Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => Drive train, fuel, suspension, steering & brakes => Topic started by: Angrist on February 02, 2010, 05:15:50
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As a Father's Day present for my dad, I am planning to pull a 250SL out of storage, where it has been sitting for about 15 years, and get it running again. Unfortunately, it was not properly prepared for long-term storage, so I've got my work cut out for me in getting it back in running shape. As the car's been in the family since rolling off the boat in March of '67, I know its history pretty well - the reason it was parked was that the fuel injector pump hadn't been rebuilt properly the last time the car had work done, and was murdering the fuel economy.
As I see it, I am going to need to replace or clean and rebuild every component of the fuel system, all the way from the tank to the injectors. Every fluid in the car will need to be purged. All seals and gaskets should be replaced. The motor itself was in fine condition before being put up, so I don't think I'll need to do too much to it aside from un-freezing it and getting all the carbon off. I'm not sure about what the automatic transmission needs, as it was working fine when the car was parked, but now the shifting lever is insanely loose, as though it is no longer attached, and is practically floating through the gears.
My questions for everyone are: 1) What am I forgetting about? I know there's got to be other stuff that I'm not thinking of. 2) Where should I start? In what order should I attack this project? 3) What, as a rough estimate, is this going to cost me, assuming I do all the labor myself, and there are no hidden surprises? The body and interior are in good shape, so I don't have to worry about them, save dealing with 15 years of dust.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and I'll try to answer as best as I can.
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Hi Angrist,
Welcome. Not a lot of time you have, before fathers day! Start by using the search function on the Forum and by reading the Technical Manual. You'll find lots of really great information on this topic.
Secondly, if the shift lever feels loose, your shifter bushings (which are plastic) have probably disintegrated. Again search the forum for a ridiculously cheap fix...
Peter
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Is it 'frozen up'? Un-freezing? How? Getting the pistons and rings free is a challenge--- Particularly the rings totally free and clear. ..
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Hi Angrist,
I had the same exact situation with my pagoda, except mine was in a pole barn for 15 years. I would first, like you said, go through the fuel system installing new hoses if necessary. If you need to clean the fuel tank, I highly suggest using the relining kit from Por15. You might also want to check your fuel level sender, because they can freeze up with solidified fuel. You shouldn’t have to mess with the transmission except to change the transmission fluid (I believe these take Dexron type VI) and go ahead and change the transmission filter. If the shifter feels very loose, the bushings on the linkage probably came off (that’s what happened to me) and are a little bit of a pain to get back on. Some other areas to check out is to completely clean the whole cooling system because antifreeze after long periods will freeze up. That’s the only major areas I can think of other than give all your electricals a look over just in case something was eating on the wires, but you probably should be good if it was kept inside a storage facility. The best advice I can probably give is have a lot of patience. Cost wise, I’ve only spent around 400 to 500 total to get mine to running condition, but mine was in worse condition since it was outside. One last note, check your tires to make sure they are not dry rotted, replace all your filters and fluids, and good luck getting it running.
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Thanks, all. I suspected that it was the bushings, but I wasn't sure. As for the motor freezing up, I had planned to merely use some penetrating oil to free everything up. I'm only guessing that it's frozen, as I've rebuilt a few old Ford flathead engines that would invariably be frozen up after a couple of years of sitting, but maybe the Mercedes engines are different in this regard. I'll report in from time to time on how the work is going, as soon as I get the car out of storage and down here to Florida (the car's currently being stored approx. 900 miles away in Kentucky).
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One small detail..
don't forget to check the wheel bearings and repack them with new grease. Believe it or not, I had a 63' 230SL in storage in Texas...also a very humid environment. When I moved to Colorado I was going to tow it there on a wheel dolly (Okay, it was a budget decision at the time, guys, and now I do know better now not to do that again). Removed the driveshaft, and off we went....Until cars started to pass me pointing furiously at my vehicle in tow. When I stopped the heat had developed to the point that the bearings where both smoking heavily, and on of them was starting to smolder.......
Its easy enough to do, and may avoid a major pain in the pocket.
Bernd
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Hello,
The brake system will also suffer during long periods of inactivity. What may seem to be a stuck brake caliper usually turns out to be clogged rubber brake hoses. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. After getting it running you will most likely need to change all four of the rubber brake hoses and flush the old brake fluid out of the system.
The long intakes on these engines with a venturi valve at the entrance will keep some moisture out of the engine unless storage is really damp. Hopefully your engine is not stuck. Most likely the injection pump is stuck from evaporated fuel varnish or rust. Check to make sure that the rack on the pump moves freely. Search this up, there is much info here for this or get back with us.
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JA is absolutely right on with the brakes. My car was in storage for 12 years and the brakes were redone just before the storage. I ended up rebuilding the whole system again. New flex lines is a must and the steel lines are most likely corroded to the point of needing replacement. Good luck
Jesse