Hi all. New member as of today, and today I also picked up my 2nd Benz. I have some experience with my 1971 280S, but today, I bought my first diesel.
The cars rather amazing overall, for a black on black leather car with original paint. One owner. 200K miles. A few little problems that I already see answers and/or parts for.
Here's my concern. The car is amazingly slow from a stop to 10 or 20 MPH. Then it's decent, much like a gas car. I see an unusual "part", seemingly disconnected in the engine compartment. It's like a little frame with heavy coils inside of it. What is that part???
It seems to perform much better once it's warmed. I know NOTHING of it's history aside from a clean VIN check, one owner, 400 miles in the last 2 years and it was probably garaged.
I LOVE the car and want to really "go over" it mechanically. Is there by any chance a "checklist" or something like that for what I should do to make sure that the car is in tip-top shape?
ALSO, I need to replace the ignition key. I see the parts here, but I'm wondering, what's involved work-wise? Is there a step-by-step guide available for that? BTW - Right now, there is a key absolutely stuck in the ignition. It turns, but has no "spring action" at all. To start the car, I need to turn the key all the way clockwise, get out, open the hood and connect a wire from the positive terminal to the smaller of three wires on a block near the battery. Kind of like "hot wiring" the car, I suppose.
NO, it's not stolen. It seems to be a nice, one owner car that was traded in after 23 years to the local benz dealer, then sold at an auction to a local private dealer who hadn't a clue on how to "get it fixed" locally, without paying million-dollar-an-hour rates at the local factory dealer, he felt.
Anyway, just how difficult is it replace that assembly? I understand these cars have a "vacuum locked" steering wheel? That's the first repair on my list, but I'd appreciate being pointed in the right direction as to how to do that, as well as that "general checklist" of ALL items to be checked/replaced to make certain that everything is tip-top.
Sorry to ramble on. I'm excited, and partially because of the amazing support that I seem to be finding on internet, some ten years after I worked the bugs out of my first car.
Thanks in advance. Hope to make this one perfect again... : )
Nicholas - Hazleton, Pennsylvania