mu-mu-mu-my pagoda

[ja17]

Hello Al,

The 230SL starting devices were especially confusing.  There are two types and they are designated version II and version III in the manuals to make matters more confusing.  

On version II (early 230SLs) the intake solenoid is activated during the entire starting period. The injection pump solenoid is activated one second during starting above 41 deg. F. (5 deg. C). Below 41 deg. F. (5 deg. C.) the activation period increases as temperatures become colder, up to 17 seconds at 0 deg. F. (-20 deg. C.) via the thermo time switch and relay.

On version III (later 230SLs) at temperatures above 95 deg. F (35deg. C) both the intake solenoid and the injection pump starting solenoid operate for one second while the starter is activated via relay.
At temperatures below 95 deg. F (35 deg. C) both operate for at an increasing duration as temperature is lower (up to 17 sec. @ 0 deg. F. (-20 deg. C.), vial the thermo time switch and relay.

To improve hot starting characteristics the factory manuals state "early versions II can be converted to the later version III by replacing the original 5 deg. C. thermo time switch with the later 35 deg. C. thermo time switch. The original wire is detached from the original thermo switch and the ring terminal is reamed to 5mm and connected to the "W" terminal of the new thermo time switch.

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[enochbell]

Joe,

Just to be clear, you say the CSV is actuated during cranking on the early version 230sl, regardless of temp.?  And for the entire cranking?

Thanks,
g

'64 230sl, fully sorted out...ooops, spoke too soon

[glennard]

In all the MB and independent literature and dcoumentation- and all the 30 or so MFI engines I've had-   don't think ever have seen all the temp, pressure, solenoids, relays, etc, ever wired the same!  At least on the analog systems you can see the logic.  New computerized stuff-- Who knows?  The 'under the dash' switch - voila!

[ja17]

Hello Greg,

Here is my graphical interpretation of the starting aids. It's easier to understand.

Download Attachment: 230SLa.JPG
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Download Attachment: 230SLb.JPG
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Download Attachment: 250280c.JPG
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Download Attachment: 280SL.JPG
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I know what you mean Glenn, there are many other versions for various other models and years!

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[hands_aus]

quote:Originally posted by al_lieffring

Hey Ya'll

I spent some time last night trying to sort through my hot restart issue.
When I drove this car back in the 70's I had a primer button under my dash to give the CSV an extra shot of fuel before I would start the car. The conventional wisdom was (is) these cars need more fuel to get them started. One of my goals is to get the injection set up to where it will start without cranking for 10 seconds followed by the plume of grey smoke and to eliminate the need for a button hanging under my dash board.

The first thing that I found out was that on my car both the pump solenoid and the CSV are wired in paralell. I had always thought that the pump solenoid engaged any time the starter was cranking, and the thremo-time controlled the CSV. I now know that there were many production changes over the years on how these were wired.

I found out that on my car when either starting aid is disconnected the hot restart improves. I had been driving the last couple of weeks with the one second timer unplugged and the CSV disconected and the car restarted better than it ever had before.

Also the thermo-time switch is delivering the right amount of fuel on a cold start up when connected to both starting aids.

I took off the cover on the one second timer, found the calibrating screw and set it as close tp 1 second as I could.
With the 1 sec. timer switching on only the CSV and the pump solenoid disconnected the motor warm-starts almost instantly without touching the throttle.
In fact when I checked the start up  with a test light connected to the  pump solenoid the motor never warm-starts untill after the power to the solenoid switches off (with or without the CSV connected) and then the motor stumbles for about 2 or 3 seconds untill the excess fuel clears out.

I see two options here, 1. I could connect a temp switch to open the ground on the pump solenoid when the engine is over 100deg (f) the problem is where to put it. I could scrounge around and maybee find a thermostat cover for a m130 sedan and put one in place of the 212 switch because there are no extra holes tapped out on a 127 motor for mounting one.
Or 2. I could install another relay and have the 1sec. timer controll only the CSV. And the thermo-time and cold start relay controll the pump solenoid seperatly. I have extra relays, and I like to solder, I think this is what I'll try next.

