Hope you enjoy this one and appreciate that we’re not shying away from showing you stuff when things don’t go to plan, we want this channel to be real. Thanks for the support and all the best to everyone!
Them cars are easy simple and lovely you are not banging your head on the wall tuning it by ear it's when I fell in love with cars... corrosion keeps me busy every summer under the car bathing cleaning and painting and lubricate all the joints and change every dried rubber I hate corrosion
This is a classic demonstration of a proper technician using fault tracing diagnostics. No laptop and on board diagnostic information just a multi meter and experience. It's nice to see that knowledge being passed on to the next generation of technicians which I'm sure will prove invaluable going forward in his career.
Back in my day I used to do plugs and points at the side of the road. Well, Back when I had a mk 2 cortina 1300 around 1976, on the saturday I serviced the car complete with new plugs, points and condensor. went to work in Traffork Park the next day and on the the way home came off the Mancunian Way onto Upper Brook Street and it cut out. I rolled into a side road and began to check what was wrong, took the"Dizzy cap" off and the head of the new set of points had broken off, luckily I kept the old ones in the boot and put them back on, checked the gap, refitted cap and it was all ok again. Back then I always carried my tool box and a few known problem spares wherever I went.
Really enjoyed this video - a real education into the problems encountered while working on older cars. Such a shame that for the sake of a relatively small part that a car could be taken off the road. Well done in sourcing a solution.
Excellent post, really enjoyed and takes me back to my first job in a garage, back in 1965, I can smell that lovely aroma of a proper garage, it’s a dizzy cap to many in the trade, easier to say, be yourself!!nothing to do with education, probably someone who’s never been near a workshop, northern accent and humour great, thanks.
I support your use of dizzy cap. As an American who lived in NZ for a while, it’s a new word to me. I once had an old friend tell me that the difference between a parts changer and a mechanic is exactly what you demonstrated in this video-experience, knowledge, improvisation, and adaptation. Cheers!
Brilliant video as always - great to see your methodical approach to problem solving! It sounds like parts availability rather than corrosion is what's going to put these old Mercs in the scrapyard...
Nice to see a proper Merc! Classic cars are simpler but can still catch you out. Lot of trouble with the car is likely lack of use and not stored in a dry garage. Bit surprised the SL has part supply issues as its popular. Good workaround with the CPS.
Had the same obsolete / unobtainium issue with a clutch cable. asked the dealer parts guy if there was availability for a 'similar' model (Dealer parts guy "part No is different it won't fit" Me - needing to use the car I'll take it... Fitted, worked perfectly and only difference I could see was the cable adjuster threads were longer. Conclusion. The part number is just the start of the conversation because we are going to make it work!!
Great to see you training your apprentice (Nathan )and teaching us as well. Love seeing the older mercedes being maintained properly and kept on the road.👍.
This is my favourite SPR video so far! Brilliant insight into real life mechanicking... The value of your Merc experience was invaluable to the owner, without it, he wouldn't have a usable car! Thanks for sharing the problem cases, I find them most interesting. PS Dizzy cap is absolutely fine for me, EVERYONE says it!!
Great video Sam, good to see a company show the bad and good with diagnosis. It was a good watch to see you diagnose on these older Mercedes. I don’t know what Mercedes is thinking about not having parts available, it’s even getting bad on the C63’s these days!
I don’t think I’ve ever repaired a classic car without losing hours in labour time I can’t charge out……… Spend so much time repairing years of bodges and poor maintenance plus the spare parts issues. Good video 👍
Another great video. You did very well in diagnosing the issues, and it is a good fix with the 103 sensor. Sam, you're a problem solving genius.You and your team are above the rest. Keep up the good work.
Nice job! We need mecanics like you to work on our old cars! Please keep on showing us when you get these old beauties up and running, it is very inspiring.
Great video - I've finally subscribed! I have the same issues with BMW's - they discontinued 30,000 parts lines last year and I'm told that MB have dropped a lot of parts for older cars. The fact you can't get a crank sensor is worrying. I'm stocking up on bits for my stuff. I'm with you on Bremi, it's junk. Their MAF's are a joke. I had a 1989 530i (M30 SOHC straight six) with a similar set of problems but at different times. One day out of the blue it just would not start - no spark. I fitted a used crank sensor (easy as they are on the front crank pulley) and away it went. I bought a genuine sensor from BMW for about £80. A couple of years later it developed a very bad misfire and a new cap and rotor fixed it.
Great to see a pro at work. Methodical, systematic analysis and the ability to come up with solutions requiring some ingenuity. I run two nineties BMWs - an E39 and a Z3 and have a great local specialist to maintain them - you guys are worth your weight in gold to us enthusiasts. Great job.
Great video showing some old school, pre obd2, fault finding. Good for you for making it a warts and all video and not heavily editing it. When i used to fix my own cars back in the 70s, i would give a squirt of easy start. If it started i had a fuel issue, if it didn't then i had an ignition issue.
Impressed, a professional step-by-step analysis is good to watch. And the customer said How Much!!! For the international audience.................Dizzy = distributor cap. Chuffed = rather pleased with myself.
If I was the customer I wouldn't be complaining. You didn't do any unneccessary work. A lot of garages would have just said "Sorry we can't get the part necessary from anywhere at all." You diagnosed the faults, rectified the issues, did the service and provided us, yet again , with interesting content.
