Throttle Joint Question
 

Stupid question concerning the joints on a 560sl throttle linkage. Do the joints (pictured in thumbnail) pop off? Or, how do you disconnect them. I'm in the middle of changing my timing chain and I'm fairly sure I'll have to remove the actuator to get to this. I'm just trying to be careful here. Thanks in advance.

This is a common type of mechanical linkage. It is a ball and socket connection, similar to a hip joint on a human. In this case though, it's made to pop apart with a little pressure. Try to fit 2 small flat blade screwdrivers between the socket and the mating piece 180 degrees apart. Gentle twisting of the blades will pop the socket off the ball. To reinstall, just push the socket back onto the ball. You may need to use pliers to snap it back on. First though, make sure the surfaces of both pieces are clean, and put a very small dab of lithium grease in there. Try not to let the linkages spin, as this will change the length of the linkage. That could cause the throttle setting to require readjustment.

Thanks very much. I assumed this, but I'm a little less inclined to try something on this car I'm not sure about than I was 30 years ago with a $500 Camaro!

I know what you mean. My first car was a 1968 Caddy convertible. Black, and I painted flames on it. I paid $450 for it, and dumped $3,000 over several years into it. It was worth $450 when I was done :) .

The recommended lubricant for those linkages is ATF.

Len