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Hey there. I've been driving a bmw 325 XIT for the past year and have owned an audi in the past, so I'm not new to german vehicles. I was browsing the local craigslist last week and came upon a 2003 C240 for sale. Owner said it died on him and he had it towed to Midas where they diagnosed it as a faulty fuel pump. Looking over the car in person, it also needed a few other things.. It had a spare tire on, has a crack in the windshield, and the hood latch is broken. He was asking $500, but we negotiated and I picked it up for $300 without even looking at the engine or seeing if it would turn over.
Got the car home Saturday afternoon on a flatbed hauler and started poking around. I put a used battery in it as the original was dead from sitting for a couple months, and could hear the fuel pump kick on. It showed 1/4 tank but on a whim, I put in 2 gallons of fuel I had in the garage, primed the pump, and it fired right up. I drove it around the block and into the garage where I plan on fixing the parking brake. (light stays on, tire drags a bit) I removed the rear seat and access panel and found the passenger side brake cable had slipped off. I sprayed PB blaster liberally all over the linkage and hooked the cable back up. I'm going to check it tonight and see if it functions any better after working it back and forth. I also got the trunk open and SURPRISE, the regular rim was in there with a brand new tire on it. On that goes!!! I also noticed it will need a new intake tube on the engine as one is completely shot and I ordered a new plastic tab and spring for the hood release. I ordered a mahle fuel filter/regulator assembly as well as a spare bosch crank sensor and will put the fuel filter on tonight. Following that, I plan on testing the fuel pump pressure to make sure its adequate and will probably also pull the pump out to do a visual inspection. The car has 167k miles and is dirty inside, but it should be fun to clean it up and get it operational again. On a side note, I charged the original battery up over the weekend and will see if it holds a charge. My charger said it was still good, but time will tell. I'll throw some pictures up when I get home. It's silver with gray interior.
C230 Sport Coup + 2006 W164 ML350 + 99 Ford Escort (What the heck, it gets 38 mpg!)
Yeah, it's just unreal how little you can pick these cars up for...
saw a ~ 05 (don't remember exactly what year but it was W209 ie 203 based)
CLK convertible on craigslist in nice shape here in Cali (so Cali car no rust)
with like 100k miles looked nice. And apparently they messed up the
EIS (ie ignition key) so won't start, and granted it's a 1K repair that MUST be performed by
and authorized shop or dealer, but hey, otherwise a complete car,
asking $1K. Maybe they'd take $300 ? Ha!!! $500 perhaps?
If I just had a place to work on cars...
Last edited by C230 Sport Coup; 01-28-2019 at 04:53 PM.
C230 Sport Coup + 2006 W164 ML350 + 99 Ford Escort (What the heck, it gets 38 mpg!)
PS> If you have problems holding a charge, #1 issue is the seat controllers.
There's a mod with a relay that solves it for like 5 bucks here somewhere
without buying new controlllers.
Congrat on your 'new' W203!
And btw these days, you can find C240's frequently at Picknpull.
C230 Sport Coup + 2006 W164 ML350 + 99 Ford Escort (What the heck, it gets 38 mpg!)
Probably, but easiest way is if the battery is going dead overnight,
disconnect the seat modules, (look around forum for connector locations)
and see if the problem goes away.
I specifically got manual seats so I wouldn't have to deal with scheisse like this.
Many threads on this subject.
Have you located the fuse locations and diagrams?
Originally located in panel on left side of dash, or download here...
somewhere.
3 fuse panels, there, under the hood and left side in the trunk.
Sadly, no, not yet. It's parked about 8 inches from my other car and I can't get a good photo angle.
I did, however, get the parking brake issue resolved and got the new fuel filter/regulator put on, so there's that. Just waiting on the intake tube, plastic pull tab and spring for the hood latch, and inner dooor handles. I'm hoping to have time tonight to give it a good vacuum and cleaning as well, but yeah, with temps dropping here in the midwest, even in an enclosed garage, it can get pretty darn cold and the chair next to my xbox is a lot more inviting.
Overall condition of the interior before I started cleaning Seats came amazingly clean. Carpet is another story. I have yet to start on it, but I think I'm going to pull the front seats to get the carpet out. I want to source new hvac knobs. Mine have the coating coming off. Also, simple green takes the dye/paint off the steering wheel. Do most people use hot soapy water to clean it?
