From: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net (diesel-benz-digest) To: diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Subject: diesel-benz-digest V1 #443 Reply-To: diesel-benz-at-digest.net Sender: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Errors-To: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Precedence: bulk diesel-benz-digest Wednesday, November 29 2000 Volume 01 : Number 443 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles John Meister Digest Coordinator Contents: RE: Radio Replacements (was: Becker refurbishing?) RE: Seats W123 tires Re: anti-sieze? RE: Badges on grill RE: Seats gearing & tire sizes Re: anti-sieze? RE: Badges on grill a nibble... it started!!! Headlights and Rims RE: Seats Re: it started!!! Diesel Benz Digest Home Page: http://www.digest.net/diesel-benz/ Send submissions to diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Send administrative requests to diesel-benz-digest-request-at-digest.net To unsubscribe, include the word unsubscribe by itself in the body of the message, unless you are sending the request from a different address than the one that appears on the list. Include the word help in a message to stag-digest-request to get a list of other majordomo commands. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 17:25:57 -0500 From: "Chris Straut" Subject: RE: Radio Replacements (was: Becker refurbishing?) I'd definitely second that. The TravelPilot (expensive) and Tokyo (about $300) units are very nice indeed. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net [mailto:owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net]On Behalf Of Mike Mehringer Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 2:56 PM To: greenmercedes240d-at-hotmail.com; diesel-benz-at-digest.net Subject: Re: Radio Replacements (was: Becker refurbishing?) I'd recommend Blaupunkt... they are once again being built by Robert Bosch corporation...not Sony anymore. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 16:49:31 -0800 From: "Balea, Michael" Subject: RE: Seats Redoing seats..... what i did for the wagoneer... yes i know it is the benz list.... But i have my eyes on a 240D.... i bought some black spring material.... about $60 for a box of 12 rods 6 feet ea from McMaster Carr. Made a duplicate of the broken one and a few spares... It took a few trial to match it, bending the wire was tough, even with the bender i bought for $6 from the same catalog. Cheers Michel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 16:37:57 -0800 From: Roy Sharp Subject: W123 tires http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html Mike M. This is my favorite site for answering such questions. Keep in mind that when you change tire sizes, it changes the rolling radius (rolling circumference) which effectively changes the final drive gear ratio up or down; critical numbers for a diesel! The smaller tire offers better acceleration, lower top speed (usually), worse fuel mileage and more revs/mile (wear). Larger rolling circumference equates to slower acceleration, higher top speed (usually), better fuel mileage and less wear. Tire manufacturers will generally supply the critical numbers. For worn tires, inflate to correct pressure, chalk mark the driveway and the tire together, move forward one wheel revolution then mark drive again. Distance between marks is actual rolling circumference. Even the same wheels can be used and still change the gearing by using tires with made with different aspect ratios, i.e. a 195-70 tire (70% as high in cross section as it is wide) will result in taller gearing than a 195-50 (%) tire on the same wheel. 123s of your vintage were fitted with steel wheels or FORGED alloy wheels, both of which minimize unsprung weight, a desirable condition. Most aftermarket alloys and even later MB alloys were a LOT heavier than either of the above because they were CAST, not FORGED. Roy Sharp 1980 300SD 167k mi. 1984 300 D turbo 196k mi. Miata Tire Size Calculator ========================== Use the calculator to see what happens to your speedometer reading when you change the size of your tires and wheels. The graphic shows your stock tire selection in an outline overlayed on your new tire selection. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This calculator gives various tire measurements from standard tire size specifications. It will give several dimensions for the tires listed in both fields below. The output will also show the tire specs given in the "Tires to compare" field as a percentage difference from the tire spec in the "Stock size" field. If this description sounds confusing, then just ignore it and try the calculator. You'll get the idea quick enough! [FORM NOT SHOWN] Back to the Garage Page Copyright © 1997, Eunos Communications ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 19:17:34 -0600 From: "Vernon Tuck" Subject: Re: anti-sieze? Hi, I just have to pitch in here. I used anti-seize on the injectors on a volksie diesel. Sometime later I removed the injectors because they were all leaking. I discovered that the bottoms of the holes were really crudded up. This may have had nothing to do with using anti-seize. Nevertheless, I always suspected that it did. YMMV, Vern ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 21:05:04 -0500 From: "Steven B." Subject: RE: