i find it hard to get a good mechanic hereabouts.My car has a few niggling problems .I would be grateful for any tech. help Ican get. (jemery@wn.com. au ) One thing annoying me at the moment is a loud humming or groaning noise that comes from the power steering system somewhere after the car has been running for a while.Jack.(West Australia)

Jack,

Have you checked the steering fluid level, while the engine is running? The system hold nearly 2 quarts, and what may look sufficient with the engine off, may be low whilst running. As long as the wheel is stationary while the cap is off, there shouldn't be any worry about fluid spraying out. You may need to bleed the system of air as well.



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Mike Tangas
73 280 SEL 4.5

quote:

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Originally posted by MikeTangas:
Jack,

Have you checked the steering fluid level, while the engine is running? The system hold nearly 2 quarts, and what may look sufficient with the engine off, may be low whilst running. As long as the wheel is stationary while the cap is off, there shouldn't be any worry about fluid spraying out. You may need to bleed the system of air as well.

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thanks mike.Fluid level O.K. How do I get the air out/ jACK

Jack,

There is a bleeder screw on top of the steering gearbox. If you open it with engine off, till fluid comes out and the systen is full, the system will need little bleeding.

If you need to bleed the system, hook a section of MB hard vacuum line, with a
rubber hose to couple, to the bleeder, open the bleeder and place the other end into the reservoir. Start the motor but **DO NOT** turn the wheel (you will blast the line off and throw fluid everywhere).

The fluid will give up its air and clear fluid will flow through this into the reservoir.

*******

The above is a response from Jeffsr when I asked the same question. In my case, I did it the hard way, by slowly turning the wheel lock to lock, then topping off. I continued until the fluid was clear and no more air in the system. I must admit, Jeff's method is much easier (not to mention neater).

When you checked the fluid with the engine running, was it clear or pink and frothy? If pink and frothy, then air is the source of the noise, next step is to figure out where the air is coming from. If the fluid was clear, then your problem lies elsewhere, pump starting to fail, blockage in the lines or a problem with the steering box.

Good luck, keep us posted.

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Mike Tangas
73 280 SEL 4.5

I'm having trouble finding a mechanic for my '69 6.3 in the DC/NoVA area, too. If anybody has any contacts, I'd dearly love to hear about it!

Thanks!

Hello Jack Emery,
I've had this problem twice in the past 20 years. First was in 1981, on my 1966 230 sedan. I discovered someone had mixed fluids in my steering reservoir before I bought the car. Drained, refilled and bled system
until only ATF remained. Noise gone!
Second time was in 1992 on my 1972
250 sedan. I noticed slight seepage
under PS pump when parked, but not while running. Only moaning and foaming at the reservoir. Suspected pump was sucking air through pump seals while driving. I installed a reseal kit in my Vickers pump (Kit cost under $40 vs over $500 for a new pump). Noise has been gone for 8 years! I know that a 6.3 is much different from my 2.8 but I hope this helps.
Good Luck, Mark DiSilvestro
1972 250 (daily driver)
1972 250C (Moms car, Nice!)
1961 180b (rough)
1957 DKW 3=6 Coupe (head turner)
1964 DKW F12 Roadster (basket case)
1967 Sunbeam Alpine (Yes,it's British!)

__________________
DrDKW

George,

Well, I have worked on a few 6.3s in my day, also owned a 6.9. I'm a huge fan of the M-100s personally. Anyhow, I have done alot of suspension work on them and some injection work. I remember putting a BRAND NEW injection pump in a fully restored '71 6.3 for a guy. He demanded new and not rebuilt. $15,000 later and his new pump was installed and tweaked! Anyhow, I work at the MB dealership in Cincinnati, but used to work for an MB independent here which is a top notch organization. I went to the dealer to be their vintage "specialist" but they have a couple guys back at the independent (Precision Motorcars, Inc. (513) 271-5565) who are quite knowledgeable about the M-100 motor as well. If you call, ask to speak with Gary Ensor or Paul Callahan. They'll steer you in the right direction! Of course, you can always call me at MB of Cincinnati at (513) 984-9000 if you ever need any help! Keep that M-100 purring, I look forward to the day when I'll find another 6.9 or perhaps even a 6.3! (I have to admit I like the 6.9 slightly better because it's somewhat of a more "useable" hotrod than the 6.3. I ran my '79 6.9 up to 203,000 miles before finally getting rid of it. But those 203,000 miles were a blast!)

__________________
Regards,
Aaron

Aaron, thank you very much for the reply and the list of contacts.

I can only think of a couple of reasons why I prefer the 6.3 to the more civilised 6.9:

(1) The 6.3 is honestly perceivably quicker, and,
(2) It's the first car I ever drove over 100, as a teenager.

I'm making the assumption that the 6.3 does have and will always have a higher resale value than the 4.5. However, I'm also assuming that the 6.3 is more expensive to maintain. So I'm asking you to make an educated guess and answer this question: Over the next ten years, will the value of a 6.3 increase so much more quickly than a 4.5 that the increased maintenance costs of the 6.3 will be offset by it's higher value?

If I buy a 109, it will be driven about 2,500 miles per year in good weather. I would like to get a 6.3 but am wary of the additional expense of maintaining / rebuilding an M-100. I could justify the additional expense somewhat if I have a fighting chance of recovering it if I sell the vehicle down the road.

You can't rebuild a 6.3 motor these days and keep it a 6.3. Far too many pieces are NLA. A machinist usually bores out your 6.3 block to the 6.9 spec and works from there.

All the non-engine, non-tranny things are the same.

The bottom line, I would guess, is that a pristine car is always worth a fortune and a pile of rubble is never going to be worth the expense put into it.

I have a nearly rust-free 300sel 4.5 in my mom's driveway, waiting for the last registered owner to send me the title. The car was abandoned to its mechanic after the owner hit a road-side marker. It won't be too difficult to restore, once I do a 100% suspension overhaul, replace one rear quarter, and do 100% of the interior. If I didn't already have all the spare parts, except bellows, just laying around, it wouldn't be worth it.

-CTH

If you visit the M-100 Group and ask the same question, they'll tell you where to go for documentation that the 109 6.3 will command a huge premium in the future. It will always be worth much more than the 108 and 109 4.5's, and continue to be worth more than a 116 6.9 in similar condition (even though the 116 6.9 is a much more civilised and enjoyable vehicle).

Having said that, however, I must agree that you must be careful how much money you put into a car that you mean to be a normal daily driver. You can go very wrong very quickly. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that no car that you're thinking of driving is likely to be a good "investment."

I won't be driving my 6.3 regularly until this spring. By that time, including the vehicle's purchase price, I will have about $13,000 invested in the car. I paid $4500 for the car, and consider myself lucky that I didn't have to spend much more to get the car in shape.

If you're looking for advice and you really want a 6.3, I'd honestly suggest you locate a reputable, well known M-100 owner and pay about $15,000 to begin with. This will eliminate the chances you'd take doing it the way I did, and you'd have time to enjoy the car right away while you took time to decide what you wanted to do with the car. There aren't many mechanics who could tackle a major 6.3 project car, and it might be easier for you in the long run to pay more money up front and take your time getting to know someone you can trust to work on the car in your area.

Note to Jack: If you're in Australia, you actually have a hugely popular and very knowledgeable 6.3 fanatic in your country. I think the company's called "Big Boy Toys" or something similar, and I think the owner's name is Franz. An Internet search or a visit to the M-100 Group should turn him up. He actually posts in the M-100 Group fairly regularly.