After my initial voltage tests, I determined that I could drive the car - during the day without headlamps. However, I knew(sort of) that I needed to deal with this issue before getting too far along the way towards Boston. Well, I set out from Chicago and decided that a planned social stop at the Benz Barn (Dan Caron) might require a repair too.
So as luck(or fate) would have it, I ended up driving into the evening hours and that required me to switch on my headlamps. Per my earlier tests I knew that only a .25v drop would occur but then a massive storm moved in. This required the use of my wipers too. Uh oh! I didn't test the draw on those things.
Well, I'm sure most of you can predict the result - dead battery and dead car. The upside was I was in the process of looking for a hotel and had just exited onto a ramp/frontage road. A short push later, i had my car covered and stowed for the night. So my initial diagnosis that either the VR or Alternator were bad, was proved - it was the alternator.
In the morning I went to an autoparts store and bought a new battery, dropped it in, and headed off to Dan's - Just a bit over the Canadian border, between Detroit and Port Huron.
Just for kicks we pulled a VR from an old sedan parts car in one of his barns. The result was - a substantial amount of charging was still not taking place. We pulled the alternator and dropped it off at a repair shop. They tested and repaired the thing - the brushes were really worn and were barely making contact. I guess it was just making contact enough to sustain the load on the battery from the fuel pump and headlamps, but not enough to make up for the wipers. I also picked up a new VR - Bosch RE57 was a direct replacement(lots written in other posts on this topic). I was told that this VR is also used on Deere tractors.
While we were waiting we gave the car a pretty thorough inspection and lubrication. As with the event at Blacklick, when you start looking you will find something - it's just a matter of the what and how severe. The worst of it was confirming that my rotors had worn unevenly(I sort of knew this already). The best of it was getting a great look at my car while up on the hoist and really seeing the wonderful condition of the undercarriage.
After a wonderful ride in a 1958 220 Convertible, and Dan's Red Rocket. We had the thing put together. I'm leaving off some great moments - ice cream at the local shop, the ferry ride across the river, hanging out with a guy who is doing a compete resto of 113. That said, all is in order and I'm off again. While making the repairs were necessary, the best portions of my stay related to talking with Dan and the locals about non-car stuff and getting to know their perspectives on various topics.
Many thanks to the Benz Barn(Dan, his wife, and his assistant Eric). Sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination.
Nik
'65 230SL
