Hi everyone,
I usually hang out in the benzworld forums, I am an avid car enthusiast with 1x W126, 2x W140, 2x W220, 2x C215, and 1x W221's. I have finally added a W116 to the family and will probably be in here asking questions and getting acquainted with it all. Purchased her the other night... a 1978 450SE with 107,000 km's on the clock. Needs a clean as has been sitting in a garage. Was quite dusty... but it rained and washed it all away. I can now put some photos up. Will detail her over the weekend.
- Car surprised me as it has no rev meter, just has a big clock (haven't seen this before, is this normal?)
- Only has a driver side door mirror, no passenger side mirror (Can I retro fit one?)
- Has a navy-blue checkered fabric interior, wasn't aware this was available on the 450 (always wanted velour but will have to make do).
- The rear driver side window won't go down and there is no motor noise...
- Aircon compressor doesn't have auxiliary belt connected, so need to investigate why.
With the engine, when it's cold everything is fine, but once it warms up the revs are low and idle is lumpy. Yet when you accelerate everything is fine. Anyone have any info on how to adjust/ fix this?
Looking forward to learning about the 116 from you all and thank you for your assistance in advance.
Thanks
Welcome, nice find 8) Based on model year this should be KJET.
Sounds like you have a lumpy idle which can be a myriad of things unfortunately.
Start simple and make sure you have no vacuum leaks. Also how old is the fuel in the tank? KJET needs pristine fuel to run right. Any gunk in the tank and fuel lines will leave you pulling your hair out.
Could also be the auxiliary air valve stuck open, a very common problem leading to overly lean hot idle.
Might just need the idle screw adjusted or the mixture at the fuel distributor but usually these can mask other issues so best to start simple.
Quote from: daantjie on 30 March 2023, 10:04 PMWelcome, nice find 8) Based on model year this should be KJET.
Sounds like you have a lumpy idle which can be a myriad of things unfortunately.
Start simple and make sure you have no vacuum leaks. Also how old is the fuel in the tank? KJET needs pristine fuel to run right. Any gunk in the tank and fuel lines will leave you pulling your hair out.
Could also be the auxiliary air valve stuck open, a very common problem leading to overly lean hot idle.
Might just need the idle screw adjusted or the mixture at the fuel distributor but usually these can mask other issues so best to start simple.
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for giving me somewhere to start. Will start investigating and put up a post in mechanical subforum, and I guess go from there. Cheers!
Welcome to the gang. She looks like a fine specimen, nicely done! Now to your questions:
- power windows are generally iffy on this model; this is due to poorly designed window regulator mechanism which over time bends itself out of shape; pre-death it typically emits clicking sounds as the gears jump; yours might have a motor problem though - can be fixed/replaced with some patience; should be covered by the service manual
- lumpy idle - I'd start with the quickest adjustment, which is the idle screw just under the air filter snout. If that makes a difference on a warm engine, the next thing to check is the AAV as already mentioned - they have a tendency to get stuck open if the car hasn't seen much use; once of the car testing and fixing it is easy: https://forum.w116.org/mechanicals/is-my-aav-in-order/
- no velour - I'd call that luck! Unlike on the W126, on the W116 velour is of terrible quality. On my W116 velour was worn to bare threads at 60k miles.
Thank you Ptashek, been looking for a tidy W116 450 for a while now. Generally, they are either affordable and ready for the scrap heap... or great condition and very expensive. I think I was really lucky with this one.
Sure thing, I'll start with what you have recommended and go from here.
I had no idea about the quality of the velour, here is a picture of my interior if you are interested :)
Very nice! Congrats! I've just bought a 450SE too... can't wait for it to arrive!