2,000 Mile Trip Planned For 1968 W110 200D

[Squiggle Dog]

At the end of June I plan on driving my 1968 W110 200D fintail from Tacoma, Washington to Price, Utah for a family reunion. It is just under a 2,000 mile round trip.

I have replaced a few parts already and will be replacing more before the trip so that most mechanical parts have been looked over, adjusted, or replaced. I installed a CD player so I will have music on the trip. I am also bringing my dog, Yogi with me.

I bought this car to use as a daily driver while I looked for a 300SD and had it up for sale after I found one, but the 300SD is not roadworthy and has bad paint. It also seems that I wouldn't be able to sell the 200D for as much as it is worth to me. I have grown attached to this car and may not be selling it after all.

It's a good daily driver and does fine on the freeway (it does 70 MPH okay, 75 MPH is pushing it, and 80 MPH is about as fast as it is safe to push the engine--not bad for 55 horsepower).

It has a 4 speed manual floor shift transmission, tinted glass, and factory air conditioning--which was working until I removed the air compressor to replace some engine parts. I will hook the A/C back up before the trip.

I have been using B99 biodiesel for about 4 months now. There are a few biodiesel stations in Utah also. The car should get great fuel mileage on the trip (as long as I keep A/C use down).

[Joseph_Conrad]

That should be a really great trip. I hope that you bring your camera along and share your adventure with us when you have the chance. Hopefully, it's a smooth adventure; it sounds like you're tying all the loose ends. Have fun!

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Check your oil! I was planning a 300 mile trip...

[Squiggle Dog]

Originally Posted by JeffreyNMemphis

Check your oil! I was planning a 300 mile trip...

I did an oil change a few days ago (Amsoil 15W40 diesel synthetic) and check the oil level every week. Though, when I was looking at buying the car the engine was warm and when I checked the dipstick there was oil on it. After I drove the car home I checked the oil again and the dipstick was dry! It was about 2 quarts low, in fact. I did an oil change and ever since then have kept a close eye on the oil level. The car did have massive oil leaks from the valve cover and a few other places, but a new gasket and some crush washers/o-rings fixed most of them.

[JeffreyNMemphis]

That looks like a 220Sb parked in front of your 200D. Is that one yours too?

[Necrosavant]

Originally Posted by JeffreyNMemphis

That looks like a 220Sb parked in front of your 200D. Is that one yours too?

looks the same color as mine also

[Squiggle Dog]

Originally Posted by JeffreyNMemphis

That looks like a 220Sb parked in front of your 200D. Is that one yours too?

That's my roommate's car. It's a daily-driver-quality 1965 220S with Euro lights, very little rust, and lots of new parts. He got it for $500 because the previous owner got bored with it and didn't want to pay for storage anymore. Since that picture we installed a near NOS rear bumper and replaced the seats with some nice ones with head and arm rests out of a W109 300SEL. The seats that were in there before were reupholstered with a cheap-looking vinyl.

[TnBob]

Make sure you take extra water for your pooch.
A long lead is good too, dogs in strange places do strange
things when you stop.

[Squiggle Dog]

Originally Posted by TnBob

Make sure you take extra water for your pooch.
A long lead is good too, dogs in strange places do strange
things when you stop.

I will do that. I have a long retractable leash also. When he is in the car he wears a harness that attaches to the seatbelt. He loves going on Yogiventures.

[Skid Row Joe]

For good measure, I wouldn't drive an old car like that more than 60 mph. I don't care what it'll do - I just don't like beating aged, frail machinery. Consider driving two-lane, other than Interstate highway when you can. Unless I'm in a real hurry cross-country, I normally get off the Interstates. It makes seeing America more of a treat.

[subetealabici]

Hi

Thats a really nice car, I'm looking into getting one like that, you should take a look into the CV boots? and the flex disc on the transmission?, any rubber part that you think is important, take and extra diesel filter and a gallon of oil.

Santiago

[junqueyardjim]

We might go to Denver this summer if I can get the whole 617 conversion done plenty in time. School bus driving starts again August 6th, that's early but it makes for more week long vacations during the school year. Anyway, I have driven to Denver from Indianoplace on old US 36. You really get to smell the farms and see the small towns that way, and I might do it again this summer.

[Squiggle Dog]

Originally Posted by subetealabici

Hi

Thats a really nice car, I'm looking into getting one like that, you should take a look into the CV boots? and the flex disc on the transmission?, any rubber part that you think is important, take and extra diesel filter and a gallon of oil.

Santiago

It only has one CV boot, which appears to be in good condition. The flex disc on the transmission looks okay as well. I will bring extra filters, fluids, and a tank of spare biodiesel in case I can't make it to the next biodiesel station in time. I may even bring a spare waterpump.

[Squiggle Dog]

Today I lost the brakes on the 200D. So much for the "all new brakes" the previous owner advertised along with the "4,000 miles on a rebuilt engine" which smokes horribly and the "new tires" which were 20-30 year old Michelin X bias ply tires and "new clutch" which had a broken clutch fork or something.

I had to stop quickly and the pedal went to the floor. I had to use the parking brake and go around the vehicle in front of me. When I got home the front left caliper and rear left cylinder had blown out and were leaking brake fluid.

I inspected all 4 wheel brakes. The front left caliper was leaking out fluid and the rotor didn't have much wear. The pads seemed to have little wear also. The right front rotor and pads were worn down. The left rear drum surface was in excellent condition and the shoes were soaked in brake fluid. The friction material looked like it was about ready to come off of the shoes like it did on the rear right shoes. The rear right shoes were glazed but the drum surface was in good condition. These shoes and drum were borrowed from my 1967 230S parts car after the original friction material had come off of the shoes.