I need to clean the headlights with the sylvania kit and repaint or replace the front bumper insert I put a new set of cheap center caps on the car to dress it up. I think I am going to remove the black strip along the edges of the doors to give it a cleaner look
I took the carpet out on the front passenger side to see if it would be easier to clean out of the car. I think what I'm going to do is take out the front seats and center console if necessary, then pull the entire carpet out, hang it up, and pressure wash it to get the funk out of it. There's a bit of everything ground in to this carpet and lots of stains between the seats and center consoles. No way I'll get it all out without removing everything. Who knows, maybe by just removing the seats I'll have enough access to the carpet. Also new front door handles are on their way and should be here today.
I did a fuel system pressure test just for grins and it shows 55 psi when running so I think the pump is fine. I would imagine it would either work or not work.
I think I am going to remove the black strip along the edges of the doors to give it a cleaner look
YES, I think this would be a great idea.
Once you clean the headlights and have the trim/insert piece replaced or repainted, the exterior will look as good as new.
Looks like a piece broke of on the grill, so will you replace this as well?
I replaced the failing hood struts so now the hood won’t fall on my head. I was gone all day today at a b-ball tourney, but plan on changing the oil and first drain and refill of the transmission tomorrow. Got the new gray door handles in the other day and will install them also tomorrow. It’s still bitterly cold, was 35 degrees in the garage Friday, but I pulled the drivers seat and cleaned the carpet on that side. I’ll pull the passenger side tomorrow and do the same there. Will post pics in the AM. I will be driving it starting Monday or Tuesday and start making it my DD.
Didn't get everything accomplished but did get a lot done. All carpet is clean, seats are back in, interior door pulls were replaced, and the oil was changed.
Tonight, I hope to jack the car up, replace some of the missing under body shield screws, and perform my first 1 gallon drain and refill of the transmission. I'm also debating getting a new fuel level sender unit but am looking for a cheap one off ebay as I don't want to spend the money just yet. Maybe I should pull the old one out along with the fuel pump and just take a look at everything to see if none of the hoses are disconnected.
C230 Sport Coup + 2006 W164 ML350 + 99 Ford Escort (What the heck, it gets 38 mpg!)
Seems to be coming along nicely. I can say, getting the bolts and clips for the
pans from local hardware, they don't fit very well. With taking the covers on and off many times, the clips get worn
out and don't hold the screws so well...
Damn things kept falling down while I was driving, once in the middle of nowhere at 3am,
and I had to climb under the car with nothing more than the crappy jack supplied by
Mercedes. The covers were dragged and got holes in them
The point of all this, eventually, I just ordered new screws and clips from Mercedes,
along with new covers, and no problems since.
As far as cleaning the steering wheel, and refinishing, thats a project I'd like to do...
I picked a spare from picknpull for $20 (Ha, sells new for $1000)
and I'm trying to figure out how to refinish the leather,and find the correct dye, looks like the same color as yours,
but i have 3 spoke. Let me know what you come up with on that...
I'm going to try a 'Magic Eraser' saw a video on that and Lexol leather cleaner...
the one in the car is sooooo groady. Don't think that will completely resolve it though....
I guess you got the center console out, there a trick to it....I think I post instructions somewhere related to the
ESM (Electronic Shift Module, ie the shifter).
Will work on this tonight probably. I ended up selling my BMW XIT last night and now just have this as my main car until I get something else. I did order the passenger front moulding to replace mine that is missing paint. I also need some touch up paint but can't find this exact color anywhere. Ideas? There are no mercedes dealers near me. Closest one is in Kansas City I think and I rarely go there.
Will work on this tonight probably. I ended up selling my BMW XIT last night and now just have this as my main car until I get something else. I did order the passenger front moulding to replace mine that is missing paint. I also need some touch up paint but can't find this exact color anywhere. Ideas? There are no mercedes dealers near me. Closest one is in Kansas City I think and I rarely go there.
With your VIN you should be able to determine the exact color code. Any reputable automotive paintshop should be able to mix the exact color code.
01-28-2019, 11:13 AM
Turning a $300 C240 into a DD..
