elolson

OK latest update.

1) Replaced back passenger door seal gaskets. This makes all 4 and the car is quieter
2) Replaced a plastic connector behind drivers side kick-panel that was leaking air and causing the auto door locks not to work, this is now fixed

Still enjoying the car and it runs great. I do need to find someone to restore wood. The piece under the instrument cluster has separated.

idamanjax75

Eric (or any other knowlegable 126er)- it's been a while, Still nothing major for me, except the annoying slight putt putt in drive stopped at a light. I only feel it in my seat. Anyway, i am looking at finally tackling this once and for all. I read in an earlier post that the problem may lay in my Lambda control unit. Just to clarify, the lambda control unit is the same as the KE control unit (ignition control??). Sorry, I may need a link to the part from autohausaz or something.

I have managed to get a few odds and ends done to an otherwise flawless car. I am now a self certified master of door panel removal and repair of all items Stock 14's are repainted. European headlights are on. Shocks are replaced, but still seems to exhibit a "wobble" at higher speeds. As if it gets hit by the wind too often. Something I would not expect in car this heavy. Is this a symptom of subframe mounts?

Last of all, I switched motor oil to M1 15w-50. Now I am looking at ATF and Rear End oil to synthetic. Based on some of the posts about M1 changing around their ATF formulas etc, what is recommended for an 85 380SE??

idamanjax75

Eric, BTW my wood seperated under the cluster as well as the glove box door and the piece surrounding the passenger side vent.

If I may, gorilla glue worked great for me. I had some C clamps for the wood piece i removed from the glove door. That did the trick. For the others I just put the glue on a "self made" applicator (business card) and slid it under the wood that detatched from the metal backing. The hardest part is pressing down with your hands for about 10 minutes (I know there must be an easier way, I was just getting to know the car better, accompany with music)

So far the wood has held for two months. Summer may be a different story, but I have more glue...

idamanjax75

Newest pics, taken just after a wash and more importantly the bundt wheel strip and repaint with original astral silver.

Of course while the wheels were getting re-finished, I took the time to keep my aggravation levels up when the car's front bumper "kissed" the side of the garage pulling out

I think I will leave it there to remind myself it will never be perfect.

elolson

Stunning pics, your car looks great !

I used a blended epoxy, the glue was too brittle. I should have used a softer wood glue. I got lazy and did not stick it back down right away and my sun shade caught the lose piece and cracked it. Yep, I get the idiot of the year award for not addressing a problem with a part I knew I could not replace.

High speed wobble. Hmmm, suspensions are so complicated. Good balance on the tires and alignment? I would tend to think it was wheel related. Shocks? Good luck and please post if you do figure it out.

Thanks for keeping us updated.

idamanjax75

wood under the cluster broke? #@!

Will definitely keep an eye out for one that comes out on Craigslist or ebay. Is yours Zebrano?

My wobble comes and goes, but normally its crosswinds. I think it mainly has to do with the wheel/tire combo. Cooper lifeliners on stock 14's.

Rear diff was drained last weekend and filled with Mobil 1 75w90. Rear end hum lessened slightly.

This weekend is the transmission with B&M Syth. Trick Shift.

I also plan on doing the instrument cluster needle repaint in the next couple of weeks. Trying to build up the courage...

elolson

Yes lambda is the same as KE control unit. Sorry, I did not see question earlier. I have mostly been of the opinion that oil is oil but do run synthetic in my differentials.

I basically stopped working on the car myself. I found a good mechanic who is reasonable and MB is all he does. I am not a professional mechanic and many of my more recent repairs have been trim and vacuum line leaks. This is skilled stuff and I just did not have the time for it anymore.

Good luck on your instrument cluster. That sounds like if something goes wrong it could be a disaster.

Wood is zebrano, if you find a piece post me a PM.

