The Forum

Garage => Test Drive => Topic started by: Beastie on 29 July 2012, 09:44 PM

Title: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 29 July 2012, 09:44 PM
Hi to everyone. I'm new here and so I thought I should introduce myself and more importantly my car. :) I've already had a good look around the forum and I've already gathered a lot of great information. Seems like a close knit community. 8)


So this was originally a NSW car, from York Motors. It wound up in a dealership in Canberra which is where I bought it. I saw it advertised on carsales and it looked like the one for me. I'd been looking at W116's pretty casually (but with desire) for quite a while. I'd even bought a scale model of one to see if it would fix my need. But it didn't.
So I'd seen a lot of them, or at least a lot of ads for them, but I'd never seen the right one. I'd gone and looked at one that was for private sale locally - it was a 350SE - and I took it for a test drive but there was just a few too many things I didn't like about it. It was gold, which I liked, because it's very 70's, but it had very obviously been badly resprayed at some point. There was overspray all over the place. It also had a few mechanical issues. It was hard to start and the heater had been disconnected and cut off. It also had nearly 400,000 kilometers on the clock, and that seemed like a lot. But, it did give me an impression of the W116. It gave me an example. A benchmark. So I kept looking at ads, hoping to see one that felt right. I do tend to prefer the six cylinder models because in my view they're stronger and more authentically German, somehow, and I just like the way they sound and look, plus they're cheaper to register and run, which is a plus. With that said, I would have been perfectly happy with a nice V8 had it come along. A 6.9 would be a dream car of mine to own but... It's just not realistic for me at this point in my life. (I ain't got no money)

(http://imageshack.us/a/img706/7740/p6250020.jpg)


(http://imageshack.us/a/img442/9690/p6250019.jpg)


(http://imageshack.us/a/img692/9026/p6250021.jpg)


(http://imageshack.us/a/img593/227/p6250022.jpg)


mmmmm, that's some nice s-class.

So yeah, it was in Canberra and I'm all the way down in Adelaide. It looked good from here tho. :P

I liked the semi-low kms @ 213,000. There seemed to be a premium on ones with less than 199,999 clicks. This one is just over that mythical, arbitrary threshold, into the two-hundred-thousands, far enough into them that there was no real premium on the price, and they weren't pitching it as a "low mileage example" but you and I both know that 213 thousand on a one-one-six is nothing. I feel like I got a low mileage example at a high mileage price.

Another thing that caught my eye in the original photos on carsales was the fact that it had no tow bar. It seems like a lot of these cars were used for towing back in the day. I can completely understand why but I was reluctant to take on a car that might have been used to tow a horse float or a caravan god knows how far, up god knows how many steep hills. So I had this vague sense that it had had a relatively easy life and shouldn't be too beat up.

It also looked really straight, from the photos at least. I could see there was a few dents and scratches but nothing major. Nothing structural. It didn't put me off too much and I figured it might even give me a way to get the price down a shade. The interior looked good too. The dash was cracked but other than that it was wearing its age and miles very nicely indeed. I also really liked the color combinations. Obviously color preference is a very personal thing and I don't want to say anything against any of the other colors, but I've always liked how these cars look when they're painted metallic brown or green. I like manganese brown and Milan brown, probably because of Ronin, and I've always liked silver green a lot too. I also really like the cloth seats. I like the look and feel of them and I like the colour of the interior of this car a whole lot. As a matter of fact, if I could go back in time and order a new W116 (and who hasn't fantasized about doing that?) I'd pretty much go for this exact specification, so I really feel like I've got the perfect car for me. :)

(http://imageshack.us/a/img801/9383/p6250023p.jpg)


(http://imageshack.us/a/img339/9305/p6250024n.jpg)

The photos really don't do it justice. The backseats look as though no one has ever sat in them, ever. There's a few small stains in the front and the carpets up front could do with a good steam clean but I'm waiting for summer to come round for that. Some of the interior trim is coming away and the previous owner's answer to that was to drive stainless steel phillips head screws into them.  ::) At least he put them neatly in the middle?

It has a really good service history. It has all the original books and they've all been stamped and more recently it has pages and pages of receipts from work done at a Mercedes-Benz specialist. It seems like the previous owner didn't spare a cent in taking care of it mechanically.

But so yeah, I ended up buying it without seeing it in the flesh. Or in the metal or whatever. Which was a pretty big risk. I have family in Canberra and they took a look at it for me and took it for a test drive and they couldn't see or hear anything obviously wrong with it. It's got electric windows and an electric sliding roof and tempomat - all of which were working. So I took a deep breath and called the dealer and started negotiating. I wouldn't normally divulge the nasty business of money but i figure we're all in the same enormous German boat here so why not share? they were asking $5000 but I offered $3000, take it or leave it. The dude basically laughed and hung up on me. Then he called back 15 minutes later. We made a deal at $3250. I feel like I got a good deal on it.

