Bought a 300E ! help!

[cmcdonnell]

So I finally bought another Benz, a 1988 300E w/89k alleged miles. This is my first MB since my 73 280C that I laid to rest about four years ago. I have been up late every night for a week reading the posts here and on that other forum.
The first thing I need to do is to get the sunroof to close completely. I can pull it shut but can't get it to rise up into the closed position. The motor only works in the midrange of operation; everythingthing else is hand assisted. It stops moving forward about 8 inches from the front of the hole and then I can hear the cable moving around and the a rat-tat-tat-tat noise. I am thinking that if I could release the cable at the motor it would free up the frame so I could at least get it closed. Good thing the car came with a nice cover. It has been raining all day.
More to come: thermostat housing leaking, power seat-steering column woes, idle not perfect, etc. Thanks for any help.

[throne7]

Originally Posted by cmcdonnell

So I finally bought another Benz, a 1988 300E w/89k alleged miles. This is my first MB since my 73 280C that I laid to rest about four years ago. I have been up late every night for a week reading the posts here and on that other forum.
The first thing I need to do is to get the sunroof to close completely. I can pull it shut but can't get it to rise up into the closed position. The motor only works in the midrange of operation; everythingthing else is hand assisted. It stops moving forward about 8 inches from the front of the hole and then I can hear the cable moving around and the a rat-tat-tat-tat noise. I am thinking that if I could release the cable at the motor it would free up the frame so I could at least get it closed. Good thing the car came with a nice cover. It has been raining all day.
More to come: thermostat housing leaking, power seat-steering column woes, idle not perfect, etc. Thanks for any help.

Did you try to hand crank it using a manual crank in the trunk? Open the trunk, look on the left side, the sunroof motor is covered by the plastic material. There is a opening on this plastic trim, jusst lift it open, put on a wrench with a socket and wrench it close.

[throne7]

Originally Posted by cmcdonnell

So I finally bought another Benz, a 1988 300E w/89k alleged miles. This is my first MB since my 73 280C that I laid to rest about four years ago. I have been up late every night for a week reading the posts here and on that other forum.
The first thing I need to do is to get the sunroof to close completely. I can pull it shut but can't get it to rise up into the closed position. The motor only works in the midrange of operation; everythingthing else is hand assisted. It stops moving forward about 8 inches from the front of the hole and then I can hear the cable moving around and the a rat-tat-tat-tat noise. I am thinking that if I could release the cable at the motor it would free up the frame so I could at least get it closed. Good thing the car came with a nice cover. It has been raining all day.
More to come: thermostat housing leaking, power seat-steering column woes, idle not perfect, etc. Thanks for any help.

Oh never mind, i didn't read your post properly, you already tried the hand crank.

You need to clean and lubricate the sunroof rails.

For the idle problem, how bad is the idle. If it is only slightly rough, put in a new set of copper core spark plugs gapped at .035.

[cmcdonnell]

I rushed out to the car and put a wrench on the nut in the dark of the trunk and it broke in two. I guess that this is the manual crank; I will have to see in the morning.
The idle does not seem to be missing, just slightly varying in speed. I read some posts about the ICV and cleaning and checking for a click. This fuel delivery system is all new to me but I am eager to learn.

[cmcdonnell]

I read about the vaccum hoses and that is on my list. What is the OVP relay?

[just-n-time]

You are sure that they have all been taken care of? Then the next step is the idle system! that is to say the EHA value is reading at the proper range, and the potentiometer is set and or giving the correct readings they have to all work together as well as the o2 sensor,they work in conjunction to give the entire system a balance. JNT

[just-n-time]

Originally Posted by cmcdonnell

I read about the vacuum hoses and that is on my list. What is the OVP relay?

Over voltage protection,this is a device that acts like a surge protector,if the voltage goes to high it has fuse's to blow and protect the systems it supplies.

[cmcdonnell]

That's what I thought. I was responding to another reply which seems to have been moved or deleted. I don't want to get too advanced here just yet. I think I should just change the plugs and check all the hoses first. After all it is hardly a problem. The thermostst housing needs to be sealed up first, then check for leaks. The radiator says BEHR in big letters on the top. Is this the replacement part? There is also some water or coolant present on the pipe that leads to the right fender and connects to something or other there. No overheating, I think the car sat for a good while.

[cmcdonnell]

Sunroof still stuck. I cleaned and lubricated the rails, tightened the clutch nut behind the manual crank on the motor, screwed around with the white plastic synchronizer dial and no luck. I am guessing that the cable is shot. How can I free the cable from the motor to see if I can at least get it closed?
Divers door regulator gear stripped-I know how to do that.

[Mike Freeman]

The sunroofs on these cars are notoriusly fragil! On each side of the slider there is a lifting angle whice is made of potmetal and plastic and they are eager to break. Lifting angles must always be replaced in pairs because there have been so many updates. The rat tat tat you are hearing is the cable jumping teeth at the motor (not good).
As far as your idle; I would dump a bottle of Techron in the tank and see if it cleans up the idle. As Larry stated put a set of copper core plugs in it also.
Good luck Mike

[Zeus]

Nice car, congrats! I loved mine, I'm selling it now (upgrading to an E430 ).

Ditto the lubrication on the sunroof rails. Try and get the correct lubricant from your dealer/tech. The right lifter angle broke on mine not too long ago. It pays to keep the sunroof operating parts clean and lubed.

Idle woes? Plugs, check the cap as well. These engines can leak oil from the upper timing valve cover, and oil can sometimes get inside the cap. This can cause a bad idle. Generally go over all the igniton parts. Check injectors for air leaks.

Thermostat housing should be an easy fix - just a new gasket.

A great car and a fun engine to work on, good luck!

[cmcdonnell]

I figured ot how to take the cable off of the roof mechanism BOINK! I have only been looking at it for three days. The good news is that the sunroof operates fine by hand. Opens, closes fully, tilts up. Looks like the cable is hung up somewhere because it lands about an inch and a half short of the closed position. Any ideas? New cable...take the headliner out(ugh)...something with the motor?