Eric

Lancelot

Off topic, but where do you guys check the VIN getting all this data?!

elolson

Untertürkheim was able to figure that out. I don't know where he got his info.

morris374

i feel kinda bad for some of u guys my 420SEL really hasnt had any major problems EVER i mean i replace parts as they break but i love my car to the death i dont really use it as a daily driver but when i need it to perform it always shows up

elolson

The rear view mirror exploded a couple of days ago. The plastic frame was cracked in a few spots. I flipped the lever for night view and the frame broke a part with pieces flying everywhere. I guess that is a pretty hefty spring they have in there. I have one ordered and will get it installed on Friday.

Car has been running great otherwise. It was in the high 90's here today and the A/C was icey cold. Morris, I think the lesson learned for me was not to buy a brand for which I had no experience with. If I bought another MB (W126) I would know what to look for. I posted all this junk, along with others, so they would know what happened to mine and what can go wrong.

I kind of ended up with the car. Next time I would make sure everything worked, not kinda sorta, but 100% worked. I would also get a dealer check-out. My MB of Tucson charges 145 for this, it would have been money well spent. I have theories on the car but at this point it is moot, I have basically fixed or replaced every system on the car and I know what I have. It all works at this point. The only blemish is the single wood trim piece. It does not leak or burn a drop of oil and is smooth and powerful. Just night and day from when I first got it, but I did not know any better.

However, I am very glad to hear that your 420 is a good car. I would not want anyone to go through what I have so far.

Berde

Wobble could be bent wheels, flat spot tire, Track rod bushings and Idle arm bushing set gone bad, wheel balance, bad tie rod end, etc. Have it check by your mechanic...

BTW, dont' forget the coolant, use MB not the green stuff.

elolson

OK, latest update:

1) Replaced all the rubber exhaust hangers as after only a year they have rotted out in the heat/use
2) Replaced every single diaphram under the dash under the dash, figured that as long as they were in there, might as well do it right this included air scoop flap element, legroom flap, defroster flap, recirculating diaphram left and right, and the center nozzle diaphram.
3) Had to have the power steering pump resealed, so it was taken out, take apart, and new orings and shaft seal kit installed. This last one pissed me off since MB of El Paso installed this pump as new about a year ago. Sure did not last long until it started seeping. There was no drops on the ground but I could see the residue blown around the engine compartment and wanted that to stop. It turned out to be a reman pump since it had grey paint on it, I guess MB does not use any paint. Shop said it was hard to take apart so it was clear that the reman job was not quite right.

4) Also had the oil/filter changed with Kendall 20-50.
5) Also, shop used a drimmel to hog out the accessory wood just a smidge to make the climate control unit fit a little more flush, the three push buttons for fan speed was too tight and had popped back into the dash dragging the rest of it back with it. They nicked some of the laminate but just barely and I knew this could happen before I gave the OK to try.
6) Had the wood under the instrument cluster removed and it is now in the trunk. Madera Concepts out in California said they could redo the veneer so I am going to ship it off to them and have it redone.
7) Had review mirror replaced, new once is nice and tight.

So, A/C vents blew hard and were fully functional for all buttons When they pulled it apart they said only two had vacuum leaks, but I figured it was just a matter of time before the other ones wore out as well and each time you open up the dash there is the risk of breaking stuff, so that was the logic to do them all at once.

Happy driving!

idamanjax75

I believe in that whole concept of changing stuff out while youre "in there". Where did you find the parts for all of that?

Glad you are getting the wood re-done. I have sent my shifter wood to a guy in CT that does Jaguar wood. Figured I'd save on shipping while my dad works on his interior.

If you havent seen my other thread, I picked up some 16in BBS RS wheels a couple of weeks ago. I just finished taking off all 144 bolts last night doing a wheel per night this week. Sometime over the weekend I am going to separate the 3 pieces using the kitchen oven method and start stripping, sanding and re-polishing the lip. Thank goodness there are some good writeups on this over on the Dub forums. I'll keep you posted.

I have just one more question; the silver faces look good, but they can stand to be brighter IMO, but I am torn between classic silver or going all out 80's and painting them BBS gold, which i always thought looked better on BMWs and Porsches. Opinions? The link attached is to another car with the same rims, only difference is mine is black.

elolson

The BBS wheels, being aftermarket, I think would look best with gold for the honeycomb. Classic silver for classic rims, go for the gold with the BBS. My 2cents.

