Anyway, back to the story.
There was some serious purging.
Like post coup d'etat looser purging.
Unfortunately, you can't see it all, but trust me it was massive.
I need a bigger space... but who dosen't, right?
I have always said that the car hobby is a gas, because it always fully fills the container it is in...
..and then this happened today...
1,885 miles since I bought it and got it back on the road.
One breakdown with the alternator.
Starting to be a proven DD, for sure.
I can still remember going into Bill Thomas Chevrolet in Tallahassee and having to show the guy at the parts counter the part. (Part Number One)
I was 15, I had no idea what the name of the part was, but I did know it was bent and that it should not be bent.
As I recall, for being clueless, the guy treated me pretty good.
But honestly in retrospect, I was probably clueless about that too!
Ahhh youth... wasted on the young.
Love reading your posts - good writing, indeed! That sway bar bracket is priceless. And now that we’re talking about all sorts of stuff, please share some posts or a new thread on the Healey!
In reply to ToySnakePMC :
Wow, thanks for the comment.
It will probably go to my head... lol.
Ii guess I could start an ownership thread on the Healey.
My association with it goes back to March 6th, 2000.
I know this because I met the owner at the time on that date, and he entered that meeting into the paper log he kept on the car. No kidding. Name , date, phone number, and email address.
We bought it from him in 2006, and we remained friends with him ever since.
I know so much about the car, and Healey's are so much a part of my being a car guy, I think that if I started a thread, it might take a LONG time to put it all out there.
So yes, that's a good idea.
ToySnakePMC said:Love reading your posts - good writing, indeed! That sway bar bracket is priceless. And now that we’re talking about all sorts of stuff, please share some posts or a new thread on the Healey!
There is a little more content on the Healey here:
Start at the December Entry.
A few more items addressed, and couple of goals are closer....
A major goal is to get all of the work done in the trunk so I can but all of the trunk panels back in.
It would be nice to have a finished trunk, but it would really be nicer not to have them stacked on the Corvette.
Did I mention I needed a bigger shop... yes I guess i did...
First off, I tracked down the wiring for the old defunct analog car phone.
snip snip
Dug into the rear console to chase down the other end and lookie here! BUDGET $$
Don't laugh, it cost less than this to get the car running.... lol.
After the phone wiring was pruned back, I dove into the vacuum lock for the gas door.
If you don't know it, the Mercedes has a vacuum system for lock actuators and the trunk release. Actually pretty durable, and nearly silent.
The actuator on the gas door worked but it was LOUD. Sort of a ratcheting sound.
Here is what is looks like off of the car.
Note the red tab. That is the manual override. You reach into the trunk and through an access hole, pull that back to open the gas lid if the vacuum system fails. The actuator appears to be just a vacuum diphram and a rod that passes through a seal. It just felt like a couple of squirts of silicone spray would free it up.
From the moment I sprayed it, it was instantly smooth and silent. I guess it just dried out over the years.
I reinstalled it and it works great!
Ok 2 things off of the trunk list, now we are really moving along!
The big thing that needs to happen in the trunk, is the resealing of the 4 convertible top hydraulic rams that are in the trunk. Two open and close the trunk assembly, and two raise and lower the top.
In preparation for working on the cylinders, I thought it would be a good idea to top off the fluid in the system, since it was low. The thought being that if it was full, it might make it easier for the system to self bleed (as designed) when I was done.
I topped off the pump and went to lower the roof.
It did not function well at all.
I had used the 100% correct fluid.
What was happening.
It tried a few more time to lower the roof, and finally it did lower.
Then it did not want to go back up.
This is where I started to get a little excited, because with each flip of the switch, the pump appeared to be supplying less and less pressure.
Finally it would move no more.
Oh boy.
I had read a LOT about these tops, the electrical / logic operation, the service procedures, common owner experiences, etc... It looked like what I was seeing, was what happens when everyone on the internet stops, and "buys a good used pump".
That was troubling, as the pumps, even used, are not cheap.
But there was a second thing bothering me too... the pump SOUNDED great. There just wasn't enough pressure.
So as I looked the internet over, I saw that even the folks that had done advanced repairs on the mechanism, cylinders, wiring and other parts had not ever ventured into the pump.
