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Jul 26, 2012 17:56:36 GMT
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With a happy little car, and a new operation so I'm not able to drive much at the moment...
Getting the tool and seals so I can do the windscreen seal. In the meantime, investigating with the code reader.
The MAF readout on the code reader has little spikes in it at idle, warmed up. This should be totally rock solid. Each of those spikes combines with a change in engine note - so what I am trying to work out is if the MAF variations are the result of the idle, or if the variations in data from the MAF are causing the changes in idle.
Either way I'm ditching the cheap copy MAF for a proper Bosch one.
Of course, the sad thing of modern cars is that the MAF is £180. The Camshaft sensor (not magnet) which is also out of spec (and has a '98 date code, so hell, it's managed 14 years!) is £130. Over £300 on two plug in components just to get it to run as designed. Maybe I'll wait and see how it does around MOT time.
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Last Edit: May 22, 2013 11:00:56 GMT by Deleted
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Jul 31, 2012 18:08:59 GMT
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One of the pleasures of having a car like the SLK is being able to order bits online, finding they cost surprisingly little, and being able to get it really quite tidy.
I'm fighting the urge to undo the repairs on the alarm made in the mid 2000s to get around a no-longer-available sounder - but the cosmetics are coming up for attention. The rubber fillers on the bumper - the bits that were bulged - I have finally tracked down. They were a fiver each.
So £15 and the few perished/shrunk/damaged rubber seals on the SLK will be new!
Can't operate the boot lock with the key, so that's the next mystery to solve.
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What a fantastic tip find!
The guys at our local tip wouldn't let you take anything, seriously weird / scary bunch who i swear live there, full time!
Am very jealous of the Atari !
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I had to use a little effort to get them released, they were stuck in a limbo between "being recycled" and "being auctioned" due to the low value, combined with the regulations that absolutely prevent the tip staff taking anything offsite. They were very helpful, if a little baffled as to why I'd make the effort to track down the right people. Pretty impressive stuff they do down here, electronics get fixed and auctioned locally, but yeah, if you spot something about to be recycled you have a fight on your hands! The Amiga turned out to have a 120Mb HD in it too. The Atari was what I wanted, the others came along for the ride - the 400 joins an STFM with 2.5MB, 800XL and XE Video Games System
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Annoying: Time to fix. Wrench wipers? No. Do it right. Manky in there. (Pics of cleaning stuff out are boring). Also ARGH RUST. Got brave. Going to fix it right later, when I replace the scuttle trim. Fixed.
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Last Edit: Aug 3, 2012 22:16:29 GMT by Deleted
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And now the back and the gross thing that popped... These are seals between the body and the rear bumper. Dead simple when you take one out and look at it - confused me though, until I prodded one of the bulges and it popped. Took ages to find the part in the catalogue, but it was only a fiver, so seemed daft to do anything other than buy brand new ones. The metal inside the part had rusted... Tempting to squeeze... but... what might be inside... Entrust a screwdriver... There are no words. This is gross and was IN PART OF MY CAR. I know it's 14 years old, I didn't expect it to get erupting spots. Cleaned up the panel for fitting. No problems here! And done!
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Last Edit: Aug 3, 2012 22:25:23 GMT by Deleted
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Poor thing ended up in the rain, but more importantly, getting a couple of hundred miles since the cam magnet etc.
Code P0341 remains - so ignoring the third-party MAF for now, a new camshaft sensor is going on next. Wiring all checks out, after all. And then I need to finish cleaning under those wheelarches and maybe a preventative extra load of waxoil.
Still debating suspension. Really tempted by the AMG sport springs, but think I'd want to replace the dampers at the same time.
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Well, that's interesting! In the end, I broke my own obsession with genuine parts and tried a third-party OEM camshaft sensor. Febi Bilstein, £39 inc. VAT & post from eBay. I've taken a couple of pics of it, as it came in a FEBI box, but the part number on the sensor looked to have been 'ground' off - where the numbers would be it's just textured. I took the old one off, and the mouldings etc. are a precise match. Looked a bit closer at my old one and it's a Febi unit with a Mercedes star as well as the Febi logo. So either someone's making astoundingly accurate knockoffs, or Febi grind off the MB logo and part number when selling them as OEM. Upshot is - every thing I have done has gradually improved the car. The cam magnet definitely improved matters. But I wasn't sure if I was losing boost when the car was warmed up - it definitely span the supercharger when testing, but it seemed sluggish still. Cam sensor changed. WOW. Now it's going like it should. And sounds better overall - the idle sounds smoother, the general engine note is nicer. I'll give it a couple of runs, but I think my last 'success' with codes was because I hadn't warmed it up enough, or maybe hadn't used enough throttle. A very different car to drive now!