Badges on grill Hello All, Awhile back I came across a post seeking information on the High Mileage Grill Badges. I was intrigued, as I too had wondered about it. So I did some checking and for those of you interested (US residents), here is the information. The number to call is (800) for-mercedes which works out to be (800) 367-6372. Ask for the high mileage awards program. They will send you a form to fill in with the requisite information on the vehicle, owner(s), etc. According to the nice young lady I spoke with this program is free. Anyway the first award is given out at 155k miles; the second at 312,500k miles, and a third award for any vehicle at 625k miles. They are mailing me a form so I can get my first award for my '85 300SD w/200k miles. Just thought I would pass this along. Steve - -----Original Message----- From: owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net [mailto:owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net]On Behalf Of Mike Mehringer Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 3:18 PM To: diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Subject: Badges on grill Does anyone know where I can get the "milestone" badges for the front grill of my Benz? You know the ones that says 150,000 miles or 200,000 miles... Mike M. '83 300SD W126 '95 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ ____________________________________________________________________________ _________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 18:06:58 -0800 From: john Subject: RE: Seats any pictures? care to eloborate? :) john At 04:49 PM 11/28/00 -0800, Balea, Michael wrote: >Redoing seats..... > >what i did for the wagoneer... yes i know it is the benz list.... But i have >my eyes on a 240D.... > >i bought some black spring material.... about $60 for a box of 12 rods 6 >feet ea from McMaster Carr. Made a duplicate of the broken one and a few >spares... It took a few trial to match it, bending the wire was tough, even >with the bender i bought for $6 from the same catalog. > >Cheers > >Michel - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 18:12:04 -0800 From: john Subject: gearing & tire sizes At 04:37 PM 11/28/00 -0800, Roy Sharp wrote: >http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html > Mike M. I've got the formula if you'd prefer... I also have a spreadsheet format calculated out for several axle ratios already... tire size vs. rpm and speed =($A17*I$4*PI()*60)/(I$3*12*5280) a17 is engine rpm I4 is tire diameter estimated 30.38 for the 31x10.5's... Pi is pi... :) 3.1416 I3 is the gear ratio... in this case 3.07 http://www.wagoneers.com/JEEPS/tech/GEARING/307gears.html http://www.wagoneers.com/JEEPS/tech/GEARING/ - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 18:13:05 -0800 From: john Subject: Re: anti-sieze? could be that you went overboard with the anti-seize. :) I know I tend to get it all over the place... :) john At 07:17 PM 11/28/00 -0600, Vernon Tuck wrote: >Hi, > >I just have to pitch in here. I used anti-seize on the injectors on a >volksie diesel. Sometime later I removed the injectors because they were >all leaking. I discovered that the bottoms of the holes were really crudded >up. > >This may have had nothing to do with using anti-seize. Nevertheless, I >always suspected that it did. > >YMMV, > >Vern - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 18:24:00 -0800 From: john Subject: RE: Badges on grill At 09:05 PM 11/28/00 -0500, Steven B. wrote: >The number to call is (800) for-mercedes which works out to be (800) >367-6372. Ask for the high mileage awards program. They will send you a thanx! I've been waiting for this info. :) my 83 300Sd is at 205k. :) Unless it sells on yahoo, it looks like I'm going to keep it. john - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 20:13:23 -0800 From: john Subject: a nibble... a local is nibbling at my '83 300SD... heading out to install the glow plugs... He seems serious and we're talking at a fair price, $5,500. That way I'm only going to loose 400 bucks... ;) it's cold out there... gonna work fast. :) john - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 22:29:24 -0800 From: john Subject: it started!!! Amazing. I replaced the back two glow plugs, my back was bothering me and it started to rain... so I buttoned it up, put my tools away... ...and tried it... and it worked. The light came on and it started! :) yee haw. later, john - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 14:21:01 From: "Mike Mehringer" Subject: Headlights and Rims Question for you, Steven: Your '85 300SD... which rims and headlights did your '85 come with? Does it have the newer alloy rims (the 15" found on the 300E [W124] or the 190E [W201]) or the older rims? Also, the headlights: are they the older American style (the ugly sealed beams) or the newer ones with the wipers on the lights (like the ones on the 560SEL [W126])? I'm just curious what year Mercedes switched them over on the W126. Mike M. '83 300SD W126 '95 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ >From: "Steven B." >To: "Mike Mehringer" , > >Subject: RE: Badges on grill >Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 21:05:04 -0500 > >Hello All, > >Awhile back I came across a post seeking information on the High Mileage >Grill Badges. I was intrigued, as I too had wondered about