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My first W116 here at last

Started by gavin116, 10 April 2011, 01:54 PM

floyd111

I learned from my mom, -after a lifetime of owning hand-me-down cars-, that overheating engines can be cooled down by opening all windows, turning the fan and the heater up to a maximum. Horrible on a hot day, but preferable to having to send the  car in for new head gaskets. Anyone can confirm this to be true?

Harv

Quote from: floyd111 on 30 August 2017, 08:01 PM
I learned from my mom, -after a lifetime of owning hand-me-down cars-, that overheating engines can be cooled down by opening all windows, turning the fan and the heater up to a maximum. Horrible on a hot day, but preferable to having to send the  car in for new head gaskets. Anyone can confirm this to be true?

Yes, ideally that will cool the car down to get the car to safety. But it's just a quick emergency thing until you can get it fixed.

1980 300SD
1983 240D
2000 E55 AMG
2002 G500

karmann_20v

Car looks amazing, Gavin! There must be a reason for the overheating issue, I'd get that checked very soon.

gavin116

#243
Hi all

What great comments and helpful leads. On the concours front, I did get a reasonably high score, but did indeed loose points for those wheels, as well as my adapted air cleaner with dual snorkels. Phil may be able to tell you score, as he is a captain leader and will have access to them. I may enter next year, in which case I will get the old Bundt wheels refurbished, and I can re-install my old air cleaner.

No hot starting issues with the car. She always starts on the button. This high temperature thing may be pointing to a failing viscous fan, I shall certainly be mentioning it when the car goes in for service. I can remember as a child my father employing the windows down and heater on trick. Given he was a mechanic by trade, I think this really does work, but only as a temporary measure. The radiator was recored when we did the major body works, and all the hoses are new. So no issue there.

Lucas, off the top of my head, I think it is the accumulator that can give hot starting issues, it may be worth it to substitute this part, as the new one may be a dud. You'll need to look in the manual, it will give you a check list of items that will relate to hot starting issues.

So, I should be able to report back on the relay subject at some stage, and we'll see if everything works as intended.
1979 450SE "Mrs White"
2022 Touareg-R 3.0TSi Hybrid
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Type17

Great write-up, and great to see Mrs White doing what she was made for  :)


+1 on the heater-saves-head-gasket thing - my first car was a Mk1 Golf and, when I first got it, the thermo-switch that cuts in the electric radiator fan was dead, meaning that the temp was fine on the open road, but climbed rapidly in traffic. I can still remember, in my first week of ownership, sitting in static traffic in central London, with outside temperatures of ~27 degC, with all the windows open and the heater on full heat - I could see the heat-haze of the hot air swirling out of the top of the windows  :P   A new thermo-switch sorted things instantly.


With that in mind, if Mrs White's temp is good on the open road, but bad in traffic, you might check the fan's "torque converter" mechanism - it should spin freely when the engine is cold, but be a lot stiffer when under-bonnet temps are high, but the fluid in the torque converter that thickens in heat loses that property over time - you may need a new unit.
'76 350SE in Silver-Green

gavin116

#245
The thighbone connected to the knee bone, knee bone connected to the....

So, the time had come to tackle the next big job on Mrs. White's wish list: her suspension. Some of you will recall that I had to have the shocks replaced at the last service before our France/Luxembourg trip as some had leaked and collapsed. And so the work began.

The work started at the beginning of September, stripping the suspension components both front and rear. Some of the parts were sent for media-blasting and powder-coating and some for re-passivation, while other bits were renewed with brand new items.

At the same time, some collateral work was being done to refurbish the rear brake calipers (the fronts were done some years earlier) and the flexible lines were replaced at the same time. The diff was drained of the 38 year old oil and new oil introduced.

Where some of the suspension components bolt up against the chassis, there was a little surface corrosion that was discovered. After contacting me, I gave the go-ahead to have the rust treated now, while there was a good window of opportunity.

Some totally unrelated problems were dealt with too, including the driver's side window, which had collapsed. (I still need to find out what had went wrong here.) The viscous fan coupling was replaced, and now the car runs cool once more.

Once all the new parts were acquired from M-B, and the parts that were sent off for re-finishing were completed, it was time to put it all back together again. The wheel bearings were replaced and packed with grease. I must say that I am mightily pleased with the result. My only wish is that I could see the underside of the car as much as the bodywork. It is truly a sight to behold!

Keep 116ing
;) 


Edit: powder coated front bits should read powder coated rear bits  ::)
1979 450SE "Mrs White"
2022 Touareg-R 3.0TSi Hybrid
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ptashek

It does look awesome, doesn't it? Nicely done!

I often get into the pit in my garage just to admire all those bits on Goldie still looking fresh.
But it doesn't last long, unless you get to detailing it in proper OCD style...
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

daantjie

Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

karmann_20v


rumb

I like the A arms silver, did you paint them or is that just the plain aluminum?

Isn't the stock color of them black? 
'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

gavin116

Hiya Rumb


I cannot comment on the composition of the swing arms, but I will ask Simon at John Haynes. I am assuming that the colour is the original M-B spec, as the guys at John Haynes are sticklers for detail. You will recall for instance the use of 158 whitegrey painted on the inside of the bumpers. Type 17 may know the answer, as he is also involved in the restoration business.


Thanks for all the positive comments,


:)
1979 450SE "Mrs White"
2022 Touareg-R 3.0TSi Hybrid
[url="http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/"]http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/[/url]
[url="http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613"]http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613[/url]

Type17

#251
Quote from: gavin116 on 16 November 2017, 03:06 PM
...Type 17 may know the answer, as he is also involved in the restoration business.


Thanks for all the positive comments,


:)


Ironically, I haven't been under many W116's, as the business is mostly concerned with W100's (600 Grosser) and W113 (Pagoda SL), but in my own car (which is very original), the arms are painted black, BUT being a 350SE, it has steel box-section arms (280 & 350's don't have anti-squat rear suspension), so we need some 450 owners to confirm things. The arms do look gorgeous in silver, I must say. However, if you drive on salted roads, keep an eye out for aluminium oxide corrosion.
'76 350SE in Silver-Green

Guillaume C

The arms are also painted black in my two euro 450SE.

rumb

regarding the inside of bumpers,  I just received a new front bumper center section and it is painted a pale green instead of the white grey.
'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

adamb

Great photos, Gavin. The car will definitely handle better. I will need to do some suspension bush replacement soon as they must have become so hard after 40 years.

On my 6.9 suspension arms are black.