It's a sunny day, I think I'll go ride my unicycle instead.

 



66 230sl
113-042-10-014715
904/396 blue, Ivory Tex
condition: not-as-rusty-as-before-bucket

Hey Alf,
I have the 250sl with a relay for each device... pump solenoid and CSV.
I added a '1 second time relay' so that I could dispense with pushing the under dash switch.
I have to wait 2-3 seconds for the extra fuel to dissipate as you say.
The TTS exclusively operates the relay for the CSV, while the Inj Pump solenoid is operated all the time the ignition key is in START position.

As an additional starting aid I installed an aftermarket by-pass relay for the ballast resistor.
Arthur Dalton (whatever happened to him?) discussed the advantages of this some time ago.
It was a cheap and easy mod to make.

regards

Bob Smith (Brisbane,Australia)
RHD,1967 early 250 SL, auto

[enochbell]

Thanks, Walter, that makes it perfectly clear.  So the fact that my early model starts easier (when hot) with the momentary switch I installed is more an acknowledgment of the need for the improvement that Mercedes made in the later version than it is a testament to my engineering brilliance.  Oh well.

Thanks again,

g

'64 230sl, fully sorted out...ooops, spoke too soon

[al_lieffring]

quote:Originally posted by hands_aus

Hey Alf,
I have the 250sl with a relay for each device... pump solenoid and CSV.
I added a '1 second time relay' so that I could dispense with pushing the under dash switch.
I have to wait 2-3 seconds for the extra fuel to dissipate as you say.
The TTS exclusively operates the relay for the CSV, while the Inj Pump solenoid is operated all the time the ignition key is in START position.

As an additional starting aid I installed an aftermarket by-pass relay for the ballast resistor.
Arthur Dalton (whatever happened to him?) discussed the advantages of this some time ago.
It was a cheap and easy mod to make.

regards

Bob Smith (Brisbane,Australia)
RHD,1967 early 250 SL, auto

hey Bob

Alf? I havn't been called that one in a while, it had to do with Frank Zappa's "St. Alphonzo's Pancake Breakfast", another story for another day.

My first attempt at modifying the starting aids was to connect them up the same as your 250sl, after that it would'nt start at all with the motor warmed up, untill I removed the wires from the pump solenoid. At that point I came to the conclusion that I was getting too much fuel on warm start up instead of it being too lean.

I also have a resistor bypass connected, the SR 59x starter has a bypass relay built into the solenoid and can be connected with a wire running from the larger of the two screw terminals to the + side of the ignition coil. I ran the wire along the battery cable around the front of the motor up to the coil I used zip ties to keep it clear of the crank pulleys and the exaust.

Here is a question.
Do all of the CSV's have the same spray volume? I have several of them and don't know if I have the original one installed now. could I have a 280 nozzle that is dumping in too much fuel?

Alan, A.L, Al, St. Alphonzo


66 230sl
113-042-10-014715
904/396 blue, Ivory Tex
condition: not-as-rusty-as-before-bucket

[jacovdw]

Al,

Regarding the different type of Cold Start Valves, they do have different spray volumes.

My 230sl (chassis no 002525) has a CSV with the following number: EP/EV 2/3.
It's spray volume is less than a CSV with the designation EP/EV 2/5.

Hope it helps.


Jaco van der Walt
1964 230sl
1975 230.6

[hands_aus]

quote:
hey Bob

Alf? I havn't been called that one in a while, it had to do with Frank Zappa's "St. Alphonzo's Pancake Breakfast", another story for another day.

My first attempt at modifying the starting aids was to connect them up the same as your 250sl, after that it would'nt start at all with the motor warmed up, untill I removed the wires from the pump solenoid. At that point I came to the conclusion that I was getting too much fuel on warm start up instead of it being too lean.

I also have a resistor bypass connected, the SR 59x starter has a bypass relay built into the solenoid and can be connected with a wire running from the larger of the two screw terminals to the + side of the ignition coil. I ran the wire along the battery cable around the front of the motor up to the coil I used zip ties to keep it clear of the crank pulleys and the exaust.

