1983 Euro TD project thread

[funola]

Originally Posted by Benzasaurus

Well, we went to take the seats out to clean them and put in some noodles and some foam and... got caught out by some cables. They go to the heating element. I took a photo and will upload it later. There's no obvious plug like under the window switches or anything that would make it a little more plug and play.

Any idea what to do at this stage? We put it back together to hand tightness; I just figured it would be better to ask for ideas and advice instead of taking apart the heating element without knowing anything about it.

No one had any ideas? Sorry , I was busy putting in wireless remote door lock.

Follow the wires from the seat or from the switch, there should be a connector in between. If not, cut the wires and splice them back later.

[cooljjay]

Well if you think that blaupunk arm is to ugly and in the way.....I will take it I would love to find one of those for my car, another accessories to play with Also it just pops into that bracket on the carpet..

[mbwrench123]

I AM NOT GOOD AT TYPING,BUT VERY GOOD AS A 40YEAR MB TECH, SO HERE IT GOES. ADVICE, First thing You do w/ any used car is, Change all Fluids and Filters!! Yes the P/S has a Filter also. second, Replace T/Chain,Tension er Spring, Clamping Rail ( long & curved). Chains WILL stretch, Check & correct Pump Timing, Adjust Valves Preferably Cold. Do not strip the Car down and do the B/W !!! After Mech. Repairs You want to make Sure that Engine & Drivetrain are Sound!!! Proper B/W WILL run You 5K & up! The Body & cosm. come Last! There are Add. against Mild. The Tank Screen You can pull w/ a 19mm Wrench and more than likely it Will turn the Whole Screen Ass. Repl. the Hose after You grind the Crimp, Get a Fuel line at You local Parts Store ( DONT tell them its a Benz or their Brain will Shut down) You will have the Fitting in You Hand for the prop. Size. If You are going to use Veggi oil Mix You Will have to do one more Step when You pull the Tank. Any Questions Please Post. Alex

[clacker]

The heated seats have a two pin black connector somewhere close to the seat, the wires might be hooked into the seat bottom with a clip, and the connector housing after the clip (making it seem like a harness without a way to undo it), but positive there is a two pin black housing to disconnect it from the seat, I have recently removed some it is still clear to me.

[gatorblue92]

The seats should have a plug on the seat end of the wires. It will most likely be difficult to remove but I would do it instead of cutting the wires.

[Benzasaurus]

Thanks for advice on the seats!

We took it apart to take it out of the car and got caught on the cable (unsuspecting!) I figured there would be an easy way to disconnect it but couldn't see one. So we'll go a little more slowly next time and see what we find.

Just to get a wide survey of opinions: pool noodles and NU Foam will be ok around the heating element, right? Planning on pool noodles below the heating element. Maybe NU foam above it (haven't done a seat rebuild before though).

I also just want to clarify that I am definitely getting body shop quotes, but not going to go forward with any body work until mechanicals are in full, fine order.

But, as it stands, there are no oil leaks, no atf problems, and coolant seems to be keeping its level謡ill keep checking. Shifts are very smooth after warm up and not that hard during warm up at all. A/C blowing slightly cold (but musty). All power windows and doors locks work (although driver rear door lock is stubborn if its humid). SLS appears to work well (waiting to do full test). Brakes are a little soft. E-brake needs fixing. Radio is fine if in awful theft preventative housing. All instruments in cluster work fine. Steering has small amount of play.

This coming Wednesday my indie will give it a full inspection and we'll see what they find.

[Strand]

Originally Posted by Benzasaurus

This coming Wednesday my indie will give it a full inspection and we'll see what they find.

Who's your indie, if you don't mind me asking? I've been looking around for a mechanic knowledgable with W123s in the tri-state area in case something goes really wrong. So far, I've either been doing the work myself or taking it to a cheap and cheerful shop in Brooklyn (for heavier things that I can't do on the street) that doesn't know the first thing about these cars, but seems to do a decent job with the very specific instructions I give them.

[Strand]

Also--I've been actively following this thread since you started it. Really exciting stuff! Being the new owner of a freshly acquired Benz in similar shape, I may be a able to learn a thing or two from your experiences. Gorgeous car!

[funola]

Originally Posted by gatorblue92

The seats should have a plug on the seat end of the wires. It will most likely be difficult to remove but I would do it instead of cutting the wires.

I wrote:
"Follow the wires from the seat or from the switch, there should be a connector in between. If not, cut the wires and splice them back later."

So, no s**t, don't cut it unless there really is no connector. I have never had heated seats in a W123 have you? If you have, please provide exact location of the connector. My guess: the connector is under the MbTex, very close to the heating element and the MbTex may have to be peeled back to expose the connector

[funola]

Here's a thread I found which may shed some light on the heated seats. I have not read through it to see if it will help or not.

W123 OEM Heated Seat Switch & Wiring - Mercedes-Benz Forum

[funola]

One thing I would suggest is checking the seat heater element continuity. You can do that with an ohmmeter from the switch. Chances are the element is burned out after 30 years of use and abuse from being sat on.

