We have embarked on a W116 journey...

[the_robster]

Good morning guys,

just a quick hello from Germany. We're new to this forum, my father and I just signed the contract and were handed over the keys to this 350SE yesterday.

Just wanted to say thank you for all of the helpful posts I've been reading on this great forum here. It made the decision just a bit easier in the last weeks to go ahead with his adventure, since my father and I are not really classic car experienced.

We are looking forward to sharing our experiences here and hopefully receiving some help as well, since the car does have some issues.

Been sitting for approx. 3 years it started on the first turn of the key. However runs like sh..t (one cylinder not firing) and stalls as soon as it reaches running temperature. CO2 screw? Idle? We'll see. Exhaust Manifold has got some blow by, but I hope we can see to that by tightening the bolts (wishfull thinking) Interior is great, no problems here. Leather is without a single crack.

Got some minor rust visible, the car had the front end of the sills done about six years ago. One or two brakes are sticking, so that's the first thing we're going to look into.

Other than that a great car, has already had historic number plates fitted here in Germany, so that hurdle has been taken. Just need to convince the german MOT/TÜV that we want it back on the road a.s.a.p.  :-)

So, we would greatly appreciate it if you guys could give us some input from time to time on our "jump into cold water" as the Germans say. :-)

Greets

Alexander and Gerhard

[w116john]

hi

thats a good looking car, great interior, enjoy it and best of luck with it.

john

[revilla]

A beauty.  Welcome to the wonderful world of W116 ownership.  You'll find the advice you need in this forum.  Just be prepared to get your hands dirty, spend a few euros and learn tons.  The reward will be the amazing experience of driving your car in the beautiful German countryside and of course on the autobahn !!  Enjoy.

[the_robster]

Thanks for your replies. Going to spend some time on it at the weekend. I'll try to get the rough idle sorted out.

[shaggy]

That's a lovely looking car!

Here's a couple of quick suggestions (I've just revived a 280SE k-jet that had been standing for 10+ years) -

Before even thinking of touching the idle and mixture screws, you need new plugs and leads.
You should also drain the fuel tank and clean the gauze filter which is incorporated in the drain plug (fairly easy to reach).

[the_robster]

Hello all!
Thanks for the tips Shaggy!  Any suggestions on what brand sparkplugs to go for? Are there any no go's?

Thanks

Alexander

[ptashek]

Hello all!
Thanks for the tips Shaggy!  Any suggestions on what brand sparkplugs to go for? Are there any no go's?

NGK sparks are very good. I have the BP6E or BP6ES in my 450.

[shaggy]

Hi, Alexander. Yes, I also use NGK BP6ES on the 280SE and they're great. And I only chose them because they were the cheapest on-line!

[the_robster]

Then NGK it shall be. Just ordered a set of eight.

The previous owner had replaced the leads approx. ten years ago. Not sure if they need replacing again right now? Don't know about the coil though. Seemed to be working fine, since the car did start right away.

Since we don't really have the means to be draining gas tanks in the garage where the car is right now, we're going to fill the tank up to the rim with 98 octane premium fuel. Fortunately the tank is almost empty right now, so there is not much bad gas in there any more. I hope that should dilute the crappy gas enough to make a difference. Once it's up and running we certainly will take a look at the filters/gauze.

[shaggy]

Changing the plugs made the biggest difference when I was trying to get mine running - even though the old plugs looked perfect. I then changed the leads just for peace of mind. Same goes for cleaning that gauze tank filter - it eliminates one more possible source of rough running. The last thing you want is to be confusing fuel starvation with fuel injection adjustment.
(It's also possible that the mixture has been richened up in the past  to compensate for air leaks in the injection system and other age/use related wear).

Is yours k-jet? If it is, it's probably safe to say that it's actually quite a simple system and it's worth taking a bit of time understanding how it works - there are some period Bosch training films on 'You Tube' that are worth a watch. In my case, it was a case of simply dismantling the system bit by bit and cleaning out the crud - injecters included. Easy stuff really, and I never had to touch the metering head (phew). The beautiful thing about k-jet is that it's totally mechanical.

Good luck!

[ptashek]

Since we don't really have the means to be draining gas tanks in the garage where the car is right now, we're going to fill the tank up to the rim with 98 octane premium fuel.

You can add a bottle (or event two, it's a massive tank) of STP Fuel Injector cleaner for petrol cars. It is kerosene based, and dissolves old fuel residue like a charm.
I've done this to my own car a few times, it hasn't suffered any bad consequences, and has actually improved on fuel economy a bit after the procedure.

[karmann_20v]

Hi Alexander, I think a complete tune-up will be very beneficial in your case. Change the distributor cap and rotor when changing the spark plugs and wires and I'd also recommend the fuel filter replacement. Once all these parts have been changed, set the timing and see how it's running.

Viel Gluck!

[the_robster]

Yep, it's got the good old K-Jet mounted (The car is from 09.1977)

Ordered the dist. cap and rotor, going to do it right the first time. The previous owner has left us a new fuel filter, so we'll get that mounted a.s.a.p.

First of all the brakes need freeing up. Had some sticking the first test drive. Any suggestions? We're hoping to just take of the calipers, take out the brake pads and being able to get the pistons moving by pushing them in and then out again by applying pressure to the brake pedal. Certainly not a permanent solution, but we at least want to get the car rolling without risking brake faliure or even a nice warm fire out of one of the wheel wells... ;-)

Alexander

[shaggy]

In my case it was just that - carefully prising and working the pistons in and out of the calipers with liberal doses of WD40 before fitting new pads. Each wheel needed doing several times as they were really badly siezed. If the pistons move freely but the brake still binds, suspect a collapsed hose...

14,000km later and the brakes are fantastic - even if there is still evidence of pitted rust on the discs!

Regular use is the best way of looking after these cars and the build quality is so good that minor niggles can restore themselves merely through the act of driving. That said, the 280 engine, whilst doing exactly what is asked of it all of the time and under all driving conditions, feels strangely unrefined and even noisy in such a large, well engineered car. I'd be interested in your take on the V8 driving experience, when yours is up and running....

Cheers.

[the_robster]

Well, unfortunately no V8 driving experience to tell of yet. :-(

My plan of  "just freeing up the calipers" didn't quite work out. Front right caliper completely shot. Didn't even attempt to work on it. So that's one new caliper up front plus brake pads ordered. The other calipers are ok and moving with no trouble.

Will report back when caliper is changed and car rolling.

Greets Alexander