Again great video - regular use and regular servicing with older cars is definitely the way to go, even then, when connections have been in place for 30 years or so it just isn't easy to get them off and fit a replacement - great work getting the sensor lead sourced and installed.
I agree 100% with you on your choice of OEM oil filters on ANY Mercedes. My old W201 190E 2.0 four pot developed low oil pressure not long after I purchased it with a genuine 86,000 miles on the clock and had just been serviced (by the previous owner who was a BMW tech!) and noticed it was a cheap brand oil filter. Purchased the proper OEM item and, hey presto, full oil pressure returned. Best about it is, the genuine OEM item was really cheap!!
Well done for persevering..... I had one of these a few years ago - 300SL in the same colour. It had only done 59k when I sold it. Lovely car, but I mainly sold it because of issues around parts availability. At least I was able to sell it back to the same dealer for a profit 🙂 I must be a glutton for punishment tho - recently bought an R230 SL - which is also starting to suffer from parts shortages...... Mercedes used to be renowned for their parts support on older models - those days are long gone, sadly.
You’re right, parts used to be spot on even on the older stuff especially the SL! We have don a buyers guide on the 230 sl might be worth a watch for you.
you can look in the Mercedes equivalent of BMWs Mobile Tradition for old car parts. At least in the US we can still order stuff for them (albeit at a price) 😢
@@michaeltutty1540 yes, but less likely as the cars age now. Mercedes used to stand above other makers for quality and spares but now they seem much like any other mass producer...
I was really impressed with the way that you were determined to find the reason for an engine that would not start. I can remember when I read somewhere one of Winston Churchill`s famous quotes when he said "When you`re going through hell,keep going" This was you, and you made it through. Well done,and thanks for sharing a most enjoyable video
Love the fault finding, takes me back to my apprentice days in a backstreet garage in Oldham. Cleaning ‘dizzy’ caps, replacing old carbon HT leads and cleaning the rotor arm contact on the tyre. Great video, fun to watch but lots of hours spent I’ll bet. 👍🏻
Well done, great video showing that not everything goes to plan all the time. Through thinking outside the box you have managed to keep another classic on the road.
I hope the customer was good about the extra work needed. The distributor cap clearly needed replacing as well due to the hairline crack and the fact that it caused issues with cold starts. Replacing it made a huge difference to how the car started, so it definitely was not a case of "fixing something that did not need fixing". Looking forward to the next video with you working on JJ's CLK (JJ on Cars). :)
Yes the customer was very happy, and yes all had to be done, the dizzy got it started and running to only then cut out again once hot so without it we would of been back to square one. Jj on cars clk will be a good one. 👌
Enjoying watching your input. I had an early Audi, had enless grief starting, turned out to be valve clearance too tight. It was pre hydraulic tappets,they had to be shimmed. This had never been done. When too tight and hot it would not run! Good luck
G I hade the same problem with a 300CE straight six cylinder It broke my heart It would start but running like a bag of nails 😡 I knew you would sort it out 👍👍☘️
This is an excellent video! As someone who owns a classic car, I know what you've been through in this episode. I am very happy I found your channel and I love your honesty.
The R107 is one of the best Mercs (up there with the W123). This is the joy of when certain parts are discontinued. This problem is not restricted to Mercedes-Benz. Lucky you found a way round it. My local dealer has a 1984 R107 380SL on display.
Sorry but it warms my heart to know even the experts like you lads get stuck on jobs like that, thought it was only me that smashed things when i took them out.
Thanks for another really interesting video. Shows how much work /labour goes into diagnostics. .. good for costumers to see and to understand. Always good to see someone who knows their stuff
I understand even ignition keys for some A class are unavailable. Testing your ability and knowledge these cars which have some technology but no diagnostic system! Lovely looking car and well worth looking after even if one has to use unoriginal parts.
Exceptional work - detailed explanation and sharing of useful information which will no doubt support others when finding themselves in similar situations. Fully appreciated, outstanding!
That's the difference between a mechanic and a technician, a technician will only do what the workshop manual says to fault find but a mechanic will think outside the box and find an alternative solution. Much the same as an operative in a motor factors compared to a national provider. Excellent work there !
Good fix,but frustrating for sure Had a ML 320 and it had the same problem,cold ok,get hot no go Where they are located is not easy cover your arm to save scratches 😂 Cheers Frank
I have swapped crank angle sensors on Ferrari's for identical ones from Kia that were just 5mm longer and they worked fine, about 90% cheaper too, some things just work!
Great video and great job. Would like to see you sort a W124 Diesel Multi valve or the earlier one sometime. I've had these and the earlier one went off something terrible at 250k. I think the service background at 150k plus wasnt great. In the end after driving for 6yrs it stopped and couldn't be started so a scrapper bought it for a few pound more than I paid £650! The next one , a 1994 Multi valve was great but the crank sensor went on it...that's all. Loved that car. Sold last year. Strange actually in 45yrs of motoring I've never had crank sensor issues and in the last two years I've had two cars with faulty crank sensors. Anyhow, great video and also it's great to be able to pass on the knowledge to younger next generation. That's where a lot of problems getting older cars looked at is troublesome. That and parts , especially recently. Keep up the excellent work
Such is these old R107s. Lovely motors when you get a good one. Not overly difficult to work on. Crank sensor threw a bit of a curve ball, I was initially leaning towards ignition amplifier which can be a quite common failure point. Nice to see it running sweet in the end.
