Tips

If you have a 1985 or older Mercedes with round or square sealed beam headlights one of the best safety improvements you can make is to install ungraded H4 headlights. You won't believe the difference! You will actually be able to REALLY see where you are going on a dark country road. The beam width increase will also help you see a deer before it jumps out in front of you. The other advantage with these headlights is if it does burn out you only need to replace the internal bulb (H4). This works on all models started in the 1950s with both single round or square (110, 113, 114, 115, 123 and early 126 chassis) and quad headlights (111, 112, 108, 109, 107 and 116 chassis).

We currenly only carry the single round headlights. CLICK HERE.

We are having a fantastic September here in the Pacific Northwest. Can you believe 80 degree temperatures and cloudless skies. Need a little help here. I tried to free Willy but he just keeps coming back. Anyone have any tips on how I can fix this problem.....

Engine oil leaks are common on these models - especially if you have a 6 cylinder 103 gas engine. The head gasket can weep oil on the right front side of the engine. If it is a small leak I suggest you live with it. Often the head gasket can be replaced only to have the leak come back in a couple years. My solution is to use a diaper on the under engine plastic panel as shown. Get one or two thick oil absorbent pads and screw them onto the panel right under the area of the leak. Then plan to change the diaper every oil change. You know how all us guys love changing diapers!

Worn tie rod ends can affect the steering of your car as well as safety. In most models there are six of them located on the ends of the linkage rods that connect your wheel hubs to the steering box. They do not wear out overnight! Most extreme wear is caused by lack of lubrication. On all models after the early 1960's the grease is sealed in the tie rod ball joint by a rubber boot. If this boot cracks the grease will leak out and moisture will leak in.

This is one area on an old Benz that really gets neglected. In fact you may even be asking yourself, "What could possibly need servicing inside the doors?" Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few things that need attention, and if they don't get it, your doors may suffer from broken or bent power window regulators, failed door check straps, sticking door locks, doors not shutting properly, or even bottoms of door rusting out.

Rust can start on the inside of the bottom of Mercedes doors even on "nice" cars that have been garaged and not driven on salted roads. The problem comes from the excess rain water that drains out the bottom holes in the doors. This creates a high moisture environment that can cause real problems. All it takes is a small spot of rust to start and grow over the years. If you don't catch it in time you will find rust out holes in the bottoms of your doors some day. Next time you have the door panel off inspect the inside bottom by the drain holes (make certain those holes are not plugged). If you see any rust at all clean the area and coat with MIRACLE PAINT to stop the rust dead in its tracks.

Many customers have asked where they can find the paint code for their older Mercedes. You will generally need this code when you go to purchase matching paint at any auto paint store. On most models from the early 1970's up through the mid 1990's the code number is located on the vin number plate on top the front core support just forward of the top of the radiator.

There are so many numbers on this plate that it can be difficult to find the one for the paint code. Look for the 3 digit number followed by a letter. In the upper picture (123 chassis you can see it on the bottom left - 932 H. On the lower picture (126 chassis) it is second up from the bottom left - 735 G.

When an old sun visor looses its internal grip and starts to sag it is very hard to repair it short of finding a replacement visor. Here is a tip one of our customers sent us that helps keep his visors up and out of his eyes! Good ole velcro to the rescue... Place a small piece up in the corner and on the visor as shown. There are different types of velcro. I don't recommend the super heavy duty type as it may be too hard to separate when you try to pull the visor down.

Super glue does have its limitations, but there is one thing it really excels at - and that is to keep the ends of non plastic rope or the knots at the end of this rope from loosening or unraveling! It will allow you to cut the tail off close to a knot for a better visual look.

This problem is quite common on pre 1985 Mercedes, especially if they have been left outside in the rain for long periods of time. The rain gets down into the doors creating excessive moisture which, over time, corrodes the door latch and door catch assemblies. The door literally becomes stuck and no amount of pushing the knob or pulling on the handle will open the door.

What??? Who ever heard of that? Maybe you just haven’t realized that there is preventative maintenance to do inside your doors. No need on newer cars, but when a Benz gets older than 20 years, there is a new maintenance game you must play. This is even more true if the car has not been garaged or otherwise protected from the outdoor elements. Preventative maintenance becomes even more important on old cars. By that I mean - “fix it before it breaks.”

One of the top neglected areas I see is inside the door panels. Neglect here can lead to stuck doors, poorly closing and opening doors, slow moving windows, broken window regulators, broken or jammed door check straps, worn out door pulls, and even rust out along the bottom edge of the door.

