This weekend, I finally got the threaded ring for my timing chain tensioner on the 6.9 and was able to re-install it. I have no idea what the deal is but the tensioner leaks like crazy. After three attempts of refitting the tensioner and installing it to speck (torquing the threaded ring to 40nm and the the tensioner cap to 50 nm. the tensioner stopped leaking..... until I took it for a drive and now I am back to having a steady drip. What the hell.

Saturday was spent with a friend at the shop. We spent it replacing the steering coupling (the joint between the steering arm and the power steering pump) and the steering damper. The car now drives like a sports car the oil pressure line got nipped and the line was too brittle to repair so we clamped a small hose in place temporarily. Does anyone know if a new oil pressure gauge hose can be bought?

I'm amazed at how well this car now drives, it really handles like a sports car.

Thr rest of the day was spent on the 500slc. We eventually figured out what why the engine died the way it did last week. It appears that the engine was completely flooded. Checking the oil revealed that the oil was more like 50% gas.

Last week I ordered new plugs, plug wires and the blue resistor, so we changed the oil (which drained in less then a minute it was so thin) and pulled all the plugs, replaced them and the plug wires. I dialed the fuel mixture all the way anti clockwise until it would turn no more and then we turn it 1/4 turn to clockwise until the car started. Once it started, I was able to tune it enough to where it sounded right.

While the car ran, it still had a significant miss. In looking at the plugs, 5 were soaking wet and three were completely dry. I suspected that on these cylinders, the injectors were blocked so we removed the three suspect injectors and they were dirty! nasty dirty!!

I soaked them in parts cleaner for 30 mins and then sprayed them down brake parts cleaner and scrubbed the caked on dirt on the outside with a wire brush. I then sprayed break parts cleaner and then carb cleaner through the injector nozzle until I got a good spray pattern and refitted the injectors. The car still had a slight miss (probably from another injector) but it's a lot smoother then before.

I took the car out for a spin after i got it running. I would like to make the following comments.. Holy cow this car is fast! It's not like a 6.9 in it's low end grunt but it really does scare the crap out of you as it climbs up the rev range. Very nice indeed!

I let my friend drive it around the block and he had a huge grin when he came back. This made all this effort worth it.

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With best regards

Al