You did what you had to do and ultimately solved the problem. It has a fresh ignition system too, which is all good for piece of mind. Lovely old motor 😊
Excellent video. On my USA 1982 380sl with the M116 V8, I had a problem with spark and it turned out to be the green cable that runs from the distributor to the ignition control module. Guess what? No longer available from Mercedes Benz and the only one available is made by URO. I have heard from other people that they are poor quality cables, so I hit the wrecking yards and found a nice one from a w126 380se and bought it. It is really getting hard to find quality parts on our classics, and a lot of Chinese made crap makes matters worse. I love your channel. Thanks for the videos!
Very engaging and at least the owner can see exactly what all the trouble was and it wasn’t a fairytale not that it ever would be. I’m quite intrigued by how clean you get your hands as I’ve seen some test drives with very mucky hands.
Brilliant video, any customer you would think would be vdry happy you diagnosed and repaired the fault especially when original parts are not available. Everyone like and subscribe, tell your friends.
Ok, not a Merc, but I had the same problem on my old Rover 75. Just after I bought it I went down to my local Sainsburys to get some bits, came out, only gone 20 minutes went to start and no go.... Only had it a couple of weeks! Anyway, called the AA the guy came, told the symptom and he grabed a can of quick start and it started straight away. It was the Cam Sensor. When it got hot and left for a few minutes it would fail so the ecu that sends the fuel doesn't know the engine is turning so doesn't send any fuel. But as soon as the engine gets going the Crank Sensor takes over and keeps it going.... Got a free on off the Forum and worked fine for the next 6 years until I sold it. It was the only issue I had with the car. It was a 2001 2.0 V6 Club in Copperlef Pearl Metalic. But I've had lots of older Mercs and generally do my own servicing. I'm on my 13th Merc now, a 2001 W208 CLK320 Elegance in Almandine Black, (looks purpleish). Had it 4 years now, all it's needed was a new Bosch battery. But my first one in 1995 was a '85 w123/200 followed by: w116/350se, w124/300TE, w124/300CE, w124/300E/24V, w126/500sel, w208/CLK320, w203 C180K Coupe, w220/S500, w170/230K, W208/CLK320 Avantgarde, w208/CLK430 Aventgarde and now on the CLK32 Elegance. I think that's about it.... Love them all.... Not keen on the new ones at alll - sorry. Very much enjoying your videos! Especially the older Mercs - Thanks.
I like the word dizzy cap so much I have started to use it, dizzy back cap, lol. Looks like some people only bring their cars when other garages cant fix, best look after your regulars who appreciate you.
Great video,first time watching.....I've got one in our garage that needs a radiator,wish I could find one.Do you have any suggestions to help a comrade out??👍👍👍
@@sprautos We tried everywhere in Devon and Cornwall with no luck,even online.The owner has taken the core to SLShop in London as they had no new radiators available,they are going to recore it but it's been weeks now 🙄 I reckon it's gone missing !!
KEEP UP THE GOODWORK MATE !!! it's like a Really really good version of wheeler dealers, without that annoying energizer bunny Mike Brewer. Really good and informative content. !!!
Strange one this, and interesting the car (which is a really nice example) had been out of your expert care for at least one service. My guess is wherever it had been had also tried to get it started and failed. Quite possible that's where the dizzy (ooops!) faults were introduced and why the nature of the running condition changed! My area is Saab's and I have had more than one here where non expert care has introduced more faults and led us up blind alleys! The plugs and dizzy parts though did need a change for sure, so not cash or time wasted. CPS issues on Saabs are common, and availability is really sketchy too. Clearly this is somewhere we are all going to have issues in the future as these things get older and older and OE spec parts run out. Love the real life content on this channel, showing our work is no bed of roses and comes with its challenges every day! Superb work!
I’m glad you solved it in the end. I know from experience with my 1984 280 se how time consuming things can be. With my 380 sel I had some strange thing too a long time ago. I put in the wrong resistance spark plug cables. That gives you a headache to find out what’s wrong because you think first of other things. In a way I’m glad you have obd ports now to connect your computer and find out what’s going on.
@@sprautos I’m so sorry. My English is so insufficient. I meant that with more modern cars an obd port is very handy. The old Mercedes have ( maybe) that round multi plug connection that never works. It’s only common sense and a lot of experience to solve problems.kudo’s to you!
@@pamed76 im sorry i wrote doesnt isntead of does! haha my bad, i have edited my reply to you which i hope now makes more sence, your english is fine i understand what you mean perfectly well.
I had a 190e 2.6 and I remember having trouble with the dizzy cap getting moisture in it and air line cracks..lovely smooth 6 cylinder though..Great video..
