Nice car - great story - keep it coming

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Thanks for the compliments!

For almost a year now I've held on to the original Becker Mexico stereo and amplifier from my 1978 300D. When I got the car, it worked then got quieter and quieter then just turned to static. The tuner didn't work and I'm a radio kind of guy.

So I installed a modern stereo and just stashed the Becker away.

Last night I found out that Becker Autosound is only 20 miles away from where I live here in northern New Jersey. I took it in today and they said they've seen much worse. So early next week, I'll get a repair quote and say yay or nay to the repair. Regardless of what I choose to do with the repair, I want a radio with real dials that really work but a modern auxiliary input (this is an easy mod to the unit.) Also, seeing as I don't want a bright neon modern abomination, that forces a certain amount of expense, so I'll probably be in this stereo a few hundred dollars but that's cheaper than the alternative of buying a similar unit that works. Beckers and Blaupunkts are expensive, so it's good I already have mine.

All that said, i guess I've decided to treat this car more like a restoration than just another car.

On the ground floor beneath Becker Autosound is a Napa, so after talking with the stereo guys, I got some supplies and came back to Jersey City to do a diesel purge.

I replaced the filters and also replaced the fuel supply and return hoses after i finished burning through a couple cans of purge.

She quieted down a little bit but not like my 300D did after I replaced the injectors. I have a set of injectors coming from forum member greazzer, so I expect when those get changed out the powerplant will quiet down a bit more, run smoother and then I'll start my baseline for fuel mileage measurement. All this city driving isn't good for fuel economy, to be sure.

Tomorrow, I'm taking out the fuel level sender and cleaning it off.

One of these days, I need to replace the rubber fuel lines and try to find the proper fuel cap. This one has a vent in it and if I could just replace the gasket, I would.

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson

I'm jealous. I'd love a 220D. Especially a light colored one with a black interior. Something about the fundamental simplicity of the car appeals greatly.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

That interior is all original, I'm pretty sure. Actually, dark brown. The whole car interior got a treatment of Meguire's UV protectant today. There's a few more cracks here and there but they can be fixed and the whole thing just looks so good right now. Well, except for the awful car wash I got where the guys who did the wash didn't remove any of the dirt or grime. Basically, I paid to get my car wet.

Today, I took apart the window washer system. The air bladder was cracked most of the way down the tube but it still held pressure if I put a nipple in it far enough. I was just experimenting with that, seeing how I could get it to work but I can't figure it out since the foot pump sucks and blows, like a turkey baster. There must have been a 2-port, 1-way valve in the system somewhere unless the pump itself is clogged. Either way, it's a curiosity at this point.

What I was really trying to do was hook up an electric pump for my washers to be activated by that foot switch. After I got it all set up, I found out that the foot pump switch is integral to the washer switch on the stalk. As such, when i turned on my washers on the stalk, my new electric pump activated. I wasn't amused that I had neglected to check the function of the foot switch when the wipers were activated at the stalk. Oh well. I'm just going to have to find a momentary on-off switch and use one of the spare knobs I have lying around to make it look like a factory accessory. I have a perfect place to put it above the radio.

Is there a regular supply of fresh air / heater control slider tabs out there that anyone knows of?

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson

This is cross-posted from the Events forum:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/events-gatherings/343493-trip-across-country.html#post3203245

In other actual car-related news, I had my car up on a rack yesterday at Firestone, getting an alignment and all the tires balanced. I get their lifetime alignment and balance/rotate deals because I do a lot of work on my car and I'll be changing out most, if not all of the suspension bushings soon, so after I do that, the car gets a checkup and alignment at Firestone and we're good to go (I am not affiliated with Firestone, by the way.)

So while up on the rack, I saw a few issues:
Fuel supply and return hoses near the tank need to be changed.
Inboard driver-side CV boot torn
Another tiny spot of rust
Front rotors and pads may need to be replaced in a few thousand miles

All but the brakes I'm going to take care of this Wednesday and Thursday.

