From: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net (diesel-benz-digest) To: diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Subject: diesel-benz-digest V1 #663 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 Monday, October 22 2001 Volume 01 : Number 663 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles Derick Amburgey Digest Coordinator Contents: RE: Engine Block Heater Speaking of alternators... Update 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: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 15:57:17 -0500 From: "Alec Cordova" Subject: RE: Engine Block Heater My 85 300DT had one. I think they were a free dealer-installed accessory. It's an electric heater element that goes into the lower engine block in place of one of the freeze plugs, so it's in the engine coolant. It has a standard electric plug, appropriate for the original country (probably why it was dealer installed), so mine had a normal 3-prong plug strapped up in front of the radiator. If it was gonna get real cold, you would string a regular extension cord over to the car and plug it in. It keeps the motor from getting so cold, so it's MUCH easier to start, and it can heat the passenger compartment sooner. Particularly handy in diesels, which are harder to start in the cold than spark ignition motors, and cold batteries don't produce as much oomph, too. I live in the Austin, Texas, area, and in 8 years, I only used mine once or twice, and probably didn't really need to. Helps delay old battery replacement in the winter. ;-) Regards, Alec Cordova Taylor, Texas 95 C280 89 300CE - -----Original Message----- Thanks for the suggestion. No one out here has ever heard or seen of one before, what is an 'engine block heater'? I'd love to know more. Matt ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 19:00:58 -0500 From: Jim & Barb Hoffman Subject: Speaking of alternators... Update After it was recommended to me that I try loosening the bolts before trying the "treaded thingy" (DUH!) I was able to get the alternator removed. I took it in to my local rebuild shop and they seem to know what they were doing. I even overheard one dude talking to another and asking something about the test fixture for Bosch alternators. So obviously he know it was a Bosch unit. He even bench tested it for me and returned to inform me that it tested out OK on the bench but showed me the problem. Brushes were for all intents and purposes... GONE! There enough to bench out OK but not to work in the car very well. He offered to just put in new brushes but after inspecting the armature I decided to have him go over the whole thing. It'll set me back $92.00 after he's done but I think I'll have better piece of mind. When I get it back I'll put it back in, clean those ground straps and I should even get it done before the weather takes a BIG turn for the worse. High for Thurs. is forecast for 39 degrees! Bbbbrrrrrrrr.... Not the kind of weather I want to be out working on the car in! Later... Jim/ Jim Hoffman Oconomowoc WI '83 240D ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #663 *********************************