Rough idle and more...

[TJ 450]

It sounds like there could be a surprise lurking under the seat, or possibly in the firewall. Hopefully it's just a carelessly removed grommet or something, though.

Tim

[oscar]

Thanks for all the help. Not sure what you drink in Oz, but here's a cold Beck's on the house  :

Cheers mate! Ze bier is here 
I love Becks.   I don't drink as often as I'd like but after SELfor50 shouted me a German brew one day at his place (not sure if it was Becks) I figured I'd ditch the local bitters and draughts for this stuff. Costs around $50US a carton of 24x330ml but well worth it.



Manuals -Fristly, the benzbin link is a great intro to what everything does IMO.
The Haynes Manual is ok.  It's easy to understand but not too in depth on d-jet.  Actually there's bugger all in it on d-jet, yet there's still plenty of useful info and how-tos plus written in simple English. You see it for around $50 but look for cheaper IMO.  I got an as new 280 one for $10 from a 2nd hand bookstore and the same should apply to 350/450 ones.
The library has got it all for d-jet, (section 7.4 I think), when it comes to facts and figures.  There's no troubleshooting though.  It's more designed for test and adjust or replace if needed rather than giving tips on how to fix things.  Although it's all online I ended up buying a used manual on ebay for about $50.
There's a Chiltons manual too but I haven't used that one.

Your air con rotary switch I'd say gets warm from the bulb.  But I think it only illuminates when your headlights are on.  Mine gets warm when the a/c is on and the headlights are on, not sure if gets warm otherwise.  Those dials pull staight off and you can check if it gets hot with and without the light bulb.

With the less smell in the cabin and the a/c rotary switch - If you turn it to approx 7o'clock onwards you should be able to hear the vacuum operated recirculate flap close.  Just wondered if the drop in smell was partly due to that being closed during your latest test drives compared to other drives?  I'd assume that tightening that fuel line helped but it's still a bit of a concern you're getting some fumes still.  Hope there's nothing too much wrong with the pan and footwell etc. 
The breeze below your seat at best might just be the air ducting for the rear passengers which might be misaligned or more likely the rear carpet going under your seat might be covering the duct's opening forcing air upwards.  I would expect the air to be cold not warm if the aircon is working but it's worth checking out.

There seems to still be an issue with the throttle at low speed. The response is lethargic and the RPMs drop a bit until it get to speed. I'm chalking this up to the TPS or maybe the linkage needs further tweaking. Will be looking at that tomorrow.

Not sure about this one.  There's one thing no one's mentioned yet and that's the AAV, auxillary air valve aka air slide.  There's numerous mentions in various threads about it and the main issue with them is that they become sluggish or become stuck.  They supply extra air to the idle air circuit during the warm up phase and I think should be fully closed by 70degC.  Whilst poor operation is common and affects idle personally I don't think a dodgy AAV will cause a sluggish response, but not sure what else to suggest.

[thysonsacclaim]

I am thinking, based on my readings, that there is a hole in the floorboard. The A/C doesn't work now because one of the hoses burst a hole in it. When it did work, i noticed the dripping up by the accelerator. Was wearing some sandals and noticed wet drops on my feet. I believe I read that this is due to the drip hoses for the A/C getting clogged up and pouring the water into the cabin instead.

I took a peak out there just now. I lifted the mat up and noticed a bit of a hole. But... again... it is raining here (AGAIN!!!).   

So I didn't get to look much. I am thinking, as a temporary measure, I will sand it down, prime it and seal it up with marine grade fiberglass. Only because I want to drive it but I don't fancy the idea of CO or CO2 or whatever else coming into the cabin. The long-term fix is putting in new sheet metal, of course.

[flutes]

The A/C drainage hoses do get clogged, that's a pretty easy fix (plenty written on that topic on the forum).  Usually this will result in water coming out the air cond ducts around your/the rear passengers' feet.  Dripping directly on your feet is probably the expansion value and associated piping not being insulated by being wrapped in tar tape properly.  Again a pretty easy fix - it's just a difficult area to get to.  On a RHD car this is nearly directly above the driver's left foot, not sure where it is on a LHD car.

Noxious fumes in the cabin is not good .... you are feeling sleepy, very sleepy....

[thysonsacclaim]

Just thought I'd update ya...

I DO notice the little tiny power surge from the TPS clicking on release. It is ever so subtle. I took it out for a spin this evening and noticed it. I guess I didn't notice it before. This evening I was liberal with the pedal and got it up to a spanking 50 mph. I've been gentle with it for the most part. Just want to test the waters to make sure everything is sound.

My does it want to jump when I hit the gas though. I was idling at a stop light next to a guy in a rice box. Hitting the gas in my car is a bit loud as the exhaust needs work. I think he took that as a challenge (it was not). At the next light up he revved his up a few times and signaled to race him. I didn't entertain him though. Traffic tickets are a long lost memory of my 16-18 year old days 

That and I want to treat my MB gently. At least for now.

[oscar]

I suppose that surge or bucking can be a bit hard to notice at first.  For me it was more pronounced when I drove my car sedately.  It was starting to bug me too much although I did live with it for a long time.

My does it want to jump when I hit the gas though.

      I want to treat my MB gently. At least for now.

Sounds like you're nearly ready for an Italian tune up

For future reference, the secret to beating a low slung ricer is to lead them over speed bumps.  The ricer gets left high and dry with a smashed front spoiler whilst the w116 and 14" rims sail over the top with ease.