parking for dummies - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

iNeon · #1 12-24-2005, 07:36 AM

a few days ago i parked my car(79 240d) on a hill, sideways.

meaning... drivers side higher(8 inches or so id guess) than the passengers side, sideways.

the battery was dead, and ive been out of school so i didnt even bother with it. yesterday i jumped it with the neon and it acted like it was out of fuel.

crank crank crank dead.

wait a bit.

crank crank crank dead.

i took the fuel can to the filling station and put 5 bux in it(2 gallons) and when i poured it into the tank no more than 2 seconds and it was coming out and down the fender.

get in it, cranks right up. i drove it to the station and 17 dollars filled it to the top, 9 gallons in total(9x2.44.) that means i had 11 gallons prior!

why would it 'run out' when parked like that? it seems like it has always been problematic whenever i park it there!

and the dummy part-- there is a tree directly opposite of where this parking spot is. dont ask me how i know BUT... 240s are sturdier than neons

#2 12-28-2005, 02:55 AM

Leaky fuel lines?

Bad check valves letting fuel get back to the tank?

Bump...

iNeon · #3 12-28-2005, 03:52 AM

it cant be a leak!

every time i park there(facing either direction) and the car sits overnight, it just doesnt start heh heh

the gauge reads fuel-- the filters are full of fuel-- it takes 1/2 tank to fill it up usually. it almost seems like the tank strainer issue again. i thought completly scrubbing everything would get rid of it.

does it come back over and over and over?

#4 12-28-2005, 03:55 AM

How's your prefilter look? (the one on the engine)

iNeon · #5 12-28-2005, 04:06 AM

it was grimy but not black.

i JUST did both filters yesterday and i think i may have paid too much!

it was 30 bux for alt brushes, a can of injector cleaner and both fuel filters

#6 12-28-2005, 04:14 AM

Eh not horrible. THe main filter is not super cheap (7-8 dollars?) and injector cleaner (a bottel) is often like 4-5?

Brushes are almost always overpriced.

My regulator + brushes is 20 bucks at the local electric shop I used to work at. The new owner is a jerk and thinks I know nothing about alternators.

"Your slip rings are probably about to go out..." As he looks at my old regulator.

"I just need the regulator...they felt fine."

"Oh okay..."

*sigh* Just becuase I am younger doesn't mean I am any less intelligent when it comes to most aspects of automotive maitenance. heh

iNeon · #7 12-28-2005, 04:21 AM

since youre awake, brandon--

are brushes different from the regulator? the car is still going dead if i drive at speed but it charges fine in the driveway!

its almost maddening! ill start it and have my dad look at it(i know what im talking about, but not exactly how to fix it at this point) and he checks the voltage and tells me im making it up. it charges 14.xx volts at idle, if you rub all 4 lights on the front, the heater and radio, it goes down but still charges at around 12.5

shouldnt that keep my battery charged up?

also-- if i charge it overnight on the charger, that charge will last over a week if i drive it during the day, but one hour if i run it at night.

im hijacking my own thread!

oh yeah-- the vw itinerary is fixing to be written(next) i figured you may be interested in that as well

boy thats like a big puzzle. but it'd be the wooden puzzle with handles and a frame. the mercedes is like a 1000 piece puzzle.

neon? 5000 pieces. one of those stupid mosaic ones that you just cannot finish putting together because every part looks the same and has the same wire connectors

boneheaddoctor · #8 12-28-2005, 08:05 AM

hook up the DVM (digital Volt Meter) and see what happens when you are driving....rather than guessing. You could have a bad regulator or even have a bad alternator...

just brushes will not always fix the problem.

iNeon · #9 12-28-2005, 09:25 AM

the brushes an regulator cost less

wishful thinking--bad mechanickin whichever you want to call it, it is!

im hoping itll fix it, but will get an alternator if these dont work. after that its a battery and if that wont fix it-- burn it to the ground?

we'll see shortly!

i am spending today on the vw, hopefully i'll hear it run today

boneheaddoctor · #10 12-28-2005, 09:32 AM

When my regulator failed on my W116 2 years ago it wasn't worn brushes that was the problem...

#11 12-28-2005, 01:54 PM

iNeon I would pull the regulator out and eyeball it. Also check the slip rings inside. If there is a huge valley you need to pull the alt. and have a new slip ring affixed to it.

Charging fine in the drive but not at speed COULD be the regulator. After all there isn't a whole lot inside those things to fail.

I assume all the belts and associated goodies are tight and whatnot?

Get that VW running...nothing like the sound/smell of a aircooled VW.

iNeon · #12 12-28-2005, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon314159

Get that VW running...nothing like the sound/smell of a aircooled VW.

im trying, the wiring is being not so nice.

noone on the samba site is even remotely helpful.

two thick red wires to the rear? or towards the fuse panel?

#13 12-29-2005, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iNeon

im trying, the wiring is being not so nice.

noone on the samba site is even remotely helpful.

two thick red wires to the rear? or towards the fuse panel?

You've got a fat power wire running from the battery to the regulator under the rear seat. THen from there there the fat wire continues (they both hook to two termials very close to each other on the regulator) and goes forward to the headlight switch. Them from there it drops down (with another fat one) and goes into the ignition switch and a fat one comes back out (red) for the starter and a black one (ignition power).

SO going to the engine and popping out of the UPPER part of the firewall you should see a big red gen wire and a smaller black ignition wire, field wire, oil pressure wire, and depending on the years possibly the backup light wire (with an inline fuse).

That starter wire from the ignition switch goes past the regulator (not connected to it) and all the way over to near the battery and then feeds through the hole (opposite the brake line on the other side of the tunnel) and goes out to the starter solenoid.

That about sum it up for ya? Can you tell I know my VW inside and out

Not like I built one or anything...lol...

Diesel Giant · #14 12-29-2005, 08:05 AM

Very strange.