Topic: What have you done for your W116 today?

[ptashek]

There are several versions of aftermarket pumps out there for the 350 and 450 engine.  Stay away from the Meyle unit, the impeller is too far from the casing leading to very poor pumping efficiency.  The GRAF unit is really very much better.  I've used a few of them happily.

Can't judge on longevity after just 12 months but my FEBI pump has performed perfectly thus far, ~8k miles since the restoration.

Temperatures are stable and barely ever go above 85°C / 185°F. I think the hottest the car got in that time was ~92°C after driving a few miles in 39°C heat in a slow moving traffic jam, just recently in France.

[goldacre]

Cheers S Class and ptashek; will link this info when i get my thread going (sorting out new pic hosting site).

My failed pump was a Beck Arnley which came with the thermostat housing but on closer inspection it looks like the main seal between pump and motor failed, you are to expect a weep from the hole at the base of the shaft housing apparently.

I did source a Graf pump a while back but was dissapointed with the casting residue left in the pump and thought it was an indicator of ordinary mass production. Found a genuine pump which is available but looking at AU $800 :/ still cheaper than the Stealerships though 

Rebuilds available but prefer new if available.

G

[Will]

Not a very exciting one, but yesterday I replaced all four door seals.  I think all bar the drivers door seals were the originals, but although they fell apart on removal, they were easy to get out.  As many people will know, you need some plastic clips to hold the seals in - those on the front doors wouldn't come out without being rendered unusable, but the rear ones were fine to use again (handy, as I hadn't bought spares of those ones!).

The job was surprisingly easy when I got the knack of it - I did all four in a couple of hours.  I used a set of repro seals which I got from German ebay and they were fine.  They seemed a little oversized at first, but the trick was to start with the areas that had specific mouldings (door corners, holes for plastic clips etc) and work back from there - any slack was easily taken up along the straight edges of the doors.

Overall a very satisfy and easy job, and with the seals being about £140, not too expensive either.  The downside (for me) is that I now know all four doors need rust remedying and repainting!

Next job is to do the outside window brushes/seals, which are on order from a Turkish ebayer who lists on ebay.com

[marku]

Do you need clips? Not saying you don't but seem to remember tidying mine up that they were glued. Probably the previous owner. Need to replace them now so would a standard contact adhesive work or would that dissolve the paintwork?

[ptashek]

Do you need clips? Not saying you don't but seem to remember tidying mine up that they were glued. Probably the previous owner. Need to replace them now so would a standard contact adhesive work or would that dissolve the paintwork?

From factory there are several (3+ I think) plastic clips on the hinged side of the door. I'll post pics later.

[w116john]

there 2 different type of clip round top for the rear and a rectanglar for the front or the the other way around, i did mine a few years ago and had difficulty closing the doors untill they settled a bit, they were so airtight.

[Will]

That's right, there are two different types of clips: 6 round ones for each front door, and 4 or 5 rectangular ones for the rears. I didn't use glue, but it seems that glue had been used before, and there were a few points where it may have helped.  However, if you get the seals seated right they won't be flapping around or falling off, and when the doors are closed they'll obviously be wedged in place, so I'm happy to go without glue.

I also found that it was quite hard to shut the doors initially

[floyd111]

Mind those Turkish sources. Lots of cheap repro's from there, and have have not yet heard about any turkish rubber being decent.
I bought a set of door trim from them once. Looked like it was made in the old USSR, not even close to the OEM trim. Turkish MB stickers, also rubbish. Did not get a refund.

[Will]

Interesting, thanks for the words of warning. I have actually purchased a set now, but for minimal cost, so I'll see what they look like when they arrive I guess before committing to the install.

It may be a false economy, but it does all start to add up if you only buy OEM, especially for a car like mine that will never be concourse - cheaper sources are tempting, unfortunately!

[w116john]

well the ones i put on were not oem, a little softer but that might just be age. the windscreen seals i went oem there are a lot more horror stories about bad screen seals

my car will never be concourse either,  its enough of a challenge to keep it on the road

best

[UTn_boy]

John, from the factory, and in addition to the plastic clips, the door seals were glued to the doors on the hinge sides, and especially down at the bottom inside corners where the door curves.  The other three sides of the seals were merely a tight fit in the grooves.  You can still buy the correct glue either from Mercedes or Teroson.  The Mercedes part number is 000-989-92-71-09, and the reference number for Teroson is 444651.  Be sure to clean any mold release wax or power off of the rubber beforehand with something like MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone). 

[w116john]

thanks, i will add that to the to do list.

[ptashek]

Do you need clips? Not saying you don't but seem to remember tidying mine up that they were glued. Probably the previous owner. Need to replace them now so would a standard contact adhesive work or would that dissolve the paintwork?

From factory there are several (3+ I think) plastic clips on the hinged side of the door. I'll post pics later.

Pics of clips below. Front, and rear.

[ptashek]

Got some smaller things done over the weekend...

- Refurbished the spare Hirschmann Auta 2050 power antenna from my 350SE - took it apart, cleaned, re-greased everything. Working current dropped from 4A to 2.8A in both directions, so - success.

- Semi-fixed the broken mast on the antenna currently on the car. Cleaned and re-greased that one too. The antenna works, but doesn't go all the way up. Next time it fails, the Hirschmann will replace it.

- Finally installed the new boot lid star that I had lying around

[marku]

I am always surprised at what I don't see  like the the seal clips. Any way decided to do a good job and got some Teroson, half the price of the MB stuff. Also going to replace the boot seal which I have had for a while now. It doesn't go out in the rain but when it did it leaked like a sieve.