Titivating my Mercedes 124
Discussion
We've been back on the road for a couple of weeks now and the car is back in daily service, approaching 418,000 miles. I am very pleased with the underside repair works. There are three snagging issues. One of the seat belts for the flip up boot seats has been reinstalled with a twist; the offside rear seat back latch is very stiff and squeaks like hell; and the replacement diff did not cure the whirring from the driveline. I will busy myself fixing the first two when time allows. The latter is either the prop shaft carrier bearing or the gearbox output shaft bearing: I will have the former replaced first.
The "new" diff is good. It is so long since I drove the car, I cannot tell whether there is a performance deficit. I think it is slightly slower but it cruises significantly faster, resulting in 3 points on the licence the other day. The speedo also under-reads by about 3mph. I have a correct replacement speedo head which I want to get serviced and cleaned and also have the mileage adjusted... upwards by 200k.
Next job is to get the wings replaced and have all bits and bobs of rust on the body dealt with. The main issue will be the windscreen aperture which needs de-rusting and rust-proofing before a new screen is installed. It is never ending. Oh and I want to get the driver's seat bolster repaired.
Anyways, I came back to the office the other night to find the car had made friends with a passing 190:
The "new" diff is good. It is so long since I drove the car, I cannot tell whether there is a performance deficit. I think it is slightly slower but it cruises significantly faster, resulting in 3 points on the licence the other day. The speedo also under-reads by about 3mph. I have a correct replacement speedo head which I want to get serviced and cleaned and also have the mileage adjusted... upwards by 200k.
Next job is to get the wings replaced and have all bits and bobs of rust on the body dealt with. The main issue will be the windscreen aperture which needs de-rusting and rust-proofing before a new screen is installed. It is never ending. Oh and I want to get the driver's seat bolster repaired.
Anyways, I came back to the office the other night to find the car had made friends with a passing 190:
Looking good. I don't think ours will be back on the road until the spring. I will have to upload some pics on a in a new thread.
In the meantime check this out. Interesting section on the screen appature. A a serious approach to rust prevention.
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/lego-full-size-b...
In the meantime check this out. Interesting section on the screen appature. A a serious approach to rust prevention.
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/lego-full-size-b...
Some work.
New prop shaft carrier bearing cured the driveline whirring noise. Phew.
New wiper motor installed. Last week the wiper fuse blew and it seemed to be running slow. I've had the linkage lubricated, too.
Nothing else to report. I'd sourced a new vacuum pump as it is 175k miles since the current one was installed and the last one gave out at 250k miles but I completely forgot to give it to the man to install.
The visible bodywork needs tending to quite urgently. The windscreen aperture is rusty and needs repair as the screen has cracked. Both front wings need replacement. And there are various scabs on the body that I'd like to see fixed. More expense.
New prop shaft carrier bearing cured the driveline whirring noise. Phew.
New wiper motor installed. Last week the wiper fuse blew and it seemed to be running slow. I've had the linkage lubricated, too.
Nothing else to report. I'd sourced a new vacuum pump as it is 175k miles since the current one was installed and the last one gave out at 250k miles but I completely forgot to give it to the man to install.
The visible bodywork needs tending to quite urgently. The windscreen aperture is rusty and needs repair as the screen has cracked. Both front wings need replacement. And there are various scabs on the body that I'd like to see fixed. More expense.
The illumination if the fan speed control and driver's side temperature control ceased to work; likewise the passenger side air vent thumb wheel Taking advantage of some sudden free time I set about fixing them. It was surprisingly easy. The fan and temperature control share the same little 1.2V bulb, its light distributed by means of a curious clear plastic circle. The air vent has a 0.4V bulb.
Pull off the fan speed and air distribution knobs with pliers, the jaws protected by a cloth. Undo the 24mm nuts found underneath. The wood trim then hides upwards.
There is no need to go further but I wanted to remove the control unit to my desk to have a look at it.
The clear plastic things just clip in and out. The tiny bulbs likewise.
The air vent is removed by carefully prying up some tiny clips. The bulb just pulls in and out.
I took the opportunity to clean all the dust and gunk out of the revealed nooks and crannies. All in all a 15 minute job.
Pull off the fan speed and air distribution knobs with pliers, the jaws protected by a cloth. Undo the 24mm nuts found underneath. The wood trim then hides upwards.
There is no need to go further but I wanted to remove the control unit to my desk to have a look at it.
The clear plastic things just clip in and out. The tiny bulbs likewise.
The air vent is removed by carefully prying up some tiny clips. The bulb just pulls in and out.
I took the opportunity to clean all the dust and gunk out of the revealed nooks and crannies. All in all a 15 minute job.
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