My mechanic and I go through the list, some thing I can get cheaper, some things he can get cheaper and he is good with installing my parts. BAP import auto parts in Tucson has cheaper prices and faster shipping than anything I have found on-line. They get stuff for me over night all the time and it does not cost me a dime. I pay local sales tax, but that is usually cheaper than shipping anyway. Also, I like to support the local guys. All the AC stuff from my last post was sourced by Craig's Auto, I do not know who their supplier is, probably a wholesale place out of Phoenix or Cali.

The power steering pump started knocking two days ago and I parked it. I am going to drop it off this morning, it is topped off with fluid, but clearly something ain't right in there. Wood is safely in the trunk. I have to wait a couple pay checks before sending that off, the wife has put me on MB part restriction after all that AC work.

idamanjax75

Sorry about the P/S pump. Hope its something simple.

Boy, I'm in the same spot. I went over my savings acct. budget getting these wheels, but i couldnt pass them up for only $350! No tires yet = no cash. I got quotes to have them professionally taken apart here in town and it was northwards of $180 per wheel! No thanks, at that rate I will be living in the car. Best to learn a new trade in this instance when the funds are low and gives me something to do while saving.

Thanks, that's one vote for gold!

elolson

Pump was fine, problem was a cracked pulley. Replaced under warranty . So for those of you banging away on your pulley's to get them off the shaft check to make sure they are not cracked before reinstalling. I have mangled at least 1 pulley in my life. Yeah I know the right puller, ya da yada yahda, but sometimes the urge to reach for the BFH and a crowbar are just overpowering, and the result is sadly predictable. OK, hot hot hot down here in sunny Tucson these days and I am counting on the A/C to be tip top. I'll take some pics of the wood before sending it off and when it gets back.

elolson

A small update:

1) The A/C system that I installed not more than two years ago developed a leak in the compressor . So for the second time I have owned this car I have had to redo the A/C system. I replaced the following: A/C compressor, drier, expansion valve. The system was flushed and I went back to R12 from R134. The R134 just does not work as good as R12 in a system originally designed for it. It was a few hundred for the freon but well worth it here in Tucson

2) I have a solution for the long intermittent dying when coming to a stop problem. The vacuum booster line was cracked and leaking air into the system. I had done a hard acceleration and that is what finally exacerbated the problem to the point that it made the engine run rough all the time. Now when I decelerate into a light the idle goes right to 500rpm and does not bounce around. Previously, the idle was very unstable coming into a moderate stop and would sometimes die. That had caused me to replace the ignition module under advice from the mechanic. But alas that did not solve the problem. The transmission also shifts smoother now that this vacuum issue is fixed.

3) The A/C was not operating and traced to a bad ignition contact where you insert the key.

4) While working on the A/C, the mechanic noticed a worn transmission cooler hose that he advised replacing. This was also done.

I have not yet sent in my dash wood

idamanjax75

Last I posted I was restoring some BBS RS wheels for the car. Well those have been done for the past two months. Unfortunatly savings have gone to another fix on the car, but oh was it worth it.

Over the weekend I replaced transmission fluid and drained torque converter with B&M syn trick shift that one of our very good members from the Atlanta area shared that he uses. Car shifts great now. And quiet. Thats nice but.....

Today my new bosch fuel distributor was installed by my very helpful older friend (ex-porsche) mechanic. Found on Ebay, listed for $850, sold for $500.

My bad idle is gone, smooth power upon accelleration. Car flies on the highway. First thought, "this is the 380 engine?" Car is fantastic now! Original symptom diagnosed was that the #7 cylinder was not getting enough fuel from the old distributor. 150 plus US spec HP never felt sooo good. Just wanted to share. Hopefully now I can save for tires for those BBS planters I have sitting in the living room as art-deco pieces these past two months.

elolson

I finally completed the wood restoration and installation. The last piece was the wood under the instrument cluster. I shipped it to Madera Concepts in Goleta, CA and they did an amazing job of restoring the wood.

