Christy
WOT is Wide Open Throttle. Hang in there! I'm sure that
you'll get it and will have earned our respect and the
Mercedesshop perseverance award!

__________________
VR
1967 250SL

Christy:

If you are going to be taking the carbs on and off again (probably will), get another CHEAP open/box wrench for the carb nuts (12mm if stock, 13mm if replacements) and cut it in half and round down the cut edges. This makes it sooooo much easier getting the inside nuts off the studs. If you have the patience you can even do it with the valve cover installed.

I had posted the following on an earlier thread so you may have already checked this out. If you car has the electronic idle cutoff solenoids (one on each carb) make sure they are connected and working. They work off the same circuit as the chokes (via fuse #4). If you have them and they are not working then these could well be at the root of the problem. I have been there and the only way I could get mine to run was get a start and work between half and full throttle and pump the gas pedal.

Hang in there - it will be worth it in the end...

Dan

__________________
Dan Taylor/ Tulsa, OK MBCA
'84 300D/'90 Jaguar XJ6/XJ40

Hey Christi,

You mentioned that when checking your oil level it was high. Not sure that it would/could be a problem, but you DO want to bring that down to the top of the FULL indicator. Hot or cold.

__________________
Bill Streep
San Antonio
'57 190SL (toy)
'08 S5500 (mine)
'09 CLK550 (wife's)
'06 SLK350 (daughter's)
'11 GLK350 (daughter's)
'03 CLK310 (spare)

Just thought of this. It could also be that your oil level is high because of the tremendous amount of gasoline that's been added to it by all of your cranking!

__________________
Bill Streep
San Antonio
'57 190SL (toy)
'08 S5500 (mine)
'09 CLK550 (wife's)
'06 SLK350 (daughter's)
'11 GLK350 (daughter's)
'03 CLK310 (spare)

So, we (you) have the carbs reassembled and the plugs are clean, and a shot of ether down the throat of the carbs produces Nada?

Armed with your trusty tach-dwell meter...

- You're showing dwell when you turn the key and the engine cranks?

- [Assuming you're still using the stock ignition] If you check the voltage at the coil (connection between balast resistor and the coil), you see more than 9volts?

Perhaps the plugs need to be cleaned and dried again?

-CTH

__________________
- cth350@gmail.com
http://www.111lakeside.com/

Hey guys!
Yes...I DID put the carbs back together again. I (unfortunately) didn't DO much to them. Only the transition jet (the tiny one) on the rear carb was clogged. It looked like it had a lime deposit in it. I soaked it in carb cleaner and went to blow it out with an air gun...then.....you guessed it, I BLEW IT ACROSS THE ROOM!!!!!! Ugh!!!! But...luckily I found it! *whew*

So I put them back together, fuel inside each of them. Tried to crank it....and ...NOTHING! AT least it seemed to FIRE intermittenly, before!!! I didn't, however, check the plugs again...they are probably wet.

About the oil....I checked the dipstick 3 times and the car is ABSOLUTELY level, and it reads 1/4-1/2 and inch HIGHER than the "full" marking. The owner said it has a very slow oil drip and that he constantly topped it off. (the drip IS VERY slow) Is it possible, that the extra oil is to make up for low compression?? That oil is high!!!!

Ok...so the car has NEW plugs,(Bosch) wires, distributor cap, and rotor. I am beginning to question if the wires are ON the cap correctly. (I am now QUESTIONING everything)! I have this cool little Chilton's book, that shows the firing order for "all models except 280 {6 cyl.}" which my 250 would be in THIS category, right? WELL, MY car is set up as the book shows FOR the "280". I guess I should just switch them around and see if it helps??? But then again, SURELY THIS isn't the problem, right?

Someone else mentioned that maybe the timing chain was jumping teeth, became so out of wack, that the timing is completely off.

I have sooo much to learn!
I'll try to learn how to do these points and dwell thing and let ya know how that was.

~Christy

Christy,

I think your firing order is: 1-5-3-6-2-4.

If your distributor cap is not marked for #1, bring #1 to TDC on compression stroke (I'm sure you have done that a time or two now) and look at where the rotor is pointing. Start there with #1 plug wire.

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Hey Dan...
Thanks for the reply about the bolts on the carburator. I ALREADY chewed up one NUT....so I guess I have to go with your advice, and get that CHEAP open box...