it. So I did >some checking and for those of you interested (US residents), here is the >information. > >The number to call is (800) for-mercedes which works out to be (800) >367-6372. Ask for the high mileage awards program. They will send you a >form to fill in with the requisite information on the vehicle, owner(s), >etc. According to the nice young lady I spoke with this program is free. >Anyway the first award is given out at 155k miles; the second at 312,500k >miles, and a third award for any vehicle at 625k miles. They are mailing >me >a form so I can get my first award for my '85 300SD w/200k miles. > >Just thought I would pass this along. > >Steve > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net [mailto:owner-diesel-benz-at-digest.net]On >Behalf Of Mike Mehringer >Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 3:18 PM >To: diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net >Subject: Badges on grill > > Does anyone know where I can get the "milestone" badges for the front >grill of my Benz? You know the ones that says 150,000 miles or 200,000 >miles... > >Mike M. >'83 300SD W126 >'95 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ > >____________________________________________________________________________ >_________ >Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : >http://explorer.msn.com _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 10:16:12 -0800 From: john Subject: RE: Seats thanx... I'm hoping that my 300SD will sell tonight and I won't have to do this. :) Actually, in talking with the guy that's going to look, he noted that the seats in the 300SD are naturally more springy than others... makes sense, the folks that owned this thing before me were small framed people... the seats don't sag... they're just springy... :) john At 08:45 AM 11/29/00 -0800, Balea, Michael wrote: >>>>any pictures? care to eloborate? :) no pictures to be found.... Pull seat/ bench out, remove hog nails that clamp the fabric to the seat frame, taking pictures or video helps for the reinstall. i just replicated the serpentine design, but the hardest part is the spring / coil that attaches to the rear part of the horizontal section. It is short and hooks directly to the frame. I used a large size drill about 3/4 or 1/2 inches that is smaller than the inside diameter of the one you are replacing. When you wound (sp) the spring around it, i was not able to match the diameter -tough material- i used the smallest (1/2, but smaller to fit the spring would be ideal) galvanized pipe as handles (2) and rotated them around the drill bit placed in a wise. Of course those 6 feet length are a blast to play with, and the drill loosened from the wise a few times. I did a few trials and became better, so i did a few spares. I think the newer designs use stand alone springs of 2 to 3 inches. You need to measure the gauge of the spring, i do not have the files with me at the moment Now a year and 15,000 miles latter there is a bit of sagging, the size of my rear end in the crease of the seat, where the spring attaches to the back of the bench. But this is for the wagoneer where the seating spring does the butt part as well as the the below the knee part toward the floor This is the part that gets replaced, """" being the small coil you sit here ----------"""" \ \ \ Hope it helps Michel - ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... jesus, don't leave life without him, please! - ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 22:53:29 -0500 From: "Steve Morelen" Subject: Re: it started!!! Hello John- I've been reading about your glow plug issues. I've owned W123 diesels ('81 240D, '84 300D) since 1983 and have replaced a few (maybe 5 total) glow plugs over that time. I have always used Mercedes replacement parts. My experience is that the glow plugs are relatively robust and don't have to be replaced as a full set. I have never had problems diagnosing which plug needs to be replaced. I make resistance measurements with an ohmmeter connected between engine ground and the various glow plug wires at the connector that attaches to the glow control module mounted on the fender wall. The faulty plug has always shown a noticeably different resistance compared to the good plugs. I have never encountered any hint of siezing when changing plugs...even on those that were in the engine for as much as 15 years. I don't think that the threaded part of the plug gets very hot...it is in the cylinder head (if memory serves me) and that part of the head shouldn't be very much hotter than the engine coolant temperature which is about 85-90 C. Regards- Steve Morelen >From: john >To: diesel-benz-at-digest.net >Subject: it started!!! >Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 22:29:24 -0800 > >Amazing. I replaced the back two glow plugs, my back was bothering >me and it started to rain... so I buttoned it up, put my tools away... > >...and tried it... > >and it worked. The light came on and it started! :) yee haw. > >later, >john >------------------------------------------------------ > http://www.WAGONEERS.com/ > Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... > jesus, don't leave life without him, please! >------------------------------------------------------- _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #443 *********************************