Here is a question.
Do all of the CSV's have the same spray volume? I have several of them and don't know if I have the original one installed now. could I have a 280 nozzle that is dumping in too much fuel?

Alan, A.L, Al, St. Alphonzo


66 230sl
113-042-10-014715
904/396 blue, Ivory Tex
condition: not-as-rusty-as-before-bucket

Alf?
Sorry mate, must have been a speck of dust on my glasses.

Strange situation in that you would need them both for a cold start but not for a hot start.
MB had several versions of the cold start system starting with the early 230sl.  

It seems you are on the right track thinking of different volumes of delivery for the CSV.
One thing I noticed on a friends 280sl was that his CSV is physically smaller that the unit on my 250sl.

Of course the 280sl has a different inlet manifold also so maybe its CSV may need to deliver less fuel.

Bob Smith (Brisbane,Australia)
RHD,1967 early 250 SL, auto

[jacovdw]

Hello all,

Here are some data extracted from the Service Manual (starting 1968) Series 108-113 Group 07-0/5.

Starting quantities cc/min at 0.5 atu test pressure:

EP/EV 2/2 70-80 (used on the 300sel 6.3)
EP/EV 2/4 118-132 (OD 61mm IP's with start solenoid)
EP/EV 2/5 138-152 (OD 36mm IP's without start solenoid)

I don't have the exact flow volume for the EP/EV 2/3 used on the early 230sl's, but it would slot in between EP/EV 2/2 and 2/4.

If a CSV (OD 61mm) with a higher flow volume is fitted to an engine with a starting solenoid on the back of the injection pump, it can result in an overrich condition when attempting a hot start.

Jaco van der Walt
1964 230sl
1975 230.6

[al_lieffring]

Hey Ya'll

Yesterday I had to change the fuel filter for the fourth time though I have only driven the car about 2.000 miles since I put it back on the road.
There is a build up of sediment in the bottom of the canister up to the bottom of the filter each time I change it, It's time to give up on salvaging this old tank and just order a new one.
 
Should I order the larger 18 gallon tank for a 280SL? I imagine it would be about the same price.



I am discovering that my two favorite hobbies are incompatable



First, the weekend of the Blacklick, Ohio Pagoda meet is the same date as the North American Unicycle Club Convention in Saline, Michigan.
Though they are close enough to participate in parts of both events It still is going to be tough to choose which will have priority.

Second only the teensiest unicycles will fit in the trunk of a Pagoda.
At some point in the future I will weld up a receiver hitch of some sort that will bolt on under the bumper brackets, to hold a Coker or a M-uni, still there would be no place for a Giraffe.

Why does life have to be so difficult

Al

66 230sl
113-042-10-014715
904/396 blue, Ivory Tex
condition: not-as-rusty-as-before-bucket

[Naj ✝︎]

Hello, Al,
 

quote:Should I order the larger 18 gallon tank for a 280SL? I imagine it would be about the same price.

I was told by SLS one time I phoned them that the big 80 liter tank would fit in a 230 SL with a horizontal spare wheel on the left right of the trunk. (Thier price of an 80 liter tank was significantly less at the time - haven't checked today).
However, the link you posted of the Lawrenceville 230 SL has a picture of the fuel tank and it seems the electric fuel pump would be in the way of a wider tank?
I can't seem to find a picture of a 280 with tank showing. :oops:
Could be that the fuel pump is mounted differently?

Would be interested to see what you find.

naj

68 280SL

[mdsalemi]

quote:Originally posted by al_lieffring

First, the weekend of the Blacklick, Ohio Pagoda meet is the same date as the North American Unicycle Club Convention in Saline, Michigan.
Though they are close enough to participate in parts of both events It still is going to be tough to choose which will have priority.

Second only the teensiest unicycles will fit in the trunk of a Pagoda.
At some point in the future I will weld up a receiver hitch of some sort that will bolt on under the bumper brackets, to hold a Coker or a M-uni, still there would be no place for a Giraffe.

