Fall to-do list wrap up
 

As winter approaches I decided to take advantage of this weekends nice weather to prepare and get those remaining items off my to-do list.

Started with a new air cleaner, new wiper blade, windshield cleaning and some maint to the wiper assembly.

Then I installed new Bilstein 'sport' struts and shocks along with new strut mounts. Put away the summer sneakers and installed the winter boots.

Ending the weekend with a transmission fluid and filter change.

Old man winter, I'm ready :D

My Dad just came back from PA and claimed it is already too Cold for him.

Some have said reaming or otherwise the Carbon out of the Glow Plug Holes helped them start easier in cold Weather. I can only Parrot that as I don't live in a cold area.

You might want to check the condition of the Rear Axle Boots.

This time of year the weather in eastern PA is unpredictable. Tuesday (election day) it was 28F, today they claim our high will be 62F. However after spending a winter in Montreal QE my baseline for cold was adjusted.

3,858 miles ago I reamed the Carbon from the Glow Plug Holes and installed new plus as part of a big overhaul.

Tuesday morning it started right up, but I must admit it was plugged in overnight :D

With winter coming on is your anti-freeze up to the task?

all battery terminal and mount points clean and corrosion/oxidation free?

Brand new, well almost - it has 3,858 miles on it. Replaced as part of the engine overhaul.

Clean and corrosion free. Taken care of 3,348 miles ago when I upgraded the alternator and wiring :) .

Adjust valves, maybe switch to a part synthetic oil, keep a cetane boost fuel additive in the trunk.

this is certainly a helpful winter checkup on the older vehicles, but the 124's all have hydraulic lifters... nothing to adjust!

DOH, missed the engine, a big help, hydraulic valves.

ok, your engine and transmission related issues are all sorted, how about the tires? and don't forget to check the air in the spare! also check it's age! if the tire is original, or old, it's useless for its task!
during the engine swap, did you change all belts and hoses?

Cmon' guys you're overthinking it, in the winter you need heated seats and AAA premium

toomany MBZ: Tossing a bottle of cetane boost in the trunk is a good idea, thanks.

vstech: I run dedicate winter and summer tires. When installing the winter tires this weekend I filled the tires to just shy of max pressure (per the sidewall) with nitrogen :D. Checked and topped off pressure in the spare since it was out of it's hole. And yes the belt and hoses are almost new being replaced as part of the engine work.

Simpler=Better: Don't have heated seats, instead I have the dealer installed German sheepskins. I do however have a AAA Premier card - regardless of where I breakdown, it's home I want it to end up via a flat bed.

I'm just poking fun :D

How old are your glow plugs? I'm assuming only 3,348 miles :D

I approach everything with a happy / positive outlook otherwise there would be no fun in the day :)

Your spot on about the age of my glow plugs, in fact the maintenance history of my car from the day it was sold is available here for all the world to see.

Enjoy!