W123 240/300D cheap fixes - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

guyonabuffalo · #1 09-26-2015, 08:12 PM

I recently went through a bunch of things on the car and have figured out some cost effective (i think) ways to make our beloved cars behave (somewhat) like they are supposed to. If anyone else would like to contribute better info, please do so.

These are the things I did recently and it has made my car a completely different beast. All the following info is available with pictorials on this and other forums as well as some other excellent sites.

1. Diesel purge (see no. 4) $20-25

2. Valve adjustment / replaced gasket with original from dealer - $25 (had a friend bend wrenches to make adjustment easier).

3. Adjust transmission and throttle linkage rods to FSM lengths as well as replace any worn bushings $6.

4. Used Archoil AR-6400D in the tank (this replaces doing diesel purges, seems like it has the same effect in terms of performance/idle smoothness improvement and is more convenient) $25

5. Run it on HPR (high performance renewable- if available in your area Propel Diesel HPR)

6. Replace hand primer pump if it sounds/looks leaky or is leaking. $17 online

7.Get an OFV spring from Greazzer. It restores factory fuel pump pressure, improves throttle response, smoothes idle.

8. Change engine mounts with original Lemfoerder/Phoenix mounts (everything else is ****). $40 +shipping

9. Drive the **** out of your car, preferably on empty hilly roads to let the Archoil stuff clean out the crud in your system.

There are a few other things that you can do if they bother you.
- take off door panels, tighten all bolts and screws inside. Read this http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/how-tos
While panels are off, get some adhesive butyl backed sound deadener and attach some strategically - I would suggest researching for the cheapest price.

- If your seats are bad, go to junk yard. get a passenger seat, replace tracks and all bottom hardware from your driver seat as well as seat belt receptacle. Reinstall in car. Or as suggest by Greazzer, scavange springs from junkyard seat and attach those to your existing seat if all the upholstery is intact (double spring idea) and enjoy less back problems.

t walgamuth · #2 09-26-2015, 11:04 PM

Adjust the steering box. with 300,000 plus miles they often can still be adjusted to as new performance.

Ceristimo · #3 09-28-2015, 02:38 PM

I like these fixes...man, I really need to do a diesel purge and adjust valves soon. I just keep putting it off, and keep saying :"next weekend". Should just get it over with...

I also envy you guys that have junk yards available to pick up spare parts...Damn, that must be nice. Lack of spare parts availability means I don't replace non-vital stuff unless absolutely necessary. That means one rear light has a crack, my front right blinker has a hole+crack (still works though), my grill's falling apart and one yellow fog light has rusted so much it looks poop-brown now.

My seats are also terrible. It's not the back support (the back support is quite good and comfy actually) but it's the front of the seat that has caved in. The passenger seat is even worse. Can you replace just the bottom part of a seat? I wonder how much shipping would be on that...

leathermang · #4 09-28-2015, 02:44 PM

There are a lot of threads about fixing that drivers seat bottom....
some more extensive than others..

cooljjay · #5 09-28-2015, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ceristimo

My seats are also terrible. It's not the back support (the back support is quite good and comfy actually) but it's the front of the seat that has caved in. The passenger seat is even worse. Can you replace just the bottom part of a seat? I wonder how much shipping would be on that...

Yes you can just replace the seat pad, but usually when the pad goes, a spring or two will also break...

Here's a foam one on ebay...

Mercedes 123 W123 240 300 D Left Right Front Seat Bottom Horsehair Pad Cushion | eBay

leathermang · #6 09-28-2015, 03:28 PM

There is also a heavy duty cushion available .... described as ' orthopedic ' I think...

mannys9130 · #7 09-28-2015, 03:43 PM

If you have a sagging seat and need more support, cut up some foam pool noodles and put them in the seat bottom. My driver's seat is nice, but the passenger seat was saggy. I suspect the PO did the switcheroo before I bought it. I just put some pool noodle in the seat and it feel WAY better. I was extraordinarily lucky with the 85. I found a blue interior 85 201 at the junkyard that had an orthopedic seat for the driver side. I pulled both seats, moved the passenger bottom to the driver back (since the driver bottom was saggy) and made an excellent condition ortho seat for my 85 190D. I just couldn't believe that I found a blue seat in great shape that was ortho at that! It had the air bladders inside for extra support as well. Very comfortable. $30 took it home.

mannys9130 · #8 09-28-2015, 03:59 PM

Take your radiator out and pressure wash all the crap out of the fins. This is probably most convenient when changing the coolant. Also pressure wash the condenser clean while it's not pushed up against the radiator.

Clean all of the starting/charging system connections as well as all of the glow system connections. If you're feeling like cleaning connections is satisfying, go full bore and clean all the grounding points you can get to. While you're still at it, remove all the original fuses from the fusebox and clean the contacts with sandpaper. Then replace all of the fuses with new ones of the correct amperage.

Clean your drains of leaves and unidentified organic life. It'll prevent water leaks and rust.

Adjust your headlights so you can see at night. All you need is a large wall and 20 feet of flat pavement. The FSM for the 201 has a section on creating the target. Use masking tape on the backside of a Walmart at 2am.