I suppose this would explain why the car would pull so hard to the right when braking. I had planned on replacing the brakes before my road trip anyway (despite the previous owner saying the entire brake system was replaced), but now I have to do it immediately.

I inspected the underside of the car while it was in the air. The axle boot looks okay, though some weather checking is present. I may want to replace it if I ever have the right axle shaft out (or however you would replace a non-split boot). I saw that the axle breather was clogged up and I plan to clean it if it can be cleaned. Otherwise, I will replace it.

This got me thinking about replacing and packing the wheel bearings. I figure it would be a good idea to have new bearings and fresh bearing grease since I don't know when they were repacked last (if ever) and I put a lot of miles on the car and will be making that 2,000 mile round trip this summer. I did some looking into the factory service manual for insight. I saw many expensive puller and installer tools mentioned which discouraged me a bit. I was also reading that an exact amount of wheel bearing grease must be used. Too much and the kneading action will cause heat buildup that can destroy the bearings--too little and they will wear prematurely. Wow...

I have a set of front rotors on my 1967 230S with almost no use that I want to install on my 1968 200D. They have rust on them, though, but I imagine I can clean them up. It appears in order to swap rotors I need to remove the hub grease cap, undo a clamp, use some kind of puller to pull the hub, then unbolt the rotor from the hub. Since the rotors were put on the 230S maybe 5 years ago and have almost no use on them, it would make sense that the bearings and grease would be in good condition and could be swapped over to my 200D, BUT we all know how mechanics cut corners and who knows if the bearings were repacked and if the proper amount of grease was used.

My 230S also has front brake pads with almost no use that I would like to use on my 200D. I will be replacing all of the ORIGINAL 1967-dated brake hoses with new ATE hoses. The master cylinder looks original (and rusty) so I had better replace it. Apparently I have the 4th version master cylinder that has two electric fluid level warning sensors in the reservoir and uses two rubber grommets where the reservoir connects to the master cylinder (as opposed to having one grommet and a screw). Though it is yellowed, I will probably reuse the master cylinder housing because I think it is safe to use.

I am hoping I can rebuild the front calipers, but I have never done this before. I did read through the factory service manual which covers the rebuilding. But once again I see lots of fancy tools being used. New ATE calipers are SO expensive. I see Nugeon, Cardone, Duralast, and Beck-Arnley rebuilt calipers for under $100, but my experience with aftermarket parts is NOT good. I am curious, though, if the aftermarket rebuilt ones are worth looking into as they may be actual ATE calipers that were rebuilt. I would also be curious as to if an ATE caliper set would still be quality calipers after being rebuilt by a chain store and having aftermarket seals in them.

New rear wheel slave cylinders are expensive so I would like to rebuild mine, but the kits are also pricey and don't seem to include the springs and pistons (unless I spent $50 per kit from Mercedes--ouch!).

I would like to replace, pack, and reseal the rear wheel bearings as well. The axle shafts need to be removed to do the job. Once again I read about fancy puller and press tools being needed to remove the axle shafts. If the bearings are to be serviced I would rather do it now then have to remove the new brakes to do it later.

The factory service manual makes rebuilding calipers and servicing wheel bearings look very difficult. How realistic is this job for a do-it-yourself mechanic like myself without the special Mercedes-Benz puller and press tools?

This is my daily driver so unfortunately I will be riding the bus until the car is put back together. I need to rebuild the fuel injectors, have the injection pump rebuilt, or something (maybe replace valve guides). All this engine smoking is driving me crazy and it upsets a lot of people. The valves were adjusted recently, fuel tank cleaned with fresh fuel, and the oil bath air cleaner has been cleaned and oil added to the orange line.

I should also grease the chassis and top off the steering box which seems to have a leaking lower seal. After I replace the parts that I need to drive the car to Utah I may not have any money for the trip!

[Squiggle Dog]

I'm still working on replacing the brake parts, but the end is in sight! I may even be able to drive it to work on Monday.

I got USA-rebuilt ATE calipers and then bought dust shields and proper length bleeder screws from The Classic Center. I rebuilt the original master cylinder and bought new ATE rear wheel cylinders. I installed near new rotors, pads, and shoes as well. I didn't forget to replace the original hoses with 4 new ATE brand ones. I derusted and painted the brake parts with ceramic high-temp cast iron paint and bought proper ATE Plastilube. I am going to use DOT4 brake fluid.

While I was at it, I cleaned up the axle breather valve to prevent pressure from building up and blowing out the seals. The rear wheel bearings are lubricated by the differential oil and the seals seem to be holding up, so I didn't worry about those. I had a set of spare hubs with recent seals and grease, but I cleaned out much of the grease and put new Mobil-1 synthetic grease in there. The grease in the original hubs was old and waxy.

I got a nice new grease gun filled with Mobil-1 synthetic grease that I am going to use to lubricate the chassis and I got a needle attachment for lubricating the door hinges.

Today I ordered a new fuel pump diaphragm and gasket from The Classic Center because I think it is the reason why my car smokes so much at idle. When I first got the car it didn't smoke much and the oil in the injection pump was clean. When I changed the oil again recently, the oil was dark and had flakes in it, probably from a ruptured diaphragm.

I'm still on track for making the trip in 2 weeks, so hopefully it goes well!