When I bought the car, the previous owner had a few seals in the trunk as well as a working turn signal, multi-switch. I put the switch in a couple days after I bought the car. A few days ago I sealed up the trunk with a new Meyle gasket. The other seals are front and rear window seals made by Uro. Yes, I said in a previous thread that I'd use nothing but genuine Mercedes for those but considering my expense on this project, I think it would be prudent for me to save money and use the Uro window seals I have instead of buying the expensive Mercedes seals. I may be eating my rusty words a year or two down the road but I'm already almost $2000 in parts into this car. Granted, that's nothing for a car that, with proper maintenance and good driving habits, may be the last 4-door sedan I ever buy. So, $5000 for a reliable, safe, fuel efficient, classic car is really nothing.

I have just over two weeks until we're off on the 2000 mile drive out west and so far the car is coming together very nicely. She should be ready to go by the end of this week.

EDIT: Not too exciting but "Trudy" just got 4 new shocks this afternoon. Three of the old ones were blown and the two in the rear were rattling around pretty good.

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson

Last week I had Trudy out in Bayside, Queens overnight for a set of new CV axles.
I'm going to clean up and reboot the original Mercedes axles that came out but there was no time or space to do so (as it is an incredibly messy job) here so it's going to have to wait till after the trip.

While she got the new axles, I changed the tranny fluid and installed shifter bushings.
The fluid in the tranny was gear oil and that partially explains the slow shifting. Two of the bushings were missing which also helps explain it.
I thoroughly drained the transmission and filled it with Type F ATF.
The following day, the differential gasket material was fully cured so I filled up the diff with 80-140 dino fluid, warmed up the car and drove back to Jersey City.

(What ar the thoughts on replacing dino gear oil with ATF? Should I change it again soon so I don't have a mixture of the few ounces or so of the old sludge or just leave it?)

The shifting was immediately better. Now shifting in the city isn't a gamble anymore, it's just easy. I still need to replace the top bushing for the actual shifter lever as it's worn and allows the shifter to be twisted a bit but functionally, it's fine.

The day I got Trudy back from her overnight stay in the driveway out in NYC, a set of four injectors arrived from froum member greazzer. I got them in the car and bled the lines then started it up. Less smoke then before!
That was an afternoon and I didn't have time to take her out on the road that night.

Day before yesterday I was out tidying up and then got in the car and drove to Autozone to get a new battery. After that I got a few gallons of fuel and then just decided to get on the freeway. I *was* going to head up to Rhode Island for the New England get together but it was far too late in the day.

So I just started driving south to see how Trudy likes the freeway and extended periods at freeway speeds. The drive was just about perfect. I'm noticing that at high speeds I'm smelling a bit of blowby or hot oil from the engine so that needs to be taken care of.

I wound up in Philly, got dinner with my friend Kurt then crashed at his place overnight. I got the car hand washed and really done up nice upon my arrival, so photos will be coming soon.
The next day, I filled up the car with B20, drove back to Jersey City and the drive was again, great.

As for the blowby, I'm going to do another valve adjustment after that long drive running bio. The first valve adjustment I did took care of most of the blowby and I've been putting the car through her paces lately, so I think another will be good. If it doesn't cure blowby, it certainly won't hurt. I'm willing to bet that all my exhaust valve clearances will have tightened up and wouldn't be surprised if the intake valves did the same.

I just got four door seals in the mail so this week I'm going to do those. My rear window seal really needs replacing *BAD* but I've never done a Benz window and this one needs to sit over the headliner as well. The headliner that is currently torn along the passenger side rear pillar and has come unglued under most of the rear window along the top of the seal. Driver's side is perfectly fine though. I don't know how I'm going to deal with that, having just under two weeks left.

The front window seal needs replacing as well but that is absolutely going to get done by a shop since I have no experience with windshields. Heck, it might be easier than the rear but I don't want to experiment on my own car. I have the seal in the trunk and it's brand new but not courageous enough to try it this close to embarcation.

The Becker Mexico tape deck is at Becker Autosound and I should be getting a repair estimate back from them today. Since this is a stereo unit and the car is a mono one, I had to get a fader knob and found a cheap working one from a 1972 S class car. It's going to go perfect in the dash above (or maybe below and to the right) the radio.

It would have been nice to have the original Europa mono radio in there powering that single dash speaker (which is still in the dash and still in good condition) but there are four speakers in the car already and I figure I might as well use that capability. Trudy doesn't have to be a *pure* restoration.

It's rainy today, so no photos but I'll be shooting some soon.

Does anyone have a hood star for a W114/115? Trudy's is pitted and corroding so I want to get that replaced.

