The "Diseasel" - '86 300SDL - Page 7 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Diseasel300 · #91 09-10-2017, 12:19 AM

For the purists out there, look away now! Seriously! You've been warned!

Fair warning out of the way, I had a "helper" for my project. Not sure how much he helped or if taking a nap is really considered "helping", but he thought he did a good job anyway.

I firmly stretched the blanket in place and wove 1/2" poplar dowel rods in the seat frame to attach the blanket to. 3/8" construction staples finished the job and I wound up with what you see below.

Certainly not "factory new", but 98% better than a ratty old seat cover with a giant gaping hole in plain view. Not bad for a budget of under $8.

vwnate1 · #92 09-10-2017, 11:35 AM

I wish you had images to explain what and where those two screws are....

The seat looks much better ~ I'm sure the Supervisor you pictured will enjoy it better than the old leather .

Good Supervision is essential ! .

The "Diseasel" - '86 300SDL-img_0335.jpg

I hear you about used seat covers being sold for stupid $ ~ I had some @$$hat try to sell me a ripped cover for $250, he'd bought a regular old $30 used seat at the junk yard and thought I'd be making his next boat payment by selling me the worthless cover for more $ than a new one....

WRONG .

Some folks let their greed overcome their common sense, more's the pity .

Diseasel300 · #93 09-10-2017, 09:11 PM

More information on the IP tuning can be found in the thread I have running. Specifically page 4 has all the info you want. Be advised, the SDL uses the "M" pump which is a different critter from the OM617's "MW" pump. Help Tuning a 603 IP

Today's task was a continuation of the "De-Pimp My Ride" saga and entailed trying to make the paint look more presentable. I've noticed that the paint hasn't been beading water and was disappointed to note that the Meguiar's wax I used didn't even last 8 months. The rest of that tin went in the trash and I spent the day dolling up the rest of the car.

I started out by wet-sanding the hood in an attempt to even out the paint and smooth the transition where the clear coat is peeling. Took the compound to it afterwards, then waxed the whole car. It's always a surprise to see how well that car will clean up! Imagine if it had wheels that weren't awful, it'd look downright presentable!

Diseasel300 · #94 09-11-2017, 07:14 PM

Working cruise control! What a luxury!

vwnate1 · #95 09-11-2017, 07:18 PM

Oddly enough the C.C. on my '84 300CD with 400,000 + miles still works like a charm.....

You car is looking good .

Diseasel300 · #96 09-11-2017, 07:25 PM

I suspect that this car has had something *BAD* happen to the electric system in the past like a battery hooked up backwards or a runaway voltage regulator or something since I've found faults with every electronic item in the car. Only the EDS computer and ABS computer seem to function properly, anything else solid-state has had issues. The CC was the final thing needing to be fixed.

After trying to repair the amp board myself, I sent it off to Kris (JamesDean on this forum). There was something really squirrely going on with that board, so he kindly accepted it as a core and sent out a rebuilt unit. Much appreciation! I do recommend his work for electronics repair, if anyone cares.

Diseasel300 · #97 09-12-2017, 07:55 PM

Because I felt like it, I ran fuel economy numbers today. 76.0 miles on 2.862 gallons of diesel for an economy of 26.55mpg. Pretty impressive! No smoke, plenty of power, and now decent fuel economy. It's all coming together...

Diseasel300 · #98 09-16-2017, 10:43 PM

To rule out a fluke fuel economy reading when I recorded that 26.55mpg, I've run it again. This time I got 79.4 miles on 3.122 gallons of fuel which gives 25.43mpg so it wasn't a fluke. I've been having a bit more fun with the throttle this time around, so I'm fine with a deviation of ~1mpg. I'm just happy to see the fuel economy improved to where it should be without any smoke!

Speaking of smoke, the oil burning smoke has reduced a bit more. Not sure if the thicker oil is helping seal up leaks, or maybe the rings are finally seating some without diesel washing past them. Who knows. I have a bit over 650 miles on this oil change and so far I haven't added any oil other than what spilled out during the IP tuning (I measured what came out (10 ounces) and put that much back in). So far the oil level is still at the "MAX" line on the dipstick, so it looks like the excessive oil consumption is in check as well. It still burns enough to smell on the exhaust, but no more blue cloud.

