W111 Newbie Questions...

[87MBTD]

Hi All!

My Dad recently purchased a Euro 1966 250SE Coupe with a four speed manual trans. It has 57,000 miles on it. It is a beautiful automobile and is really good shape considering its 38 years old. It does have some issues though. First of which is that it is leaking some serious oil. It is really hard to tell where it is coming from because the puddle is so huge. It will leak really bad a couple of minutes after the engine is shut off and then leak only a few drops. In addition, there is this weird metal line that runs from the front of the engine back into the firewall where it disappears. It is leaking at the front fitting that looks like some kind of injector. (see pic) For the life of me I cannot figure out what the heck this is. I have checked and rechecked the service manual with no mention of it. I am also not sure what kind of fluid it is leaking. It seems like engine oil, but I can’t be sure.

Next, the hydraulic suspension compensator in the rear seems to be shot. The car doesn’t ever pump itself up and the ride seems somewhat harsh. The service manual says that the unit is “service and maintenance free.” Thanks guys, nothing is maintenance free. I guess they couldn’t anticipate that this thing would still be around after 40 odd years. There is a big yellow sticker on the underside of the trunk lid that seems to say something about the suspension, but the adhesive seems to have eaten away the paper and I can’t read what it says. Is it anything important?

Also, the previous owner had lost the trunk/glovebox key. They are both unlocked at the moment so it isn't critical. I know that this is a stretch, but has anyone had any luck getting new keys or key codes from MB based on the VIN?

Lastly, can someone else that has this car tell me what the tire pressures should be. The sticker on the fuel flap is all in German and has metric units and, to top it all off, is quite faded and almost unreadable.

Wscheww! I think that those are the major issues at the moment. I have a stack of receipts from the previous owner that total over $12,000 over the past seven years, but the car just needs a little more to make it perfect.

Thanks in advance!

[Tomguy]

Tire pressures should be set to what's stated on the tire.
The trunk label is probably just telling you to correct tire pressure according to that table after loading (Beim beladen Reifendrück nach Tabelle richtigstellen). DON'T USE THOSE pressures - those are for bias-ply tires.

That line looks like it's for the oil pressure gauge, but I'm not 100% sure

The hydraulic compensator is unservicable itself meaning don't try to take it apart - but it will most likely need to be replaced. Try picking up a used one or finding a spring kit - the hydro units themselves are quite costly (I've heard over $1k!).

that's odd. Looking in my engine bay (same engine as your's) I don't see anyline comeing from there. Only a huge bolt. Maybe the M129 has 2 point to measure oil presure? (mines atop of the oil filter)

[wbain5280]

That's your tachometer drive.

a mechanical tach?!
let me guess, rare as hens teeth?

[wbain5280]

No, the Coupes and Convertibles had mechanical tachs. Look at your engine and you'll see a plug in the same place.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Tire pressures marked on the tires are the maximum permissable pressure allowed by the tire manufacturer, not the recommended pressure for your vehicle. For radial tires, I'd add 2 to 4 PSI over your car's spec for bias-ply tires. I've been running about 32 to 34 PSI in my W111 Fintail radials (with manual steering!) but she has 13 inch tires, not 14s like yours.

Happy Motoring, Mark