I had it shipped here on one of those land-ships. I believe they call them trucks. here it is the moment it arrived and I saw it for the first time:

(http://imageshack.us/a/img854/5896/p6070003.jpg)

I was mildly upset that it didn't get the primo spot on the bed of the truck but oh well. :P


Despite being a good one, it still has its problems. The rear suspension is going through hydraulic fluid at an alarming rate and when I turn on the heater, steam cascades up the inside of the windscreen. Also, right after I got it, it started making this awful sound. Just awful, like it was eating itself. It was horrendous, I assure you. It was this really high frequency impact sound, like something was hitting something at every single revolution. I called a mechanic, and over the phone without hearing the noise he suggested that it was the timing chain and tensioner, but my gut told me that's not what it was. Plus, I was of the view that that's a problem that plagues the V8's much more so than the six's. It turned out it was the engine fan striking the bottom of the cowling on the radiator. I took it to some other mechanic (Barrie Green, in Norwood, which isn't too far from where I live) and he had a good look at it. While he had it up on the rack I took a good look underneath and it's very clean and very straight. He said that fan banging problem can occur when the engine mounts are shot but he said mine "weren't too bad" and he wasn't keen to replace them so he just hacked a bit off of the ends of all the fan blades. Eh, whatever, it made the noise go away and was a cheap simple fix.

The problem came back a week later though, with a vengeance, so yesterday I got underneath and I hacked a piece out of the bottom of the cowling with the Dremel. Again, not an ideal fix, and I don't like to use the term "hack" to describe work performed on my Mercedes-Benz but... it's better than having to remove the engine. And probably fractionally cheaper too, I'd guess. :P

There's also a weird groaning noise that comes from the front suspension whenever I go over a speed bump, no matter how slowly. Seems like it might be coming from the right side. Barrie greased around there and the problem went away but now it's coming back too. The car also seems to pull ever so slightly to the right sometimes so I'd reckon these problems are related.

I don't want to end on that down note... Usually after I've driven the car for a while and it has warmed up, it runs very smoothly and quietly and all those noises disappear. Last week I took it out on the open road to let it out a little and to play around with the cruise control. It's a wonderful car to drive. You can see my number plates in the photos, so... Let's say I stayed within the posted speed limits... yeah, definitely stayed within the posted limits.

So yeah, I've only owned it for a month or so, so this is only the beginning of my ownership, learning experience and financial ruin. I'm looking forward to it.

If you have a sense of Deja Vu when reading this, it's because I posted it already over in the wrong section. :-[
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 29 July 2012, 10:53 PM
I'm glad to report that the problem of the fan hitting the fan housing is no longer a problem, at least until I fix it properly.

The rear suspension seems to be now well logged with hydraulic fluid and it's not leaking through it anywhere near as quick now, which is good. I figure the system must have been near empty when I first topped it up.

I've changed the oil and it's running a little smoother and cooler now. The old oil was very dark and sticky so I'm thinking I might change it again in a month or so, to see if I can pull out some more of the old stuff.

Finally, I flushed the cooling system over the weekend and replaced the green stuff with some of the eye-wateringly expensive blue stuff from Mercedes-Benz. It took me a long time but it was an easy job. I used a radiator flush treatment which did seem to remove some schmutz, and then I flushed the flush out with water. Then I used citric acid, like people here have said to do and like how it says to do it in the book. I was skeptical, figuring that modern off-the-shelf flush treatments would be superior but i was very wrong. I was very surprised by how much more murky muck came out. And it just just kept coming! It would be murky and it would smell really old and gross. Then, finally, after about 10 bloody flushes, the water coming out was clear so I added the blue stuff. There is absolutely no discernible difference from the drivers seat but I'm sure it was worth it to get all that crap out of the system and to put some good quality additive in there to stop corrosion. It's worth noting tho that even the Mercedes  dealership mechanic tried to talk me out of buying the blue stuff and he told me that Tectaloy coolant is good and he reckoned it would be fine, especially for the older cars. But I went ahead and bought the blue stuff anyway.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: TJ 450 on 30 July 2012, 01:11 AM
Nice work, although I'm surprised to hear that the MB parts person told you Tectalloy was OK. Unless it has the MB standard listed, then it isn't OK, or at least not worth the gamble. Valvoline/Zerex is OK, as it carries the MB approval, and is cheaper and more readily available than MB blue. Still, you've made the right choice with MB coolant, you can't go wrong.

