Pretty much constant AC use this tank as SWMBO was driving the teenaged boys 'round in it.....
199 miles
21.8 MPG .
Looks like it's dropping a bit , Startron & MMO added .
It runs great but maybe it's time for a set of rebuilt injectors ? .
-Nate
That W-126 Chassis 560SEL is a sweetie ~ it goes like a rocket and handles like the suspension has secret asphalt magnets embedded , very reliable , comfy & safe .
The horrible fuel economy OTOH , not so much of a problem for CEO's and Kings , Princes & beautiful Women in Beverly Hills etcetera , the rest of us Working Class Schmoes , have difficulty both eating and keeping the gas tank over 1/8 full .
I'd wait for the '88 300D .
-Nate
"m124300d" <? WHO ?> wrote:
>
> A dealer here in my area has this 1988 560 SEL on the lot.
> They say that it is a one owner has 202k.The car is real clean.
> Has a nice shine no rust. They are asking $3850.
> Would this car make a good driver?
> Are they reliable at this age like the diesel?
> Is there a lot of maintenance to keep them in shape?
> They also said that they would have a 300D 1988 in about a week and
> will ask 2900 for it.
>
> Thanks for any advise
> Oh I now have an 1987 300D good driver.
>
What I did was :
Remove the dimmer rheostat & solder it hot , then I ever so carefully took the plastic binnacle apart and cleaned not only the dusty tiny bulbs but the guides too as they're only adequate when everything is *perfect* but , they _ARE_ perfectly adequate once you've made everything ' Just So ' again .
If you see any color or haze inside the bulbs ,they're JUNK even if they *appear* to light up brightly on the test bench ! I bought new ones as they're cheap and I don't like taking the binnacle out more than once per vehicle .
-Nate
Randy wrote:
>
> Anyone had any luck replacing the instrument cluster lights with some brighter LED lights or something similar?
>
> I have a dim cluster and would love to brighten it, possibly in blue or amber?
>
> Randy
> Minneapolis
>
| yes same for me too...... Randy --- On Sat, 9/17/11, Barry Edwards <duckn8r@me.com> wrote:
|
Thank you
Several people on the list suggested fuses. But they all looked good.
I removed them all (one color at a time), cleaned the fuse ends, cleaned the terminals in the box and replaced the one that looked good but broke in my hand.
The instruments now work. WOW.
Thank you all, again.
Rodger
On 9/17/2011 2:43 PM, audiolaw@aol.com wrote:
What you have is your basic single expansion total loss steam engine. Try adding food colorant to the water red or blue is good yellow might upset the neighbors. Check it when it gets hot. Also have you looked at your oil lately? Both engine and transmission internal leaks are always a possibility.
If the driver's window and the rear passenger window are on the same circuit, isn't the AUTOMATIC first check the FUSE?!?TomIn a message dated 9/17/2011 10:33:27 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, bstromsoe@yahoo.com writes:
Re the windows - the drivers window and the rear passenger window are on the same circuit. Might want to pop the switches and clean them. There are some threads in the archives and their are good posts with pictures on other sites. Do a search.brian from la verne, ca
From: Carmine <drnickv@sbcglobal.net>
To: diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2011 6:45 AM
Subject: [diesel_mercedes] Two issues and one comment.
1984 300D rust bucket with 170K, runs like a champ.
Comment. Just bought new tires for our car. 195/ 70R 14 at Costco for 375 out the door. Michellen with a 80K warranty. Rides like a dream
Two issues 1. As a way of thanking us for putting new tires on her, she decided to respond with window issues. The drivers window will not go up, the rear passenger window will not go down. Where do I start??
2. The car loses water slowly. About ever 600 miles, the water temp guage will start to rise and bounce towards 90 where it is usually stable at 80. Pop the hood and overflow tank is empty. I refill the overflow and it stays steady at 80 for another 600 to 1000 miles. A wonderful little game. I can not find the leak yet.
The other day, the guage started to do its little deal. Pop the hood, fill the reservoir. Drive it around and no change, the resevoir is no longer emptying. It seems the water is no longer getting back in the radiator.
