Tonight I opened the rear passenger side door of my 1982 300D to let my 4 yr old granddaughter in, and it wouldn't close afterwards! It bent the door retainer link, and the only way I could get it to close (I wasn't at home, either) was to finish bending the link, or arm until it broke in half. So now I will be needing a new door retainer! The question is, what kind of maintenance should the retainers have, and how often? I was really amazed, as the door has performed quite normally until tonight. Thanks in advance for your information!

Richard Wooldridge
1982 300D/4.3LV6
1977 Jag XJ6L
1977 280Z
1974 M/B 280C

Is it the car rebelling against the bow tie powerplant? Perhaps leave some of the old engine parts in the trunk, so it does not get lonely for German Engineering?

Otherwise, I have always shot some light oil into the balls for the check on the door stop. The replacement should only be about $20, and a quick repair, if it is like my 560SEL.

good luck!

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1989 560SEL (172k)
1989 325IC (122K)
2004 Suzuki Volusia LE (3500 miles)
2005 Yamaha Road Star (20 K miles)

It is normal for door retainer links to break down occasionally. Sometimes they start to warn you by a cracking sound when opening and closing the doors, sometimes they just fail to function any longer.
They need not to be maintained; they just need to be installed with a lot of grease inside the retainer link.
The newer MB models have a cap over the retainer to prevent them from water running in (and these last a little longer); the older ones didn't have that.

greetingz,

__________________
1990 300SL-24
1993 C250D with a minor 600+k kilometer
www.MBenzNL.com(the Netherlands)

Hi there,
Thank you for the feedback! I do have the CD and looked in vain for maintenance info for the retainers. It does show how to r&r them, but the only maintenance related to this area I could find was to lube the door hinges. I think I will replace several of the retainers, as the driver's door doesn't stay open on it's own either. Maybe our rainy Pacific NW weather got to the retainer?

Richard Wooldridge

I know the water leaking in there doesn't help them last long. I don't know why I started shooting oil in there, but I think it was after someone told me they wear out. I have not found it as a required maintenance on mine either.

P.S. Whe ya gonna throw a 350 chevy in that 280Z? I have layed out the required brackets on CAD, and just need a car, a spare drivetrain, and a bunch of free time, and I will do it.........easier than the 4.3 you just did.

__________________
1989 560SEL (172k)
1989 325IC (122K)
2004 Suzuki Volusia LE (3500 miles)
2005 Yamaha Road Star (20 K miles)

Hi there,
I think I have a better answer than a 350 V8 for the 280Z - I have a 1962 215 CI aluminum Olds V8 I've been saving for the Z... It's rated 200hp at 10,500 rpm! They are real screamers - my brother put one in a volkswagen bug, and it became a corvette eater! Kennedy Engineering in Pacoima, CA makes adapters for this engine to fit most any application. I guess I'd have to put fuel injection on it to make it pass smog, though - a little known fact is that the L-jetronic injection found on 280Zs supports 8 injectors - the resistor packs already have 8 resistors, in fact! I think I would go with TBI though, as it's less trouble than L-jetronic and possibly a bit more precise. L-jetronic has too many connectors that always end up corroding.

Just daydreaming, way off the Mercedes subject line!

Richard Wooldridge
'82 300D/4.3V6
'77 Jag XJ6L
'77 280Z 2+2
'74 280C "It's a Classic"

Richard,

If you can find an early car at the wrecking yard, I believe before '80 or so, the earlier door check units were much better made than the later models and are interchangable.

BTW, I'm sure the cause is that monster engine causing torsional stress on the uniframe body.

Good luck,

[Edited by LarryBible on 01-19-2001 at 09:00 AM]

On the subject of the little 215 cube aluminum Olds motor from 1962, I have heard that the engine tooling was bought by Triumph and they put the 215 cube aluminum engines in the TR 8. This could be a possible source for aftermarket performance parts for the little V-8.

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1990 190E 2.6
1996 Grand Voyager 3.3
1985 Mustang GT 5.0 5 SPD
1982 Suzuki GS 750T

Hey Richard,
Im glad you brought this up! The rear passenger door has started to creek and strain when i opened and closed it then when on new years day when dropping off my friends at 3am my buddy got out then couldn't close it. I insisted that there was nothing wrong with the car but that he was drunk! Well he was drunk but the door did stick open. After finally closing it, the next day i looked at the door but couldn't find anything wrong. Since then it has become slightly easier to open/close with some grease, but not much. So its called a door retaining clip, and i can replace it myself? Cool.

Hi there,

Yes, the 215 was bought by Rover, and they used the engines in both the TR8 and some MGs. The main use, however was for the Rover automobiles and the Range Rover SUVs. The engines were increased in CI and fuel injection was added, and the engine is still in production! I read somewhere that the maximum CI on the same basic block is up to 5.1L now(over 300CI) - pretty amazing for an engine that was introduced in 1961 with 198CI! They have been a popular engine for aircraft due to their very light weight of 275 lb minus exhaust manifolds and starter. They are very reliable due to the use of cast-in-place cast iron cylinder liners. I heard that GM tried to buy the rights back for the engine when the gas crisis of the 70's came along, but Rover wouldn't sell.
On the subject of the door retainers, yes, you can easily change them yourself - the inner panel must be removed, or at least lifted, to get at the third screw, though. Larry Bible gave a good tip on finding the earlier year units - they are made a little stronger.

Richard Wooldridge