O.k Thanks..That's too much I guess we'll be doing that ourselves too.

It has been 5 years since my original post. The car now has 87K miles on it. The air conditioning finally stopped blowing cold and nobody touches R12 stuff anymore so i'm not sure what I can do there...

The car still runs great though i did have to replace a couple major things:
- Climate Control Unit
- Fuel pump & Fuel Pump housing

I went with a rebuilt CCU and it stopped working after 3 years. I think i'll roll the dice with another one though since the ones from MB are like $1200

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1987 420 SEL | 87k miles
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Wow, 5 years and you have a follow-up post.
That's great! And timely for me.
I'm looking at a 1989 420 SEL right now so have been researching maintenance and part costs. I'll get a PPI before final decision is made.

Just had my 1990 300SE converted from R12 to R134a for $250, I understand some don't recommend it but what choice do we have, and it's ice cold. The 300SE get's better and more pleasant cooling then my girlfriends 2011 Audi A4.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

Timing chain is a must before you start using this car daily. The plastic guides are brittle. They chip, break or crumble putting chunks which will cause mistiming between the crank and cams. Mileage has nothing to do with those guides being brittle. Age is the critical factor.

I had that happen on a 85 380SE. In fact the engine cause me so much pain I snatched it, the transmission, wiring and other systems out of the body and put a 617.xx diesel engine in.

When I found this website I hadn't turned a wrench for three decades. My history was with domestic autos of the 1960 and early 1970s. So...

The chain isn't difficult to do. In fact after replacing the plastic guides and having the 85 SE sit for another 7 years I replaced the chain again and installed the metal guides. Parts are probably less than 300 bucks including a new chain tensioner.

The procedure is simple but nerve racking. Both valve covers come off, roll the engine until the master link comes up on the right side cam, unsnap the master link, fasten a new chain to the tail end of the old one and slowly turn the engine by hand making sure not to allow slack in the old chain thus keeping it on all the gears throughout the engine.

There's a ton more to consider, that is only an outline. The fine folks here will hook you up with links to instructions, good advise and plenty of answers to questions along with moral support and fellowship. Do yourself a favor and learn the website a bit. Most problems we encounter are pretty will covered in the DYI link given previously in this thread.



Welcome,
Dan

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

Loved that car....it was a beast....did 900 miles a week in it for a yr and it drove great....of course handling was debatable but it cruised....timing chain...guides...rails....the reason I finally got rid of mine was that the tranny started to slip in reverse..but all in all a great car...built like a tank....

Lyle