Why does life have to be so difficult

Al

66 230sl
113-042-10-014715
904/396 blue, Ivory Tex
condition: not-as-rusty-as-before-bucket

Al,

I've been to Blacklick, and I've been to Saline.  In fact I don't live that far from Saline.  Saline is no Blacklick.  Blacklick has it all over Saline...

As far as the Unicycle thing, at last year's 50th anniversary MBCA affair in Chicago, there was a guy with a 300SL Roadster in the Concours.  That and his bicycle were his two daily drivers; he had a custom hitch put on the 300SL and that's how he moved around.

I have no doubt you could concoct something for your 113 to transport a selection of Unicycles from wherever to wherever--and it would look great!

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[al_lieffring]

Hey Ya'll

I havn't been doing much other than driving the Pagoda around in it's current "bomber condition". It is still a thrill to drive this car when everything is working right. As long as I keep a clean fuel filter, the car is running stronger than it had ever did 30 years ago.

So this evening I decided to cruise over to Main Moon in Watkinsville for Chinese take-out. They only take cash, so first I had to go out to Epps Bridge and stop by the ATM at my bank. On the way I marvel at just how well the car seem to have been running lately, and wondered just how much longer this fuel filter would last. I'm just about to my Bank, climbing up a hill and just as I shift into 4th, a loud BANG and poppity pop pop pop along with a sudden loss of power, but the motor didn't stall I shut off the motor and pull off the road as quickly as possible. I wasn't too worried, I was pretty sure that a spark plug had come out of the cylinder head, I popped the bonnet and sure enough #5 plug was dangling by the wire, In the trunk I had a tool box, but it mostly had carpenter's tools, I'm just a foot off the shoulder and the cars are zooming by inches from my hind quarters as I was trying to get the plug threaded back in the head with a pair of needle nose pliars. It didn't take me too long to see that there were no threads left in the head.
I figured the car was as broken as it could get, fired the motor up with the plug dangling off to the side, turned around and headed back toward home.
What surprised me was that even with one cylinder missing, the motor idled faster (1500 rpm) with the plug out rather than slower.
With the plug hole open, the cylinder drawing down doesn't make any vacuum and instead lets air back into the intake when the valve opens. making the idle faster instead of slower.

I have a full schedule for Saturday, Rosemarie is flying home form Sao Paulo in the morning, so I won't be able to get a heli-coil installed untill after Church on Sunday afternoon. And only then I might get to watch the Saturday qualifyer and the Euro GP race from Nurburring. I'll have to catch it on my TiVo.

 

Al

Al Lieffring
66 230Sl
Jones'n for a new gas tank

[glennard]

Al, Try taking another plug out-maybe it'll idle even faster -2000 rpm or so.  With 5 out, might idle at 4500??  Patent it!

[al_lieffring]

The pagoda is back on the road again.
On Saturday morning I was supposed to pick mein Frau at the ATL, but the flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil to ATL was diverted, seems the Columbians would not give Delta permission for the flight to enter thier air space, so it cricled around all night and before running out of gas had to land in Puerto Rico. So this gave me a couple of extra hours to stop by the auto parts and pick up a Heli-Coil set and install it.
The first step on the instructions said to "remove cylinder head", Not in my plans, so I used a couple of old shop tricks to keep the aluminum crumbs out of the cylinder.
First I took off the valve cover to make sure the valves were both in the closed position, and the piston was down toward the bottom of the bore, otherwise the tap could hit against the valve or bottom out against the top of the piston.
Next I filled up the flutes of the tap with axle bearing grease, this catches most of the shavings. after taping out the hole oversize, I cranked over the motor to blow any crumbs out the plug hole (put valve cover back on first so you don't pump oil all over the exaust headers like I did)
Then I took some BrakeKlean to wash any remaining bits out and the clean grease off the threads. crank over a couple times more to clear the brake clean out of the cylinder,
Use an old spark plug with the gasket ring removed to install the new insert, Put Permatex on outside threads first before installing,
Remove spark plug and see if insert is installed flush, then use the expanding punch from the kit and tap with hammer to flare out the threads and lock the insert into place.
Reinstall plug with ring gasker, wait one hour for Prematex to set up.
Bolt down valve cover and reinstall linkage.