They had just stopped.
I thought that was odd, but then again the first thing that tends to come to mind is that they just might not be fixable, it CAN happen. But then again, there wasn't even any pictures of a torn down bad pump with annotations as to why it was shot.
Well, here we are back at the intersection of frustrated and nothing to loose!
I removed the pump and tore it down on the work bench.
It was spotless, aside from a little sediment in the reservoir, it looked great.
It was not 100% easy to see what every passage way was, but it was clear that there was a valve body, a motor, a reservoir, and two solenoids. I am guessing that the solenoids are probably for reversing the pressure and for selecting the trunk or top circuits.
I apologize for not having hardly any pics. I was a little frazzled by having this development and the focus had moved away from pics for posts.
I tore down every thing I could. I cleaned. I inspected.
I found nothing, until this:
This is the captive bleeder valve on the side of the pump that you loosen to relieve the hydraulic pressure, allowing the top to be raised or lowered by hand, by letting the fluid bypass the pump.
ah-ha?
It was odd that the yellow crunchy stuff ( that I assume had been a seal of some sort) had been in the groove, instead of another rubber o-ring like the one already on the valve.
Well, heck, lets put an o-ring on there, and see what happens....
Yep, that did it. Not only did the top work, but it worked faster than it ever had.
Sort of makes me wonder if a lot of folks out there could use the same fix?
Time will tell, as it always does, but I suspect that this has a better than average chance of lasting and working well.
So, now at least, I'm back to just needing to do the cylinders...
I have also been working on the K40 relay replacement.
I have finished cleaning the old board, and I have soldered the relay harnesses in place.
For this application only needed the two wires for the coil and the two wires for the Normally Open (NO) switch.
I soldered from the top and the bottom, as I wanted a mechanically strong joint AND the extra solder can serve as a heat sink, to help prevent separation failures (cold joints) that are actually common on these in stock form.
All together, there are 5 relays to be remotely mounted.
I still need to install the 680 Ohm resistors in parallel with the coil windings. The resistors protect driver transistors from voltage spikes from the coil winding as the coils are turned off and their magnetic fields collapse.
I notched the old cover.
Hopefully tomorrow the resistors will arrive and I can finish this and drop it in the car. It will be fun to back the new K40 module out of the budget, since this cost less than $15.
You’ve turned into a mercedes whisperer!
As a follow up to the post about the pump repair for 'no pressure', here is a picture of the valve. Note the brass colored valve has a lip on it that keeps you from removing it accidently, when using the valve to release the system pressure. To remove it and inspect or replace the o-ring, you will need to remove the adjacent stop bolt.
With the new pump opening and closing the top better than ever, I assume it is also generating more pressure.
At the same time, I'm not seeing any leaks in the trunk or top cylinders.
The previous owners had mentioned that work had been done on the hydraulics, so with more pressure, and no leaks, I'll just assume for the time being that the oil in the trunk was from past leaks.
At least that's what I'll tell myself anyway.
I have a suspicion that next winter they will weep again... but for now, I've had my fill of messing around with the top.
Trunk trim is back in... .. after a good scrubbing and hosing off.
jfryjfry said:You’ve turned into a mercedes whisperer!
Funny.... thanks.
Truth be told, I whisper, stare, yell, cuss, plead.... whatever it takes.
This has been a good car so far. This is my first MB and I am impressed so far,
The resistors arrived! $10.99 for 1100 resistors x 5 resistors used, $0.05 to the budget.
The relays with harnesses were were 11.99 for 6, and I used 5. $9.99 to the budget.
Add 5 cents worth of solder... K40 replacement comes to $10.09.
That's all well and good, but does it work?
Here is where the k40 is mounted. It's the module to the far right, with the blue fuses. Good thing is that it is deeper than the rest, which should allow for the relays to set on top.
It fits!
There is a bit of an optical illusion happening here too, so I took a picture with the cover on to show that the relays did clear.
And even better than fitting, IT WORKED!
No codes, no lights, and the horn works!
I'll keep the new k40 module in the trunk as a spare for a while, but with any luck I won't need it.
So, the replacement OEM style K40 was $134.11, and I have replaced it with the car's original K40 board that Ii rebuilt to use external relays fo 10.99.
