. Hmmm? I dialed it back up and it was not as advanced as I first started, maybe 17 deg with everything hooked up and about 5 deg or so with vacuum unplugged ( I know spec is 0 TDC). I think I have caught the distributor hanging up so to speak. I believe there is a mechanical advance feature to the distributor that could be getting stuck. Priced one out and had a coronary, 900$ local and 1900 online. My super nice billet distributor for my Chevy was 145. I did not see any rebuild kits available.

Also pulled the cap and it was cracked badly in two places. That is a relatively new cap, I changed it out less than a year ago, shortly after I bought the car. All of this has got to be a clue.

I am pretty much done with the old self diagnosis routine and will bring all this up with the mechanic to see what he thinks.

elolson

Actually it was cracked in FOUR places upon close inspection. The miss got progressively worse on the drive home at the stop lights. I picked up a new Bosch cap and installed it. In the driveway with the car still warm, it idled as smooth as my new born baby's well let's just say it was running good.

But that was not a test drive so it is too soon to declare victory. Looking back I recall that when I first got the car, replacing plug wires and the cap and rotor did make for a much smoother idle.

I called my mechanic and explained what I observed with the timing. He said, yep, it is common for the lubrication to break down and disappear over time and for the mechanical advance to bind up. 20+ degrees of timing at a slow idle would in fact also cause the occasional misfire and rough idle. He never saw the actual distributor fail, just pieces of it and said that it was no big deal to take it apart and lubricate the shaft and all the moving parts including the vacuum advance piece. Mebe I am on to something here.

Horn went out last weekend at the same time I was having problems with the power sun roof. There is still an electrical gremlin in that car somewhere. I reseated all fuses and the sun roof works fine but the horn is still out.

Also noticed that the overflow hose for the antifreeze reservoir decayed off of the metal nipple. It will need to be replaced.

So, I'll drop it off Wednesday. A week home, two days at the shop, a week home, two days at the shop. Hmmm I am starting to see a pattern here.

I am still tracking mileage and should be ready for an update by the end of next weekend. 180 miles so far on the second tank and it is about half.

idamanjax75

Hi all, after many many years of wanting my own classic MB after driving one of my grandfather's restored 116's as an E-zero in the Navy, I finally broke down and purchased my own '85 380SE. So far, so good. Car was in pretty good shape, all accessories worked, AC is good, 103k original miles documented and an odometer that still worked. Timing chain and assorted work was also recently completed over the last two years. Car did come with its own laundry list of to-do items from previous owner. Thankfully he purchased most of the parts and threw them into the deal...

Bilstein comfort shocks
Brembo rotors and EBC red stuff pads and brake lines
used passenger mirror housing (the original was broke and hugged close to the car in a strong wind)
passenger remote mirror switch
cruise control amplifier
new climate control switch

Car needs:

A) rear brake work (obvious the rotors feel warped) getting done this Monday
B) two new tires (previous guy bought 2 tires for the rear a couple of weeks ago before I picked up at the MB dealer, shoulda just bought all 4 because the alignment is terrible from a radial pull) also getting this weekend.
C) belts. purchased from autohaus az, arrives today - friend of mine is a local mechanic from MB dealer that works in their race car department will show me how to do it myself on Saturday
D) shocks. I honestly dont know why it was on their list, the car feels great.
E) windshield washer pump. Also arriving today from autohaus
F) catalytic converter. My MB friend has restored an E from the same era and said it would be better just to take it off and run a straight pipe, but there is a procedure to do it right for the o2 sensors (sounds interesting

Last week I got the passenger mirror on which was easy until I found that the replacement mirror had a 4 plug and mine was a five. So that required a little retrofitting. Also got the remote mirror switch in. Later I went to work on a good detailing since the black paint was dull and there was some oxidation. Meguiars claybar and 3 step cleaner/polish/wax took care of that after some major elbow grease. Car looks fantastic now.

Anyway, I am glad I found you guys!

James

elolson

Welcome James. It sounds like you have a really nice 380se. Please keep us posted on what you find and how you fixed it. No doubt we will all see similar problems eventually.

You are fortunate to have such an experienced friend, that is a true resource.

Do you have any pics?

idamanjax75

Thanks, I do have some pics that I took just after the detailing. For some reason no interior shots yet and that part was better than the exterior save for the usual cracked wood around the gear shifter and the wood peeling off of the backing on the glove box.

The guy I bought the car from also gave me these seat supports that look like small pieces of pool noodles. Guess I need to do a search but does anyone have any experience getting the leather seat covers off? I am sure I'll need a spring too, its kind of annoying shifting my weight to the right side of the seat when driving.

My friend is extremely busy, but at least I can lean upon his expertise and at least he can tell me what and where I need to go if there are some major problems.

I'll have an update after the weekend. If anybody cares (I'm out of cash for it) there is a set of 16inch Rial rims from the 80s on ebay. Aside from these, or some of the gold BBS basketweaves and AMG pentas, these are some choice set of wheels. And the guy is only a little over an hour away from me too.....grrr. "must remain patient, must remain patient, must....."