Deja Vu indeed, but I didn't recall seeing the Stobie poles before, haha. ;)

Tim
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: oversize on 30 July 2012, 02:11 AM
What a beautiful car!!  I like the green....  I hope the steam on the windscreen had stopped because that could indicate a leaking heater core and quite a nasty job to fix.  If it's going through hydraulic fluid I'd be checking for leaks ASAP.

You did well flushing the cooling system and changing the coolant yourself!  The blue is quality stuff and thoroughly worth the extra $$.  What flush treatment did you use and where did you get the citric acid?

Replacing the engine mounts doesn't normally require removal of the engine and with some fresh ones it'll feel much smoother.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Big_Richard on 30 July 2012, 05:31 PM
.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Big_Richard on 30 July 2012, 05:35 PM
.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 30 July 2012, 10:54 PM
Quote from: TJ 450 on 30 July 2012, 01:11 AM
Nice work, although I'm surprised to hear that the MB parts person told you Tectalloy was OK. Unless it has the MB standard listed, then it isn't OK, or at least not worth the gamble. Valvoline/Zerex is OK, as it carries the MB approval, and is cheaper and more readily available than MB blue. Still, you've made the right choice with MB coolant, you can't go wrong.

Deja Vu indeed, but I didn't recall seeing the Stobie poles before, haha. ;)

Tim

Thanks. Yeah, I was a bit surprised by the mechanic too. I couldn't say for sure, but I think he was just of the mind that coolants are all basically the same and it doesn't matter all that much. I've encountered a lot of mechanics like that, when I say "oh, the book says to do it such and such a way" and the mechanic will just kind of scoff and tell me not to worry about it. Obviously their experience is telling them otherwise but I don't know how I feel, really. If doing it by the book is only a question of spending a little more time, or expending a little more effort, or spending a little a lot more money, I usually don't mind doing it by the book. Like you said, you can't go wrong. I mean, I'm enthusiastic about the car and I'm not solely interested in just maintaining the car on a basic level, just to get me from A to B. I'm in it for the fahrvergnügen.

Quote from: oversize on 30 July 2012, 02:11 AM
What a beautiful car!!  I like the green....  I hope the steam on the windscreen had stopped because that could indicate a leaking heater core and quite a nasty job to fix.  If it's going through hydraulic fluid I'd be checking for leaks ASAP.

You did well flushing the cooling system and changing the coolant yourself!  The blue is quality stuff and thoroughly worth the extra $$.  What flush treatment did you use and where did you get the citric acid?

Replacing the engine mounts doesn't normally require removal of the engine and with some fresh ones it'll feel much smoother.

Thanks a lot, and I like the green too. It's one of my faves. :)  I'll take some better photos eventually, of the dents and of the engine bay and the under carriage and stuff. This week the W108 has been receiving all of the attention. :)

Thankfully the heater seems to have somehow magically fixed itself. When I had it going full blast during the radiator flushing, the gross old smell of wet staleness cleared up significantly and there was no steam and eventually it was just heat and no smell. I tried to keep an eye out for wetness in the carpets and other places and I couldn't see any/feel any. So that's good. Fingers crossed. I have a feeling I'll need to do the heater core eventually and I'd like to fix the cracked dash, so it's all part of a grand plan for a bit further down the road. I don't do a lot of the work myself. I don't really have the space, or the tools, and I'm still learning a lot. I was not aware that the engine mounts could be replaced quite so easily so I'll have to look into that more.

As for the flush treatment, I used Nulon brand flush & clean. I don't think I'd recommend it to be honest, at least without flushing it out well with citric acid afterwards. I didn't know where to get citric around here in any decent quantity, so I ended up buying a half dozen little containers from Foodland. It probably wasn't enough but it was all they had.

(http://imageshack.us/a/img703/2190/4th20april20001.jpg)


Quote from: Major Tom 6.9 on 30 July 2012, 05:31 PM
That is a crisp looking w116.

these w116's really are pieces of art and belong in a marble floored viewing gallery, silk roped off from public hands. How dare the truck driver let the w116 travel second class - although it was probably just in that arrangement because it was the first car to be dropped off  8)

;D Yeah, I figure it was just going to be dropped off before the other car, and I'm glad of that. It arrived in the morning but it still felt like a long wait. Still tho, it looks poky on that trailer. :P :)

Quote from: Major Tom 6.9 on 30 July 2012, 05:35 PM
Quote from: Beastie on 29 July 2012, 09:44 PM
I wouldn't normally divulge the nasty business of money but i figure we're all in the same enormous German boat here so why not share? they were asking $5000 but I offered $3000, take it or leave it. The dude basically laughed and hung up on me. Then he called back 15 minutes later. We made a deal at $3250. I feel like I got a good deal on it.

