We have a tiny little bit of alternator output, but it isn't sustainable. We aren't even using blinkers.
We have a tiny little bit of alternator output, but it isn't sustainable. We aren't even using blinkers.
Sorry for your troubles, but this is turning out to be some kind of epic story!
sounds like there's a roadside adaptation of a 10si in that car's future...
Now we've got 13.3 volts, things are looking up!
Huzzah!
Happiness and fun for everyone!
Adrian_Thompson wrote: Want to stop by Beverly Hills (Northern suburbe of Detroit) for a BBQ on your way North?
+1 I'd drive an hour north for some lunch with you guys.
mazdeuce wrote: E36 M3 may be breaking, it that is a really clean engine compartment. At least your hands stay clean.
They did pull the engine and cleaned everything:
http://classicmotorsports.net/project-cars/1966-mercedes-benz-230-s/emptying-engine-bay/
Fun thread. Makes me wish Graham @ Heritage hadn't talked me out of driving my '64 Mini from CA to PA.
I had a Merc from that era and the alternator output was an ongoing concern. I either got too little and ended up with your situation or too much and it took out batteries right & left plus ate up the hood insulation just above the battery as the battery boiled and acid was released.
A new alternator is your only solution. And they aren't easy to find at your local NAPA
The young lady with the DVOM should be the introductory picture to a future article on Electrical Diagnosis 101 (AKA "Voltage Drops") (Grassroots Edition).
I once bought a '75 240D and drove it home 300 miles with a bad alternator. At night. Luckily, the diesel doesn't need juice to run. And, luckily, the radio was broken, so there was no urge to turn it on. Also luckily, the heater didn't work, so there was no point in running the fan anyway. Oh, and it was in the dead of winter.
I had a friend drive me to get the car, so we played battery roulette between his car and mine so I'd have functioning lights.
As it turned out, the alternator wasn't even bad- the bracket that held it in was cracked and wouldn't keep belt tension. Once home, I welded it up and the charging system worked fine.
Good luck on your travels. Seems like a fun trip.
Ok, alternator... Did you tap it with a hammer? A car that old has an external regulator...(I am guessing again...) Clean the contacts in the regulator....
Tom Suddard wrote: We have a tiny little bit of alternator output, but it isn't sustainable. We aren't even using blinkers.
Well your father is originally from Massachusetts, right? Blinkers are a sign of weakness around these parts.
Epic road trip!! I would love to do that with my wife and kids in an old car.
mazdeuce wrote: The big PCA gig for the year is in TC this summer too. I was trying to figure out how to drag the kids down to see the cars but I don't think it's going to happen.
Once, as a teenager, I somehow convinced two girls I wanted to date to come with me downstate to TC to, in effect, drive around the parking lot at a similar event and look at OPP (Other People's Porsches).
The day was going OK until, on the way home, the last bolt holding the transmission to the car worked loose enough to decouple the engine's output shaft. Or some such.
Had enough momentum to roll up the I75 off-ramp at the town of .... Wait for it.... Waters (also the site of my first encounter with Michigan State Police).
I found a garage and a guy who'd fix he car but not before I had to call my mom to come pick up the girls.
It probably goes without saying that I never dated either of them.
Back to the thread about someone else's road trip.
How far have you actually made it? Where are you?
This is proving to be quite entertaining.
Enjoying the travel updates!
I think there should be a companion piece of "The cat's away, mice at play" which chronicles the activities at the office this week.
We're 1 hour south of Andrews, NC in Helen, GA. We've been taking back roads the whole time. Tim has a few Mercedes buddies in Andrews, so we're going to stop there for lunch and a new alternator.
I guess it's worth mentioning that we are also going to our family reunion for a few days. It's in Sevierville, TN, and we'll be there until Saturday.
The car is running fairly well, but the exhaust has been dragging over bumps. 
If you all sat in the front seat .....
The tires are squealing and my dad is downshifting a lot. Mountain roads. 8)
In reply to Tom Suddard:
I think in the context of this trip, you're allowed to call him "Dad". 
I'm curious how you're posting pics from the road into this thread.
Tom Suddard wrote: The tires are squealing and my dad is downshifting a lot. Mountain roads. 8)
In an overloaded 47 year old car with the things he cherishes the most. 
Ian F wrote: In reply to Tom Suddard: I think in the context of this trip, you're allowed to call him "Dad".
Easy, Photobucket and a smartphone with a data plan. Not necessarily super-smooth, but what else is there to do? 
Great read
And boy am I out of the loop. Last time I checked in on this project the car was red! Love what you've done with it.
You'll need to log in to post.