Great vid and very useful. I like old Mercs, and I also like old Citroens, (have an SM & a CX.) I'm pretty sure that I have a crank position sensor issue with my CX and, guess what, no longer available! The joys of older cars!
as an 80 year old this certainly brings back memories of the time before "technicians" coils/distributors/HT leads etc. and a bit of the dark art of electrics.Carbon pick up brushes on distributers,dynamos and starter motors been there done it.However i never heard any mention of condensers that went hand in glove within the distributer as well as points or perhaps they were previous to the car concerned
Yes condensers were before this model. Mercedes were pretty advanced at the time. And great to hear it brings back some memories that’s awesome, I love listening to my grandad tell me the old motoring story’s they seemed to always turn into a funny tale
@@sprautos condensers seemed to be an underated item just because it was small and cylinder shaped with a two inch black wire and spade connector soldered on to it and in days gone by people would change spark plugs sets of points HT leads etc. and still suffer rough running all for the sake of a condenser that cost the same as a spark plug around 7 shillings and six pence (7/6) in old pre-decimal coinage.
What a great channel - so refreshing to see professionals producing good content. If you tell me the part number of the crank shaft position sensor, I might be able to find a source. It is difficult to fix cars, film and edit...and run a business and I hope this channel continues to go from strength to strength. Mike
As a way of keeping these old mercs on the road & the parts situation,is there anyway you could find a part that's plentiful & say drill the hole bigger & are there any manufacturers that make an adapter of sorts. I love old mercs as they're built like tanks & made to last. Great channel 👍
i'm from canada and if that was my car i would oil spray the bottom and inside the fenders and doors . they offer this professionally here and it saves the car from rusting ! i start doing this after a mercedes i owned completely rusted out from the road salt we have here . now i have 2 mercedes and a dodge nitro oil sprayed every fall and there is not a speck of rust on any . the nitro is 18 years od and looks like new ! the S 550 10 years old and my slc 7 years old , all tip top shape !
Really thought you were going to head for the voltage regulator relay (behind the battery on W124s I think) but would you know, it turned out to be the cps! The condition underneath was very nice indeed, lucky owner. Nice to see you guys using seat and wing protectors. I've done the whole diZZy cap and rotor faff on my W124 300TE and always use original MB filters, back to silky smooth. I love those SLs❤....one day maybe!!!
I’d bloody love one of these as a daily driver; at least if I’m spending cash keeping it going I wouldn’t resent it half as much as I resent spending money on a crappy 2010 focus.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
Hope you enjoy this one and appreciate that we’re not shying away from showing you stuff when things don’t go to plan, we want this channel to be real.
Thanks for the support and all the best to everyone!
Great job Sam. Kept the old girl on the road with some clever thinking and experiences. And it's still a dizzy cap imo 😂
Another excellent video. It’s great viewing and look forward to the next one. 👍
Great stuff Sam, really enjoyed your first principles thinking to get to the bottom of what was wrong! No OBD’s in them days 👍🤔😎
Them cars are easy simple and lovely you are not banging your head on the wall tuning it by ear it's when I fell in love with cars... corrosion keeps me busy every summer under the car bathing cleaning and painting and lubricate all the joints and change every dried rubber I hate corrosion
This is a classic demonstration of a proper technician using fault tracing diagnostics. No laptop and on board diagnostic information just a multi meter and experience. It's nice to see that knowledge being passed on to the next generation of technicians which I'm sure will prove invaluable going forward in his career.
Back in my day I used to do plugs and points at the side of the road. Well,
Back when I had a mk 2 cortina 1300 around 1976, on the saturday I serviced the car complete with new plugs, points and condensor. went to work in Traffork Park the next day and on the the way home came off the Mancunian Way onto Upper Brook Street and it cut out. I rolled into a side road and began to check what was wrong, took the"Dizzy cap" off and the head of the new set of points had broken off, luckily I kept the old ones in the boot and put them back on, checked the gap, refitted cap and it was all ok again.
Back then I always carried my tool box and a few known problem spares wherever I went.
ABSOLUTELY awesome guys....... this is what you get from a proper specialist garage.....your experience and knowledge shines through.......⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Respect for saving old mercs!
Really enjoyed this video - a real education into the problems encountered while working on older cars. Such a shame that for the sake of a relatively small part that a car could be taken off the road. Well done in sourcing a solution.
Appreciate that many thanks. 🙏
Well done. Your fault finding was excellent. Keep up the good work.
Excellent stuff, from the pre-OBD era! Your customer should be very grateful to have you!
Much appreciated! Yes he was very happy with the outcome. All sorted and running 👌
@@sprautos- pleased to hear that Sam, so he should be!
Excellent post, really enjoyed and takes me back to my first job in a garage, back in 1965, I can smell that lovely aroma of a proper garage, it’s a dizzy cap to many in the trade, easier to say, be yourself!!nothing to do with education, probably someone who’s never been near a workshop, northern accent and humour great, thanks.
Can’t beat that garage smell can you!
Always will be a dizzy cap. 😉
I support your use of dizzy cap. As an American who lived in NZ for a while, it’s a new word to me. I once had an old friend tell me that the difference between a parts changer and a mechanic is exactly what you demonstrated in this video-experience, knowledge, improvisation, and adaptation. Cheers!
@@kumquatbilly thank you 🙏
Brilliant video as always - great to see your methodical approach to problem solving! It sounds like parts availability rather than corrosion is what's going to put these old Mercs in the scrapyard...
Nice to see a proper Merc!
Classic cars are simpler but can still catch you out.
Lot of trouble with the car is likely lack of use and not stored in a dry garage.
