From owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Fri Dec 19 10:28:58 2003 From: diesel-benz-digest diesel-benz-digest Friday, December 19 2003 Volume 01 : Number 1319 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles Derick Amburgey Digest Coordinator Contents: Re: [db] Rebuild or replace? Re: [db] Rebuild or replace? [db] Dodged that bullet...thanks! Re: [db] Dodged that bullet...thanks! [db] Brake line fitting question Re: [db] Dodged that bullet...thanks! 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: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 09:54:00 -0500 From: Robert Chase Subject: Re: [db] Rebuild or replace? Hey, Check around on that price. Rusty's prices are good most of the time but sometimes I am able to locate a cheaper price. I would try calling your local dealerships and see what their prices are as well as a comparision. Its kind of shocking actually that Volvo parts would be cheaper than Mercedes parts. In my experience Volvo parts can be some of the most expensive parts only out priced by exotic car parts. Robert Chase J.B. Hebert wrote: > So, it appears that my passenger front caliper has a slow leak. No > biggie, I think... I just replaced the ATE caliper on my Volvo with a > rebuilt caliper for $30 plus core. How much more could it be for an > ATE caliper for a Mercedes? Well, a qucik search on Rusty's site > indicates about 3 times more... $91.33, to be exact. Now, the last 3 > calipers I have replaced have been due to seized pistons, so the > rebuilt unit was the logical choice. However, this caliper seems to > be fine except for the leak, so I find myself contemplating the $13 > rebuild kit instead. My question to the list is this: are Mercedes > calipers any harder to rebuild than any other make? Any > recommendations/warnings/gotchas I should worry about? Any thoughts > would be appreciated on this. For less than half the price of one > rebuilt unit, I could rebuild both my fronts "just to be safe" and > that sounds good to me. If there's a reason why this would be a bad > idea, please let me know. > > Regards, > > J.B. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 10:14:30 -0500 From: Paul Brown Subject: Re: [db] Rebuild or replace? Go ahead and order the kit. I didn't notice anything unusual about rebuilding my calipers. It was instructive to view all of the gunk behind the pistons. Makes me want to change the hydraulic fluid occasionally. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 18:05:51 -0500 From: Mike Frank Subject: [db] Dodged that bullet...thanks! I replaced my lock cylinder today. In and out in a few minutes, thank goodness. As soon as it was out, I played with it a bit, and after one or two turns, it locked up solid! If I hadn't replaced it, I'd be looking at a weekend under the dashboard. So thanks to all for the advice. After all was said and done, I couldn't resist taking apart the cylinder to see what the problem was. It's a simple case of wear and tear. The good news is, these things are easily fixed, as long as you have them out of the car.They wear very gradually, until one of the tumblers catches the cylinder, then it's too late. But if you take them out every 100K or so, you can dress them down and keep going indefinitely. Here's how: The cylinder is held together with a single roll pin. This goes through the silver disk which is just under the head of the key, and into the core of the lock. It can't be driven out, but can easily be drilled with a 1/16" drill (you'll have to scrounge up a new 1/16" pin to replace it). Be sure to keep your drill straight (or use a drill press), so that the hole isn't distorted. With the pin removed, the disk should pry off easily. Once the disk is removed, the core is simply pushed out through the back of the cylinder. Two words of wisdom: the springs and tumblers aren't held in place (although there's probably enough grease and friction to hold them down), so you have to be careful not to lose them. In the unlikely event they fall out, it will be necessary to fit them back in their original positions, or your key won't work. It's a good idea to get a big plastic bucket, and do the work in there, so that anything that drops or flies is under control. There's a steel thingamagig that helps align the lock when it's installed, it will just fall out when the core is removed. Note it's position for reassembly Now that the core is exposed, insert the key. This may take some fiddling, because each tumbler passes through both the top and bottom of the core, and must be worried into position. With the key fully inserted, the tumblers must be perfectly flush with the surface of the core, worn tumblers will be high. If any tumbler is proud of the core, it can catch the cylinder and, well, you know. To compensate for wear, take the cylinder, with the key fully inserted, and grind or file all the tumblers flush. Reassemble, and you are good to go for another 100K. I guess I could post some photos if there's interest. Mike Frank ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 20:21:57 -0600 From: "Vernon Tuck" Subject: Re: [db] Dodged that bullet...thanks! I read somewhere that every single part on the 123 cars was designed to be rebuildable. I've seen nothing yet to make me believe otherwise... except perhaps the funky plastic radiator! ;o( VT ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 09:32:46 -0500 From: "J.B. Hebert" Subject: [db] Brake line fitting question I figured while I had my front calipers off for a rebuild, I'd replace the rubber lines with some braided stainless lines. Does anyone know the thread size and pitch for both ends of the front rubber lines? Thank you in advance. J.B. Hebert ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 07:45:57 -0800 (PST) From: Jerome Kaidor Subject: Re: [db] Dodged that bullet...thanks! Mike Frank wrote: > > The cylinder is held together with a single roll pin. This goes through the > silver disk which is just under the head of the key, and into the core of > the lock. It can't be driven out, but can easily be drilled with a 1/16" > drill (you'll have to scrounge up a new 1/16" pin to replace it). Be sure > to keep your drill straight (or use a drill press), so that the hole isn't > distorted. With the pin removed, the disk should pry off easily. > > Once the disk is removed, the core is simply pushed out through the back of > the cylinder. Two words of wisdom: the springs and tumblers aren't held in > place (although there's probably enough grease and friction to hold them > down), so you have to be careful not to lose them. *** This sounds very much like an ordinary house lock. Locksmiths use a really simple tool called a "follower" to keep everything in there. A follower is simply a rod of the same diameter as the internal lock cylinder ( the part that turns ). Instead of just pulling the thing apart, you push the internal cylinder out with the follower. The follower replaces the cylinder in the bore, and so the top springs and pins don't fall out. In the unlikely event > they fall out, it will be necessary to fit them back in their original > positions, or your key won't work. *** You can rekey the cylinder by shuffling the pins. Then you would have to hand cut a new key. Basically, you stick the blank in the cylinder - then the pins all protrude, because it's a blank. You file down each appropriate spot in the key until the pins are flush. I've gotten into doing my own locksmithing for my apartment buildings. I have a complete set of Schlage lock pins, and a key machine. It's a fascinating endeavour. Never read any books, just took'em apart to see how they worked. - Jerry Kaidor ( jerry-at-tr2.com ) ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #1319 **********************************