Road-trip prep suggestions

[johnshenry]

Next Thursday, my wife and I plan to take our new 280SL on a 4 day weekend trip up through NH and VT.  We bought the car last November and I'd say have put maybe 200-300 miles on it since then, with varied types of driving.  It seems to run very, very well.  Oil pressure pegs and temp stays mid-gauge once warmed up.  Starts instantly and accelerates well.  The previous owner had it 10 years and said he put about 1000 mi a year on it.  He showed me maintenance records of it having been in a Mercedes shop several times for service.

I am a vintage VW nut, have a well set up shop, and generally do all the work on my cars.  I did get the "Blue" book for the 280SL also.

I was wondering what the group suggests I check/do prior to taking this trip.  On my list at this point:

Oil and filter change
Air filter change
The obvious pre-flight fluid check, tire pressure check, etc.
My heater is stuck on, and the levers broken.  I have new ones but will not attempt this replacement before we leave.  I have seen the details in the tech manual about pulling the valve core.  My hope is that I can shut it off and we won't need heat, but would like to be able to turn the valve on from under the hood if needed...

Anything else to check?  I will have the car up on 4 jackstands and will inspect the underside.

Also, any out-of-the obvious tools to bring?  I will check the spare and make sure I have what I need to do a roadside wheel swap.

Thanks.  Really looking forward to this trip, hope the weather is nice.......!

JH

[Richard Madison]

The list can get quite long with some...others just get in and take off.

Maybe a good idea to have some spare fuses...the basic tools that you find in the supplied tool kit (metric, of course)....if the car likes to smoke, a pint or two of oil might be carried...and if overheating may be a problem a quart of water in a bottle...perhaps a spare bulb or two of the common sizes...proof of registration, inspection, insurance, etc...

If really nervous, a map of trusted repair shops along the route...perhaps phone numbers of members from this group that you may know along the way...and the AAA card.

Have a good ride,

Richard M, NYC

[jameshoward]

You shouldn't need new filters and oil if the car was recently serviced. The air filter should be fine for a long time if you're only doing a few hundred miles per year. Just tap it out and see how dirty it is. No sense wasting money.

Agree with the spar oil, bulbs and fuses. Belts also, maybe. I'd take the car for a decent run before going on the long weekend if you have time. It may throw up some issues that you can then deal with. See if it springs any leaks, etc.

You could check the timing before you go, and maybe grease the car if it hasn't had any in a while; almost 30 grease points as well as the front wheel bearings (v easy job), but they're easy to get to if you've put the car on stands. Take a spare set of points and a little box of the most essential tools. I carry a small modern jack for wheel changes, but when I travel without the spare (to save weight and space) a can of stuff that goes into the tyre that inflates it and seals a hole. Check the hoses, and check the exhaust won't fall off 30 miles into the trip (perished donuts, etc).

Incidentally, how old are the tyres? If the last owner did but a few thou miles in 10 years, they could be very old and potentially dangerous. Not trying to scare you, but there's some really good info on the site about driving on old tyres (normally found on old cars that don't get driven regularly). You can find out the manufacturing date of the tyre by finding the 4 digits in a little oval stamped on the tyre. (First two figures are the week; second two are the last two digits of the year: eg 4078 = week forty of 1978, etc).

I think in the Wiki there's the service schedule. Maybe take a look.

Have fun.

[J. Huber]

A couple things I could add:

Besides the basic tool kit items, I keep a small tool box with every socket or wrench I have ever used on the car. Ends up be pretty much all the metric sizes from about 6-17 and whatever that big one is for turning engine by hand? And a bunch of other handtools. I also carry:

A Multimeter (dwell & voltage etc)
A Timing Light
Spare fuses, bulbs, and points & maybe even set of plugs
A fan belt if you have a spare although if they are fresh you'll likely be fine.
A spare tire (inflated!)
A flashlight
My Autobooks tech manual
A blanket (for the Mrs. -- until you need to crawl under the car  )

Cell phone
AAA
Laptop to get to this siite!

One thing I just got for Christmas that I'd take is this Battery Charger/Power supply/Tire Inflator thing. Its about the size of a twelve-pack and will jump a dead battery or give you electric power or pump up tires... You precharge it from any outlet. Probably never need it but boy I can think of times where it would have been handy...

Prior to leaving I would take a nice run and make sure the car is staying cool. Be sure things like brake hoses and coolant hoses are fresh and healthy. Check all the lights and turn signals.


Then, relax and enjoy the ride!!

[johnshenry]

Thanks for the tips.  I drive 50-60 year old VWs on 200-300 mile trips to shows, so big the "tool bag" is a given. Unfortunately, given the nearness of the trip, I don't have the time to mail order any spare parts, but I'll take the suggestions and get some spares for later on. 

Again, the car seems to run VERY well, tight and smooth on the highway.  I'll check all fluids and look everything over close. 

Per the tires, they are "new" per the owner, and look it.  I know there are date codes on tires, I'll have a look.  I think they are Michelins.

