For dry stiff leather seats: I used Franklins glove oil, for baseball gloves. It softened up the leather nicely and doesn't change the color.

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Eric Zacharias

'88 300 SEL
'64 Ford Falcon
'99 Infiniti QX4

Got a camera? Take pictures as you dismantle ..... be sure to take several from different angles.

I took my camera once to a parts person and quickly identified the part.

Haasman

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'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

I second the headlamp idea. I bought one on ebay from some hong kong company for around $15. It has something like 21 LEDS, and has 3 or 4 settings. I use it often. I also bought AAA rechargables (it requires 3) so I dont care about leaving it on the brightest setting.
I also carry in my pocket at all times a small LED light that I got from harbor freight for .99. Small and light enough to hold in your mouth when you need hands free at a moments notice.

Nitrile/latex exam gloves. Forget all about washing the gunk off your hands when you use these.

I just read probably the most useful book ever. I got it from the library..and about emptied a post it pad marking all the pages I needed to copy. I finally gave up and just bought the book(a rare thing for me). See if you can get it from the library first...if not..I guarantee you will find tons of useful tips in this book. It is called "Shop Savvy:Tips, Techniques & Jigs for Woodworkers & Metalworkers" by Roy Moungovan. You will not believe how many tips you will find that are just excellent for anyone with ordinary tools. Seems like it was written in the 70s, and published in the late 80s. You can get used ones at Amazon.

Use fluorescent bulbs in your drop lights. They dont get hot, they rarely burn out from being dropped, they last a mighty long time, and a 23watter is supposed to output 75watts of light. Dont know about that...but the light is very satisfactory, especially since you are not supposed to exceed 40 watts bulbs anyway...or is it 60 :-)

I need to read back through this entire thread. So many great tips from folks sharing what works.

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1990 300TE....all comments are about this car...in case I forget in the actual post

On lighting: I bought two MIT brand LED work lights, they were $22/ea. and bright enough to light the backyard up. I purchased them from Production Tool Supply (locally) Comes with a DC adaptor (for car use) and an AC "wall-wort" adaptor, along with rechargeable NIMH batteries.

I keep one around the house, and one in the Boot; just incase I get a flat at night or something.

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

This has been posted elsewhere in the forum (forget where and by whom), but it works well enough to post here. To keep your black steering wheel in nice condition, use black Kiwi paste shoe polish; use it like you would on your shoes. I rub it on w/fingers, then buff out - two or three times a year. It works really well at keeping wheel looking good - and as long as you buff it after rubing on, it does not mess up anything w/black marks.

I recently had to remove a bolt that was stripped in-place. No matter how I turned it, wedged it, etc. it kept turning in place.

I got a hammer, used the nail pulling claw to force it upwards while turning with a rachet. Worked like a charm.

Haasman

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'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

Great thread. When trying to remove a stuck bolt,nut or screw, try tightening it a cinch first, then loosening it. This tightening breaks the surface contact and usually come apart easily, without stripping the head.

WD 40 is not for loosening stuck parts. It displaces water (water displacer 40). To free up stuck parts, PB is best as mentioned, but kerosene is the main ingredient you'll get from many of the commercial sellers to free up rust. Diesel fuel will work also.

When using heat to remove a stuck bolt or nut, you want to heat the item until cherry red and then let it cool by itself. What happens is the metal after cooling actually shrinks. Make sure you heat the right bit. you don't want to shrink a stuck nut onto a stud.
You are not expanding the metal to loosen it. A popular misconception.

Always wear eye protection, also ear protection and gloves when needed.

To wash down a greasy engine, I lay out a plastic drop cloth, and drive the car up onto it. Then I put lots of open newpaper down under the engine compartment. I use degreasers with a cold engine, and some stiff used paint brushes to help agitate the grease. I use brake clean to wash the gunk off, and it collects in the news paper on the drop cloth. When I"m done, I gather the plastic drop cloth with the newspaper inside and put the whole lot into a garbage bag and take it to the dump.
Usually I'll try to let the brake clean thinners evaporate a while before I pack it into the bag.