~Christy

The firing order is easy, it's cast right on the valve cover.

An inductive timing light on the CENTER lead of the distributor will tell you if you have a few disconnected wires (and little else). Running at starter speed, you should see a somewhat steady stream of flashes.

Remind me, please, what your ignition system looks like. I recall somebody mentioning a crane system, but I don't recall if that was his car or yours.

-CTH

__________________
- cth350@gmail.com
http://www.111lakeside.com/

Hi CTH...

All the ignition parts on my car look completely original. The distributor REALLY looks as if it's been on there since 1969, as goes for the coil.

I'll try switching those wires around to see if that helps. I'm PRETTY sure that's NOT it though...I WISH, though!!

BTW the owner said that the exhaust system HAD been switched over, to PASS PA's STRICT emissions testing...and the car had been inspected up until '92...(if this even matters!)

~christy

[Edited by bachlauter on 03-22-2001 at 09:08 AM]

Hey...

I went back out to look at these wires. I think they're ok. The firing order IS on the engine. My question is/was WHERE #1 should be...

...but...as I took out the #2 plug, I noticed that it was not nearly as oily as usual. AND my IGNITION COIL is jerry-rigged. I noticed that the wire had COME OFF the top of the coil. So, of course I re-rigged it and tried to crank it...

The car chugged in a rhythmic way, kind of like a galloping horse. It SOUNDS, to me, like 3 cylinders are firing and 3 are not. BEFORE (my carb job) it (the firing in the engine) sounded more UNEVEN (not rhythmic). I think TODAY, the car sounded the best it ever has.

So...I still have yet to check the points and dwell. *sigh*

~Christy

OK.....Potential BIG NEWS!!!!!!!!!

Ok...I've been checking everything BASIC. SO I pulled off the center connection to the ignition coil AND....THERE IS NO METAL SHOWING IN THERE!! It is ALL gunked up, and sooty and CRAZY in there! I've been cleaning and cleaning it and have it to the point where METAL is NOW showing.

So...I went to crank it....and....MY BATTERY NEEDS CHARGED!!! However, it chugged sooo good....


I am in the process of CHARGING the battery....and I'm trying NOT to get TOO excited....

What do ya think???

~Christy

I'm a "software engineer" by training (a guy that designs and write computer programs). Most of what I do, is help other people get un-stuck. My secret? Question the assumptions. It doesn't work? What doesn't work? What makes you think it should? Show me ....

Challenge your assumptions and start from scratch every now and then.

While cleaning up my download directory, I ran across a reference to a web page on tuning dual carbs. Enjoy.

http://members.aol.com/valueadded/maint/carb.htm

-CTH

__________________
- cth350@gmail.com
http://www.111lakeside.com/

-CTH....
Ok....UNFORTUNATELY, I am not ready to TUNE the carbs..YET.

I have NOW discovered that the small wire, that goes from the coil to the side of the distributor, appears broken, IS jerry-rigged on the coil, AND is heavily corroded on the side of the distributor. HOW important IS this small wire??

I saw where I could buy a new on for like 60 cents! And I plan to. However, I am having trouble getting the tiny bolt off of the distributor, that holds this wire on. Would WD-40 help???

Let me know the importance of this wire!!

~Christy
***********************************************************
I took the small wire OFF and it IS broken!!!
Is this IMPORTANT?!?!?!?!?!

[Edited by bachlauter on 03-23-2001 at 09:36 AM]

Nope. That wire isn't important. Don't know why they even put it on there. If you take it off, the car won't start, but what the heck. WD 40 will probably work. Liquid Wrench will work a little better. Now, I'm not sure of this because it's been a few years since my 250, but I think it's the same as my 190sl: My question is, if you replaced the points, you PROBABLY had to free this nut - the other end is where the points wire attaches on most older points systems... Check the continuity of this to the points, and make SURE this arrangement isn't grounding to the distributor anywhere. In other words, the wire from the coil should go to a post on the distributor that goes through an insulator of some kind through the side of the distributor, and then to a wire from the points. Good luck - you may have found your cure.

__________________
Bill Streep
San Antonio
'57 190SL (toy)
'08 S5500 (mine)
'09 CLK550 (wife's)
'06 SLK350 (daughter's)
'11 GLK350 (daughter's)
'03 CLK310 (spare)