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Last Edit: Aug 20, 2012 10:23:56 GMT by Deleted
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Aug 20, 2012 17:14:42 GMT
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Yes! Glad to hear to that fingers crossed you've cracked the problem! Just in time for the sunshine as well... get out there and enjoy it! It's an odd noise when you hear it in anger, i don't remember ever hearing another engine like it. Do you think you'll end up keeping it for abit now then? Interesting to read about the parts being filed down, especially as obvious as that! I've got some LED rear clusters coming for mine this week hopefully. I'm trying to spend as little as possible for as much visual impact as possible to make myself fall in love with it.... I'm still waking up in cold sweats about the R129 though
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97' silver Mercedes 230 Slk.... charged 94' bronze Hiace custom ... daily drinker 92' white Eunos roadster....... sold 91' grey Mercedes 500 SL .... sexyful 82' white Mercedes 200......... needs lows
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Aug 21, 2012 11:59:04 GMT
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Yep, it's been out most afternoons when the sun is out. Extensive test driving has revealed that the boost is behaving correctly and short of a thorough service with new plugs, it's probably as good as it should be. Look forward to seeing the LED lights, I've seen a couple on Benzworld with them, but they're never that clear about how high the quality is. I'm still after a 500 SL at some point, but far too many things to worry about. Plenty of time yet
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Great thread... just bought a '99 SLK. Any chance of the details of that ECU blower motor please?
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fieldy
Part of things
Posts: 474
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Looking good Rich.
I found the sport button is the difference between these being good and underated.
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Well, it looks like my time with the SLK is nearing the end. Being self employed and injured is hard enough without clients failing to pay for 4 months, and I've already sold my Chrysler to continue eating it's either this or my Leica, and I doubt I'll be able to afford another Leica in the future whereas I could probably buy another SLK easily enough. If it goes I'll keep a grand or so back for a replacement car of some sort, probably an MX5, but gutted because this has been - including the niggles, really - a lovely car, easy to fix, lovely to head out in and be seen in. Still mulling it over. Not helped by the discovery that a week of feeling like utter death is due to getting an infection in the wound from the last operation AND a screw from the plates coming out of my ankle. Like a little metal Alien monster. The motor for the ECU fan is: cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360479403746#ht_500wt_1264It's only applicable to the earlier cars. I think it might also apply to CLKs (I looked at a CLK this weekend for my friend, and it clearly had a fan blower in the ECU but I didn't verify the type; the CLK was such a dog - they probably all are at the late '90s budget end of the market - that I didn't pursue further inspection!).
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Aug 29, 2012 21:25:23 GMT
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Thanks for the link – having read your thread I took a look in the ECU box and saw the fan blades sitting there idle. A quick prod with my finger and they reluctantly started spinning. I took the motor out and cleaned it, which worked, but you could see the brushes were down to nothing... 70,000 miles is at least 2000 hours for that little motor!Have ordered one now, thanks!
Hope things start to improve for you soon...
All the best.
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Aug 31, 2012 14:55:01 GMT
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Glad it was helpful I no longer have the SLK... pressure kicked in - but I have to admit that the upset is really quite lightened by the presence of a very, very ratty MX5 in my garage.
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Guess who is back! Alex's drive involves less commuting now (the SLK racked up 3,000 miles in under 2 months) and he's asked me to sell it for him. I think I'm going to buy it back, he had the transmission fluid and the pin bushing gasket done, and we changed the oil & filters - it's running beautifully. MOT next week, then I can make my mind up.
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Nov 27, 2012 12:04:07 GMT
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MOT passed, tester was amazed by the condition of the car underneath and above (well, I do try). Some evidence of oil contamination on the gearbox plug, but all clean and tidy otherwise I reckon if I wash the underside it'll come up yellow like the rest of the car!
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Van
Part of things
Posts: 65
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Nov 27, 2012 22:24:23 GMT
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Buy it back-lovely cars, mine goes to the south of france each year as well as commuting every day.
Van
Nottingham
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Nov 30, 2012 10:16:13 GMT
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I'm intending to - it's such a good car, and aside from the usual rust issues, it's a really good example too I think. Did a little bit for the rust today... Okay, it's only a bolt-on bit and not the little bit I spotted when I had the indicators out, but it's been bugging me since I first got the car.
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Dec 29, 2012 22:29:29 GMT
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Getting out and about occasionally...
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