What happened to all the W116 - '73-'80 450 SEL's?

[jbrasile]

barndoor,
Directly from the owners manual:
Oil capacity with filter change: 8.0 liters or 8.4 US quarts
Oil capacity without filter change: 7.5 liters or 7.9 US quarts
Good luck,
jbrasile
1980 450SEL
1987 Jaguar XJ6

[mikemover]

Congrats, man! When you said the oil pan was beat up, I had a feeling that would be the problem. I'm glad it was that simple!

Now clean it up real nice and post some pictures for us!

Mike

[jbrasile]

Congratulations barndoor,
It is great to hear of another 116 back in action. Also very rare to see a column shift car!!!
By the way all 450's have a double timing chain, I never understood why MBZ chose to use a single row on the 380SE U.S. version since the Euro has had a double chain since the beginning.
Regards,
jbrasile
1980 450SEL
1987 Jaguar XJ6

[barndoor]

I didn't realize the euro 380's used the double row timing chain.
my 380 is a late 85,so it came original with the double chain.
on the column shift,
I went and looked at another 116 a couple months ago in this town,
it was column shift also !
I thought that was strange,I have the feeling that was an option that cost extra.I am also wondering if the no-sunroof was a "sunroof delete" option on this US car ?
although it seems as though alot of the early 450 se and sel's didn't have sunroofs???
anyone know?
any early US 116 's with sunroofs? '73-'74'-'75
out there ?

[barndoor]

today,before I started working on the oil pressure problem,I rolled down all the windows,(by pushing the buttons .)
the right rear door window doesn't go down all the way.
then,When I opened the right rear door all the way the window shattered !
I think it hit the door check rod??
anyway
I NEED a 116 SEL right rear door glass.
anybody have a parts car out there?

[suginami]

Fwiw, I believe only the 81-82's had the single row timing chain. The 83-85's had the double row. I don't know exactly when the change occurred, but it was somewhere in the 82-83 model run.

[barndoor]

the change occured in '85
but I think some early '85's still had the single.

[suginami]

You may be right. My mechanic told me that information, but I'm not really an expert on the 126's, so I'll defer to you.

[Leewolf]

I was looking for an engine for my 450 SLC. My brother found one in a Mercedes salvage yard in Phoenix AZ. What I didnt know at the time was this engine came out of a 450 SEL. One of four the salvage yard had. I took the 79 engine with 113,000 miles.
This engine it turns out is 1" taller and 2" wider than the 450 SL engine. It went in with only 1 problem, the exhaust maninfold on the passenger side touches the frame, I had to change the oil pan to a 450 SL pan and switch the exhaust manifolds from my 450SL engine. Otherwise runs great except I have the same very hard start "hot start" problem I had with the other engine.
I really started this to say there were 4 of the SELs you were wondering about.
Incidently I'm getting about 16-17 MPG with this engine, the same as I got with the 450 SL engine and my 79 SLC weighs 4600 lbs and I drive it like the roadster it is.

[Carlo(s)]

Great to see other 116 owners. For those that would like to ring a bit more power from the 4.5 engine, I have a set of euro cams I Imported from Germany; reputed to add 30-40HP with some exhaust mods.

Just saw this thread. Wow, what a massive debate.

IMO, the W116 is the best MB ever made. I've owned and driven many Mercedes cars from various eras. And I realised that the W116 is the one for me.

Nowadays I own two: a 1973 280SE that is my daily driver. And a 1977 450SEL6.9 that comes out on sunny days. Both are a joy to drive. Challenging but not overly frustrating to fix (not that there's much to fix). They turn heads. Look stylish, have the perfect amount of chrome. I love the double bumpers, the wide, low look. The chuckability, the motorway performance and the throttle response.

Need I say more?
Adam

[A. Rosich]

The W116 was, is and would be remembered as one of the greatest cars of all time manufactured by Mercedes-Benz.

We all have to remember that the W116 was sold as a vast range in its life cycle: 280S, 280SE, 280SEL, 350SE, 350SEL, 450SE, 450SEL and the venerable 450SEL 6.9.

The most popular models (sales leaders worlwide) were the 280S (carburated) and the 280SE (fuel injected) for its accessible pricing.

The cars, especially being M-Bs from the seventies were very scarcely equipped. Almost everything was an "option", except for a few amenities that were standard on the 450SEL and 6.9 (and those great options were power windows, central lock and rear headrests (standard on most cars today). The sunroof was a no-cost option in the U. S. maket that the owner had to specify its desire to have it before ordering the car.

The colunm shift lever was standard in most markets and the floor shift was an extra-cost option. The 280S/SE/SEL had a four-speed manual tranny as standard. You could order a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed as an option.

In the early to mid 80's, at the peak of the grey import market in the States, many 280s and 350s found their way in (besides the 450 and 6.9).

The car below is a very "well-optioned" Euro-spec 350SEL:

A. Rosich
S320, 1998
E320T, 1995

[A. Rosich]

Attached below is a partial list of official M-B options for the W116 line:

1- Rear headrests and rear 3-poiints seatbelts.
Notice the standard cloth covered seats.
2- Self-Levelling system for rear axle.
3- Central door locks.
4- Alloy wheels.
5- Underseat installed fire ext.
6- Heated seats.
7- Floor mounted 4-speed auto shift trans. and heated seats controls.
8- Orthopaedic seats.
9- Color palette (20 colors available in 1979 in Germany).

A. Rosich
S320, 1998
E320'T, 1995

[snackus]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1841849792

[Holson Adi]

Originally posted by snackus
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1841849792

Wow! That is nice... I might consider it if it was closer..