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AMG-M...spagenameZWDVW

elolson

A very nice looking car . You can easily pick up the shifter wood. Good luck on the glove box. Replacing the seat spring was not that hard. You do need to watch out for the sliding bar that the seat belt goes on or you can tear up the plastic on your center console. Take this off first. It was not that hard and I replaced both the spring and the pad. I did not put a piece of foam down and I absolutely should have. There are 6 screws that must be removed to take the seat off the frame. This requires positioning the seat to line up the screws in the access holes BEFORE you take the seat out. This will allow you to remove 4 of the six screws. Then you need to put the seat back in the car and slide it until the remaining two screws are exposed.

PATIENCE is the key. Get a friend to help take the seat in and out of the car. It is maybe 80 lbs but it is awkward with lots of protruding metal that can carve up upholstery and other irreplaceable parts of your interior trim.

I had problems putting the plastic cover back on the seat belt rod at the bold where it goes into the driveshaft tunnel in the back seat. It is contoured and I did not pay attention when removing and then I got tired and just jammed it back together. Clearly this part could have been done better.

I think your factory rims look great. PM me and you can give me a call and I can try to be more descriptive. It was not that hard. But I did cross thread one screw and put a small tear in my center console plastic. So mebbe a better description is that it is not that hard to do badly, but much more difficult to do professionally as are so many things in life.

elolson

Here is my latest list of items currently under repair. Note that I have added some PM. This is a sea change as most if not all prior work was associated with fundamental repair. Means the car is moving into a new phase, enjoyment and use as opposed to endless repair.

1) Replace radiator expansion tank relief valve drain hose
2) Fix horn
3) Lubricate all door hinges as well as sun roof rails
4) Flush and refill brake fluid
5) Replace rear differential fluid with appropriate weight/grade synthetic oil
6) Clean and lubricate mechanical parts in distributor, set timing to factory spec.
7) Assess distributor rotor, replace if needed. Note that cap is new as of 9/8/08.
8) Replace electrical connector at base of distributor.
9) Assess electrical junction next to diagnostic plug, is something missing? If so, repair/replace, if not, great.

evita

hi,sorry to disturb u,but can u tell me where i can check the information using my VIN number?
Is there any internet site for it?
Many Thanks
Evita

Untertürkheim

http://old.mbclub.ru/mb/vin/?lng=eng

elolson

On the last pass I replaced:

1) Charcoal filter at front of car, drivers side. I figured it had to be worn out and was looking a touch rusty on the top.
2) Replaced both engine mounts
3) Replaced the cruise control amplifier. Was still having an occasional hiccup when functioning.
4) Replaced the climate control unit since my mechanic had a lead on a genuine MB, new part. Several times when I started the car with the center button engaged, the compressor would not come on until I had turned the climate control off, and then back on.
5) Several lights were replaced inside the dash since it was accessible.
6) Replaced the overflow line from the radiator to the expansion tank. The T connection was showing signs of rust.

I have to say that the car is running and functioning pretty good these days. The cruise control stays engaged all the time now but still stutters now and then.

I had a left over striker plate that for some reason I chose not to install when I bought 4 some time back. I went ahead and installed it on the remaining door (pax front side) just to clear up clutter on my table.

I could not help but go back and read the first few posts and noted that MBHustla858 said these cars always need *everything* unless it has already been done. How true that statement was.

Untertürkheim

I will be servicing my 560SEC very soon, although it will be a minor/moderate service. On the list:

1. Oil (Valvoline Syn 5w-40) and filter (OEM) change.
2. Air and oil blowby filter change (all OEM).
3. Spark plug (Bosch Ir+4) change (early change to compensate for former oil burning issue, now fixed)
4. O2 sensor (OEM / Bosch) replacement (still functioning, but slow reaction)
5. Distributor cleaning/lubrication. I would be very interested to hear more about your experience with this, I have a feeling it will improve my car's running.

elolson

I believe that number 5 could be a cause of much of the undiagnosed idling and smooth running issues that we all observe. The reason is that it can be sporadic. I now know what to look for. When your car starts to miss out of the blue and then clears up, I would certainly spend some time looking over the distributor. They need to be lubricated regularly and this gets neglected causing the mechanical advance parts to bind leading to too much advance at idle.

Untertürkheim

What materials did you use? I am assuming an electrical parts cleaner? What type of lubricant? Does MB specify the materials needed?

elolson

I did not. I had Craig's auto repair take it apart to clean and lubricate. I have been so swamped at work and with a new kid I have had no time to wrench on the ride. I just drop it off and pick it up and get out the check book.

I know that is cheating, but I don't have a garage and it has been a really hot summer.

ALICIA21

I agree. I have had major problems with mine

elolson

Had the two front door gaskets completely replaced with factory originals for a good tight fit. Also had the sunroof seals all replaced. Cruise control amp was replaced on warranty as it was still not quite right. Had the oil changed.

The distrib has come up a couple of times. I asked them to look at it again. This time it was pulled out, completely disassembled and all plastic parts were honed and all contact points polished. Drove it home and it ran so completely smooth I almost forgot it had an engine. I did notice two rather large paint nicks on the sun roof that I swear were not there earlier. I might have to inquire about that. Also had the rear link suspension bushings replaced on the mechanics advice.

I need a good wood restore shop. The piece under the instrument cluster is separating. My attempt a gluing was not successful as the super glue is too hard and brittle and eventually failed. Seems like a pro would have more luck. Car is running great otherwise.