Classic sales tactic.

but it backfired on him as you didn't cave, he knew damn well w116 enthusiasts don't walk in the door everyday and that car could of sat on the lot for another 12 month costing money at that price.

well played.

Yup. Thanks. I don't have a lot of first hand experience dealing with car salesman but I know enough to get by. Most of the other cars on the lot seemed to be modern little economical cars and I knew his phone wasn't likely to be ringing off the hook for a 30 year old Mercedes. I figured they'd want rid of this thing to make space for two or three regular cars. I'd bet they still made money on it. I bet they took it in for about twenty-five hundred to seal the deal on the sale of a Nissan Pulsar or something. ::)
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Mforcer on 31 July 2012, 12:36 AM
That is indeed a very nice looking car and I am sure well worth the wait. Congratulations!
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 08 August 2012, 10:49 PM
Ah ha! I'm finally getting around to more thoroughly going through the old receipts that came with the car, and on one of the most recent ones it reads:

Remove radiator to inspect
Refit recored radiator and reassemble (that's a lot of re's)
Refill with coolant and pressure check
Replace wiper rubbers



I'm almost certain that it was during this work that the fan cowling was misaligned, causing the engine fan to strike it.

It's interesting (to me) to note that the wiper rubbers are OEM and that the guy must have charged him by the millimeter or something, because 1 rubber cost $22.47 and the other cost $21.80. Weird.

The whole job including labour came to to $851.60, which I'm glad wasn't my money. These cars seem like (and I use this term in the nicest way possible) money pits. I'm glad this one seems to be already half filled with someone else's money... Anyway, this is one of the more recent receipts, from May 2011. I've still got a big stack of them to go through dating back to... lets's see... 2003, wow. I should make a pot of coffee.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: TJ 450 on 09 August 2012, 02:55 AM
Yes... They certainly can be money pits, if you pay someone to do the work, even a 280.

For DIY'ers though, things aren't too bad at all in my opinion.

Tim
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Bandolero on 09 August 2012, 03:24 AM
That's about right for the wipers, the driver's side one is longer than the passenger's.
Don't fit after market wiper rubbers, they don't work as well.
Stick to the originals that have the 2 metal wires fitted to the rubbers.
I see you are in Adelaide, there is a new Merc club that caters for enthusiasts, you can contact me for details if you like.
PS: I live up the road at monarto South.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 09 August 2012, 03:47 AM
Quote from: TJ 450 on 09 August 2012, 02:55 AM
Yes... They certainly can be money pits, if you pay someone to do the work, even a 280.

For DIY'ers though, things aren't too bad at all in my opinion.

Tim

Yup, I'm planning to do as much of the work as I can myself. I can take my time and do a really thorough/careful job and it doesn't cost me anything. It's going to be a pretty steep learning curve for me because even though I'm very into cars, I really don't have very much hands-on experience with working on them myself. Like for example, up until recently I thought that the fourth stage of a four stroke engine was a wizard casting a spell that makes the car go forward. But this site is an excellent source of information for DIY'ers and I've already learned a lot about these cars here. :)

I've finished looking through the old invoices and it seems as though the previous owner paid someone else to do pretty much everything. Even oil changes. That's nice if you can afford it, I've got absolutely nothing against that, but jeez... some of these bills... man, I would rather give it a go myself and keep my money for me. Plus, I think that doing your own work is very enjoyable and it helps you form a bond with the vehicle.

Quote from: Bandolero on 09 August 2012, 03:24 AM
That's about right for the wipers, the driver's side one is longer than the passenger's.
Don't fit after market wiper rubbers, they don't work as well.
Stick to the originals that have the 2 metal wires fitted to the rubbers.
I see you are in Adelaide, there is a new Merc club that caters for enthusiasts, you can contact me for details if you like.
PS: I live up the road at monarto South.

I was planning on joining the Mercedes-Benz club of South Australia, now that I have my SA plates and rego papers. I don't know how much I'd get involved with club events but I would be interested in a club that caters towards W116 enthusiasts. If you'll PM me the details I'll definitely consider it. Thanks.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 13 August 2012, 06:03 AM
I'm currently in the process of refurbishing the alloy wheels so I thought I'd post a few before and after shots.

I'm still not used to how far back I have to step to get the whole car in frame! Felt like I was about 20 feet away and running out of garden to stand in. :D

(http://imageshack.us/a/img818/7761/p8120021.jpg)



Close-up of one of the wheels. I think it's a rear wheel?

(http://imageshack.us/a/img145/1843/p8120022.jpg)



I forgot to take a photo of it right before I painted it, but here's a shot of it before I even cleaned it. It looks pretty bad here.

(http://imageshack.us/a/img9/1123/p8120026.jpg)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img268/1118/p8120025.jpg)




I'll do something about the wheel nuts too while I'm at it.

