115 engine inquiry

can you please give me a suggestion on how to maintain my 115 m-benz engine? please dont get technical coz im no mechanic and please give me some tips on how to restore my car. i would really appreciate for any suggestions, thanks!

Hello and welcome to our form. First suggestion is read, read, read! Read all the posts you can. I have learned ALOT just from that! Second, check out the Diesel form as well. They are more towards your vehicle mechanically. LAST. Get a manual for your 115, it will help out tremendously.

Good Luck and welcome!
Bryan

[ctaylor738]

I also welcome you to the forum.

How about some background information on the car like model, year, mileage, problems and concerns, goals, budget, history, your mechanical experience and abilities, tools, etc?

Chuck

[cth350]

First rule: Ask BEFORE you break it. If you have to, ask afterwards. Either way, talk to us, we're more than happy to help get you in deep.

Second: It's more expensive to fix after you break it.

Third: Take the opportunity to learn, it's fun.

To answer your specific question, there are 3 very good things to do for your 220 (right car, yes?)

1. Change the oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months whichever comes first.

2. Check the transmission fluid and be sure its level is correct.

3. Do the same with the radiator. If you don't know when it was flushed last, it needs to be flushed. There is a recommened way to do it, and then there's the prestone way to do it. The flush agent you can buy at pep boys is NOT what Mercedes recommends, but people use it anyway. You car won't last another 20 years with it, but do you care?

If you can't do any of the above yourself, don't sweat it. Take it to a competent mechanic. That means avoid Jiffy Lube and go to somebody you trust (or that you get a good recommendation on).


-CTH

Originally posted by ctaylor738
I also welcome you to the forum.

How about some background information on the car like model, year, mileage, problems and concerns, goals, budget, history, your mechanical experience and abilities, tools, etc?

Chuck

glad to see somebody replied.my 115 is a 1973,220 gas. mileage reads 93000,problem is everytime i start it in the morning, and give it a rev,engine seems to lose power and gives a loud boom,seems like a compression problem but i'm not really sure. previous engine overheated and was replaced by another one. car seems to turn on the right and steering freeplay needs adjustment. i have no mechanical know-how and i usually have it serviced in a car shop. and can you please tell me where i can get a manual for my car? thanks!

thanks for all the suggestions. could you advice me if ever i'd sell my 115 how much would i price it, and i'm planning to get a 123 body instead,would that be easier to maintain?

[Mark V]

for ease of repair stick with the older models, with every year past about 1980 cars got progresssively more tinker resistant. As an example, I had a mid 80's Oldsmobile, and I couldn't set the timing or adjust the idle speed, thats great when everything runs well but when it doesn't you start a long hunt of sensors and such to corrrect the problem. The 115 and earlier don't use any electronic engine technology making it much more fixable.
Thats just my $.02, but I may be overly nostalgic.

[cth350]

There are service CDs available, but if you're not into fixing it yourself, you probably don't need anything on it, except the owner's manual. If all you want is the owner's manual, you can probably order it right here at parts shop, or worse case, from the nearest dealer.

That big boom, a backfire, means some combination of ignition or carberation or timing problem exists. Since it only happens during warm up, one would suspect your carb or the ignition is just a little out of spec. Either way, it's a tune-up, and you need to find a competent mechanic.

As for changing cars, there are no shortage to choose from. Pick a car based on your budget, visual appeal, and health of the vehicle. If it looks sloppy now and you want to be better, buy a better car. The cosmetic stuff is most expensive, especially paint & rust repair. After that, it's your choice on the mechanicals. Obviously, don't buy anything that hasn't been inspected by a mechanic you trust. Cars is cars, as far as inspections go. brakes, suspension, steering, engine, tranny, that's all part of a basic health inspection.

-CTH

thanks for the suggestions. i also have this problem regarding its windshield leak, coz everytime it rains my carpet gets soaked both left and right. aside from the windshield rubber, where else could be the problem or could there be another leak somewhere else? one more thing, since i usually have it serviced in a carshop, what detailed instruction should i tell to the mechanic? thanks in advance.

[cth350]

that's a windshield leak. It happens to all of them eventually. Along with it, comes a rusty firewall and rusty rocker panels and a rusty floor.

The only cure is to replace the seal. Any winshield shop can do the work. Buy the seal from the parts shop. It will set you back less than 100$ (don't know how much less).

-CTH

Actually I assumed you had a 115 diesel model . Your in the right spot!
Regards,
Bryan

hey there, thanks for all the suggestions, needed those. can you give me some advice on what parts needed to repair my steering freeplay? steers on the right and freeplay needs a big adjustment.kinda shakes when i hit a pothole too.by the way, love your restoration work on your car.

I would check all the parts such as tires, tierods, ball joints, and related front end parts, and most importantly, the frame where the steering box mounts for rust. If all are tight check the steering coupler that goes between the steering colum and the steering gear. Mine was bad and cause a loose feel, and a bang in the wheel when hitting bumps, but any worn part and make that noise. I have replaced every rubber part on my suspension and subframe/engine mounts as all were rotted. After all parts are check and ok, an alignment to cap it off should cure the pulling to one side as the caster adjustment may be off.
Regards,
Bryan