230SL

[Surfer_1976]

Hi All,

So after 10 years I bought my first Pagoda 230SL. I imported her from the East Coast US to the UK and she is now in Cornwall. All in good order but after filling the tank she smokes a bit and is sluggish to drive although I’m not 100% what driving should feel like? A few backfires too.
Ultimately I would like to clean her up as there are a few rust spots in the arches and the rubbers etc. Need replacing. Really wanted to use her as a daily driver so any advice of what to do from this point forward would be great fully received.

[Garry]

Hi Richard,


Firstly welcome to the world of Pagoda ownership. A rewarding but at times costly hobby🤪

Two of the first things i did when when i got my first Pagoda and i would recommend to any new Pagoda owner are,

a.    find a good mechanic that had an understanding of these old Mercedes and have him do the Linkage Tour as described and setout in our Tech Manual, or of course do it your self it you wish. That way i got it running at the best it could/would without doing any major mechanical overhauls at that point.

b.    Replaces all the suspension rubbers that were then 40 years old and the difference was like chalk and cheese.

Some of the things you are describing will be rectified b6 doing these two items.

Enjoy the ride

Garry

[kampala]

Welcome.

Would agree with Garry.

Is the smoke Blue or Black? 

These cars do occasionally need a valve adjustment -- and that can make a nice difference.   If smoke is black, the air/fuel linkage tour along with checking the cold-start valve will help a lot.  Also get familiar with the Warm Running Device attached to the fuel injection pump as this can cause rich running and black smoke.

Doing some of the adjustments and timing the car properly should let you know if you have deeper issues or just needing major adjustments.

Nice looking car

[Surfer_1976]

Thanks Guys. Is there something out there that I can follow to start working on her myself? In a garage now which I own and was keen to do what I can myself.

[Jordan]

Welcome to the site Richard, and to Pagoda ownership.  As you are a full member you can start here.  https://www.sl113.org/wiki/TuneupOverview/Start

It provides additional links to the linkage tour, starting aids, and more.  Any questions just come back and ask.  Happy motoring.

[Surfer_1976]

Amazing thanks, some reading for the weekend.

[mnahon]

Richard,

I'll mention that for the first 20 or so years that I owned my Pagoda, I took it to various mechanics along the way, asking them to fix an issue of rough running above 3500 rpm. It wasn't serious, but it bothered me for 20 years.

I eventually worked up the 'courage' to do the linkage tour and was able to get the car running better than all those mechanics. And it wasn't all that hard to boot.  I strongly encourage you to have a go at it it.

Of course, I will also mention that after Dan Caron (Benz Dr) had a go at it, it ran even better. The car is pure pleasure to drive on the open road when it's well tuned. So you can have it done by someone, but make sure you pick someone who knows these cars.

Meyer

[Surfer_1976]

Thanks Meyer