(http://imageshack.us/a/img109/720/p8120029.jpg)




I'm removing the wheels one at a time and cleaning them in my backyard. I'm lightly sanding them, cleaning them again, degreasing them, and then finally, cleaning them again. Then I dry them. I'm painting them using a faux-alloy spray paint designed to be used on wheels.

(http://imageshack.us/a/img543/3408/324094.jpg)

"Track Tested", whatever the bloody hell that means. ::)


I was surprised by how bright and light in colour these wheels are when they're totally clean! I was a little hesitant about painting them at first but so far they've all come up quite nicely and the color is a very good match. I'm aiming to make it look like they've not been painted at all and rather are just very very clean. I can't say I've done a perfect job with the rattle can so far but they look a lot better than they did before, that's for sure. They've gone from looking good from 20 feet away to looking good from 6 inches away.  :)

I was pleased to see the part numbers on the wheels and to see that these are forged, as opposed to the later cast ones. I have my original data card and there's no mention of alloy wheels in the listed options. So I dunno... maybe they were fitted by the dealer? Or perhaps the owner fitted them shortly after buying the car. Either way, I'm glad to have a nice matching set of original wheels.

I've got one more wheel to do tomorrow and then I'll take some after shots. I have a feeling that having the wheels looking near perfect is just going to emphasize the dents in the body panels, so I think some panel beating will be next on my list. :)
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Type17 on 13 August 2012, 07:49 AM
Quote from: Beastie on 13 August 2012, 06:03 AM
...I have my original data card and there's no mention of alloy wheels in the listed options. So I dunno... maybe they were fitted by the dealer? Or perhaps the owner fitted them shortly after buying the car. Either way, I'm glad to have a nice matching set of original wheels...


If you check the data card under option 64, it will have a dash (-) if your car left the factory with steel wheels, and a single digit if it had some kind of alloys - the relevant page on this website (http://www.w116.org/library/codes5 (http://www.w116.org/library/codes5)) should confirm the details. Of course, if the wheels on you car were fitted by the dealer, or a previous owner, the data card will be wrong.


More data card info: http://forum.w116.org/mechanicals/w116-datacard-and-body-plate-info/ (http://forum.w116.org/mechanicals/w116-datacard-and-body-plate-info/)


Nice car (love the colour  ;) ), can't wait to see the finished wheels.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 13 August 2012, 08:34 AM
Quote from: Type17 on 13 August 2012, 07:49 AMIf you check the data card under option 64, it will have a dash (-) if your car left the factory with steel wheels, and a single digit if it had some kind of alloys - the relevant page on this website (http://www.w116.org/library/codes5 (http://www.w116.org/library/codes5)) should confirm the details. Of course, if the wheels on you car were fitted by the dealer, or a previous owner, the data card will be wrong.


More data card info: http://forum.w116.org/mechanicals/w116-datacard-and-body-plate-info/ (http://forum.w116.org/mechanicals/w116-datacard-and-body-plate-info/)
Ah, excellent info, thanks. ;D I decoded my data card a few weeks ago using your thread there in that link. :) But I only checked the meaning of the options with a number and I kind of glossed over the blank ones. I have the card here with me now and under number 64 there is indeed a dash. So my guess is the dealer must have fitted them. Man, I kinda wish I had the original hubcaps too. I wonder what ever became of them...


Quote from: Type17 on 13 August 2012, 07:49 AMNice car (love the colour  ;) ), can't wait to see the finished wheels.
hahaha, thanks. ;D Yours looks absolutely amazing! It looks brand new. When I first saw it I could barley contain my furious seething jealously. ;) ;D Definitely one to hold onto and enjoy. :)
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: TJ 450 on 13 August 2012, 10:31 AM
I've been looking for some of that paint myself... I need to refinish a few wheels and would rather do it that way in the meantime. That will look good.

Regarding the wheels, have you got a matching spare? Often when the bundts were fitted after sale, they only fitted four and left the steel spare. It all goes pear shaped when you realise you need the short wheel bolts for the steelies though, so the spare is effectively useless without them. 8)

The bundts also have the date marked around the hub area, on the inside.

Tim

Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 13 August 2012, 11:17 AM
Yup, I'm pretty pleased with the paint so far. One other good thing about it is how quick it dries. I had the wheels back on the car 20 or 30 minutes after painting them. Granted, the paint wouldn't be 100% cured in that time but I was careful as I put them on so no harm, no foul there. I got the paint at supercheap auto btw. Thirteen bucks, not bad. I think that one can should do all four wheels at the rate I'm going. I think I'll leave the spare as-is. I didn't know the wheels had a date stamp on them too! That's cool. I'll have a look tomorrow.