Bit surprised the SL has part supply issues as its popular. Good workaround with the CPS.
Had the same obsolete / unobtainium issue with a clutch cable. asked the dealer parts guy if there was availability for a 'similar' model (Dealer parts guy "part No is different it won't fit" Me - needing to use the car I'll take it... Fitted, worked perfectly and only difference I could see was the cable adjuster threads were longer. Conclusion. The part number is just the start of the conversation because we are going to make it work!!
Great to see you training your apprentice (Nathan )and teaching us as well. Love seeing the older mercedes being maintained properly and kept on the road.👍.
More to come! And Nathan is coming along nicely showing really good interest in the trade.
Old skool mechanic. Top job Sam. Patience severely tested on that old girl.
Certainly was, thought I was going mad.
Love an old merc. So glad you could fix this. From an age when they were built to last. Always stick with your specialist
Another excellent video Sam. If only the main dealers were as conscientious and honest as you. Well done.
Appreciate that 🙏
This is my favourite SPR video so far! Brilliant insight into real life mechanicking... The value of your Merc experience was invaluable to the owner, without it, he wouldn't have a usable car!
Thanks for sharing the problem cases, I find them most interesting.
PS Dizzy cap is absolutely fine for me, EVERYONE says it!!
Thank you, 🙏 we’re happy to show it isn’t all plain sailing, glad everyone else likes to see the fix as much as we do.
Great video Sam, good to see a company show the bad and good with diagnosis. It was a good watch to see you diagnose on these older Mercedes. I don’t know what Mercedes is thinking about not having parts available, it’s even getting bad on the C63’s these days!
You are helping to keep the finest old cars on the road.
Great diagnosis work. Finding alternative parts is what we TVR owners have to do regularly. That’s half the fun of being a classic car owner!
It is certainly part of it isn’t it.
I bet you TVR boys have trouble like this all the time.
I don’t think I’ve ever repaired a classic car without losing hours in labour time I can’t charge out……… Spend so much time repairing years of bodges and poor maintenance plus the spare parts issues. Good video 👍
Spot on mate 😂 that’s why I only book one in at a time 🙈
Proper mechanic the apprentice will go far if he pays attention 👍
Another great video. You did very well in diagnosing the issues, and it is a good fix with the 103 sensor. Sam, you're a problem solving genius.You and your team are above the rest. Keep up the good work.
🙏 appreciate that.
Nice job! We need mecanics like you to work on our old cars! Please keep on showing us when you get these old beauties up and running, it is very inspiring.
Great video - I've finally subscribed! I have the same issues with BMW's - they discontinued 30,000 parts lines last year and I'm told that MB have dropped a lot of parts for older cars. The fact you can't get a crank sensor is worrying. I'm stocking up on bits for my stuff. I'm with you on Bremi, it's junk. Their MAF's are a joke.
I had a 1989 530i (M30 SOHC straight six) with a similar set of problems but at different times. One day out of the blue it just would not start - no spark. I fitted a used crank sensor (easy as they are on the front crank pulley) and away it went. I bought a genuine sensor from BMW for about £80. A couple of years later it developed a very bad misfire and a new cap and rotor fixed it.
Thanks for the subscription. And yea parts arnt looking good are they, we have to keep these old cars alive
I had a w124 300E. The dizzystributer cap assembly is quite a piece of engineering compared to those on Metros and Vauxhalls I’ve owned in the past!
Handier to get to the dizzy cap on a Beetle 😅😅
Great to see a pro at work. Methodical, systematic analysis and the ability to come up with solutions requiring some ingenuity. I run two nineties BMWs - an E39 and a Z3 and have a great local specialist to maintain them - you guys are worth your weight in gold to us enthusiasts. Great job.
Thank you 🙏 much appreciated
Same: 1997 528 5 manual and 96 z3
Fantastic job Sam. Your customers should all be grateful for your efforts. Superb stuff
Great video showing some old school, pre obd2, fault finding. Good for you for making it a warts and all video and not heavily editing it.
When i used to fix my own cars back in the 70s, i would give a squirt of easy start. If it started i had a fuel issue, if it didn't then i had an ignition issue.
Yes the good old easy start was and is a good diagnoses to determine if you have a fur issue
So cool seeing you mess with some of the older stuff, it really makes you wonder how cars built today are supposed to last after 20 years?
they're not.
Impressed, a professional step-by-step analysis is good to watch. And the customer said How Much!!!
For the international audience.................Dizzy = distributor cap. Chuffed = rather pleased with myself.
If I was the customer I wouldn't be complaining. You didn't do any unneccessary work. A lot of garages would have just said "Sorry we can't get the part necessary from anywhere at all." You diagnosed the faults, rectified the issues, did the service and provided us, yet again , with interesting content.
Again great video - regular use and regular servicing with older cars is definitely the way to go, even then, when connections have been in place for 30 years or so it just isn't easy to get them off and fit a replacement - great work getting the sensor lead sourced and installed.
I agree 100% with you on your choice of OEM oil filters on ANY Mercedes.
My old W201 190E 2.0 four pot developed low oil pressure not long after I purchased it with a genuine 86,000 miles on the clock and had just been serviced (by the previous owner who was a BMW tech!) and noticed it was a cheap brand oil filter.
