Distributor Condensor broken and unavailable

[74MERC280SE]

Hi Everybody,

Well my "stuttering" issue came back yesterday and they (Mechanic) believed they have finally found the problem.

Seems the condensor in my distributor has a broken wire but after numerous calls to various parts centres including Mercedes that part is no longer available and no one seems to have one second hand?!

In saying that one of the people involved early on in the converstaion actually told me that because I hav(partial) electronic ignition the condesnor is no longer required?!

Any help would be greatly appreciated..... I'd be starting to pull my hair out if I wasn't already bald!

[jbrasile]

74MERC280SE,

Indeed the condenser is NLA from MB, Bosch, etc... According to the EPC the condenser p/n 001 156 21 01 has been replaced by a cable p/n 000 159 65 18 but that lists for US$309.00!, I can supply at 10% off $278.10 + shipping

Tks,

Joe

[koan]

In saying that one of the people involved early on in the converstaion actually told me that because I hav(partial) electronic ignition the condesnor is no longer required?!

The Bosch Ignition Parts catalog list rotor, points and cap but no condensor for you car. Maybe you don't need one, the current through the points would be very low with an electronic ignition switching box.

Does the car run OK without it?

koan

[74MERC280SE]

Hi Joe and Koan,

Joe, Is that the Green "trigger" wire that runs from the Distributor into the Silver box (electronic ignition) on the RH side of the engine bay?

Koan, Well the condensor seems to be disconnected anyway so I'm thinking this specialist merc mechanic is clutching at straws... when I told him I was told by a merc parts specialist that because of the electronic ignition I don't really need it he called Mercedes Australia which believes i do need it... even though they can't get it anymore???!!!

I'm also looking into the black / white wire on the set of points and will be heading over to the mechanics now.

Will keep you posted.

[74MERC280SE]

And the problem is ongoing....................Seems when we hold a screwdriver from the distributer bracket up against the side of the distributor the motor immediately settles into a well adjusted idling purr............ release it and the motor starts missing and surging?!

New Distributor req'd?!............ I'm still not convinced but don't know better.

Back into the shop tomorrow at 7am for a new (2nd hand) distributor.

By the way, removal of the condensior made absolutely no difference!

[koan]

New Distributor req'd?!............ I'm still not convinced but don't know better.

No new distributor required, just a poor connection somewhere. It makes some sense given the almost fixes you've had.

I'm not familiar with points and switchbox setup, did the green wire you replaced have a two pin plug on the end?

Maybe someone who knows the setup can chime in.

Back into the shop tomorrow at 7am for a new (2nd hand) distributor

Same shop same mechanic?

koan

[koan]

Just occurred to me your car is D-Jet and will have the injection trigger points in the distributor. Could be something related to them. A search on the forum will bring up info about checking them and fixing/replacing them if they are the problem.

koan

[jbrasile]

77MERC280SE,

Yes, I believe that is the green wire. I'm not sure exactly sure how it works but that is what MB tells you to do since the condenser has been NLA for some time now.

Koan makes a good point regarding the trigger points, they can cause running issues as well.

Tks,

Joe

[Martin 280s]

On my car, the points and condensor are from a Volkswagen called Brasilia, which was based on the old Beetle engine. Check those parts out as they are very cheap.

[74MERC280SE]

Thanks Guys for all your advice.

The distributor is out and on a table having open heart surgery at the moment and trigger points are likely cause.

Backed up by the fact that 3 of 6 spark plugs are "black as"!

Will keep you posted.

Cheers,

Al

[74MERC280SE]

The saga continues..............

So after 8 hours labour the distributor has been fully pulled apart, cleaned, trigger points checked n cleaned, points (1 week old) ) checked n cleaned, vaccuum checked, Idle n mix adjusted and the car runs ok...... But the minute ANY tension is placed on the bolt holding the distributor in place the whole system goes pear shaped again!!!???

So at this point i'm driving it with this bolt just vaguely holding the distributor in position..... Hmmm.... I presume this is not an ideal situation.

[74MERC280SE]

And Yes Koan... same mechanic.

I've used him for years on all my toys.. E55, 500SEC, 928S4, Range Rover sport etc and he's been a champ.

He's even admitting that this old boy is causing him a few headaches... Particularly when you can't just go and buy new / reconditioned parts??!!........... Even the Trigger points are unavailable at the moment??!!

Anyway, It's friday and the weekend is two hours away!!! 

[koan]

But the minute ANY tension is placed on the bolt holding the distributor in place the whole system goes pear shaped again!!!???

Is this with the substitute distributor "new" or the original one?

Does the the trick with the screwdriver still work?

koan

[74MERC280SE]

Same Distributor and not sure about the screw driver trick but will try this morning.

One other thing that i noticed last night on the way home (First time I've driven him at night) is that the battery light was slightly glowing and when I pulled up became brighter, even with a decent rev.... I'm presuming a new alternator is in order but would this somehow be causing my "stuttering" issue?

The reason i say that is if i leave the car for a day or so the problem disappears fr the first 30mins of driving but then then comes back with a vengeance and just gets worse the longer I drive... particularly in start stop traffic?!

I will say the car now idles beautifully and has some real punch once you're over the 3000rpm mark but that initial takeoff is painful, particularly for the people behind in a cloud of grey / black smoke!!!

[koan]

One other thing that i noticed last night on the way home (First time I've driven him at night) is that the battery light was slightly glowing and when I pulled up became brighter, even with a decent rev.... I'm presuming a new alternator is in order but would this somehow be causing my "stuttering" issue?

When I had a dead altenator and discharging battery one night the car ran fine at low RPM but when I gave its a bit of throttle it started missing and no power over 2500 RPM.

But does sound like the altenator is on the way out, or the regulator.

The reason i say that is if i leave the car for a day or so the problem disappears fr the first 30mins of driving but then then comes back with a vengeance and just gets worse the longer I drive... particularly in start stop traffic?!

If it was a charging problem why would it come good after standing for a day or so?

koan

I will say the car now idles beautifully and has some real punch once you're over the 3000rpm mark but that initial takeoff is painful, particularly for the people behind in a cloud of grey / black smoke!!!
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