Thankfully the spare wheel is an alloy as well. I think it might even have the original tire on it! The data card says it was originally fitted with Michelin's and that's what the spare is. It looks ancient and it says on it that it was made in "West Germany" so it must be at least as old as that. I tried looking for the date stamp on the tire but the format of the date is weird so I can't be sure. But I think it was made in either '76 or '79. I think.

I learned about the different lengths of bolts when I picked up a set of old bundts for my W108. I cheaped out and only bought a set of four, so now I have to keep five of the shorter bolts in the car, just in case I get a flat and have to use my old steel spare. Actually, now that I think about it... Did I do that? I should check that tomorrow. I mean, I know the longer ones still work, kinda. They'd stick out a bit, that seems dodgey and to be avoided... But good thing you mentioned that - Now I can check and make sure those shorter ones are in the glove compartment... I have a feeling they're not in there anymore... ???
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Type17 on 13 August 2012, 11:28 AM
Quote from: Beastie on 13 August 2012, 11:17 AM
... Thankfully the spare wheel is an alloy as well. I think it might even have the original tire on it! The data card says it was originally fitted with Michelin's and that's what the spare is. It looks ancient and it says on it that it was made in "West Germany" so it must be at least as old as that. I tried looking for the date stamp on the tire but the format of the date is weird so I can't be sure. But I think it was made in either '76 or '79. I think.


The date stamp on tyres that old will be three digits for the 1980's (eg: "306" = week 30, 1986). If there is a triangle in front of the digits, it was made during the 1990's (eg: "∆306" would be week 30, 1996).


More info here (and there's another pic of my car there, too  :o ): http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html (http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html)
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 13 August 2012, 10:13 PM
Quote from: Type17 on 13 August 2012, 11:28 AMThe date stamp on tyres that old will be three digits for the 1980's (eg: "306" = week 30, 1986). If there is a triangle in front of the digits, it was made during the 1990's (eg: "∆306" would be week 30, 1996).
Oh, awesome! Thanks again are in order. I'd looked around the internet a few weeks ago for info on finding the date of manufacture of older tires but I didn't come up with much for a tire this old. I'll have a look at my old spare very soon and see what's what. :)


Quote from: Type17 on 13 August 2012, 11:28 AMMore info here (and there's another pic of my car there, too  :o ): http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html (http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html)
Oh, jeez. That looks like a pretty bad blow out and delamination. That must have been very scary at 70mph. :o
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 14 August 2012, 03:29 AM
I've had a look at my old spare but I'm still not sure what to make of these codes.


It reads: DOT FTJ5 A6F X 322. Could this mean the tire was made in the 32nd week of 1982?

(http://imageshack.us/a/img839/792/p8130024.jpg)



Then theres this one: E2 0177523. Could this mean it was made in 1977 or something?

(http://imageshack.us/a/img534/9559/p8130023k.jpg)


I'm guessing the first one is the one I'm looking for and that it was made in '82. Either way, the tire is older than I am.  :o






Also today I painted the last wheel. Here's the after photos. 8)


I polished the bolts with a rotary polishy buffy thing. They came up pretty well. Not perfect, but way better than before.

(http://imageshack.us/a/img502/8993/p81300232.jpg)



Close-up of the finished wheel with a few bolts sitting in there for an impression:

(http://imageshack.us/a/img600/488/p81300222.jpg)



The wheel all done, before I put it back onto the car:

(http://imageshack.us/a/img832/6309/p81300212.jpg)



And here's the final result with the before shot below it for a comparison:

(http://imageshack.us/a/img9/208/p81300242.jpg)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img145/1843/p8120022.jpg)



(http://imageshack.us/a/img19/5852/p81300252.jpg)


8)


I'm pretty pleased with the end result. The centre caps were a bit tricky because the paint was reacting with the surface a bit. I removed the caps and painted them separately which is something I'd strongly recommend doing if you're considering this. I primed the centre caps with a light coat of primer before spraying them with the silver. Most of them came up ok in the end.

Somehow when I take photos of the car I keep lucking out with the lighting which shines on it in a way that hides the dent in the front-left fender. ;D
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Type17 on 14 August 2012, 03:45 AM
The date codes that I've seen are in those oval areas, like the "322", but I think that the date stamp is a US DOT (Department of Transport) thing, so tyres made for the Aus market, and never intended for the USA, may not have a date-stamp (or at least not one that means anything to anyone, other than the original manufacturer).