Clean the engine with some degreaser and get it down to bare metal. You'll be able to see new leaks easier.

cooljjay · #9 09-28-2015, 07:37 PM

Just an FYI....The pool noodle trick won't work if you horsehair pads have turned to dust and your seats are now bulimic...Also the pool noodles do squish down...tried the oh so praised "trick" and first I put to many in the seat, and couldn't get behind the wheel...Then I took out a few and then it squished down to what it was before....final fix was getting a new spring box and seat pad....Also remember the seat pad acts as support for the spring box....to evenly distribute the weight of the passenger/driver...

Ceristimo · #10 09-28-2015, 07:51 PM

Aren't those only the older models that have that disgusting horse hair as seat filler? My '84 has foam.
I can tell, as you can see it through the cracks in the leather...

EDIT:
Did some googling..Apparently the sides are foam and the middle is horse hair? So my '84 has horse hair too? Man, that would explain that peculiar smell in the cars interior all the time. I call it "classy old car" smell, my wife calls it "disgusting" and rolls down the window...

cooljjay · #11 09-28-2015, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ceristimo

Aren't those only the older models that have that disgusting horse hair as seat filler? My '84 has foam.
I can tell, as you can see it through the cracks in the leather...

EDIT:
Did some googling..Apparently the sides are foam and the middle is horse hair? So my '84 has horse hair too? Man, that would explain that peculiar smell in the cars interior all the time. I call it "classy old car" smell, my wife calls it "disgusting" and rolls down the window...

There is no way to tell and there is no real answer on which years came with what...Its pretty much they grabbed what ever was on the shelf...

The 78 had untreated horse hair and rubberized horse hair....The 82/euro had untreated horse hair and foam....

Horsehair is just a term....Its really just an organic fiber, like coconut fiber....If you got an odd smell, chances are you have some water infiltration and possible mildew happening....The 78 was really bad like that, all the seat frames were rusted, moss growing off seals etc...Now it smells fine...

mannys9130 · #12 09-28-2015, 10:08 PM

My 201 has inorganic rubber "horsehair" which is green. I don't have any weird smells even in my 200* oven in the Tucson summer. My pool noodles are holding up strong. I rarely have passengers ride with me, but when I do I don't want them to feel like they're falling through the seat.

guyonabuffalo · #13 09-29-2015, 03:40 AM

mannys9130, some good tips. I actually did a few of those, forgot to mention. Also, your red 201 looks awesome.

mannys9130 · #14 09-29-2015, 04:56 AM

Thanks!

I appreciate the compliment.

Another I remembered that applies for sure to the 201 & 124 is tightening up the sagging seat nets on the back. If you take the rear seat panel off (2 Phillips screwson the bottom) you can remove the screw that holds the uppermost corners of the trim off. Undo the crimp, pull the top piece of what used to be elastic bungie cord nice and tight, and cut off the excess. Squeeze the crimp back in place and pop it into its spot in the trim, and put the screw that holds the trim on back in place. Voila, no more saggy droopy seat nets! It REALLY makes the back seat look much better. If you're inclined for function, just buy some elastic bungie cord material the same thickness and replace the 30 year old piece. Then it'll be tight but also stretch out like it's supposed to.

The purple wire mod probably deserves mention as well. On the 124 & 201 chassis for sure (others may be different, I'm not sure) there is a purple wire in the glow plug relay wire harness. That purple wire signals to the relay that the key was turned to "start" position and released to "run" position. The glow plugs stay on while the key is in the start position and the starter is cranking, but they turn off after the purple wire sends the "run" position signal or after 60 seconds with no "run" signal sent. By putting a switch in the purple wire, you can control whether or not the relay sees that "run" signal. Flip the switch off, the relay will glow for 60 seconds. Turn it on, normal operation resumes. It's a ghetto afterglow mod for people with pre-afterglow cars.

It's hard on the glow plugs and battery so you should only use it when you have to and it'd make a big difference in stabilizing cold idle (which can get real shaky when stone cold in the teens *F. I used the rear dome light switch for mine. Pushed so that the light symbol is down is the off position enabling the mod. Pushed with blank spot down is normal operation.

For the ashy plastic grill insert, get some black spray paint mean for plastic and paint it. It'll look like my car's grill. Much better than ashy gray.

617 guys can adjust their rack damper bolt for a smoother idle.

A sewing needle can be used to clean out and re-aim the windshield washer nozzles. There is a section in the W201 FSM about where the spray should hit.

Clean and lube the door check straps so the doors close easy and quietly.

charmalu · #15 09-29-2015, 01:43 PM

Iam not up on the W201 or W124, but I do know the W126 seat bottom spring box
will fit right into a W123. it is actually an up grade.

You will have to remove the 126 seat rails and install the 123 manual one`s.
Grab the pass side seat for the drivers side.

I installed one from a 90 or 91 126 for my bro in laws 82 240D.

Here are a few threads I dug up.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/44597-w123-w126-seat-spring-box.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-parts-reference-library/183654-1269142215-w123-w126-front-seat-foam-support-inserts.html

W124 seats into a W126. Don`t see why it wouldn`t work for a W123?
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/353377-w124-seats-into-w126.html

Charlie

sent from my pos computer