I finally broke down and installed new speakers front and rear. What a difference! The 1986 speakers that were in there weren't terrible, but they certainly weren't all that great. The biggest annoyance was the "farting" when the volume was turned up on the highway. Even with the bass turned down (not that there was any bass to begin with) it still had a nasty habit of spitting and farting with the volume up loud enough to be comfortable at highway speeds. Not anymore! Now I can get a decent volume out of the stereo AND there's actually a bit of bass. Such a luxury!

Diseasel300 · #99 09-22-2017, 10:19 PM

I've been chasing down anomolous fuel economy readings lately. I've always had issues with highway fuel economy being terrible, but now the city mpg's were taking a crap too, but only when the trip odometer went over 100 miles. Turns out the odometer stepper motor was at fault. It gets sloppy in its mounting and doesn't reliably engage the gears anymore, the fix is an O-ring in the end bearing to stop it moving around. Seems to have worked! You can read more about it here: Odometers Not Agreeing

This latest tank had 141.8 miles on it, and I did 24.09mpg with mixed driving. Puts me right back where it should be ~25mpg +/-1mpg

I had the car on the interstate this evening for the first time since retuning the injection pump. What a car on the road! Now it holds speed just fine up the hills, no more gutless howling with a cloud of black smoke trying to climb the hills. Smooth, quiet, and effortless. So refined! With the CC working, A/C blasting, and radio thumping it was quite a relaxing drive, no wonder people love these cars.

Diseasel300 · #**100** 10-05-2017, 09:57 PM

Fuel economy is still good. Now with a properly working odometer, the fuel economy has remained consistent with longer fillup intervals. I did 275 miles on this past fillup and did 23.5mpg with about 98% city driving with A/C.

The latest project has been installing a new 3rd brake light assembly. The bulb burned out in the original which was extremely brittle. When I tried to open it to replace the bulb, the entire thing shattered, including the plastic riser that the fixture sits on. Considering that the originals are ALL fragile like that, I elected to order brand new parts and hopefully get another 30 years out of it.

I bought my parts from the dealership, which turned out to be the cheapest way to go, even when including sales tax. The parts took nearly a month to come in, I assume they came from across the pond, or maybe the dealer was just slow, who knows.

The part numbers for anyone interested are:
Lamp assembly: 001-820-41-56-7007
Cover assembly (riser): 126-820-01-82-7007

The EPC gives different 4 digit codes for various other colors, however only the 7007 (black) is still available. I was considering painting the brake light assembly if I didn't like the black, but I don't mind it, so black it will stay until I overhaul the rear parcel shelf.

Some pictures of the process are below. To get around the irritating "bulb out" indicator on the dash, I made a "dark bulb" out of a light bulb wrapped in tin foil. Be aware that this is an instant safety inspection fail (ask me how I know).

The new assembly comes in 2 pieces as I said above. The Lamp Assembly comes with a new bulb already installed, saves the need to open it up to install one. The "speed nuts" I show in the photo are salvaged from the original. They were still on the metal tray under the parcel shelf.

To replace the assembly, the parcel shelf has to come out. To do that, remove the rear seat, the little "flipper" cover that covers the gap between the seat back and the parcel shelf, the speaker covers, speakers, and the 2 latches for the first aid kit lids. Once those parts are removed from the car, the parcel shelf slides towards the front of the car and comes right out. I saw several guides that say to remove the C pillar covers, but I didn't find that part necessary. The fit is pretty tight, but working side to side it will just slide out.

The "cover" (riser) part attaches to the parcel shelf as I show with the "speed nuts". They are very tight, I found it was easiest to use a 5/16" nut driver and wobble it in a circle to work them down on the plastic pegs. When finished, the cover (riser) should be nice and tight against the parcel shelf. If it is still wobbly, you need to get the speed nuts tighter. There are only speed nuts on the 2 pegs in the "slotted" holes in the parcel shelf.