After I picked up mien Schatzi from the ATL and got back home, the pagoda fired right off. Running on all 6 again.

Fingers crossed it is running again.



Al Lieffring
66 230Sl
Jones'n for a new gas tank

[ptomey]

Al,

When you do the last step with the punch, doesn't the tab from the helicoil break off and fall into the cylinder? Or do you have an old shop trick for that too?

Did you decide to go to Blacklick? I'd love to meet you in person as after reading your chronicles you are now legendary in my mind.

Paul Tomey
Tierra Verde,FL

1968 280SL Light Ivory (Enjoy)
2002 Porsche 996TT (Track)
2003 Van Dieman Formula Car (Race)
2006 Yukon Denali (Tow Cars and Haul Kids)

[al_lieffring]

quote:Originally posted by ptomey

Al,

When you do the last step with the punch, doesn't the tab from the helicoil break off and fall into the cylinder? Or do you have an old shop trick for that too?

Did you decide to go to Blacklick? I'd love to meet you in person as after reading your chronicles you are now legendary in my mind.

Paul Tomey
Tierra Verde,FL

1968 280SL Light Ivory (Enjoy)
2002 Porsche 996TT (Track)
2003 Van Dieman Formula Car (Race)
2006 Yukon Denali (Tow Cars and Haul Kids)

Paul

The insert kit that I got at the NAPA store has the Heli-Coil brand but is not the coiled wire type insert. the "trick" on those was to snap off the tab using a pair of needle nose pliars.


This kit was more like what I rember as a K.D. insert it is machined out of tubing with threads inside and out. With the added feature of the top three threads on the outside are knurled to bite into the aluminum when installed. Then the punch in the bottom of the package has a taper that expands the top of the insert to get a better bite. The old helix wire and K.D. inserts were notorious for backing out of the head when it came time to change the plugs, even with Locktite on the outside threads and Anti-sieze on the plug threads. When it is's time to change out these plugs I'll find out if this system works better than those old ones.

My plans to go to Blacklick don't look like they will work out.
Health problems with family members in Phoenix have taken a higher priority, Sorry. It sounds like it will be qute an event.

Me, a Legend :?:  I don't think so, but possibly just a bit bigger than life    


Al Lieffring
66 230Sl
Jones'n for a new gas tank

[al_lieffring]

Hey Ya'll

When I put my motor back together last fall I had two starter motors to choose from One was the SR 59x that I had installed most likely back around 1979 or so. The other was the smaller style that was originally installed in these cars. There was a time when these wern't accepted as cores for a SR 59X and we had a big pile of the things, This one must have looked like the best of the bunch so I stashed it away.

I installed the the larger 59x because I wanted to hook up a ballast bypass, but from the first time I tried to crank the motor over about one of five times the sprague drive on the starter pinion would slip. Yesterday I pulled the starter out and once it was out I took a spray paint can and made a mark on the flywheel, then turned the motor over with a ratchet on the front crank nut, as I watched the flywheel teeth through the starter hole to make sure there were none missing or damaged.
I thought I would take both starters apart and put the pinion from the smaller starter onto the 59x. Once they were both apart it was obvious that no parts from either starter were interchangeable with the other. So I polished up the commutator with a Scotch Brite pad and cleaned up the shaft and greased up the bushings. and put it back in.
The 59x seemed to have more power than before, but the pinion still would grind every 1 out of 5 starts.
This morning I pulled the starter back out, with it out I looked for the paint mark that I had made yesterday, I wanted to make sure that the ring gear wasn't slipping on the flywheel. It is rare, but it can happen. I turned the crank with the front bolt and the paint spot still lined up.
So then I went through the factory original starter and inatalled it. I had to tape off the bypass wire at both ends because this early starter doesn't have a third terminal.
The starter engages every time now but the smaller power output is noticeable, It still spins right over but about 10%slower.

I'll check with Bud's Benz tomorrow to see if they have the pinion for the 59x. But now with the starter not grinding any more I won't have to worry about the ring gear getting chewed up. When I can get the pinion I'll switch back to the larger starter and reconnect the ballast bypass.

