Good morning from Dallas, Texas USA
I wanted to give an update on some of the questions that I had posted earlier in case it is a help to anyone else, and to let you know that I am still here, and I am still establishing a relationship with my 1964 230sl.
I had posted about significant smoke from the rear of the car at higher speeds/rpms. “Ben in Ireland" wrote of how a friend of his went on an extended trip and his stuck rings apparently "unstuck". I have never been lucky in such matters, but I'll be darned if it didn't work for me too! The car can cruise right up to 110kmh now with no smoke coming from the tail end. Who could have guessed it?! (aside from Ben) You know Ben, your email did give me a glimmer of cautious optimism and hope during a rough time. Thanks.
The intermittently working/non-working turn signal turned interesting. While troubleshooting at one point I noticed that the headlamp was receiving a voltage that was enough to illuminate the headlamp or fog lamp bulb (just barely seen in a semi-darkened garage) in synch with the opening and closing of the turn signal switch. This was very strange. I tapped gently on the small metal housing attached to the back of my European headlight assembly and now all is well. I would imagine that inside of that metal can is a relay or point assembly that had gotten corroded/contaminated and as such the contacts were not fully engaging/directing the voltage? At any rate, the signals work perfectly now and have been for quite some time.
The emergency brake not staying in the up position because of a stuck button turned out to be a slightly corroded pawl. Removal of the assembly and operation after several applications of penetrating oil did not sufficiently loosen the mechanism to allow for unassisted rotation. I began drilling out the center pin and the vibration and/or heat freed up the pawl, which now works perfectly. Thankfully, the mechanism was not yet compromised mechanically from the drilling.
The timing has been set to spec negating the “pinking” under load, the defective idle adjust screw has been replaced, the oil is fresh and no longer leaking out of the tach seal, and drives are much more pleasant. So, after a semi-rocky start, which included the tailpipe extension “tattooing” my calf and the hood safety latch almost ripping the ear from my head when I ducked under the hood with a flashlight, this seemingly unapproachable little car and I have begun to settle in together. Wish us luck as we continue the saga.
Ed Fisher
