London Based G-Expert Sought
Dear All,
I have a lovely 1987 280GE that I am taking to Turkey for cosmetic repairs and for any required mechanical repairwork.
I am seeking a London local with expert knowledge who I could offer to pay to drive my car around and diagnose any clear problems with the G. I have had old cars before and know they all have their quirks but without another G to compare to I cant tell if it is behaving correctly!
She pulls to 75mph, doesnt drink too much oil (now) and steers fine. Rust and such will be dealt with in Turkey but if something mechanical is clearly lacking I would love a pro to tell me what it is with a trained ear!
Thanks
If you are going for a full refurbishment, I think you should factor-in new brake discs and drums, pads and shoes,.New rear brake slave cylinders and new piston/seal-kit for front calipers (Brake International, UK can supply). New dampers and check condition of spring-mounts and damper fixing on chassis, in case you need to replace those. Possibly a set of coolant hoses, distributor cap and rotor, Vee belts, etc. Auto transmission oil filter, air filter and engine oil filter etc. You may be able to get much of this in Turkey, but could be better to go there prepared.
Start with compression and leak-down test to see whether there are any fundamental problems with the engine. These are quick to do. then, go from there.You may need new valve-stem seals to reduce the oil-consumption if the cylinders show no wear from the tests. The linkages you refer to mainly affect the auto-transmission shift-points. You can buy a new set for peace of mind. The set-up and calibration is the same as for any 280 model W123 or W124 Mercedes. Plenty of videos on the internet.
It all depends on your budget, but if it were me and if the vehicle had not seen any major service since leaving the factory, I would start with the above, then proceed to change water-pump, thermostat, flush and check radiator, check/replace all hoses, vacuum connectors, belts, fluids, filters, ignition components, exhaust system, alternator bearings, and then go through a tune-up. There are a few hard-to-get components on the M110 engine such as the warm-up regulator, which is a kind of fuel-pre-heater and you may want to check the EGR valve, if you have one, on the exhaust system,
But, aside from a part-time 4WD transfer case, diff-locks and solid axles/suspension, the rest is standard vintage Mercedes W123 car running gear.
Try to understand how the K-Jetronic fuel-injection works and bring some Bosch manuals with you on the subject. But don't let just anyone fiddle with that in the name of 'tuning'. A set of new injectors may not hurt.
Try Raj Singh at Supercar Services based in London.
His Number is 07979 737070 - he runs his own V8 G Wagen and is based in London NW9. Should you call him - tell him Spider1V (Joe) recommended him. Even if you don't take his services, worth a look around as he is working on some Lamborghini's - alwasy nice to see the Bulls with the G's :)
HTH
Spider1V
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Thanks Arnie, was planning on refurbing the brakes as well, thanks for the list of items.
I am happy to replace the old parts I am just seeking someone who can identify something more fundamentally wrong with the vehicle. I've read of throttle linkages causing performance problems and don't want to miss out on fixing things that to an untrained eye seem fine. Would love to find out I'm somehow missing 40hp that I can get back!