I bet most of ya'll are heading off to Blacklick as I type this,
Have a good time there and tell Joe that Al sez "Hey!" from Georgia.



Al Lieffring
66 230Sl
Jones'n for a new gas tank

[hands_aus]

Hey al,
I installed a ballast start-up by-pass relay.
A Dalton provided a sketch and description somewhere on here.
http://index.php?topic=4240&whichpage=1,by-pass,relay

It does the same job as the starter by-pass.

My early 250sl is a lot easier to start now it is getting 12v to the coil.

I used a normal c/o relay, cost about $6.00. I tucked it in the space under the hood/bonnet prop area behind the ballast.

Bob Smith (Brisbane,Australia)
RHD,1967 early 250 SL, auto

[al_lieffring]

hey Ya'll

The other day my older son Andrew walked into the kitchen from the garage, he turned to me and said that my radio was "an anachronism."
I had just installed a Sony CD player in the dash because I was tired of the old Becker that wouldn't pick up any of the stations that I listen to. I had always used that word in terms of something archaic in a modern setting, but he was correct, it also applies to something modern in old surroundings.

The Sony has the standard DIN mounting, because I didn't want to cut up the dash plate with the smaller opening of the earlier cars, I made a new plate with the larger opening. So if the occasion arises that I should find a working period correct Becker Grand Prix I could switch it back.

I also ended up adding a signal amplifier to the old Hirschmann antenna(manual), I understand these antennas with the removable coax cable have become quite rare. The one I have only had the antenna end of the cable, So I spliced in the amplifying circuit board and the radio end of the new cable to it. I actually did this before I removed the Becker, The reception was improved, but not enough to make the old analog tuner pick up my stations. Cruizin with the right tunes on is an important part of Pagodaing.

Nicholas and I have been working on his clutch driving, It is a good thing that I didn't install a new clutch when I rebuilt the motor last summer, because the disc and pressure plate are going to be roasted by the time that he gets the hang of it.
Nick isn't the most patient of students, and gets frustrated quite easily. It's not that he doesn't have the coordination to do it, he can ride a unicycle with only one foot on the pedals. But working three pedals with two feet was more of a challenge than he anticipated. I don't think that playing Forza Racing on his Game Cube has helped matters either.  
We will go out for a couple more practice sessions and then maybe he will be confident enough to drive by his-self.
Fortunately, I have the patience of Job, and we will make a stick shift driver out of him eventually.  



Al Lieffring
66 230Sl
Jones'n for a new gas tank

[66andBlue]

quote:Originally posted by al_lieffring

 .. BTW I'm 49 years old today ..

Darn - We missed your BIG 50.[:0]
Happy birthday Al belatedly and and even happier Pagoda cruising for the next 50 years.
But keep on writing those mu-mu-mu installments, they are cool.

Alfred
1966 blue 230SL automatic

[al_lieffring]

Al Lieffring
66 230Sl
Jones'n for a new gas tank

[al_lieffring]

Hey Ya'll

This past week, after reading through threads on what distributor matches what 230sl motor and what throttle body has the correct potring for that distributor, I thought I should take a closer look at what was under the hood of my car.

When I bought the car in 76 the distributor had been replaced with an aluminum distributor with one piece points and the vac. retard pot with the slip on hose fitting. Not sure what Bosch #it was but it was the distributor that was made for 1970 280sl with a TSZ system. At the time that was what MB dealers sold as the replacement part, all the others were listed as no longer available. I scrounged around and found several used 051 distributors and pieced together the best parts of them into the distributor that I have now.

I had the mistaken notion that all cars 69 and older had "ported" vacuum advance, that only delivered vacuum when the throttle was tippen in. When working on these cars years ago there was so little time to do more than just the basics when doing a flat rate tune up, that I just assumed that because the vacuuim on these cars didn't seem to do much at idle, that the cars all had ported vacuum.

After reading through the thread
http://index.php?topic=1553
I went out and looked to see if the port was above the throttle plate (vac advance) or below (vac retard) It was below, but when I attached a guage there was only a trace of vac. there no matter where I set the throttle plate stop screw.
When I had the motor apart last summer I saw that there was a thin layer of grime in the throttle body, but thought that it wasn't enough to make any difference so I installed it as it was.

