Spartan Mercedes 190 (w201)
Discussion
Well I have ordered new engine and transmission mounts from SKS Car Parts, £109 for Lemförder, including VAT and delivery. I am hoping this will be relatively easy, although I really do not like going underneath the car when it is up on stands. I need to get the winter wheels on, too. Saturday morning...
Here are the instructions: https://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/outside/11832/...
Here are the instructions: https://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/outside/11832/...
I fitted the coil tonight (easy, seems to be working) and had a good look at the engine mounts: while I think easy might be over-stretching it, the nuts and bolts at least look vaguely accessible. They'll not doubt be stuck as tight as the proverbial.
Alex, if you're in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday), give me a shout and I'll buy you lunch/give you a lift to the station.
Alex, if you're in Newcastle tomorrow (Thursday), give me a shout and I'll buy you lunch/give you a lift to the station.
There are a few websites which recommend autobahns, but I just looked at the map and identified routes which didn't go close to or between major population centres.
I have started tackling the broken speedo. Tonight I removed it and tomorrow I am sending it here: http://www.jdo1.com/contact_details.html
Pulling the cluster was easy enough, but getting the speedo cable off required some extra-long pliers designed for removing plug leads. I then took it to my bench and worked on it over a soft cloth to protect it from damage.
These things tend to come apart easily enough although there is always a Rubik's cube element to them. In this case, 7 screws separated the tach from the rest:
I had to do a bit of head scratching to figure out how to separate the speedo from the combination instrument. In reality it was just a matter of detaching the rheostat and whatever the connection above it is. They were bit stiff after 30 years.
Then separate the speedo head from its plastic frame, four screws.
Prepared for packing, I will but something soft in the type, put it in a sealed bag, then wrap it in bubble wrap and stiff card.
I am told it will be calibrated, too. That's a good thing as it is about 8% optimistic. Let's see. Getting it back in the dash will be interesting. One further thing, I left the part-complete instrument cluster carefully covered to guard against dust ingress.
I have started tackling the broken speedo. Tonight I removed it and tomorrow I am sending it here: http://www.jdo1.com/contact_details.html
Pulling the cluster was easy enough, but getting the speedo cable off required some extra-long pliers designed for removing plug leads. I then took it to my bench and worked on it over a soft cloth to protect it from damage.
These things tend to come apart easily enough although there is always a Rubik's cube element to them. In this case, 7 screws separated the tach from the rest:
I had to do a bit of head scratching to figure out how to separate the speedo from the combination instrument. In reality it was just a matter of detaching the rheostat and whatever the connection above it is. They were bit stiff after 30 years.
Then separate the speedo head from its plastic frame, four screws.
Prepared for packing, I will but something soft in the type, put it in a sealed bag, then wrap it in bubble wrap and stiff card.
I am told it will be calibrated, too. That's a good thing as it is about 8% optimistic. Let's see. Getting it back in the dash will be interesting. One further thing, I left the part-complete instrument cluster carefully covered to guard against dust ingress.
All fixed. What a brilliant service from JDO Instruments, absolutely first rate. The trip meter works for the first time in our ownership; the speedo works again; and the needle moves beautifully smoothly. It was a bit of a f
ker to get the speedo cable re-attached but brute force did it in the end.
ker to get the speedo cable re-attached but brute force did it in the end.Baister fitted a new speedo cable (£35 for Febi), two new engine mounts (£100 for the pair, Febi again), a new transmission mount (£15, Febi for the final time) and a steering damper (£21, Sachs) for a total labour charge of £186 inc VAT. Oh I also replaced the cracked plastic surround on the driver's air vent (£90 from Merc). The speedo works beautifully and, for the first time in this car's life with us, so too does the trip meter. Whether the other stuff was truly necessary is a matter of opinion.
I have polished it up tonight and cleaned it out and I am looking forward to running it for a couple of days.
I have polished it up tonight and cleaned it out and I am looking forward to running it for a couple of days.
The dear old 190 conked out last week. The AA man who brought it home diagnosed a failed fuel pump. The pump is mechanical, driven off a cam on the side of the distributor. A new one was sourced: amazingly, the cheapest was at the main dealer, £55 for Pierburg. The same thing from the various factors was a lot more.
I thought this would be an easy fix, just two nuts and the fuel pipes. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The nuts were extraordinarily inaccessible. Various brackets also were mounted on one of the two studs, which promptly fell off. Needless to say, I was doing this in the dark, on gravel, wearing a suit and a rather natty cobalt blue linen shirt newly purchased from New and Lingwood. And I couldn't be arsed to don the nitrile gloves I bought the other day. Two hours, two very oily hands and a lot of cussing later and it was fixed. Except it wasn't. When I parked up the car a week ago, I left the keys in the ignition and the ignition on. So I had to jump start it off the 124. Ideal when there is a lot of spilt fuel knocking around. But at last it works.
I wonder whether the ethanol in modern unleaded has done for the rubber diaphragm in the pump?