Purchased the proper OEM item and, hey presto, full oil pressure returned.
Best about it is, the genuine OEM item was really cheap!!
Well done for persevering..... I had one of these a few years ago - 300SL in the same colour. It had only done 59k when I sold it. Lovely car, but I mainly sold it because of issues around parts availability. At least I was able to sell it back to the same dealer for a profit 🙂 I must be a glutton for punishment tho - recently bought an R230 SL - which is also starting to suffer from parts shortages...... Mercedes used to be renowned for their parts support on older models - those days are long gone, sadly.
You’re right, parts used to be spot on even on the older stuff especially the SL!
We have don a buyers guide on the 230 sl might be worth a watch for you.
@@sprautos Yes - watched it ta - still bought one! 🙂
you can look in the Mercedes equivalent of BMWs Mobile Tradition for old car parts. At least in the US we can still order stuff for them (albeit at a price) 😢
My brother had an 85 300SD. Parts were readily available for the car, and sometimes the Mercedes dealer was the least expensive option.
@@michaeltutty1540 yes, but less likely as the cars age now. Mercedes used to stand above other makers for quality and spares but now they seem much like any other mass producer...
I was really impressed with the way that you were determined to find the reason for an engine that would not start. I can remember when I read somewhere one of Winston Churchill`s famous quotes when he said "When you`re going through hell,keep going" This was you, and you made it through. Well done,and thanks for sharing a most enjoyable video
Thank you!
Love the fault finding, takes me back to my apprentice days in a backstreet garage in Oldham. Cleaning ‘dizzy’ caps, replacing old carbon HT leads and cleaning the rotor arm contact on the tyre. Great video, fun to watch but lots of hours spent I’ll bet. 👍🏻
Yup many hours spent but we got there in the end.
The good old days hey
Well done, great video showing that not everything goes to plan all the time. Through thinking outside the box you have managed to keep another classic on the road.
I hope the customer was good about the extra work needed. The distributor cap clearly needed replacing as well due to the hairline crack and the fact that it caused issues with cold starts. Replacing it made a huge difference to how the car started, so it definitely was not a case of "fixing something that did not need fixing". Looking forward to the next video with you working on JJ's CLK (JJ on Cars). :)
Yes the customer was very happy, and yes all had to be done, the dizzy got it started and running to only then cut out again once hot so without it we would of been back to square one.
Jj on cars clk will be a good one. 👌
Great video guys, glad to see there are trusted garages serving the classic Mercs! Love this!
Enjoying watching your input. I had an early Audi, had enless grief starting, turned out to be valve clearance too tight. It was pre hydraulic tappets,they had to be shimmed. This had never been done. When too tight and hot it would not run! Good luck
G I hade the same problem with a 300CE straight six cylinder
It broke my heart
It would start but running like a bag of nails 😡
I knew you would sort it out 👍👍☘️
Brilliant stuff I am sure customers don't realise the trouble you go too with these older cars !! great job boys.
I don’t think they do!
This is an excellent video! As someone who owns a classic car, I know what you've been through in this episode. I am very happy I found your channel and I love your honesty.
@@dinotahirovic675 thank you very much. And welcome the channel. 🙏
The R107 is one of the best Mercs (up there with the W123). This is the joy of when certain parts are discontinued. This problem is not restricted to Mercedes-Benz. Lucky you found a way round it. My local dealer has a 1984 R107 380SL on display.
Sorry but it warms my heart to know even the experts like you lads get stuck on jobs like that, thought it was only me that smashed things when i took them out.
Nope it happens to the best of us. It’s part of the job 😂
You Sir ARE AWESOME!!!!! 👍👍👍👍. Finding the alternative for the NLA crank sensor , Godsend
Thanks 👍
Reminds me of my youth when I understood the underneath of a bonnet.. excellent video.
Thanks for another really interesting video. Shows how much work /labour goes into diagnostics. .. good for costumers to see and to understand. Always good to see someone who knows their stuff
Nice to watch knowledgeable people who know their stuff and do the job right
I understand even ignition keys for some A class are unavailable. Testing your ability and knowledge these cars which have some technology but no diagnostic system! Lovely looking car and well worth looking after even if one has to use unoriginal parts.
Exceptional work - detailed explanation and sharing of useful information which will no doubt support others when finding themselves in similar situations. Fully appreciated, outstanding!
That's the difference between a mechanic and a technician, a technician will only do what the workshop manual says to fault find but a mechanic will think outside the box and find an alternative solution. Much the same as an operative in a motor factors compared to a national provider. Excellent work there !
Good fix,but frustrating for sure
Had a ML 320 and it had the same problem,cold ok,get hot no go
Where they are located is not easy cover your arm to save scratches 😂
Cheers Frank
I have swapped crank angle sensors on Ferrari's for identical ones from Kia that were just 5mm longer and they worked fine, about 90% cheaper too, some things just work!
Great video and great job. Would like to see you sort a W124 Diesel Multi valve or the earlier one sometime. I've had these and the earlier one went off something terrible at 250k. I think the service background at 150k plus wasnt great. In the end after driving for 6yrs it stopped and couldn't be started so a scrapper bought it for a few pound more than I paid £650! The next one , a 1994 Multi valve was great but the crank sensor went on it...that's all. Loved that car. Sold last year. Strange actually in 45yrs of motoring I've never had crank sensor issues and in the last two years I've had two cars with faulty crank sensors.