Protect and clean the vinyl dashboard with "303 aerospace protectant" (I got mine at a kayaking shop, available online of course): it's a high UV rated, non-silicone protectant (apparentlly unlike Armor-all, which is not recommended).

When removing those allen-head type bolts (such as the two that hold on the starter to a W123), clean the recesses out first. I didn't, when trying to remove aforementioned starter bolts & stripped the recess because of the minimal contact caused by dirt/grease/etc. impacted inside the bolt head.

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marshall

1982 300TD (220,000 mi.)

If you have a problem with wiper blade function, first clean the blades and windshield before throwing money at new blades. I use Bon Ami (and Rain-X) on the windshield, and alcohol to clean the blades. This often solves the problem.

In the last sleety storm we had I found a barrelful of wiper blades tossed in the trash outside the auto parts store. I took home about 15 blades and found most of them still in excellent shape. All I have to do is trim them to size. I don't think I'll have to pay money for wiper blades ever again. (Also good for the environment - less waste.)

Every so often I flip the blades on my cars so they undo the set they take in the parked position.

I use Brake cleaner to clean out the allen heads and a hammer to seat the bit all the way into the head. Also, use AeroKroil penetrating oil available from kanolabs.com. It makes PB Blaster look like water. I've heard JB-80 is just as amazing but I can't find it anywhere.

**Also, NEVER use silicone adhesive/sealant as is traps corrosive moisture as it cures and actually CAUSES RUST. Butyl sealant is a good alternative.

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Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

I tend to do this too.

When im working on the 240D I like to have some go-jo, a bucket of clean water, a couple clean shop towels, a lawn chair, and a cigar or two close by. (in no particular order )

I notice that when the car gets the best of me, shooting squirrels with the 22 gets so much easier.

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http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...73378_30-1.jpg

To get the oil varnish film off the inside surfaces of engine parts, e.g. valve covers/timing covers, Purple Power is the bee's knees. That stuff is awesome. It works way better for this job than Stoddard Solvent (aka mineral spirits) or brake cleaner. Brake cleaner works good but it evpaorates too fast and you get asphyxiated or a buzz while doing it. I discovered this by accident. I worked and worked using brake cleaner to get the varnish off the inside surface of my front timing cover on my 104 motor. I set the cover aside on the bench to take a break and in so doing I accidentally spilled some Purple Power on it and the varnish just started running off. Yeah! Plus you can wash it off with water. Spray down the part, let it sit five minutes, and wash away all that friggin varnish. Sweeeeeet.

Time for a show of hands of all you who've gotten busted by Momma for cleaning grungy engine parts in the kitchen sink ;-)

I just fixed the awful spray pattern from my windshield squirters. It took a 0.025" drill bit to gently ream out the deposits in the nozzle. I don't know if it was calcium deposits, corrosion, or wax that can make its way into the hole, but the drill bit reamed it out. I then disconnected the water line and backflushed the deposits with a squirt bottle.

Sometimes that isn't enough to unclog the system. In that case, drain the washer fluid reservoir, and flush the reservoir with a garden hose, letting the water overflow for a long time to flush out the solids. Then disconnect the hose at the nozzles and operate the washer fluid to flush a lot of water through the system. That should get rid of any clinkers that may clog the nozzles. At that point you should be good to go for the season. This is an often overlooked maintenance item that should be done periodically when your washer fluid spray seems a bit off.

I'm a bit surprised at having to use a 0.025 drill bit on the washers. I've always been able to use 0.015 stiff wire to clean them out, but as long as you still have a good spray pattern, whatever works best!

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'76 240D-Sold
'78 240D-Sold
'85 300 SD, 165K-Sold
'88 300 TE, 165K-Sold
'64 Porsche 356C Cabriolet- under restoration
'86 560SL 124K Miles-Sold
'94 320E Wagon, 74K Miles-128K Miles JUNKED
'06 E350 Wagon, 84K Miles
07 SL550, 14K Miles

I first tried a wire, but I was still left with a poor pattern. I could feel the reaming action and see the deposits when I used the drill bit.