Saved an 84 SD from crusher for my daughter! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vstech · #1 06-17-2016, 11:13 AM

It is a nice example silver paint with blue mb-tex interior of course the dash is cracked and the wood is delaminated but she is stoked to get the car

tyl604 · #2 06-17-2016, 11:53 AM

Pics?

vstech · #3 06-17-2016, 12:54 PM

It was dark last night when we picked up the car. Pics today... after the tree sap is washed off it!

vstech · #4 06-17-2016, 01:55 PM

a little history on this...

my brother was installing an a/c system at the house next door to this car.

there was a city tow away tag on the window, and a for sale sign... so he called me to see if I wanted to investigate the car.

I called the owner, and they said the car was getting towed on the 18th... the car was purchased new by his father, and serviced ALWAYS at the intervals, and kept in great shape. he wanted 1000 for the car, with no rust, parked since mid 2014 two very low tires, "but all are new Michelin tires... I figure they are shot from sitting over 2 years.

I said if nobody buys it, give me a call before the crusher comes, and I'd give him $500 sight unseen.

he called me tuesday and said come get it.

I went out, opened the hood, the prefilter was full and clean. I installed a battery I brought with me, and turned the key... GP light did not come on, but I let it sit 30 seconds, and tried it.

instant start. no smoke.

sitting over 2 years never moved, instant start. put it in gear, drove it onto the trailer, and happily paid for the car.

my daughter put her hand out for the key, and the title and claimed... "mine"...

we went to the gas station, filled it up... it took 1.9 gallons... so it's been parked full the entire time thank goodness!

we stopped at wallyworld, and got two gallons of rotella T6, and a head strap flashlight and rubber gloves, for the car. and she's stoked to start cleaning up the car.

Maxbumpo · #5 06-17-2016, 04:28 PM

Congrats! How many miles on the car?

Hit Man X · #6 06-17-2016, 05:10 PM

HA, sounds like the 300SEL I own still. PO somehow inherited it from the inlaws and came with a fair amount of records, some at the dealer.

This had a seized AC compressor... so after I paid for it, I cut the old belt off, tossed in battery, turned the key to prime the CIS, car started right up. Drove onto my trailer with a red faced owner like this

Tossed on a JY compressor and was driving it around within a day.

Nice score on the SD! Astral Silver is great when nice... unlike my SD.

vstech · #7 06-17-2016, 11:10 PM

300K

And the trip odo is all zeros... even after driving onto trailer...

So... 500k? Who knows?

Junkman · #8 06-18-2016, 09:28 AM

pics??????????

BillGrissom · #9 06-18-2016, 07:20 PM

Good deal. Many people are utterly helpless, with even less motivation when something falls into their hands via inheritance. My boss gave up on his 300SD years ago after the turbo oil drain tube cracked and a shop convinced him that repair was hopeless. I should have taken it off his hands for $200. I am sure many cars have been trashed due to a trivial leaking heater hose after a shop convinced them of "bad head gasket".

vstech · #10 06-18-2016, 11:53 PM

Today she spent all day scrubbing on it, and got a fairly good layer smoothed off. I had to show her how to do a really good job.

The car has definitely been resprayed... Poorly. The tape lines are huge. Looks like they buffed and sprayed. Thin too.
Wax might help it once it's clean.

We got it unloaded and changed the oil, topped off the coolant with water, and green coolant showed its ugly head, so I'll next teach her how to pull the drain plug from the block.

Checked the ac, and it was 134 converted, and flat. Topped it up, and the ac blew cool air, but the compressor was clunking... I'll have to teach her how to flush and leak check...

Odometer does not work. Big surprise. The tach does, and all windows, and the ambient temp display too! The sunroof was immobile...

All the injector return lines were shot, so I showed her how to change them.

We took it to wallyworld, and the tires were a bit clunky... Too bad, a full set of michelins ruined from a two year park...

Pics soon.

Mike D · #11 06-19-2016, 12:28 AM

"my daughter put her hand out for the key, and the title and claimed... "mine"... "

Some things never change.

vstech · #12 06-19-2016, 05:04 PM

Pics...

Android browser SUCKS!!!

Only one pic at a time...

panZZer · #13 06-19-2016, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

It is a nice example silver paint with blue mb-tex interior of course the dash is cracked and the wood is delaminated but she is stoked to get the car

And see, this is what leads to the municipal hassles

barry12345 · #14 06-19-2016, 06:23 PM

Lots of cheap and almost free cars are turning up locally. People are just fed up with the garage costs of repair locally and are replacing them. Scrap metal locally is down to almost nothing as well. On many of the vehicles there is really not much wrong.

The son in law just gave me a decent dodge caravan. I suspect it is just the oil pressure sender and told him that. He said a mechanic told him all the oil pumps fail on these engines. So he does not want to pay to fix it. Three point three Chrysler built engine in a 2004 low milage Caravan. We will just use it to haul stuff around when needed.

Changing the oil pump is interesting so I dropped by the Chrysler dealer to get an ideal of how many hours are involved and If they would rent me the special tool if needed.

The oil pump is driven off the crankshaft of course. Plus there was an indication a special tool might be requires to re install the sprocket in front of it.

What was a little more than interesting was the Chrysler service guy said the oil pumps are not an issue of these vans to start with and yours has low milage as well.

It makes me wonder if the mechanic that told my son in law it was the oil pump. What exactly he was going to do and what the charge might have been.

Even when the engine is hot it idles very quietly and indicates it still has oil pressure. I could read the oil pressure in pounds but a new sender is less than 10.00. So I will just pop one on.

How much crap is really going on out there today anyways? I almost figure if you have little to no mechanical knowledge you had better be really careful.

I seldom go near garages other than for safety checks and even pick those ones very carefully.

We had two lower control arm bushings bad on a Toyota years ago. During a safety check the mechanic said you need the two lower control arms replaced as there are no bushing available. They are four hundred each and I can change them out for a total of about 1200.00.

He was less than happy that I took the car away without the new safety certificate and him not doing the work. He was just getting into the you must leave the car here. When I told him it was over between us.

The bushings were about 20.00 a side and replacement aftermarket complete arms 50.00 each when I checked.

This guy eventually sold his business and built a mansion just up the road from us. I again suspect this type of crap and dishonesty is even more widespread now than ever.

I am not in the least a paranoid type person. There are still honest and competent shops out there but you have to usually search to locate them. At least in my region of Canada.

Hit Man X · #15 06-19-2016, 07:09 PM

Awesome save!