Thursday I pulled off the throttle body and put it to soak in my ultra sonic parts cleaner, It came out sparkling clean, I took a piece of tag wire and ran it through the vac. port to make sure there was no obstruction, I adjusted the throttle stop to where the plate was completely closed but resting on the stop screw so the plate didn't stick against the housing. As Dan suggested I checked to see if the port was open whith the throttle closed, It was only about 1/2 uncovered so I took a file and made a small grove in the back side of the throttle plate to where the port was completely uncovered.

When I reinstalled the throttle body the linkage rod was almost 3/16" (5mm) too long, and I had to readjust the ball ends. It is hard to believe that that thin coat of gunk would make that much difference in the throttle position,

Now when I detach the vac hose at idle the RPMs jump up from 800 to 1100 and back down when reattached.

This one little thing doesn't realy make a profound difference in how the car runs, but each of these small details that I get set back to right the better the car ends up working over-all.

When I had the hood up I noticed a leak in a radiator core tube, looks like I am going to end up needing a recore, In August when the outside temp was up around 105f. the engine temp was just below the 200 mark when out on the road at speeds over 70mph.
Not hot enough to do any damage, but this car had never ran over 180 even with the A/C on. One more thing to add to the list, I'll do a complete cooling system flush before I send the radiator out. I had already put a tube of radiator stop leak in when I built the motor, so it looks like a recore is my only real option. Does anyone make a reproduction radiator that is worth a hoot?

Later  



Al Lieffring
66 230Sl
New blue top just arrived
new gas tank on order

[al_lieffring]

Hey Ya'll

It's been like Christmas here, this week I got the new 85 litre fuel tank and a new canvas top. The top will wait for later, but I started work on the fuel tank as soon as the Big Brown Truck dropped off the package and had cleared my driveway.

A year ago I thought that I could just clean out all the crud from my old tank, After dozens of procedures trying to get all of this gunk out of the flower pot, strainers and screens, the car would still only run for about 2 weeks on a new fuel filter before hot start problems and stumbling would show up again, then after about 500 miles of driving I would have to change the main fuel filter and find an inch of rusty sludge in the bottom of the filter canister.

I found that my notion that there was only a finite quantity of sludge in the bottom of the tank, and that it would eventually work it's way out of the system was completely in error. Sludge never sleeps, it never dies, it is always there impatiently waiting to plug up the filters and screens at the worst possible moments. I whipped out my Visa Card and now my new tank is here.

I got the larger 280sl tank, it is about $140 less than the smaller 230sl tank, but the extra width makes some modifications of the fuel pump mounting necessary. I havn't taken any photos yet, because at the time I was soaked in gasoline, I didn't think flash photography was prudent.

Basically I rotated the pump bracket about 90deg clockwise and mounted it an inch forward of the original position. I have it installed temporarily with just one bolt, I will eventually weld up an adapter.
To mount the gravel shield "coffee can", I had to remove a large section of the rear half of the can. The back of the can is open on a 280 sl to clear the tank, I made two pieces of 1/4x 1" strap drilled and tapped them to hold the shield in place 1" forward of its original position.

Initial testing; I was able to start up the car with just one gallon of fuel in the tank, Before I had been limited to the top half of the tank before it would starve for fuel, even after many cleanings of the flower pot, it would help for a week or two and would plug back up again.
I then filled up the new tank completely, the extra weight is noticeable, it is about like driving with 2 bags of cement in the trunk, The rear end sits just slightly lower when filled completely and the hard top is installed, I may eventually add about 1/2" to the rear spring rubbers.

My goal was to make the car drivable enough to run for more than the 50 miles that the car was limited to before fuel starvation would take over. We will have to see how well this actually works out.

If any one is interested in upgrading with the larger 85 litre tank into a 230, I will take some photos and give more detailed specifications of my modifications.



 
 



Al Lieffring
66 230Sl
a-cheesin with a new 85 l. tank