Anyhow, great video and also it's great to be able to pass on the knowledge to younger next generation. That's where a lot of problems getting older cars looked at is troublesome. That and parts , especially recently. Keep up the excellent work
Really enjoyed that, good old fashioned logical fault finding. Took me right back to the 90s!
A brilliant job well done with patience and experience. I hope the owner was equally impressed
@@weyboi thank you. 🙏 yes customer was happy to get it all
Sorted and back on the road
Such is these old R107s. Lovely motors when you get a good one. Not overly difficult to work on. Crank sensor threw a bit of a curve ball, I was initially leaning towards ignition amplifier which can be a quite common failure point. Nice to see it running sweet in the end.
It always has been and always will be, a dizzy cap. Another great video - thanks 👍
I second that!
Best quote ever "build up trust with this car" Always good to have someone else on board during test drive - totally agree.
It's simply great to watch a pro work it out !
Lovely job great video , always looking forward to seeing your videos 👍👍
Thanks 👍 hopefully we can keep them coming
Really enjoyed this video was an electrician by trade so great thinking outside the box I'll be back!!
You did what you had to do and ultimately solved the problem. It has a fresh ignition system too, which is all good for piece of mind. Lovely old motor 😊
Excellent video. On my USA 1982 380sl with the M116 V8, I had a problem with spark and it turned out to be the green cable that runs from the distributor to the ignition control module. Guess what? No longer available from Mercedes Benz and the only one available is made by URO. I have heard from other people that they are poor quality cables, so I hit the wrecking yards and found a nice one from a w126 380se and bought it. It is really getting hard to find quality parts on our classics, and a lot of Chinese made crap makes matters worse. I love your channel. Thanks for the videos!
Very engaging and at least the owner can see exactly what all the trouble was and it wasn’t a fairytale not that it ever would be. I’m quite intrigued by how clean you get your hands as I’ve seen some test drives with very mucky hands.
Standard for a classic. Well done. Yes the smaller correct oil filter will keep oil pressure higher
A great bit of work by someone who has enormous experience of these cars. How would a main dealer have fixed the problem if at all??
I think they would of just said part no longer available and that would of been the end.
Exceptional video. I admire your diagnostic skills with these old Mercedes.
Thank you very much!
Brilliant video, any customer you would think would be vdry happy you diagnosed and repaired the fault especially when original parts are not available. Everyone like and subscribe, tell your friends.
Ok, not a Merc, but I had the same problem on my old Rover 75. Just after I bought it I went down to my local Sainsburys to get some bits, came out, only gone 20 minutes went to start and no go.... Only had it a couple of weeks! Anyway, called the AA the guy came, told the symptom and he grabed a can of quick start and it started straight away. It was the Cam Sensor. When it got hot and left for a few minutes it would fail so the ecu that sends the fuel doesn't know the engine is turning so doesn't send any fuel. But as soon as the engine gets going the Crank Sensor takes over and keeps it going.... Got a free on off the Forum and worked fine for the next 6 years until I sold it. It was the only issue I had with the car. It was a 2001 2.0 V6 Club in Copperlef Pearl Metalic.
But I've had lots of older Mercs and generally do my own servicing. I'm on my 13th Merc now, a 2001 W208 CLK320 Elegance in Almandine Black, (looks purpleish). Had it 4 years now, all it's needed was a new Bosch battery.
But my first one in 1995 was a '85 w123/200 followed by: w116/350se, w124/300TE, w124/300CE, w124/300E/24V, w126/500sel, w208/CLK320, w203 C180K Coupe, w220/S500, w170/230K, W208/CLK320 Avantgarde, w208/CLK430 Aventgarde and now on the CLK32 Elegance. I think that's about it.... Love them all.... Not keen on the new ones at alll - sorry.
Very much enjoying your videos! Especially the older Mercs - Thanks.
I like the word dizzy cap so much I have started to use it, dizzy back cap, lol. Looks like some people only bring their cars when other garages cant fix, best look after your regulars who appreciate you.
They were always referred to as a dizzy cap .... always will be.
Spot on 👌
Great video,first time watching.....I've got one in our garage that needs a radiator,wish I could find one.Do you have any suggestions to help a comrade out??👍👍👍
@@-doggy-6670 first port of call dealer, second auto doc, Tameside radiators helped me out recently for an old classic also and came up trumps.
@@sprautos We tried everywhere in Devon and Cornwall with no luck,even online.The owner has taken the core to SLShop in London as they had no new radiators available,they are going to recore it but it's been weeks now 🙄 I reckon it's gone missing !!
KEEP UP THE GOODWORK MATE !!! it's like a Really really good version of wheeler dealers, without that annoying energizer bunny Mike Brewer. Really good and informative content. !!!
Glad you like it! Thank you 🙏
Strange one this, and interesting the car (which is a really nice example) had been out of your expert care for at least one service. My guess is wherever it had been had also tried to get it started and failed. Quite possible that's where the dizzy (ooops!) faults were introduced and why the nature of the running condition changed! My area is Saab's and I have had more than one here where non expert care has introduced more faults and led us up blind alleys! The plugs and dizzy parts though did need a change for sure, so not cash or time wasted. CPS issues on Saabs are common, and availability is really sketchy too. Clearly this is somewhere we are all going to have issues in the future as these things get older and older and OE spec parts run out. Love the real life content on this channel, showing our work is no bed of roses and comes with its challenges every day! Superb work!
