Well even after 23 years this car can teach me things. Here’s a list of what happened today that I’d like to share with the hopes that it may help out someone else down the road.
1. When you replace the shutoff valve because it allowed the vacuum system to suck motor oil, you have to:
A. Open (both ends) and blow out the vacuum line that runs into the climate control system. B. Totally disassemble the vacuum and electrical portions of the ignition switch assembly. C. Pull the master cylinder loose and with a Mity-Vac and a straw from Sonic (any other will probably do), suck the oil out of the power brake booster. and D. Rebuild the vacuum pump. I guess the sooner you catch the bad S/O valve problem, the less of this you may have to do. For me, it was an “oil got into everything” situation.
2. When it appears that gremlins have infected your power window system and it keeps blowing fuses whenever it seems to feel like it: Pull the rear switches and unplug them with the doors left open. If this allows the front windows to work, the problem’s probably in the rear door wires. (Makes sense) But, move a rear switch around just to be sure. I learned today that a wire bundle (of 3 going into the rear doors) may look perfectly fine and without a scratch on the outer sheathing. But, the wires inside can be busted clean in two. In my case all 3 were. I found that an electrical test with my meter gave two completely different results when the door was open versus closed. I pulled the wires/casing all the way back into the car and split what looked like a brand new sheath. A foot into it, all 3 wires looked like they’d been snipped with wire cutters.
3. Sometimes it’s the darned neutral safety switch that causes you to loose the back-up lights.
4. Sometimes brand new idler arm rebuilds only last one year. Go figure. Not sure what I may have done wrong there. I sure hope this one lasts longer. (maybe it was that 23 mile off-road excursion into the duck camp that did it)
5. If you go 3 times as long as you’re supposed to between valve adjustments, sometimes they get rather tight, and sometimes they don’t. Not sure why, but I though mine would be worse than they were.
6. A 1943 Eclipse Aviation air/oil separator works MUCH better than the stock M-B one does if you have an “above normal” blow-by issue.
7. Most importantly - When you have to spend a day working on, installing $ ???.?? worth of parts into, and at times getting rather frustrated at, a 23 year old car; it’s nice to think the car still has class, and is still much cheaper than a new one.

Are you being facetious there? If not, where can you get your hands on one?

The oil separator on both my car and my truck leave a lot to be desired...but no road draft tube for me in Hippieland...

Here’s a picture of another of the same I used.
It’s an Eclipse Aviation Oil Separator. Type 564. Model 2. Style A. D51580. Mine was packaged 11/29/43.

1”O/D inlet and exhaust. ½”O/D oil return pipe.

Comes “New Surplus” in the original box. With the original paperwork. In the original heavy waxed paper. The last time I talked to Rob (about a month ago), he had about 100 of them.

Rob
Select Airparts
PO Box 219
Weyers Cave, VA 24486 USA
Phone 800-318-0010
Fax 540-432-0193
8 am - 5 pm EST

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