Attached are pictures. All the wood in the car is now in top condition.




Other work includes:
I have replaced the AC compressor, AGAIN.
Replaced the Cruise control actuator and this did finally clean up all remaining CC issues, it now is smooth and constant.

elolson

Car left me walkin a few days ago. Fuel pump relay. That is one expensive relay but it was easy to replace and did the job.

Also had the plastic wire looms replaced on the valve covers.

Currently shopping around for a place to redo the leather.

Running like a champ, smooth and plenty of power. I am especially happy with the cruise control. Replacing the actuator made a world of difference. Surging is gone and so is the knock that I used to hear out of the old box when I first started it up.

ludolab

Just got a 1985 mercedes 380se. runs well in pretty good condition. everything works well. all the electronics are working. It seems to have 2 issues I could use some help with:

1. Oil pressure is always topped out at 3. engine does not overheat and even when ac is on or off no effect on oil pressure. I don't know 2 much about cars but the only time the oil pressure goes down a little bit is when the car is running smoothly with no pressure on gas pedal.

2. Second issue is when the car is in park or nuetral the engine races to about 2000rpm. when engaged its fine. never seems to misfire when accelerating

Are these things issues or pretty normal for a 25 year old car. I have read its more serious if the car has low oil pressure.

Any help would be great. I love this car but it was a hand-me down and I rerally can't afford to put to many $$$'s into it.

Thanks

elolson

the 2000 rpm in park or neutral is not normal. I think mine does this when I pull the plug on the idle control valve. ur are going to have to figure out whether it is the valve, the wiring harness, or the idle control unit.

I have not post in a while. I lost track of all the stuff I have fixed.

I replaced all the injectors last spring, it had the original ones in it. I replaced all the springs and rubber spring seats. That made a huge difference in ride hight. I had no idea the rear end was sagging like it was. Also had a suspension kit installed in the front, will need to get the name, was having some alignment issues.

I had a mechanic rebuild an antenna for me. So i got rid of the 1 stage hirschman and installed a factory original part number. So now the partial deploy button works. I was amazed to find that the height is user adjustable. It has a default but you can raise or lower at will by using the rocker switch.

I had the plastic latches on the two rear deck storage hood replaced and rebuilt. Put in the current part number for medical kit. Had a gasket replaced on the bypass valve on the water pump.

I replaced the passenger power mirror with a new one. The old one was grindy and did not work well. The new one is the entire assembly which is nice since it has better glass than the old one. Finally got the rear defroster working. It was a loose wire.

I have also switched to MB of Tucson to do the work. Price as comparable, they started working with me on parts and cost and have been doing really high quality work. The loaned benz is also a nice benny.

replaced plastic door supports on the rear doors. These are half way across the door support/close bars. The originals were all plastic and cracked. The new ones have brass inserts.

Car is down to a short list of things that need to be done, some big some not.

1) Still need to replace the antenna cable. It is functional but had been cut in the past.
2) Need a new refrigerant line that has the muffler in it.
3) Needs new upholstry for all seats.
4) Needs pax seat frame replaced
5) Needs painted

Car runs very nice. Drives smooth, handles well, everything works. Of course at this point I could have bought a new one, but what the hell.

elolson

so bottom line is the car is now mechanically sound. I would not hesitate to drive it to say, puntas arenas, chile or to alaska. To make it cherry to the max it just needs the paint and new leather. Wood has all been redone that was broken. I guess I do need to have the piece on the driver door redone since it has a small crack developing, but this was too minor to make the list.


What a haul. Make sure you check out used cars very very good. At this point I have obviously developed a mania. I am saving for the interior first and paint will be the very last. Plan is this summer.

benz rider

elolson, it appears to me that you bought a POS to begin with to have spent so much to get it running properly, I take it? you should'nt have to spend that much on a good running benz unless you pulled it out of barn after 25 years of sitting. is that what you did?