It's just occurred to me that your tyres (not the spare) aren't that old, and certainly can't be from 1982, because they have a URL on them - www.bobjane.com.au (http://www.bobjane.com.au)  :)
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 14 August 2012, 04:31 AM
Quote from: Type17 on 14 August 2012, 03:45 AM
The date codes that I've seen are in those oval areas, like the "322", but I think that the date stamp is a US DOT (Department of Transport) thing, so tyres made for the Aus market, and never intended for the USA, may not have a date-stamp (or at least not one that means anything to anyone, other than the original manufacturer).
Ah well, sounds like it'll be a mystery. Maybe someday if I get curious enough I'll contact Michelin, see how patient their customer service reps are. :D


Quote from: Type17 on 14 August 2012, 03:45 AMIt's just occurred to me that your tyres (not the spare) aren't that old, and certainly can't be from 1982, because they have a URL on them - www.bobjane.com.au (http://www.bobjane.com.au)  :)
ha ha, nice spot. The tires on the car were made in '09 so they're a few years old now. They have about 95% of their tread though, so I imagine I'll need to replace them before they wear out. I don't mind that because they're not particularly great tires these All Rounders. They're not bad, they're an OK tire, but they're a slightly hard compound rubber, for longevity rather than outright grip, and they're not very good in the wet.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Type17 on 14 August 2012, 05:16 AM
Quote from: Type17 on 14 August 2012, 03:45 AM
The date codes that I've seen are in those oval areas, like the "322", but I think that the date stamp is a US DOT (Department of Transport) thing, so tyres made for the Aus market, and never intended for the USA, may not have a date-stamp (or at least not one that means anything to anyone, other than the original manufacturer).


Actually, looking again at your shot, and comparing it with a shot of my old spare, it does indeed look like the US DOT system, which means that your spare is from week 32, 1982  :o  - best to treat it as a space-saver if you ever need it (ie: only keep it on for as long as it takes to get the original sorted out, and keep to speeds under 60-80 km/h, etc).
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: oversize on 14 August 2012, 08:20 PM
Could they be 1992, or 2002??  When did they start including 4 digits??

Answering my own question:

http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/passenger/care/age.aspx

BTW those wheel studs look nice, but without some protection from the elements, I suspect they'll rust quickly.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 15 August 2012, 01:24 AM
Even without knowing for sure the exact age of the spare, it is obvious from close inspection that it is very old. It doesn't look very dry rotted at all, it must be said. But I still wouldn't trust it. I'll hold onto it and keep it in the boot, because it's one of the nice little original touches left on the car, but I wouldn't use it for anything other than an emergency situation and I would definitely drive very slowly and carefully on it and use it for as short a time as possible.


Quote from: oversize on 14 August 2012, 08:20 PMBTW those wheel studs look nice, but without some protection from the elements, I suspect they'll rust quickly.
I didn't want to paint them with the same paint because they're not aluminium and I think it would look a bit iffy if they blended in perfectly with the rest of the wheel. I was thinking I'd buy some sort of clearcoat to spray them with but I think anything I put on there will get chipped off the next time I remove a wheel. For now I've smeared them with a little bit of WD40 as a token effort and I'll come up with a better solution later.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: oversize on 15 August 2012, 06:48 AM
I've seen chrome lugs for sale in the USA on Ebay and I think they're the best solution...

I think your tyres are 1982 as if they were 1992 they'd have a triangle symbol after the numbers.  You could try the Michelin Aussie distributor if you really wanted to know
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Big_Richard on 15 August 2012, 05:16 PM
.

Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: John Hubertz on 15 August 2012, 05:47 PM
I love the photograph that shows the tire - never heard of a "Bob Jane" tire - and what's it say on the other lobe, "Australian XXXXX"?
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Bandolero on 15 August 2012, 05:58 PM
The tyre (tire) is called " Australian AllRounder".
Bob Jane was a top '60s race car driver.
He started the Bob Jane Tyre stores around Australia in the '70s.  (I think it was the '70s.)
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 15 August 2012, 09:18 PM
A little more on Bob Jane: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Jane

This caught my eye from the article:
QuoteRacing career

In 1961, Jane and co-driver Harry Firth won the Armstrong 500 at Phillip Island, Victoria, driving a Mercedes-Benz 220SE.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 15 August 2012, 09:47 PM
Quote from: Major Tom 6.9 on 15 August 2012, 05:16 PM
I have some new wheel bolts here and from the factory, they are galvanized. Rusting will never be an issue again with them.
Ah, then I've probably ruined mine by grinding them the way I did?
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: TJ 450 on 16 August 2012, 12:55 AM
Unless they changed the manufacturing process, I'm pretty sure they're not galvanised. That silver coating doesn't last very long in my experience. 8)

Tim
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 08 July 2014, 10:59 AM
So my car hasn't been running perfectly for a while now. When idling it often stalls. At speed it runs well, no issues, but if I sit at a red light for more than a few minutes the revs will drop the engine will cut out. It hasn't been anything more than a nuisance so I've been putting off dealing with it. I figured it could be a lot of things, maybe some bad fuel or a bit of a clog in a filter, and so maybe it might just work itself out if I run the car a little more.

