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  #1  
Old 09-05-2004, 03:50 AM
stua59
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New 230S to play with

I have been lucky enough to be given a Finny in pretty good condition & found this great forum. The motor seems to run ok, but when I did a compression check the readings ranged from 105 to 145 psi. The crankcase vent is fuming and the oil which looked ok when I got the car has now turned black. I assume fuel is leaking down past the rings. Could someone confirm this for me and give me an idea of how difficult / expensive an engine rebuild would be.
Thanks

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  #2  
Old 09-05-2004, 11:57 AM
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Location: Baton Rouge, LA
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It may not be that the rings are totally gone.. If the carbs are running rich, this can be 90% of the problem... or Injection...

Check the plugs and see how they look.. if they are black with carbon.. it's running rich.. if they are black from oil, it can be the valve seals, valves or rings...

how many miles on the motor?
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1968 w110 230 Fintail
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  #3  
Old 09-05-2004, 05:50 PM
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gimme a low-tech 240D
 
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Location: central ky
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What is the history of the car?
How long has it been sitting and under what conditions?
And what sort of care was taken at bringing the car out of hibernation?

Bad case scenario: Rings have frozen and rusted, then cracked when the car was started up without first shooting lots and lots of penetrating oil and then plenty of marvel oil through the sparkplug holes into the chambers over a period of several days, if not a couple of weeks - followed with an oil change naturally.

Worst case scenario: The engine has been operating, even today, with cracked rings that will quickly score the bores if they have not done so already.

First thing that I would do is pull the cylinder head - an easy job on the Heckflosse body style 230S....... And if it was me, I would NOT run that engine with suspected ring problems.

Meanwhile, dont let anybody talk you into planing or shaving the cyl head after you have pulled it.... this will raise compression and cause the crankshaft to start spinning its bearings.

Dunno what kinda cars you have worked on before, but that old finbody is probably the most sensibly designed vehicle of the past 50 yrs - a piece of cake from mechanic's perspective with everything accessible.

One helluva car, the old Heckflosse Benz, isnt it?

But you've gotta respect close factory tolerances and clearances without too much machining or milling, so dont let "Bubba" who just bored and stroked his small block chevy get his hands on it and start chopping the head. Not that there's anything wrong with chevy engines, you understand.
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Old 09-05-2004, 06:30 PM
stua59
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Thanks for your replies. Dont know the full history of the car but it was used as a daily runner till recently. It was running way too rich - plugs were sooty black. Also found a fuel leak while I was there, could explain the poor consumption. I set the idle mixture screws 1 1/2 turns out and adjusted the idle. Carbs havent been balanced. It now appears to be running lean with the rear cylinder plugs almost white.
Any ideas ?
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  #5  
Old 09-05-2004, 06:48 PM
stua59
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BTW I love this old girl. I couldnt believe a 40 yo car could ride, brake and feel so solid to drive. The kids love it too !
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New 230S to play with-dscf0224a.jpg  
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  #6  
Old 09-05-2004, 09:38 PM
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Location: Baton Rouge, LA
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is it the zeniths? solex? or converted to webers?

you have to balance them.. get all the plugs to be white/grey... and change your oil...


see how it looks after a week of that...
then you should have a better idea of what it's not!
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  #7  
Old 09-05-2004, 10:20 PM
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Before you do anything major you should adjust the valves and maybe change the oil. I just got another 230S which had compression from 105-145. After I adjusted the valves I've got 135 on all cylinders. A little Marvel Mystery oil can help loosen up any sticky rings. Before you pull the head you should do a cylinder leakage test. The carbs on your car are Zenith 35/40 INAT. They are very complex and difficult to get right. They can dump gas into the cylinders like crazy. You can try to syncronize them with a Unisyn but rebuilds may be in order. Good luck.

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