I thought this would be an easy fix, just two nuts and the fuel pipes. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The nuts were extraordinarily inaccessible. Various brackets also were mounted on one of the two studs, which promptly fell off. Needless to say, I was doing this in the dark, on gravel, wearing a suit and a rather natty cobalt blue linen shirt newly purchased from New and Lingwood. And I couldn't be arsed to don the nitrile gloves I bought the other day. Two hours, two very oily hands and a lot of cussing later and it was fixed. Except it wasn't. When I parked up the car a week ago, I left the keys in the ignition and the ignition on. So I had to jump start it off the 124. Ideal when there is a lot of spilt fuel knocking around. But at last it works.
I wonder whether the ethanol in modern unleaded has done for the rubber diaphragm in the pump?
Edited by r129sl on Friday 13th September 22:25
A few weeks ago, before all of this silly self-incarceration and economic incineration, Mrs r129sl reported a "funny noise" while driving the Spartan. Turns out on casual inspection the exhaust had snapped in two. My inspection obviously was too casual because I ordered the wrong bit from Merc. I ordered the centre section when in fact the break was just ahead of that at the end of the downpipes. By the time I realised, ordering parts from Merc had become too much of a chore and so I ordered the one available alternative, a Klarius item from CarParts4Less, aka EuroCarParts but 15% cheaper (why? why?).
After toying with the idea of DIY, I found the one local man who was not sucking his teeth while resting his feet. He agreed to put it on this Saturday morning. With the family following in the trusty 124, I risked what liberty I had left with a very blowy exhaust and a journey to offend all jobsworths to local man's premises three miles away. A call at 1pm suggested it would not fit. A visit at 4 and I could see why. I think Klarius must have studied the pattern from afar, perhaps from as far away as the moon, when they tooled up for this one. It was way out at both ends and in the middle. Local man asked me whether I wanted him to cut and weld the new part. There was no alternative. By 6pm it was ready. Local man's welds were far superior to Herr Klarius'. Perhaps he is styled Xiānshēng Klarius these days.
He had done a fine job of making the best of it. J T Auto Services Limited in Hadston, Northumberland. I am going to send more work his way, specifically the installation of the genuine product once I have persuaded Mercedes to sell it to me.
No photos, I am sorry. Car remains utterly beautiful.
After toying with the idea of DIY, I found the one local man who was not sucking his teeth while resting his feet. He agreed to put it on this Saturday morning. With the family following in the trusty 124, I risked what liberty I had left with a very blowy exhaust and a journey to offend all jobsworths to local man's premises three miles away. A call at 1pm suggested it would not fit. A visit at 4 and I could see why. I think Klarius must have studied the pattern from afar, perhaps from as far away as the moon, when they tooled up for this one. It was way out at both ends and in the middle. Local man asked me whether I wanted him to cut and weld the new part. There was no alternative. By 6pm it was ready. Local man's welds were far superior to Herr Klarius'. Perhaps he is styled Xiānshēng Klarius these days.
He had done a fine job of making the best of it. J T Auto Services Limited in Hadston, Northumberland. I am going to send more work his way, specifically the installation of the genuine product once I have persuaded Mercedes to sell it to me.
No photos, I am sorry. Car remains utterly beautiful.
I am inevitably looking to replace the Klarius downpipes. I have figured out the problem. They are for a LHD car. The man has done an amazing job of making them fit but there is interference with the steering box lever arm on full right-hand lock and there is also a bit of noise from the manifold join. Unfortunately, it appears the genuine Mercedes part is NLA (A2014905619). If anyone has any suggestions, they would be gratefully received. I am guessing I will be best off having stainless steel down pipes manufactured...
I have sourced a good condition used downpipes. I'll fit it myself next week.
The car hasn't been used much and as a result the electric antenna mask jammed up. I removed it from the car, dismantled it, freed off the mast, but completely failed to fix it, then made it worse by bending the mast while reinstalling it, so I have ordered a new one from good old Car Masts UK. £63 but life's too short.
In other news boy one and I did the oil and filter. 180,366miles. We have had this car five years and 63,000miles now, which amazes me.
The car hasn't been used much and as a result the electric antenna mask jammed up. I removed it from the car, dismantled it, freed off the mast, but completely failed to fix it, then made it worse by bending the mast while reinstalling it, so I have ordered a new one from good old Car Masts UK. £63 but life's too short.
In other news boy one and I did the oil and filter. 180,366miles. We have had this car five years and 63,000miles now, which amazes me.
Edited by r129sl on Saturday 16th May 17:47
I have fitted new tyres today, the first since we got it five years ago. The Continental Eco Contact 3s we have used in summer have given us over 30,000miles and the TS850 Winter Contacts about the same. There is plenty of meat left on the winters if anyone wants to buy four steel wheels with winter tyres. We have plumped for Continental All Season Contacts, I am getting fed up of changing so many wheels twice a year.
I also changed the front brake pads. Unfortunately there is a bit of a smell from the brakes after a drive and also a curious vibration from one side when braking. I have obviously done something wrong. The near side pads were much more worn than the offsides, so I suspect that caliper is sticking and binding on. Any advice?
I am also replacing the antenna with a new one supplied by the ever-helpful Car Masts UK chap.
I also changed the front brake pads. Unfortunately there is a bit of a smell from the brakes after a drive and also a curious vibration from one side when braking. I have obviously done something wrong. The near side pads were much more worn than the offsides, so I suspect that caliper is sticking and binding on. Any advice?
I am also replacing the antenna with a new one supplied by the ever-helpful Car Masts UK chap.
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