Help Denis!~ Integrity of the Brand at STAKE

[John Hubertz]

Also,  I am happy to report that my 350Se refuses to start ! of what fun 

This car had NEVER done this to me in 4 years of ownership, it wants attention, patting and dog biscuits for sure ( to Michaeld). If I unearth a mystery, I will contact this great list ! but for now, I am taking this occasion to replace all those D-jet rubber lines...any tips on injector cleanouts ?... OK getting ahead of myself...

Denis

Paris, France

"le" city of "le" "big traffic jam"

I thought I'd better pull this from his trans gauge post so it can get proper attention.

This is unacceptable!  I'm horrified.....  the reputation of the entire'70s Mercedes-Benz line is to NEVER, EVER leave an active owner stranded....  only neglect and inattention can or should ever cause this!

My guess is fuel pump or pump relay......   Denis, what is the year/configuration of your car?

So here's the purpose of this thread:

1.  "Feel his Pain" and help Denis diagnose the wounded soldier...

2.  (and this IS important)  Anyone else ever stranded by their W116?

Here is my diagnosis (besides the fuel pump) -

I can only assume that the constant presence of Peugeots, Renaults and French-speaking mechanics has created Chronic Major Vehicular Depression - and thus a form of suicide.



You haven't been drinking wine instead of beer in the presence of your car, have you Denis?  Pass one too many street Mimes?  Or (aghast) been sensitive rather then gruff and teutonic with a MAN while IN THE CAR?   




J

[michaeld]

John,
I'm glad I opened your post and saw those pictures just after waking up rather than just before going to bed.  Maybe the additional waking hours will be enough to prevent the nightmares of being accosted by a gay mime who tries to trap me in his invisible box...
Wishing Denis every success in his attempt to regain the besmirched Mercedes honor.

[Denis]

Hey, my 350SE deserves some attention now and then !
It does park in a garage near a W201 and close to my W123.

Left me stranded ? NO, it got properly parked and did not restart. It ceased to work in an elegant, almost polite way.

A quick check reveals very healthy spark. The fuel pump does activate and spews out a fair amount of fuel but I did not really measure it. I replaced the rotting D-jet lines with new today and connected a fuel pressure gauge. One of the little fuel injector connectors decided to fall under the intake manifold    I was going to use a magnetized rod to get that little clamp back and then I got taken but more pressing matters...

On another subject,there are two kinds of french beers:

- an "American" kind (Kro) also known as "pipi de chat" which American tourist find good and french hobos really like 
- a "Belgium" kind from Flanders (Jenlain) which is quite decent.

If I drank french wine near that car, it might be a Gewurtzstraminer from Alsace.

Did you guys know that one advantage of France is that it is NOT quite french along all its borders ?

Lille is actually in Flanders (Belgium), Strasbourg in Elsäss (German), Besançon almost Schweiz (swiss), and Nice almost Italian; Perpignan is in Catalan country and Biarritz in Basque, both Spanish)  and Corsica is ITALIAN (some say mafioso too)

German classic car fans in France exist and are very proud of their toys ! Besides, France hasn't built a real large saloon with a real big engine since Hitler invaded...

Although there is a joke about Renault buying GM (as it did Nissan) and re-badging a Cadillac as a Renault 

Rumours keep the world on its toes.

Denis

Paris, France

[s class]

My W116 would never let me down!

About 5 years ago I was travelling in my 1980 280SE W116 at a speed that was inadvisable given the high mileage of the engine.  After about 30km of this I became aware of a loud clattering in the engine.  I established that it must be a big-end bearing.  Since I was in the middle of nowhere I figured that I may as well drive it out to home (about 100km) since the crank was surely ruined anyway.  Well I made it home, and when the engine was stripped, sure enough one big end bearing had no white metal left at all, but the crank survived! I twas polished, and refitted with standard size bearings.  WHile the motor was open, it had a max size overbore (ovality was bad) and new pistons and rings, and hear overhaul.  Since then it has done nearly 200 000km with no trouble so I guess the crank is indeed OK.

Strong stuff.
Ryan

[Denis]

Gna-gna-gna...no start- "putain de Merco"  oh pardon ma belle...ahem...(ruffled feathers) AHEM !

Hey , OK you guys, I am certainly NOT the only one that has ever had a W116 NOT start 

Seriously? I am having a busy week - I am meeting with new co-workers from MOSCOW !!! not so easy, some real good, others like ex-KGB 

Even if properly maintained, old age eventually hits something in a W116 - the pressure sensor, the ignition module, the big bloody resistors that can be splashed/cracked  by cold water (yes, that is a design complaint), aging wiring and even a bad ground. Nutz is right, taht CAN be a big thing 

Sunday is the day and if I cant get to solve this, I will start to sing the virtues of the OM615/616 

Saturday ? just haggling over the price of an old Tektronix scope and then, err...more social life -I know, I know, us french are incorrigible but we happen to think that life must be more play than work 

A W116 must not be work, it must be play. I am old enough (53) to think that there is no longer any time for "trouble", just fair challenges.

TchÃœss aus Frankreich

Denis
Unusually cold winter for Paris, I can just imagine Moscow (no, I wont go  there!)