But over the weekend it stalled in my driveway and as I was trying to start it, it misfired. A very loud misfire, very expensive sounding. And then when it started it ran terribly. It's thrice as loud now and sounds a lot like a Singer 132K6. I took a quick lap around the block and it was backfiring on the overrun and people were looking at me. I think possibly the crack in the Y-piece of the exhaust may have become a gaping hole, maybe that's all that happened. I'm going to take it to my mechanic so that we can take a look at it, hopefully this week.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: oversize on 09 July 2014, 09:41 PM
Sounds like it's time to get rid of the Y piece!  Might be a good idea to pull the plugs and have a look.  And check your fuel supply from tank to injectors.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 15 July 2014, 01:21 AM
Quote from: oversize on 09 July 2014, 09:41 PM
Sounds like it's time to get rid of the Y piece!  Might be a good idea to pull the plugs and have a look.  And check your fuel supply from tank to injectors.

I suspected it might have been a clogged filter. In fact I was pretty sure of it, all signs pointed to that from what I could tell. But as it turns out it was a burnt out rotor. My mechanic figured it out pretty quickly, gave me a new one, and now the car is running fine. No dying at red lights, no hesitation. Seems to be all sorted out. I was so sure it was a fuel problem! ::) Oh well, I'm just glad it was a quick, cheap fix.

But, the exhaust is knackered and will need extensive repairs. He recommended a place nearby and I'll be taking it there on Thursday. I'm looking forward to getting it sorted.  8)
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 19 July 2014, 01:02 AM
I had a post written up but the forum crashed and I lost it so I'll just briefly add that I've had my car in to Exhaust Plus at Stepney and they cut out two great lengths of rusted pipe that were "paper thin" and replaced it with new stainless piping, and they also replaced the muffler which was cactus too. I'm glad I was able to keep it all a twin pipe setup and I was pleased with the work. They knew their way around the car and their prices were reasonable. And when I told them who had sent me there they gave me a nice little discount. They also invited me to go under the car to have a good look for myself which is always nice.

They said that the Y piece was OK and that the leak up at that end was coming from a gasket. I'm still planning on getting something fabricated to replace the extractors and y piece but that'll be a little further down the road when time and money permit. For now I'm just happy to have the car back in good working order, and quiet enough that it doesn't wake my neighbors and make all dogs within a three block radius bark their heads off as I drive by. I do kind of miss the crackle on the overrun though, because that sounded pretty cool. 8)
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 23 November 2015, 10:35 PM
Oh, this thread looks great now that all my picture links went dead. Sorry about that. My free image host went to a pay system. ::)

It's been a long time since I updated. I recently completed the exhaust work - new headers and the deletion of the EKG - with much debate with local mechanics. It's now done, it looks tidy, sound a lot better and is running smoothly. I regret taking this long to get it sorted.

In other news, I caught my antenna on a sticky-outy shrub branch on a narrow road in the hills. Snapped the antenna clean in half. I'm going the route of a new 'universal Hirschmann' from MercedesSource - new motor, new antenna. Has anyone here tried fitting one? https://mercedessource.com/store/hirschmann-universal-replacement-power-antenna-custom-instructions (https://mercedessource.com/store/hirschmann-universal-replacement-power-antenna-custom-instructions)

It's in the post. When it gets here I'll snap a few pics and see how it goes fitting one to a W116. Hopefully it's as simple as it seems.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: beagle2022 on 24 November 2015, 05:54 AM
I replaced mine with their kit.  Really easy, slotted right in.  Clear instructions supplied.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 08 December 2015, 05:02 AM
The new antenna and motor went in fairly easily but it sits in a different spot to the old original motor and I can't for the life of me see how I'm going to refit the boot lining carpet thingy. :-\

Quote from: beagle2022 on 24 November 2015, 05:54 AM
I replaced mine with their kit.  Really easy, slotted right in.  Clear instructions supplied.

Did you manage to get the boot liner back in OK? I feel like I might be able to adjust the Hirschmann to gain a little more room but there's not a lot of play in it, maybe only a cm or two...
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: beagle2022 on 08 December 2015, 09:47 PM
I had no such problems. Slotted right in the spot and no issues with the boot lining.  Perhaps a different model to the one I got.  My experience was over two years ago.
Title: Re: My First W116 - My 280SEL
Post by: Beastie on 14 December 2015, 05:33 PM
Thanks for your reply. I'm without internet at the moment as I just moved house (currently checking the org from work) and I've been too busy to finish the antenna job. Hopefully I'll be able to sort it out soon.