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  #1  
Old 03-25-2006, 01:07 AM
davestlouis's Avatar
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 571
bought an SL

Well, I finally bought the 1986 560SL from a co-worker...$1000
black, creme leather interior, some rust on the doors, peeling paint on the hood, leather is split and torn, carpets are all there but dirty, 212K miles. The PO bought it in 1994 with 74K miles. I'll put pic's up soon.

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  #2  
Old 03-25-2006, 01:27 AM
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Location: Battle Ground, WA
Posts: 576
Hi there,
Congrats on the new wheels! I know you will have fun getting it back in shape. I recently purchased an '82 380SL that has a 560SL engine installed in it, and it's lots of fun to drive. It had a slight miss at idle, and while checking it over I found a loose vacuum hose, replugged it and all is good now. I also had to go through the window adjustments on both doors, the driver's door glass was low at the rear because the regulator arm was bent at the middle pivot area, and both doors needed the glass angle moved in at the top so they would close into the rubber correctly. Also, the plastic rain shield was missing on both doors. (Absolutely necessary in Washington due to the rains we get!) I had to rebuild the doorlock vacuum system and rebuild the trunk lock/vacuum lock, the key didn't work in the trunk and the vacuum lock needed adjustment.
The clearcoat was falling off the hood and parts of the rest of the car, I resprayed clearcoat in the affected areas as a temporary fix until a new paint job can be done, it doesn't look too bad now. I also have a '79 450SL that is in very good condition. My wife thinks it sits too low at the back, I just today received the thickest rubber spacers that are available through Performance Products, will compress the springs and replace the upper spacers. These spacers are 19mm thick, should raise the rear around 1/2" I think. I had the carpets replaced and new leather seats installed by a shop in North Hollywood, CA, they did a great job and the interior looks like new now. The '79 needs a new soft top, and I think I will try replacing it myself. Keep us informed/entertained on your progress!
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  #3  
Old 03-26-2006, 12:22 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
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560sl

Hello

I am new here I just got a 560sl with 55000 original miles on it.

Seen to be in good condition. I am having problems with the fuel supply but hopefully that will be resolved soon.

Any sugestions for a new owner.

Thank you
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  #4  
Old 03-26-2006, 01:02 PM
davestlouis's Avatar
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Well, I have been outside all morning cleaning the interior on the SL and trying to really get a feel for what I need to do, and in what order.
So far, there is a horrible power steering leak. The fluid if clear and clean because so much of it gets pumped out. That will be step 1. The kinderseat is missing some sort of snap to keep the backrest upright, so unless a little person is back there, the backrest flops down. It has a miss at idle, but runs strong otherwise. I feel the miss, more than hear it. The car is probably the grubbiest, nastiest car I've ever bought...the PO's 25 year old grandson had been driving it for several years and is the world's biggest slob. There is some rust, but none on the floors, and the only rocker rust is at the front jacking points. The beige carpets are cleaning up nicely, but there are 2 pieces of carpet missing...when you fold the front seats forward to get to the back, the floor is exposed...no carpets under the seats. The seat heaters don't seem to work, and the leather is torn up. I'm told the soft top is farily new...we'll see when I pull the hard top off.
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  #5  
Old 03-26-2006, 01:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tungsten
Hello

I am new here I just got a 560sl with 55000 original miles on it.

Seen to be in good condition. I am having problems with the fuel supply but hopefully that will be resolved soon.

Any sugestions for a new owner.

Thank you
1. READ, READ, READ. There is a lot of good information on this and other websites (this one is really the best I've found).

2. Get a CD of the service manual, and read it.

Even if you don't intend to apply even a screwdriver to the car, armed with this knowledge, you can find an experienced mechanic. Do not assume that going to the dealer is the best answer. Many of the good mechanics at the dealer familiar with this car are retired.

3. Examine the maintenance records of the car. Do not assume that because the car has low miles and that it has been maintained according to the book, that everything is just fine. Time as well as miles affect the parts of this car, notably the rubber components. These are not usually considered maintenance items, but nonetheless very strongly affect the performance and reliability of the car.

4. There is no car as expensive as a cheap Mercedes. Preventitive maintenance pays off on this car big-time. Stopping rust NOW is much cheaper than stopping it later (seals). Replacing the timing chain tensioner + plastic guides BEFORE they fail has a 30x payback.
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  #6  
Old 03-26-2006, 06:21 PM
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My records go to 1994 and about 80K miles. I am fascinated by the records I have found in these cars. Of the Mbz cars I've owned, all but one came new from dealers in either KC or St. Louis, so these all spent their lives in Missouri. The exception was a 1983 240D that had come from a dealer in Connecticut. Most seem to have good records from the first owner's tenure, with dealer stamps and such, then with subsequent owners, the records become murky and incomplete, with no dealer stamps.

I have been tempted to contact several of the original owners of these cars, just for giggles, but have never actually done it.
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  #7  
Old 03-26-2006, 07:50 PM
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Location: Southern California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davestlouis
My records go to 1994 and about 80K miles. I am fascinated by the records I have found in these cars. Of the Mbz cars I've owned, all but one came new from dealers in either KC or St. Louis, so these all spent their lives in Missouri. The exception was a 1983 240D that had come from a dealer in Connecticut. Most seem to have good records from the first owner's tenure, with dealer stamps and such, then with subsequent owners, the records become murky and incomplete, with no dealer stamps.

I have been tempted to contact several of the original owners of these cars, just for giggles, but have never actually done it.
I did that once. My '67 250SE had records going all the way back to the original owner. So I tried to contact him.

The car had been purchased as part of the European delivery program. The man told me how he had always wanted a Benz, so his wife and him finally took the big plunge and ordered an European delivery 250SE. Went to Germany, took delivery of the car and then drove it all over Europe before returning to California.

He invited me to visit him (he di dnot live far) and when I did, he showed me all the wonderful photograhps that he and his wife took during their European trip. It was truly amazing, it felt like I had stepped into a time machine. He told me that after his wife passed away he di dnot feel much like holdin gon to the car. He sold it to a former neighbor and I ended up buying it from the neighbor. I was the third owner. He offered to give me some of the pictures, but I felt like it would be an intrusion into this man's life.

I sold the car 11 years ago. By then the first owner had also passed away. My own family was growing and so I had less time to "fool around" with an older Benz. To this day I regret selling that 250SE.

so, go ahead and contact the first owner. You never know what kind of wonderful and interesting story your car holds.
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  #8  
Old 03-27-2006, 10:54 AM
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GEt CD on owners manual

Where can I get this?

Thank you
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  #9  
Old 03-29-2006, 05:39 AM
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Follow up

I replaced the fuel injector unit and no more black smoke.

I kept the old one so I can rebuild it for the future.

Any sugestions how or where?
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  #10  
Old 03-29-2006, 07:41 AM
88Black560SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: CT
Posts: 3,510
Congratulations.

I would start by checking the conition of the timing chain. Do you hear a rattling noise on the first start in the morning. If so the chain needs to be replaced. Do you have reasone to belive the chain has over 100K miles then replace the chain. If you have reason to belive the chain and plastic rails have not been replaced in 10 years, then you should replace the chain, rails and cam oiler fittings.

Do a compression check and leak down if you can.

Remove exhaust and check drive shaft flex couplings, center bearing, u-joint and slipjoint rubber.

Check front and rear subframe mounts.

Good luck
John Roncallo

PS

If the car becomes overwhelming and you decide to part with it contact me.

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