Can anyone comment on valve adjustments?  With the aircooled VWs it is pretty critical (#3 exhaust gets hottest, stem stretches, doesn't close all the way, therefore doesn't transfer heat, gets hotter... the proverbial snowball effect).  I'll see what the blue book says.  What is the result if they are mis adjusted?  overheat?  Burn oil?  Poor mileage?  Stumbling?  Just curious.  If it looks fairly easy I may check them out, but I do not have a valve cover gasket.

I do have the oil change kit however, filter and O-rings...

[hauser]

water

first aid kit

umbrella (shade or rain)

GPS

[jeffc280sl]

I suppose you know the heater valve can be accessed through a grommett in the fire wall for turning the heat off or on.

[johnshenry]

I suppose you know the heater valve can be accessed through a grommet in the fire wall for turning the heat off or on.

I do!  In fact just came in from the shop after spending a little bit of "under hood" time. 

Good news is that the heater core valve is not seized, nor is the cable actually.  The lever in the dash is (of course) broken, and the arm on the valve was bent.  I got the arm off the valve.  I loosened the screw and then was stuffing a rag down around the valve so as not to lose the screw, and guess what?  The screw fell of and down into the box!  I guess I loosened it too much!!  No problem, I had another.  The ball joint was tight so I took it off and lubed it up, but I am just going to leave it off until I can get in the dash and fix the levers.  If I need to turn it on, I will just move the valve via the access hole in the engine bay.

Questions:

What position is "off" on the valve??  Right now I have it about a 1:30 position, if pointing straight forward is 12:00.  Is there a stop on the valve?  Doesn't seem so.

What holds the heater core in the box??  Mine seems loose in there.  I can move it back and forth (front to back) a good 1/2" or more by just pushing on the hose to the valve in the engine bay.

I suppose I can look this up, but what is the dwell angle on the distributor? I read about 45 degrees on a dwell meter.

The cap and rotor and points look brand spanking new.  Most if what I have seen so far indicates that this car was very well maintained.

Thanks for the tips so far.  Yes, I have AAA, GPS and cell!!!

JH

[J. Huber]

For the 230SL, the ideal dwell is between 38 and 41, I believe. Mine tends to like the higher end of this (about 40-41). I think the gap is about .014-16? or so to get this -- but I rely strictly on the dwell number not the gap. 45 may be high on my car but it may be fine for your particular set-up.

[jameshoward]

According to the book, dwell is 39-41 for these cars if set up correctly, so 45 would be high. Perhaps try bringing into specs and see how it runs. Mine sits happily at 39 with no problems but like James' it is a 230 (though all cars apparently have the same dwell setting according to Haynes).

[Michel Richard]

For what it's worth  , I too am a new owner.  Bought a 230 in Halifax last week.  Flew over there last Saturday (April 24) met the seller at the airport, paid, went over the paperwork, jumped in the car, and drove to Montreal in 11 hours !

My first experience in a Pagoda, or in a Merc.  The reputation for reliability seems to be warranted !

Michel Richard

[ja17]

Hello,

Fortunately, the valve adjustments wear "loose" on these engines. You will not have the same issues as you do with the VW engines which wear "tight".

For your first road trip, I would bring a spare alternator belt, a quart of oil, a gallon of water and some fuses.  Take a look at the auto trans rubber lines going to the radiator, if your car is an automatic. If one of these let go you are stranded. A section of 1/2" fuel line and a couple hose clamps will repair these  trans hoses temporarily if you are out on the road.

[abe280SL]

I can't believe people left out duct tape....come on guys.
abe

[reggie]

ahh good old duct tape - and a few cable ties some big ones to hold up exhuast if it falls off - do you know i have friends who dont do or check anything and just set off and never have any trouble - but the likes of us who do end up at the side of the road thinking ime glad i brought that and this - strange isnt it ?
Reg

[bpossel]

Lots of great suggestions...
Only problem is....  now that the trunk is full of "emergency stuff" where do you put your luggage?
I am sure you will have fun!
Bob 

[johnshenry]

Ok, I can say I have bonded with that car now, I have its oil all over me!

I drained the oil and replaced the filter then noticed a fat donut rubber ring stuck to the old oil filter.  Not to worry, I actually haven't put new oil in it yet.  I'll put that seal back in there (and check for the upper one and the bolt seal).  Ideally I would have had new ones, but 4 days from leaving now and no time to mail order. I'll change them next time.

I found the air filter canister half packed with dried grass and small furballs!  Something had been living in there.  Cleaned it all out and installed a new filter.

It looks like the car was very well maintained, the fuel pump down back is brandy new, and all the noses look in excellent shape or brand new.  The engine is a leaker though, the whole front is wet.

What is that little thumbscew under on the back of the injection pump for?  Scanned my manual, saw it some pics but it didn't say what it did?

Couple loose things under there that need to be tightened up, but overall, no ugly surprises.  One rust hole at the front of the left rocker, but a mirror inspection inside reveals not much rust.  A couple other areas showing some surface rust starting.  Will treat those and try to keep the car dry....

[jameshoward]

The thumb screw sounds like the idle mixture adjust screw. Don't turn it with the engine running.