New 230s Owner! Need as much advice as I can get!

[benzji]

Hello! I recently bought an 1966 230s with 4 on the floor. I have attached some pictures below! Would love to hear everyones thoughts and tips.

The car has a stellar interior and runs pretty strong but smokes
a bit on accelerating and about 5 min after startup. Will post vids later today to get some help diagnosing. It seems to blow smoke out the exhaust harder on accelerating. Probably gasket?

The previous owner said the carbs need lubricating (probably need to be rebuilt eventually)

that some of the transmission rubber rings need to be replaced (not sure on that one he mentioned a tape with some coins fix? Need to google around for this)

I had initially set out to buy a r129 or a w202 c36 but I really fell in love with this classic. I would also like to know what a car like this would be valued at by the Benz enthusiasts here
I feel like I got a decent deal.

I honestly have not drive manual in a few years, I was taking it around the neighborhood as muscle memory came back but I definitely stalled the car a few times and once or twice ground a gear a little. Should I rent a manual from Enterprise for a few days instead of using the Benz? I imagine a clutch from 1966 can be a mission.

If anyone is LA based or has an expert mechanic for these cars they can suggest I would be super appreciative. I am located in the west valley.

Here is a video gallery of it. https://imgur.com/a/UuPJwpW

[cth350]

Nice car. Love the green.

I'm not local to you at all. But I do know one shop in your neck of the woods. Look up Bob Gunthorp at Onager's in Chula Vista. Not that close, but there is nobody who knows these cars better. -CTH

[meltedpanda]

well I see a few things
1- the smoke is not an exhaust leak, looks to be bad rings or failed valve seals . Compression test is in order as well as valve timing
2- the added fuel filter is after the pump???
3- the vent tube on top of the valve cover is going ? Should be over to the air intake connection
4- your barbershop speedo is not working, unfortunately , very hard to repair unless you have the expertise, ( i tried) Best to source a working one pretty easy to replace
The rest of the car looks great
- have fun , enjoy the journey
here is one of my rebuilds, you will find a lot of info in the thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/vintage-mercedes-forum/376816-dolly-finally-my-finny-journey-continues-2.html

[benzji]

Thank you!! Digging into this rebuild now!

well I see a few things
1- the smoke is not an exhaust leak, looks to be bad rings or failed valve seals . Compression test is in order as well as valve timing

This is the consensus right now!

2- the added fuel filter is after the pump???

Saw this too, looks like the most recent work done tbh.

3- the vent tube on top of the valve cover is going ? Should be over to the air intake connection

Yeah someone else mentioned this have also heard it was an early dealer service, might be stopping something else from going over into the air intake, going to wait to have it seen as I think you are right it may be valve seals.

4- your barbershop speedo is not working, unfortunately , very hard to repair unless you have the expertise, ( i tried) Best to source a working one pretty easy to replace

It actually does work when driving! not sure if its accurate but once the engine is smooth I will take a running video of the speedo to see if its accurate!

The rest of the car looks great Thank you!!

[Todd Miller]

Beautiful condition and appears to be the same color as my coupe.

That's too bad about the smoke. Typically, trailing smoke while driving is caused by oil control rings (the lowest ring on each piston), that are either worn out, or carboned/gummed up, and stuck in place. Of course it could also be bad gouge in the cylinder, or a broken oil ring. Valve guides that have bad valve seals, or guides that have broken, will smoke on start up, and then not smoke, and smoke after you've been sitting at a traffic light, and then start off, and after a long downhill, when you step on the gas for the first time. I had a guide break in half, and mine only smoked on start up.

Sounds like you have a failed exhaust pipe, muffler, or exhaust connection. Hold a rag over the tail pipe while running and see if you hear the exhaust pressure leaking out somewhere.

Tough to tell from a video, because sound is not always very accurate, but the engine sounds pretty mechanical and thrashy. You might consider a valve adjustment and see if that quiets things down.

Really beautiful car, and an amazing find!! Congrats!!

[Sugar Bear]

If a ring problem is suspected I would do one or more extended chemical soaks on the rings and pistons before pulling the engine apart. Parts for these engines are hard to find and expensive. A ring cleaning and valve seals can work wonders.

Good luck!!!

[subforry]

I remember seeing that car on CL. It's seems very nice. I have the same car in white with green interior.

I am in the south bay LA area and have worked on my personal cars for many years. I there is a local machine shop that has sleeved many of these blocks, if it comes to that.

Get some new points and adjust them correctly, if they have not been replaced with an electronic system. And I agree that adjusting the values is a good start.

Does it smell rich, the smoke could be that - long shot, but consider it before tearing down the engine.

Does the speedo jump up and down when slowing or going? I read somewhere that this can be caused by warn/mis-adjusted trans output bearing, or something like that.

[aluminum]

Most Likely the rerouting of the Crankcase Fumes away from the Air intake tells a story...
The Thick Oil Fumes somewhat inundated with Frothy water condensation is normal in this era of Mercedes somewhat .Unfortunately to allow this to flow into the Air Cleaner and Carbs especially the Front Carb is not Mercedes best friend .Only real Cure is a rebuild
A Compression Check dry then with 1OZ of Oil in each cylinder after a 5 Min wait time
for each will tell if the rings are Worn out almost likely they are (Compression Jumps way up with Oil added > 5 / 7 LBS is normal 10 / 15 / 20 LBS is not normal = bad rings

A seller who will allow a compression test is many things Honest comes to mind,
Such a Test when Proven to bad readings is a Fantastic Bargaining point OR a run away
fast sign .
All Those Quad Vertical Headlight Models are worth Owning /Fixing and enjoying and they are disappearing fast now .
Certainly Not original but with a 280 Motor ( that Looks original ) makes for a Fantastic Car as Motor parts are easy to get but a good condition 220 or 250 Motor is just perfect.
I like the Car and heck you could just drive it into the ground with some heavy Oil and enjoy as is

[dieseldiesel]

I haven't been on here in a long time, but your post caught my eye. I used to own one almost exactly like yours. I actually wondered if it was the same car. Here's a pic of mine from back in the days of physical pictures LOL

[dieseldiesel]

So, I have a few comments from memory of this car. First off, if I tried to drive it in heavy rain, water would get into the distributor and cause it to stall out. This happened on a road trip once. I was able to get it dried out with paper towels and then I covered it with plastic bags and was able to continue the trip. Also, it was very tricky to start. I had to crank it over while gradually increasing the throttle and eventually it would catch. After a few thousand miles, it started misfiring and I found that one of the spark plugs was covered with a mass of oil and coolant.

On some good notes, nothing ever drove quite this smooth. The shifter action was crisp and precise, but very light. It handled and drove very well with great steering feel. I always liked the vertical speedo. Mine had a dry cable so it would bounce up and down at certain speeds. Was such a fun and memorable car.

[Todd Miller]

Fantastic photo of that car from back in the day. It would be very interesting if it was the car in this thread.

[801mbz]

I would drive it for a while to see if it fowls a plug and see how much oil it burns a compression check for sure you can get a good idea from there. My 65 220sb had a blown head gasket. I pulled the head and found spit up piston rings so rebuild would be$$$ so I put a 4.5 v8 in from a rusty 280se complete front end motor trans and rear end from the 280se 4.5