Diseasel300 · #**101** 10-05-2017, 10:08 PM

When reinstalling the parcel shelf, the wire/plug for the 3rd brake light needs to be installed FIRST. Poke it up through the hole and attach it to the "cover" (riser) as shown. It only fits one way and sits in a couple of tracks molded into the plastic. Be very careful with the plug assembly, it is extremely brittle! You can see part of mine broke off.

When sliding the parcel shelf back in place, be careful not to accidentally hook the first aid box with the plastic hook on the bottom of the parcel shelf. I had quite a frustrating time trying to get the parcel shelf slid back in place until I figured out what I was getting hung up on. I put my hand under the shelf and lifted it over the first aid box and didn't have any further problems.

Attaching the lamp assembly to the "cover" (riser) is a bit unusual. The riser has 2 flat springs sticking up with plastic teeth on them. On the sides are 2 pegs. The pegs fit into slots in the lamp housing and the spring loaded plastic teeth maintain a good fit against the back window. To attach the lamp assembly, set it on the springs and press down firmly, line up the pegs in the slots and push the whole lamp towards the rear of the car. Once it engages the plastic teeth you'll hear it, give it a good firm push against the rear glass and let the gasket make a seal against the glass.

The rest of the installation is just putting the interior back together. Be VERY careful with the speaker covers. Treat them like they're made of nitro glycerine, they're THAT FRAGILE. I don't know what kind of plastic they're made of, but it'll crack just from looking at it.

After fitting the new brake light, I took the car back for reinspection and it passed with no issues. Back on the road for another year!

Diseasel300 · #**102** 10-06-2017, 11:06 PM

Today's task: Heat

Winter isn't here yet, but it's coming and I remember the slow heater from last year with a non-working Aux water pump. I knew it was seized, so it's been unplugged this whole time.

Today was the day to see if it was salvageable or needed replacement. Pulled the pump (what a PAIN!!!!!!!) and took the cover off and I was delighted to find that it was just the seal stuck to itself. Gave it the gentlest push and it freed right up. No leaks and it runs nice and smooth, so I oiled the bearings and put it back in the car.

Took the opportunity to change the coolant. Stuff that was in there had turned a light orange color from rust present in the system, but otherwise was still crystal clear. Refilled with 50/50 Zerex G-05 and had a swear-fest burping the air out of the system.

Took it on a test drive and once it burped the air out of the heater core, it was HOT HOT HOT. I swear you could cook a chicken in front of the vents with the heat on full blast. That thing is NOT messing around! I don't think I'll be having any cold mornings this winter.

I did take the time to wire in a 1A fuse on the Aux pump just for safety. Supposedly the Gen III ACC system that's in the '86+ cars has an overload circuit if the pump seizes, but I don't trust it. Fuse will blow if anything goes wrong, just that extra safety layer for peace of mind.

Diseasel300 · #**103** 11-05-2017, 10:56 PM

More mundane updation:

The Aux pump lasted precisely 2 days. I parked the car in the driveway and left it running while I ran inside to grab something and walked back out to find a massive puddle under the car. Shaft seal took a dump on me. It's always something.

Not to be outdone, I bypassed the Aux pump entirely with a brass 90˚ fitting. The car heats well enough that you can practically cook on the dashboard, so I don't think the aux pump is really necessary on the SDL's. I don't miss it, GOOD RIDDANCE.

The biggest development lately has been the EDS/ELR system repair. Don't miss the thread I started here: EDS/ELR Idle Issues - OM603 Repairing that module has improved the A/C system by stopping a rapid-cycling issue I randomly had, it's improved performance of the car since the compressor now drops out when at WOT, the kickdown switch now works which has always been iffy, and the engine no longer rocks at idle!

Another big improvement came this weekend. I drained the transmission fluid to change and decided to go back with Valvoline Max-Life synthetic ATF. The old fluid came out crystal clear and cherry red, so the transmission is healthy, but the difference with the new fluid is unbelievable! This car has ALWAYS been rough shifting despite the vacuum system working properly and the control pressure being right where it should be. This new stuff has the transmission shifting so smooth and refined it's unbelievable it's the same car! Most gear changes are so smooth you can't even feel them, when you're really on it, they're a bit firmer, but more like a soft bump compared to feeling like being rear-ended before.