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson

Um, this is a manual car.....it doesn't take transmission fluid....it takes oil.....transmission fluid is to detergenty can eat away at stuff.....

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/131238-240d-manual-transmission-oil.html

Oh and learn how to do the windshield seals your self.....95% of glass shops won't touch them....the other 2.5% won't install the trim...2% will destroy it....and theres a .5% of the installers who will do a correct job...

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That post mostly suggests using the Redline MTL or ATF.

Factory service manual says this car takes Type A automatic Transmission Fluid. Type A was superseeded by Type F. It's what a lot of members use and I can guarantee the uber slow synchros and having to take my time shifting was due to the very thick gear oil.

I'd use the Redline MTL or the LubroMoly stuff, both made for manual transmissions but I don't have a place nearby that sells them. I didn't put Dex III or Dex/Merc into the 220D transmission, and Type F isn't as much a cleaner as the newer fluids. In the manual tranny, it just serves as a thin lubricant with the perfect amount of shear for those synchros. If the FSM says use ATF, I have no problem using ATF.

I'll see about the windshield seals. We're coming down to crunch time so it's either leave them in through the trip or get them replaced by a real MBz shop.

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson

My 5 speed manual in my W123 used Mobile 1 synthetic ATF. From what I could find in so far as info is concerned, the manuals for the W123's take ATF. I've been running about a year now, and no issues or complaints. When I did the flush, it ran 100% better.

The 717 / 716 gearboxes fitted to W124s and W201s all take dexron II

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Just installed the front sway bar bushings. Old ones were impacted and rotten. The upper set weren't even there, for the most part.

We had a little bit of sun but that didn't last long and now it's getting blustry again. Wonderful! I love fall in the greater NYC area and i always want it to last longer. Too bad I only get two weeks of it this year.

Now that greazzer has chimed in, let me reiterate that he does amazing work on injectors, folks. I'll definitely trust him to balance another set and recommend him very highly. I want to say his injectors make a diesel Benz run smoother than the reman'd ones from Bosch!

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson

Too bad you missed the CDQ, would have loved to see your car! Why did you go to Bayside to work on your car? I'm in NY a lot and Bayside is 10 minutes away. If the windshield seal is not leaking, I'd say leave it till after your trip. Do the job yourself, it's not difficult. Don't pay a shop to do it if they refuse to follow the FSM procedure! They'll screw it up!

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

I wanted to head to the RI meet but almost 4 hours on the road north is much longer than I'd ever put the car through before. I never doubted her but didn't want to get stuck out there if something did happen, as I have an obligation to attend to Monday through Wednesday. I might get to the north Jersey meet up of the MBCA group but I don't know where it's located, they didn't say in the email. I guess I have to RSVP first.

I went out to Bayside to work on the car in a driveway. I couldn't change out my CV axles in the street in Jersey City, not legally anyway. I didn't want to get fined. That is one thing that has kept me from doing more maintenance on my cars myself here. The lack of space to work on them. It's awful!

I don't think the windshield is leaking too bad but we'll see if my feet get wet during a rainstorm. I'm just afraid of cracking that piece of glass! Either front or rear scare me to death. I guess before I do the rear I should find a good working replacement since 100% of the defogger elements have been "cleaned" right off the glass and there is no hope of repair. I am thinking of polishing the adhesive off so I have a clear window in back and venting some warm air onto it using a computer fan and a cleaning vacuum hose with the flat floor attachment to spread the warm air. Of course, then I'd have to cut holes in metal. Ugh.

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson

Getting the glass out of these cars is so easy.....put a towel on the trunk....use a razor blade to cut the old gasket off the glass....cut a small notch and you'll see where the edge of the glass is to position the blade on and run it all the way around the perimeter.....the get inside and gentle push the glass out or use a suction cup to lift it out.....then bend the old rubber off the chrome, put the new gasket onto the glass....push chrome into rubber....rope the gasket.....lay it in the opening and pull the rope out....starting in the top middle and work your way around....and all done....

I have heard there are aftermarket kits you can get to put new wires on the rear windows.....but usually they only fog up because of a leaking gasket causing moister....

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Can anyone point me to a set of rear sway bar bushings?
I can find the sway bar links all over the place but no bushings. Pelican only has the front bushing kit the same with M...source and everyone on ebay.
Any recommendations?

Thanks all!
Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson