Ronnie's New Toy - off topic (Mercedes)

[Ronnie]

Anyone here know anything about a Mercedes?

 

My cousin passed away recently and left me his small 1996 C220 4 door with 77k. Body and interior looks new other than the headliner drooping at the rear window. It's black so the heat probably did that. Not been driven in over 5 years. Not been started in 2-3 years. Bad battery won't charge up but starter will turn with a boost. Original tires dry rotted and it I think the fuel pump is stuck because it won't try to run without a sniff of starting fluid or WD-40. I know nothing about a Mercedes. Need to find a repair manual for it.

 

[2seater]

I know little about Mercedes, but it looks like a handy car to have around. Not dazzling styling but not offensive either. Nice little addition to the stable👍

[DAVES89]

I went online and read the reviews. It sounds like a Reatta with a different shell. Electrical problems can be an issue. They spoke about an ignition loom, directionals, brake lights, interior lights all being an issue [for some]. Also a constant "Service Engine Soon" issue. Keep in mind there were only 50 reviews and I'm sure Mercedes made way more then 50 cars.

 Overall the ride and looks were outstanding. So it seems like a very nice car especially for the price you paid...

[Ronnie]

I found the same thing about problems when reading about them online. Does sound a lot like a Reatta with all it's quirks. It will be something new to tinker with, and who knows?, it might be a replacement for my Reatta.  😜 It's kind of cool and it has a power sun roof (that I'm afraid to open), and like the Reatta, it has a low power to weight ratio that I'm use to. 🙂 

 

I'm hoping my ODB2 scanner will connect to it so I can pull codes when I get it home and start checking it out. That may be a while because it is in probate right now and I can't get a title until it is approved by the court. I can still do whatever I want but don't want to spend any money until I have a clear title in hand. My first expense will be buying a repair manual if I can find one at a reasonable price. A cheap one in .pdf format would be good enough for me if I can get one.

 

One thing Mercedes did right on that model is mounting the fuel pump and filter outside the tank on a frame rail so you can access it by removing a panel under the car. I was told by his daughter that the gas gauge isn't working properly. The sender may be stuck or dirty from sitting so long. It can be changed without removing the tank on this model but need a special Mercedes tool to do it. I might be able to make a the tool if I can find it online and get a look at it. I'm going to try some gas additives in the gas before I do. It might start working again after driving it for a while with Seafoam or Techron additive in it.

 

No doubt I will run into a lot of unexpected problems from it sitting so long but I can't beat the price. 🙂 

 

 

[DAVES89]

If you can get it past the moderator why don't you start a new post of the trials and tribulations of your new car?

[ship]

I googled 1996 Mercedes C220 here 1996 Mercedes-Benz C220 Problems and Complaints - 27 Issues (repairpal.com).  Apparently, they were produced from '94 thru '96.

[Ronnie]

47 minutes ago, DAVES89 said:

If you can get it past the moderator why don't you start a new post of the trials and tribulations of your new car?

I'll contact the moderator and see if he will let me do that. To be honest I didn't think anyone would find any interest in knowing about it.

[Ronnie]

16 minutes ago, ship said:

I googled 1996 Mercedes C220 here 1996 Mercedes-Benz C220 Problems and Complaints - 27 Issues (repairpal.com).  Apparently, they were produced from '94 thru '96.

Thanks for the link to the list. That's a pretty long list but I guess the list for a Reatta would be pretty long to. I'll check out a lot of those things on the list before starting to spend money on it. Right now I know I'm looking at new tires, battery and probably a fuel pump and filter. That puts me up to about $1000 for sure and who knows what else it will need. I won't spend any money until I get it running and drive it to find out. I saw no leaks under the car so that's a good sign. My cousin bought it new and always had it serviced at the MB dealer so I know it's not been molested by a shade tree mechanic like me. 🙂 That's another thing it's got going for it. Even if it was in good shape I doubt if it's worth a lot of money.

[DAVES89]

If you want to save on a few bucks start going to salvage yards and get a used battery and tires. You can buy a battery for less then $30.00 and a set of four tires for less then $300.00. At least that's the going rate around here.