That will be a $123.12 credit to the budget.
Budget:
$1307.09 (Estimate)
$123.12 Credit
Current Budget Spent:
$1183.97 (Estimate)
So, at this point, I really have the car repaired up to DD standards.
Except for the shocks, which are bad, but those will be a performance based selection, most likely along with a set of springs.
Time to start looking into EXACTLY how I will be doing the ECM mods, (with a focus on supercharger management), as well as considering what else may be good selections for the remaining budget.
Probably some air box and exhaust mods.
Maybe some mild aero.
Thoughts?
In reply to a_florida_man :
K.I.S.S. - don’t ruin a decent fun cruiser trying to make a racecar with it(you already have the Vette for that!). I think you’re on the right path with what you’ve done, and some stiffer springs & decent shocks should turn it into a fun car, that’s decent at autox, but not one you’ll hate driving.
Pete Gossett said:In reply to a_florida_man :
K.I.S.S. - don’t ruin a decent fun cruiser trying to make a racecar with it(you already have the Vette for that!). I think you’re on the right path with what you’ve done, and some stiffer springs & decent shocks should turn it into a fun car, that’s decent at autox, but not one you’ll hate driving.
Agreed. That's why I'm sticking to a Gastropod entry. Just want to keep it fun and see what I can wring out of it, without ruining it.
Very impressive. All the way around. Luck, electrical, mechanical, and budget. Have to agree with Pete. Set up your suspension, and have fun. Side note, that new board is secure enough that it won't bounce around in there?
In reply to Dirtydog :
Yes, the board is mounted in the OEM K40 case that snaps into the compartment.
I intentionally soldered the wires on both sides of the board to make them more movement and vibration proof.
On top of that the relays are snug between the top of the K40 module and the lid to the compartment.
Assuming the inexpensive relays hold out it should be pretty durable.
Remember, the replacement looks like this:
Then it's time to hop in and let the (s)miles accumulate.
a_florida_man said:So, at this point, I really have the car repaired up to DD standards.
Except for the shocks, which are bad, but those will be a performance based selection, most likely along with a set of springs.
Time to start looking into EXACTLY how I will be doing the ECM mods, (with a focus on supercharger management), as well as considering what else may be good selections for the remaining budget.
Probably some air box and exhaust mods.
Maybe some mild aero.
Thoughts?
I think power, and some suspension tweaks are your best bet.
I don't think most 'aero' things will be worth your while... depending on what the undertray looks like, and if it has tire-deflectors... but even so, doing some of that will mainly see a benefit in reduced highway fuel consumption. Wings won't help much at autoX speed (especially given the 'mild' 'limitation'), and I think a big rear spoiler would be odd on this car... and would need to be removeable for the drags.
ymmv
In reply to sleepyhead :
No, no wings... lol. Mild means mild. Mainly stuff to keep air from getting under the car.
.As for power, I don't think that I will be able to make a much more, but there is a great opportunity I think to broaden the range and make it more useable. Mercedes made a lot of concessions for drivability and a refined feel.
It needs more cowbell.
And by cowbell I mean low rpm supercharger pressure.
OEM, the SC is a mid to high rpm function on this car, I'll be looking to bring it in sooner. At least to the point that the open rear diff gets annoyed. If that's possible...
I'm back.
:)
I just registered the SLK for the 2k challenge.
I had to take the spring and summer off to do a LOT of grown up stuff...now back to the fun.
Besides this whole project was disturbingly on track and without any looming deadline angst.
Fixed That!
So, as we last discussed the car and it's possibilities, I recall someone warning me not to ruin a good driver.
I think that was Pete.
On that note, please allow me to share some photos of developmental stage shrapnel. (Sorry Pete)
This is what is left of the plastic drive plate on the supercharger clutch.
I tried to up the boost by limiting the pressure pop off valve. Bad idea.
Luckily the clutch gave out before the supercharger was damaged by the heat.
Soooo... I decided to manufacture a direct drive clutch hub with the old hub spline and a piece of plate steel.
That was welded, on both sides.
Next it needed to be fixed to the clutch pulley. Six bolts....
and then safety wired, to you know, uh make it 'safe'.
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