280SL Engine removal.

[Thierry du Laos]

GGR,
Thanks, I'm gona follow your recommendations. Nice to share experience.
I just hope I can work this week end as its the Womens' day tomorow.....!!!!!

[Thierry du Laos]

GGR,
As I am removing the all front assembly, after that I can still use the engine weight as you said to remove the springs.
I think I will do it to check everything a lot better, as you recommend.
I hope the kingpins are not yet worned, I would be very desapointed by the Mercedes Benz quality, after only 90 000 Miles!!!
Unless the previous owner(s) never greased them?

[GGR]

In fact the weight of the engine plays a part in kingpin wear. The heavier, the more they wear. That's also true for the steering components. The worst is on the 6.3 and 4.5 V8s which have the same kingpins and steering components. The Pagoda is quite lighter in the front, so wear should be less. It's easy to check as I mentioned before. Don't grease them before checking as otherwise new grease will fills the gaps and you won't feel the play.

I don't know if the weight of the engine alone is sufficient to control the "descent" of the lower spring. You may want to secure it with a threaded rod through the spring and plates and nuts at each end before undoing the lower control arm.

[Kazoo]

HI...

I decided that it might be better to invest in an engine hoist and take it out from the top also, rather than getting into more projects (the sub frame front axle).   I read some posts about messing up the front suspension alignment and I think that scared me off....(she goes down the road really nice the way she is)  My project is restoring the engine bay area, getting off the ugly undercoating that was sprayed on at some point, and re-painting the engine compartment and cleaning up/refinishing all of the components on and around the engine and basically sorting it all out ...so getting the machinery out will make this job much easier.

MY question is....will it be easy to re-fresh some of those suspension components you mention above- -  leaving the sub frame in the car? Seems like you will have a lot of working space with the engine out of the way. Or does the subframe really need to come out to do things like the kingpins and/or the rubber parts you mention?

Yesterday I finished getting everything dis-connected...the challenging part was disconnecting the drive shaft. I took the trans support plate off, (I put a jack under the transmission to hold it up), then was able to reach two of the three shaft bolts, then I had to jack the rear end of the car so that I could spin the shaft to access the third bolt.  to my surprise they were not very thigh...and came right off.  That didn't seem too safe - lightly tightened drive shaft bolts!?

After I got it disconnected, I put the support plate back on with just a few of the bolts, to hold the transmission up.

My next move it to figure out how to connect to the engine to hoist it out.  Is it best to use straps, or get one of those engine leveler beams with the chains, and then how to best attach that.  Do you talk the valve cover off and go onto some head bolts?  IN any case if anyone has any thoughts on this it would be appreciated... THANKS

[GGR]

You can rebuild the suspension and steering components later while the front subframe is in the car. However, it is easier to repaint the bare subframe out of the car, if this is something you're planning to do. Similarly, having the front subframe out will make it easier to paint the underside of the chassis rails and the wheel wells if they need to.

You will need to tilt the engine and trans quite a bit to get it out, so that leveling bar would really be helpful.

[Thierry du Laos]

GGR,
Just had a short check at the king pin play following your procedure, you might be right!!!
There's not a lot but?
I need to see further if its not the bearing play either? Will see later when everything is out....
Thierry

[GGR]

To make sure you can tighten the front wheel bearing to eliminate any play there. Then you have a helper shake the wheel as described above while you put a finger at the bottom junction of the spindle carrier. If the kingpin has some play you will feel it there.

[Thierry du Laos]

GGR,
Sure I will.
I am just expecting to have time to carry on the job!
Its just my hobby, so not enough time to spend on it....
Thanks.

[Kazoo]

Good to know thanks....I went and got the leveling bar now...!

Good points on the painting, the issue for me is where do I stop, not sure if I mentioned, but my car was ziebarted when new - thats the good news and the bad.  

The car has very little rust, only some minor surface rust on the frame rails which is unusual for a New England car, but the bad news is that there is black tar crap everywhere.  It was disgusting under the hood especially and that is why I started the project, it had melted and bubbled from the heat and mixed with leaking fluid over the years so looked terrible - UGH.  I just tried to see what it would be like to get a little off in a corner one night and here I am with the engine about to come out and half of the engine components now in boxes!  

I've completely removed it on the passengers side  (inside the engine compartment) and when I get the engine out I will finish the other side, then re-paint it all.  BUT It doesn't look too bad under the wheel wells, it just looks like a good undercoating job, I was thinking of leaving it there and on the wheel well side of the frame rails what do you think??

[Thierry du Laos]

Look at pic, for info:
http://www.hostingpics.net/voir,178859IMG2196.jpg,31.html

Its going smooth.
Thierry

[GGR]

Kazoo, it doesn't look bad, that coating seems to have done its job of protecting the car. It all depends on what you intend to do with the car. If it's not a show car and if the coating is in good shape in the wheel wells, I would leave it there as is. In the engine bay, you may find a way to take the coating out without damaging the paint underneath, that may save you a repaint. Some kind of solvent that would loosen the coating but not the paint, you should talk to a body shop.

[Thierry du Laos]

Concerning removing the dirt, I had a good recommendation from the group about using alcool when i cleanned the fuel tank.
It worked very well, and wonder if it wouldn't be good also for your engine bay?
Have a try.
In the mean time,I have got rid of most the mechanic from the car now. Look at pic:
http://www.hostingpics.net/voir,990996IMG2248.jpg,31.html
And get more and more access to the damages too....
As I was untitled before, I think now it is time to open a new POST for refurbishing the car.
I'll call it 280SL in Laos, as there hasn't been ever an other one.

[ja17]

Hello Thierry,

You can use K-1 Kerosene on heavy grease. Afterward wipe everything with alcohol. Blow dry. glossy areas should be de-glossed with a scuffing pad (Skotch Brite) or similar. Wipe down again with alcohol after de-glossing.

[Thierry du Laos]

Thanks Joe,
Yesterday I openned a new topic for the refurbishment follow up of my car as: 280 SL in Laos, but can't see it anymore today in the list??
Anyway, I keep working on removing all the parts.
I found a mice nest on top of the cabin blower.
To feed themselves, they have eaten the rubber hose drains nearby. Which means the water from the front cabin air intake drains in the car, and results in corrosion!

[Peter van Es]

Thierry,

it's still there: http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=20193.0

You may need to refresh your browser cache.

Peter

[Thierry du Laos]

Good.  Thanks Peter.

[Kazoo]

Ok ...dont think we could have done with the recommendation in this thread for the engine leveler.  THANK YOU...!  I really don't think you can get the engine/transmission assembly out with out it.  Here is the photo!