Or try Craigslist or face book for tires. If I need 16" tires I just enter r16" tires. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by DAVES89

[Ronnie]

Thanks for the tip Dave. The battery is an oddball group 49 that goes in a compartment in the trunk so will probably have to stick with that size.  Might have to buy that new (about $200) but I will check with the local yards first. There is a place near here that sells used tires so I will check with them as well as the yards. It has 195/65-15 tires on it but the more popular 205/65-15 might fit and would be easier to find. I'm going to keep the cost down as much as possible but want to make it reliable. I will probably sell it on down the road. I don't have room in the garage for an extra car that I don't really need.

[Ronnie]

Be thankful that Reatta owners have this and other forums where you can ask a question and get replies without being spammed to death with advertisements that pop up so much that you can't hardly read a post.

 

I joined the Mercedes forum, which is a huge forum with lots of information, but the popup advertisements render it almost useless. Every time I get on it I get so frustrated I can hardly wait to get off. If this forum had to be like that I would shut it down.

[Padgett]

Adblock ? Firefox can turn off pop-ups. There are Merc service manual CDs on eBay

[Ronnie]

On 5/13/2023 at 4:12 PM, Padgett said:

Adblock ? Firefox can turn off pop-ups. There are Merc service manual CDs on eBay

Sorry for the slow reply. The MBWorld forum has some kind of pop-up ads that appear to float as you scroll through posts.  Very annoying. Adblock won't hide them for me. I found the BenzWorld forum and joined it. They have ads between posts that are easy to scroll past. They have an option to pay a small annual fee that will get rid of them. Once I have the Mercedes home I will buy one of the service manuals on CD off eBay and pay the fee to be a premium member to avoid the ads.

[Ronnie]

Finally got the Mercedes home. It's like having a new toy to play with. The security system was what was keeping the fuel pump from running. Once I figured out how to deactivate the security system the fuel pump started running and the engine started.

 

First step will be giving it a bath. Then I need to drain out the old gas and change the fuel filter. I got about 1/2 cup sample of gas out of the Schrader valve and it had a lot of water in it. I'm surprised it ran well enough to drive it home with that much water in the gas.

 

[DAVES89]

Glad it was a fairly simple fix. Really a pretty car. I'm sure you are going to like it.

[Ronnie]

1 hour ago, DAVES89 said:

Really a pretty car. I'm sure you are going to like it.

Thanks Dave. Other than bringing routine maintenance up to date it needs some of the normal old car stuff fixed. Dry rotted tires need placing, power antenna cable is broken, power outside mirror switch not working, sagging headliner, and probably a battery are the apparent things I've found so far. The battery charged up and starts the engine just fine but I'm betting it's weak after sitting dead for a few years. I'm going to see if I can find some good used tires and a battery if needed. The headliner is the big one I'm dreading. Never done that before.

 

 

[DAVES89]

Hopefully the removal won't be that hard. After you get it out if you don't want to redo it maybe take it to an auto upholstery shop and have them do it.

[ship]

Very nice-looking car, Ronnie.  A new toy to play with.  I replaced the headliner on my previously owned '92 Riviera.  I had to take out the back bottom seats, interior panels, window trim, etc., in order to remove the headliner panel.  It was a pain in the butt.

Enjoy the car! 

[Ronnie]

Thanks Ship. It's cleaning up pretty good. Paint is good but needs buffing and waxing. Interior looks practically new other than the headliner.

 

I drained the gas tank yesterday. I have a new fuel filter that I will be installing today. After adding fresh gas, and a bottle of Heet in case there is still some water in the tan, it will be ready for another test drive to see how it runs.

 

I found a Youtube video that shows how to take the headliner out. I'm going to follow Dave's advice on getting an upholstery shop to cover it. I'm not quite ready to do it yet. As a temporary measure I might try some of these buttons to hold it up until I get it done properly. I won't be putting them as close together as the photo shows. I think just a few will hold what is loose right now.

 

[Ronnie]

On 5/5/2023 at 10:47 PM, Ronnie said:

Not been driven in over 5 years. Not been started in 2-3 years. Bad battery won't charge up but starter will turn with a boost.

I forgot to mention the reason the battery wouldn't take a charge when I first tried to charge it. My cousin had the switch on his battery charger I was using set to AGM Battery. When I set it to Normal Battery it charged the battery enough to start the engine. After I get the engine running good I will drive to an auto parts store and get the battery tested. I'll bet the tester will show the battery is weak. but who knows, the battery might be good.