Any ideas?
thanks, Nick
OK- cluster is like W124 chassis which I've upgraded 3 different ways in different 300s I've owned. All are pretty simple, just time consuming. All require pulling the cluster - it comes straight out, no screws just a pressure fit. There are special tools (cheap) for that, that I bought online, but any thin tool that allows you to slip it along the side to hook the back edge and pull it out will work.1.The stockest (not sure if that's a word) way was just to pull the cluster out and apart replace all the bulbs (new) and the brightness/dimmer switch (rheostat - found used on eBay) and clean the glass real well from both sides (requres a bit of patience). That brought it back to original brightness - not bad.2. Found a kit online (maybe eBay, not sure) that came with LED lights & wires with instructions. Required soldering, so I had my local indie do that job while the cluster was out to repair the odometer.3. Similar to #1, but I got some brighter (but hotter) bulbs for the top 2 bulbs and cut out the plastic area right above the bulbs (using a dremel tool) and replaced it with some heavy duty silver (reflective) tape to mitigate the heat and direct more of the light into the cluster.All 3 techniques were an improvement; #3 seemed the brightest. A working rheostat is a must in all cases.From: Randy mclain <mclainrandy@yahoo.com>
To: diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2011 3:54 AM
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] dash lights
1985 300SD
--- On Fri, 9/16/11, Joe ONeill <mnijfo@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Joe ONeill <mnijfo@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] dash lights
To: "diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com" <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Friday, September 16, 2011, 7:46 PM
What type of car are you asking about? Answer will depend.Anyone had any luck replacing the instrument cluster lights with some brighter LED lights or something similar?I have a dim cluster and would love to brighten it, possibly in blue or amber? Randy Minneapolis
Google is a wonderful first responder. I typed in "'86 300SDL instruments dead" and came up with a plethora of hits including this one, "I just clean the contacts for all fuses. I think the gauge instrument fuse is #15 (not certain but I can check if needed). Electronic contact spray and a little sand paper always does the trick for me. Also had to replace the fuse even though it "looked" good to my naked eye."Granted, there are wild jack rabbits in those searches, but I have found (1) good answers, and (2) many, many, many online sites where answers and information abounds - some even with pictures.brian from la verne, ca
From: rkitt2002 <rkitt@netscape.com>
To: diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2011 8:19 AM
Subject: [diesel_mercedes] '86 300SDL instruments dead. indicator lights on instrument panel good. ???Hello All
On my wife's '86 300SDL the instruments are dead. The indicator lights on instrument panel are working. The fuses are good. I changed the relay that I thought was for instruments (it makes a humming noise, the replacement makes the same noise) but that may be for the windshield wipers.
where do I look next?
thank you
Rodger
Re the windows - the drivers window and the rear passenger window are on the same circuit. Might want to pop the switches and clean them. There are some threads in the archives and their are good posts with pictures on other sites. Do a search.brian from la verne, ca
From: Carmine <drnickv@sbcglobal.net>
To: diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2011 6:45 AM
Subject: [diesel_mercedes] Two issues and one comment.
1984 300D rust bucket with 170K, runs like a champ.
Comment. Just bought new tires for our car. 195/ 70R 14 at Costco for 375 out the door. Michellen with a 80K warranty. Rides like a dream
Two issues 1. As a way of thanking us for putting new tires on her, she decided to respond with window issues. The drivers window will not go up, the rear passenger window will not go down. Where do I start??
2. The car loses water slowly. About ever 600 miles, the water temp guage will start to rise and bounce towards 90 where it is usually stable at 80. Pop the hood and overflow tank is empty. I refill the overflow and it stays steady at 80 for another 600 to 1000 miles. A wonderful little game. I can not find the leak yet.
The other day, the guage started to do its little deal. Pop the hood, fill the reservoir. Drive it around and no change, the resevoir is no longer emptying. It seems the water is no longer getting back in the radiator.
Any ideas?
thanks, Nick
