Coda, 1986 300SDL, the journey continues........ - Page 20 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Chad300tdt · #**286** 04-16-2010, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

Looks great, Chad! And I'm sure it'll look even better once you're done with it.

But what's up with "HLE-4547"?

Not to worry I have the vanity plate on order.

I submitted these three choices and hope to get the top one. I'll probably get the second one though since we're limited to 7 characters. We'll see.

Chad300tdt · #**287** 04-20-2010, 10:35 PM

I just dropped Coda off at the garage to have the alignment checked again.

When I dropped her off the other day, the guys at the garage said the driver side wheel bearing was going bad and it was adding to the noise I was hearing. I brought the car home to do the bearings myself and just replaced them earlier this evening. I would have done it sooner, but 4 days was the fastest I could get my hands on new bearing sets and seals.

There was a slight brake stutter that had developed recently and it disappeared since replacing the bearings.

I'll be driving it 500 or more miles this weekend so I hope everything is all worked out now.

Chad300tdt · #**288** 04-21-2010, 05:19 PM

Coda is home and handles like a new car!

Chad300tdt · #**289** 04-27-2010, 09:54 AM

Last night it was raining and I was heading out to the store in the SDL. I unlocked the driver side door and the alarm went off and I had to disconnect the battery to shut it off.

Today I opened up the passenger footwell and pulled the larger of the two plugs off the alarm module and now everything works but the alarm. If I pulled both plugs, the stereo didn't work and if I only pulled the small plug there was a steady clicking in the module.

I believe the microswitch in the driver door went bad and I'm pretty sure the cost to replace the whole mechanism is too much.

sixto · #**290** 04-27-2010, 12:47 PM

Once in a rare while I'll unlock the door and the alarm will go off when I pull the door open. I turn the key to unlock again and the alarm stops. It happens infrequently enough that it's not worth further effort.

Sixto
87 300D

Chad300tdt · #**291** 04-27-2010, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixto

Once in a rare while I'll unlock the door and the alarm will go off when I pull the door open. I turn the key to unlock again and the alarm stops. It happens infrequently enough that it's not worth further effort.

Sixto
87 300D

That's the way it was for me before last night. But this time I couldn't get the alarm to turn off with the driver door lock or the trunk lock.

brandlj · #**292** 04-27-2010, 01:45 PM

I have found that when a key starts to wear out, you will get intermittent false alarms when opening the front doors. On my 86 300sdl, one of my master keys will always set off the alarm. I have reverted to using my other master key. I guess after 24 years things start to wear out.
On my 85 380se, I had to have my ignition lock cylinder replaced and I went ahead and replaced the door and trunk locks also so that I could use only one key. The new key from Mercedes does not look as sturdy as the original key. I bet it will not last as long.

frankstallone · #**293** 04-27-2010, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixto

Once in a rare while I'll unlock the door and the alarm will go off when I pull the door open. I turn the key to unlock again and the alarm stops. It happens infrequently enough that it's not worth further effort.

Sixto
87 300D

This happened to me once too, luckily the first thing I did worked. Closed the door, re-locked and re-unlocked it... This also happened randomly to a parking attendant who had no idea what to do and was able to start the car ?! but the same trick worked, closed the door, lock, unlock.

Chad300tdt · #**294** 05-10-2010, 12:19 PM

I mounted the new front "half" plate which required snipping the tabs off the bracket and relocating the temp probe up higher. I like the way the half plate flows with the bumper.

I also got my vanity plate today.

I think I may leave the badges off afterall.

brandlj · #**295** 05-10-2010, 12:37 PM

It looks absolutely awesome! Nice job!

Chad300tdt · #**296** 05-10-2010, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandlj

It looks absolutely awesome! Nice job!

Thanks!

Today was a productive day for the SDL. I was able to swap out the center console, replace the upper shifter bushing, and replace the CCU.

The new console looks great with no warping or breaks anywhere.

I still have to replace the lower shifter bushing, but it's already a surprising improvement after just the top one. There is no longer a pop into reverse when I move the stick to R. It just smoothly goes into gear.

I guess having the linkage tightened up allows for more control going into gear?

The climate control now works normally and no longer goes between blowing ice cold or scorching hot air.

I'll get some pics posted of the console tomorrow.

TheDon · #**297** 05-10-2010, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixto

Once in a rare while I'll unlock the door and the alarm will go off when I pull the door open. I turn the key to unlock again and the alarm stops. It happens infrequently enough that it's not worth further effort.

Sixto
87 300D

I hit a sink hole aka pot hole and the alarm in my SDL went crazy. I couldnt pull over since I was in traffic and it was about 5 minutes until I could..

Chad300tdt · #**298** 05-22-2010, 10:23 PM

Today I replaced the lower shifter bushing, replaced the left brake sensor cable and installed the new head unit. It's an Alpine CDE-103BT. I bypassed the fader and installed the iPod jack in the glove box. I also ran the microphone for the BlueTooth system but I need to get some double sided emblem tape to mount it on the steering column more securely. This head unit allows you to change the color of the face between 4 different colors.

I had to snip the cage a bit so I can remove the climate control panel easily in the future if needed. The power antenna now works as intended after removing a broken section of wire.

I'm still using the factory speakers and haven't installed a subwoofer and amp. I may do a subwoofer in the future, but for now it's a major sound upgrade.

The amber color matches the car interior lights pretty well.

JimmyL · #**299** 05-22-2010, 10:49 PM

Looks great Chad!! Very nice job you are doing.......

brandlj · #**300** 05-23-2010, 10:03 AM

I wonder if David is beginning to miss Coda? It really looks nice. On my 86 300sdl I replaced my rear speakers with some factory speakers from a 88 560sel. They have the 6 inch speaker and two midrange/tweeters mounted on them. They angle in different directions and they have really changed the sound in the car. They fit under the factory grilles also. If you can find some on E-bay, I feel they are definitely worth it.
I also added an amplified subwoofer in the trunk, and it has really helped the bottom. I kept the factory speakers in the dash but added a pair of Volvo tweeters ( from a 760 Turbo ) and they all fit under the factory grilles also. No extra cutting needed. My sound has improved drastically.
Oh, my head unit is an older Panasonic with 50W per channel times 4. Alas, no Bluetooth or Ipod input as of yet.

In my 67 Beetle, I installed an old Becker Europa II with an Ipod cable that plugs into the DIN input slot in the back of the radio. It plays AM/FM stereo until I plug the ipod into the input jack and then it plays my Ipod tunes. Plus, it looks like it belongs in the dash of a classic old Beetle.