[gatorblue92]

Originally Posted by funola

I wrote:
"Follow the wires from the seat or from the switch, there should be a connector in between. If not, cut the wires and splice them back later."

So, no s**t, don't cut it unless there really is no connector. I have never had heated seats in a W123 have you? If you have, please provide exact location of the connector. My guess: the connector is under the MbTex, very close to the heating element and the MbTex may have to be peeled back to expose the connector

Lol no I haven't seen them but I would imagine the plug is hidden like in the W124 heated seats.

[Benzasaurus]

Apologies for lack of updates! And thanks for all the encouragement.

There was basically a whole of lot of work related stuff that came up a couple of weeks ago that was URGENT. You know, it never rains, it pours.

Anyway!

On Wednesday I got the wagon into the indie mechanic to get their opinion on it. Their opinion was good. So far as safety and mechanical issues:

-rust is not structural
-very minor oil leak probably valve gasket
-ATF leak in flex hose
-kink in fuel supply hose, possibly causing fuel supply problems (could this explains intermittent lack of power from 10-25mph?)
-tank screen needs doing
-right front ball joint needs replacing (he showed it to me... yeesh!)
-evidence of slight coolant leak visible from underneath
-valves need adjusting, linkage needs lubricating
-elbow on top of valve cover leaking
-e-brake lines loose underneath
-rear brakes need doing soon, front brakes too
-glow plugs need doing

I've been enjoying driving it and have noticed that it has some weird starts as well. Sometimes after it glows (for five hours) it will crank but not turn over and run. I think I'm using these terms correctly. It makes that repeated grinding noise without starting up, that's what I mean (yesterday, it did this and then did start up to my surprise). And one other occasion it made a different grinding and whirring noise that just died off like a sad exhausted bleat. That was a bit alarming. About 1/3 or 1/4 starts are weird right now. I'm going to replace the glow plugs and then reassess that situation.

I doubt people will be impressed with this, but I've decided to replace the coolant with propylene glycol based coolant instead of ethylene glycol. It will do the same job of keeping it from freezing and boiling, and it won't kill anything if a leak springs up. The thing that swung it was realizing that on some of the hottest days so far this summer we were eating propylene glycol. I encourage you to look at the ingredients on a box of Almond Joys. If it's good enough for ice-cream, it's good enough for my car and any cats chilling underneath it when its parked.

I added some Star Tron a while ago and gunk has started to appear in the pre-filter. Yum!

I'm hopeful about finding time to do the seat repair this weekend. I'll try to take some photos of the cables and see how that goes.

[Benzasaurus]

Originally Posted by Strand

Who's your indie, if you don't mind me asking? I've been looking around for a mechanic knowledgable with W123s in the tri-state area in case something goes really wrong. So far, I've either been doing the work myself or taking it to a cheap and cheerful shop in Brooklyn (for heavier things that I can't do on the street) that doesn't know the first thing about these cars, but seems to do a decent job with the very specific instructions I give them.

Hi! I found the thread about your car and subscribed.

There are two really good shops in my area: there's JP Motors in Woodbridge, CT and Classic Motor Car Service in Branford, CT, off exit 56 on I-95. I only visited JP Motors a couple of times and I liked them but got the impression they just didn't have a whole lot of time for talking with owners about their cars. I may well have been mistaken, but they definitely do excellent work.

I go to Classic. They're always extremely helpful, willing to explain how to do some repairs myself, talk about the car and so on. They never talk down to me because I'm a novice which I really appreciate as well. It could only be better if they offered services where you could work alongside them and learn about your car. Anyway, they have strong opinions, are not afraid to express them, and are generous with their knowledge. They're also always fully booked. You have to call ahead. Rates seem reasonable to me and I'm a grad student. Turnaround may be somewhat less so. There's always at least 3-4 w123s in the front lot, 5-6 SLs of varying vintage, and 3-4 more recent sedans. Inside, they're re/building a few 50s models. Essentially; it's a lot full of nothing but benzes. On Wednesday there was also a truly humongous Benz limousine inside the shop. I think they were doing brakes on it.

Are you based in the city?

[Benzasaurus]

Got the seat out! The cables link under the front carpet on the side of a rise in the floorpan. Pics to follow, they're on someone else's phone.

I thought I'd take a quick break to upload some photos of the cleaning product tests on the leather seats. When we looked at the third row, it was a bright and clean Palomino. Which was a shock, given the seats look cognac or tobacco color! Photos of cleaning product comparison and link to larger files (keep clicking the magnify button two or three times) here.

I applied everything with a toothbrush and gently scrubbed (soft bristles).

L.A. Awesome at 50/50 is waaaaaaaaaay too strong.* Had no idea how strong this was when I made the mix! Interestingly, the lexol leather conditioner seems to get very close results. So I will probably just clean the leather with that and an OXO veggie brush since the Lexol product is made to condition the leather.

I may have done dish soap/water mix wrong. Should it be neat dish soap with a drop of water to get it moving?

*come to think of it, I think the mix was weaker than that. 1:2 or 1:3 LA Awesome to water.