Between the EDS computer and the transmission service, the car's finally feeling like a Mercedes. Smooth, quiet, and refined. Hard to believe 1 year ago it wasn't much better than most scrappers.

Diseasel300 · #**104** 11-23-2017, 12:37 PM

So on November 17th, the car was officially back on the road for a year. Yay! Hard to believe it's been a year. Also hard to believe it's become my daily driver since then! I've only put ~2500 miles on the Honda this year, while the SDL got closer to ~8500.

So far the Aux pump bypass is working like a champ. Plenty of heat, even when it's freezing outside. For my climate, it seems to be beyond adequate. The Aux pump will stay deleted forever as a result.

I finally broke down and rebuilt the fuel heater thermostat. The thermostatic element works fine as it turns out, it was just seized in the bore with a bunch of nasty sludge. No idea what that crap was, but it STUNK!!! Cleaned all that out and installed a new O-ring and it seems to be working properly. Interestingly, while installing it, I found a loose hose clamp on the inlet to the fuel pump. After tightening that and reinstalling the fuel preheater, the engine runs a lot smoother with far less nailing when cold. I never had any fuel weeping, but the hose was certainly loose enough to let air in. Annoying!

The Diff also got drained and refilled with fresh oil. I changed the oil in it in early 2016, but couldn't get the drain plug out at the time, so it was just pumped out and refilled, taking slightly less than a bottle of gear oil. I finally took the time to dig out the allen head on the drain plug and took a 3 foot cheater handle to break it loose! Old oil came out like water - pretty nasty and frighteningly thin. Installed the new oil, took about a bottle and a half to fill the diff, so definitely a better change job than last time. The excellent news is that the fresh oil has silenced a very soft "groan" noise at 55+ speeds. I've suspected it was coming from the diff, it does have a bit of slop. With the fresh oil it's silent and smooth, so I'm happy!

The last adjustment was to the VCV. I've had it adjusted "per the book", but at low speeds the shifting is still annoyingly abrupt. I turned the VCV CCW roughly 1/8" and it made a HUGE difference. Still a slightly firm shift, but SMOOOOOOOOOOTH. Around town, you don't even notice it shifting. Just like a Mercedes should be! I use the SL as my reference and the SDL is just as good now.

All small things, but progress nonetheless.

Diseasel300 · #**105** 01-12-2018, 09:07 PM

Boy the last couple months have been flooded with "little things" getting done to this car. I finally found and fixed a SERIOUSLY ANNOYING rattle in the sunroof, which turned out to be a broken piece of plastic still left in the lift panel when I replaced the mounting clips. It was about to drive me to drinking, so thank the Lord that one got found and fixed!

I also decided to install an overrunning alternator pulley. I've long been tracking down a soft "wooooooo" noise from under the hood when the A/C is on and the engine is at very specific RPM's. I got the inspiration from this thread: Alternator Pulleys 101: Clutch type / one-way pulleys I used the VW INA pulley and it works great. No more haunted accessory drive belt! Eventually I plan to upgrade the alternator and when I do, the OAP will go with it.

I finally solved the mystery of the coolant loss and puddle under the car near the passenger foot area too. Turns out the overflow bottle in the passenger fender was full of some sort of horrible sludge! I have no idea what it was, but it appeared to be some sort of algae (see pix below). I sucked it all out with the MightyVac and flushed the bottle several times with a biocide and clean water, then dumped about a pint of 50/50 coolant in there. So far, no coolant loss and no more puddle under the passenger foot area!

The NSS finally took a dump on me, only starting in neutral. I replaced it the tail end of December with a new one and ended that problem. I drilled out the rivets and looked inside the old one, the contacts were still good but the plastic cam was worn down to the point that in "P" it would no longer press the contacts together. Oh well, got a good life out of it.

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