Thank you 🙏
I’m glad you solved it in the end. I know from experience with my 1984 280 se how time consuming things can be. With my 380 sel I had some strange thing too a long time ago. I put in the wrong resistance spark plug cables. That gives you a headache to find out what’s wrong because you think first of other things. In a way I’m glad you have obd ports now to connect your computer and find out what’s going on.
Yea an obd does help, it gives you some data to read to help with diagnostics.
@@sprautos I’m so sorry. My English is so insufficient. I meant that with more modern cars an obd port is very handy. The old Mercedes have ( maybe) that round multi plug connection that never works. It’s only common sense and a lot of experience to solve problems.kudo’s to you!
@@pamed76 im sorry i wrote doesnt isntead of does! haha my bad, i have edited my reply to you which i hope now makes more sence, your english is fine i understand what you mean perfectly well.
I had a 190e 2.6 and I remember having trouble with the dizzy cap getting moisture in it and air line cracks..lovely smooth 6 cylinder though..Great video..
It is a lovely engine. Especially in a 190e 👌 those were a nice drive with the straight 6
Great vid and very useful. I like old Mercs, and I also like old Citroens, (have an SM & a CX.) I'm pretty sure that I have a crank position sensor issue with my CX and, guess what, no longer available!
The joys of older cars!
Just found your channel and really enjoyed it,PS never mind the others,you carry on calling it the DIZZY CAP mate👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🍺🍺
Welcome aboard! And yea it’s a dizzy 😂👌
@@sprautos 👍👍👍🍺🍺🍺🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
GOOD ONE!..worked on MB stuff for 40 years! in usa..
as an 80 year old this certainly brings back memories of the time before "technicians" coils/distributors/HT leads etc. and a bit of the dark art of electrics.Carbon pick up brushes on distributers,dynamos and starter motors been there done it.However i never heard any mention of condensers that went hand in glove within the distributer as well as points or perhaps they were previous to the car concerned
Yes condensers were before this model. Mercedes were pretty advanced at the time.
And great to hear it brings back some memories that’s awesome, I love listening to my grandad tell me the old motoring story’s they seemed to always turn into a funny tale
@@sprautos condensers seemed to be an underated item just because it was small and cylinder shaped with a two inch black wire and spade connector soldered on to it and in days gone by people would change spark plugs sets of points HT leads etc. and still suffer rough running all for the sake of a condenser that cost the same as a spark plug around 7 shillings and six pence (7/6) in old pre-decimal coinage.
I had the 350 V8 version of this car. Absolutely loved it!
That Nathan is a jet, you'd be lost without him.
Your a master mechanic.
Top detective work ! Top job from a Merc' specialist 👍🏼
Thank you 🙏
Thank you 🙏
great video nice to see someone still working on these cars ,I you were closer I'd send my W123 to you definitely ,so hard to find someone .
Gorgeous 300SL in red. Nice work substituting the crank sensor.
What a great channel - so refreshing to see professionals producing good content. If you tell me the part number of the crank shaft position sensor, I might be able to find a source. It is difficult to fix cars, film and edit...and run a business and I hope this channel continues to go from strength to strength. Mike
Thanks Mike, it certainly is difficult especially when we’re always busy.
Cracking content, love to see the classics kept going. Thank you 🙏
As a way of keeping these old mercs on the road & the parts situation,is there anyway you could find a part that's plentiful & say drill the hole bigger & are there any manufacturers that make an adapter of sorts. I love old mercs as they're built like tanks & made to last. Great channel 👍
Great video. I wish you guys lived in my part of the world ( western Washington State USA) and could take care of my ‘85 Mercedes 380 SL.
i'm from canada and if that was my car i would oil spray the bottom and inside the fenders and doors .
they offer this professionally here and it saves the car from rusting !
i start doing this after a mercedes i owned completely rusted out from the road salt we have here .
now i have 2 mercedes and a dodge nitro oil sprayed every fall and there is not a speck of rust on any .
the nitro is 18 years od and looks like new !
the S 550 10 years old and my slc 7 years old , all tip top shape !
Loved watching this, can’t beat the classics
Really thought you were going to head for the voltage regulator relay (behind the battery on W124s I think) but would you know, it turned out to be the cps! The condition underneath was very nice indeed, lucky owner. Nice to see you guys using seat and wing protectors. I've done the whole diZZy cap and rotor faff on my W124 300TE and always use original MB filters, back to silky smooth. I love those SLs❤....one day maybe!!!
I really enjoyed watching this. Well done persevering with it.
Great work persevering with that nightmare of a job!
I’d bloody love one of these as a daily driver; at least if I’m spending cash keeping it going I wouldn’t resent it half as much as I resent spending money on a crappy 2010 focus.
Amazing and educational video as always. Keep them coming.
🙏
As a motorcycle mechanic i always use original filters the pressure is better and the pressure valve inside the filter works better 😊
That’s great to know being a biker my self, it’s what I’ve always been told on this style of filter.