When doing a cranking compression test on a diesel engine with all the fuel injectors removed, you can easily end up with diesel fuel spraying all over the place. You will have significant cleanup unless you take some precautions to minimize or eliminate fuel flow through the injector lines. Fuel spray can be prevented by turning the fuel off at the injection pump. Connect a hand pump tester to the vacuum fuel shutoff valve and pump up pressure. At the same time use a golf Tee to plug the fuel injector return hose going to the factory main filter. Don't forget one more thing. Unplug the main wiring plug at the glow plug relay to prevent the engine from inadvertently starting. NOW you are ready to do your cranking compression test.

Almost all Mercedes models from 1980 to 1995 have a plastic drain plug at the bottom of the radiator. On some it is very well hidden. If you are new to Benz you may not even know it exists. Any time you are replacing radiator hoses, coolant hoses, water pump or you need to remove the top radiator hose to gain access, you should drain the radiator first. The plug is generally found under the car on the drivers side. The plastic head is colored and has a big X slot in it. Use a large wide flat blade screw driver to remove. I recommend a large drip pan as the coolant will not come out in a steady stream. When reinstalling the plug, be VERY CAREFUL not to over tighten it - it is very easy to break the head off.

Super or CA glue is amazing stuff. I use a lot of it when building my model airplanes, but I also have some (thick or gel type) in my tool box. It does not work well for attaching plastic parts or other trim, but it is great to secure a knot, especially in any type of nylon rope. It will keep the knot from loosening up and coming undone. Here you can see I have shortened up a sagging mat pocket and am securing the know with thick CA.

I discovered this by accident when I was changing a diesel lift pump and had to find something fast to plug a leaking disconnected fuel hose. This actually works better than any bolt and it is always "handy." Getting some fuel on it even gives you the chance to clean it! :-)

I know I am getting older but this is a new one for me. Pulled into a drive through the other night on my way home and heard this loud clinking sound in the engine. It was so loud I had to shut to engine off to place my order. When I got home the noise was gone. Next day noise showed up again but would "come and go." This one was hard to find, but when I noticed some damage on the cooling blades of my alternator fan I knew I was getting close... but what could have dropped into those blades? Upon close inspection I discovered one of the main body screws of the alternator had backed out and the screw head was hitting the fan. The other three screws were loose as well. Note below on was bent!  Pulled them all out and applied thread locker and retightened. Wow, what would have happened if all the screws would have backed out on a long road trip.... Let me know if anyone else has a loose screw!

Fueling your old diesel from a "jerry can" can be frustrating and usually ends up with fuel on the car and on the ground. This is especially true with the old 110 and 115 chassis diesels where most fuel cans don't have a spout long enough the reach the fuel tank inlet. Here is a trick you just have to try. Most wide mount plastic drink bottles like Gator Aid, Vitamin Water, etc have a neck opening just the right size to actually screw into a Mercedes fuel tank neck and STAY in place. This is much better than trying to use a funnel which ends up tipping over and make a big spill! Cut the bottom out of the bottle and screw the top end into the tank filler neck. Here you see me fueling a 1974 240D. This works so well I carry one of these bottles in the trunks of most my diesels.

Transmission fluid leaks are all too common. Many times it is difficult to find the exact source of the leak. Here are some tips I used to isolate the leak source.

1. Dont ever assume that where you see the drip is the actual leak source (air flow under car causes fluid to travel).

2. Always clean the area first with spray cleaner and compressed air if available.

3. Then run or drive the car and immediately recheck the area in question.

4. If the transmission leaks while the car is sitting then most likely the pan gasket, trans cooler line fittings or fill tube 0-ring

5. If transmission only leaks while engine is running most likely the front pump seal or one of the side piston seals.

Why is injection pump timing so important. The older diesel engines will run, though poorly, in almost any position the pump is placed in. Because of that, pump timing is often neglected when troubleshooting poor engine performance. Incorrect pump timing can result in any or all of the following:

Yes, there is a small filter inside the power steering pump on almost all model Mercedes from the early 1960's up through the mid 1990's. This filter and fluid are often neglected and in some cases owners are not even aware a filter exists. Both the filter and the power steering fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles. You can not believe some of the ugly dark fluid I have seen inside many pumps over the years. Keeping this fluid clean and free flowing will reduce the wear on the pump and particularly the steering box. It will also reduce the possibility of leaks due to hardened seals.