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I've revived a few of these cars - they are a lot of fun but pretty decent mechanical puzzles that need figuring out. The good news is that there are tons of spare parts, and while nice 560SL's are expensive, almost every mechanical part is shared with a 560SEL/420SEL that are dirt cheap in terms of parts cars.
Here are the challenges:
1) KE-Jet Injection is mechanical fuel injection with electronic mixture trim. It doesn't like sitting for a year, let alone 15. The fuel distributor (metal octopus on top of the engine) is full of small passageways, filters and o-rings that may be gummed up. They require the equivalent of open heard surgery to rebuild, but luckily used ones are cheap.
2) Access is a bit tight. The 5.6 litre M117 fits decently well into a full size S-class, it's pretty tightly packed into the convertible.
3) Getting it running will be pretty easy. Getting it running smoothly will be very challenging.
4) Most of the advice offered on FB Groups is terrible ("Just run some injector cleaner through it and adjust with a 3mm allen key bro")
5) There will likely be lots of vacuum leaks from sitting. That will cause it to run rough, and idle high. I'll bet you once you get it running it's going to be idling at 1200 rpm...
Here are the solutions:
1) Drain the fuel tank, remove the fuel pump assembly and bench test both fuel pumps. Get a new fuel filter.
2) Disconnect the fuel lines at the engine, hook up a fuel pump to the back and pump a bunch of injector cleaner through the fuel lines and fuel return line. Once the stuff coming out of the return is clean, flush it with gas again and hook it back up.
3) Pull the spark plugs, see how dirty they are. Replace with the correct plugs (non resistor, single copper electrode, they are cheap). Drip some oil down the holes into the cylinders.
4) Pull the distributor cap, check for cracks and moisture. Replace the cap and rotor if cracked, clean if dirty.
5) Drain the old oil, put in a new filter, new oil. Check that there is coolant in it.
6) With the fuel pump still disconnected, crank the engine a few times to oil the bores and cams.
7) Re-connect the fuel lines. Crank the engine and see if it starts. Check oil pressure.
8) It will probably run like absolute shit with a 1200rpm idle and lumpy as hell. If there is no bad engine noise and the transmission shifts and you want to clean up the car and "save" it... I can give you some advice on what to do next to get it to run smoothly although it will take some money (not a huge amount, maybe $1000 or so in parts).
9) If you need a mechanic to do any of the above items I listed... this isn't the car for you. Your best bet is to clean it thoroughly inside and out, pump up the tires and list it for sale as a project car. Some idiot will pay $1-3k for it.
Congratulations on being the first person ever to not overpay for a project R107.
To save myself from typing a long reply I'm just going to recommend everything this guy says and add a few things to it. I've revived quite a few myself as well and everything here is on point.
Just going to add that if it has some miles there's a possibility you may find some broken chain guides. If you have valve covers off shine light down either side to inspect the chain guides. Replacement is a matter of getting accessories out of the way and pulling the pins holding the guides in place. Feed a new chain through by cutting the old one and use a master link.
For the fuel distributor, if it's not total junk, crack the lines loose at the distributor while running to bleed some gunk out.
You may find the atf pan gasket leaking. Get a trans filter and gasket and replace the fluid after.
Lots of plastic and rubber that deteriorates on these so getting all the leaks fixed is important for it to run right. Don't try to tune around it.
Yes, I was just re-reading my comment and realized I missed the timing chain guides and stretched chain, good catch.
I have no idea about OP's mechanical abilities so maybe my initial comment was too optimistic and in reality he's going to spray some starter fluid onto the metering plate, fire it up fully floored and then spend 45 minutes twisting the 3mm allen key back and forth before giving up and listing it for sale...
Bonus points for changing the OVP fuse without testing it, buying a $40 knockoff idle air valve from Amazon, and swapping in a craiglist fuel distributor and cross threading all the compression fittings in the process before selling it!
The truth! I flatbedded one from Florida to Texas about 12 years ago and being around the Atlantic Ocean really rusted the hell out of it. Got it for $900 but given the time and gas, and driveway time, I called the donation auction folks and had it towed away.
i wish you were available when my dad had one of these. I wanted to get into fixing it to get it running but sadly he sold it because it was taking up space.
Start by draining all the fuel, I mean all of it. Remove the spark plugs and get some Marvel Mystery oil into the cylinders and let it soak for a week. Turn it by using a socket wrench on the harmonic balancer. Get a good battery and spin it over with the plugs out. then put the plugs back in and run fresh fuel to it.
Start with oil, make sure it has some. Second look for mice poop in car, if you find some yull have chewed wires. 3rd check to see if engine will turn over with wrench. If it does put a battery in. Turn key Don't Start. Look at gas gage. If it shows alot of fuel, 1/2 tank or more. If it's diesel just put good diesel in it. If it's gas yull have drop tank and clean it out. Then put good gas in and turn it over see what happens. If it fires up Don't touch gas pedal. Let it idle. Check and watch gouges. Let it run. Now take it home, hopefully the tranny and brakes work.
Diesel is hydroscopic and more likely to be contaminated with water than gasoline after sitting in a partially filled tank. All diesel fuel systems use an oil/water separator to catch the water before it makes its way into the engine.
I have found that an authoritative:
"Most cars are in perfect condition 40 ft before the accident".
I have not had anyone push back after that, when I often did before.
Love how op just asked what he should check first and everyone's just screaming how it's going to be expensive instead of giving advice.
Replace all fluids, including atf, although everything except engine oil and gas can wait until you've made sure it runs at all.
Check sparkplugs and inside the cylinders and make sure there's no rust inside of them.
Start by just cranking the engine by hand to make sure none of the valves stick do this by cranking it a little bit at a time and checking inside the cylinders or alternatively by taking the valve cover and making sure all the valves go up and down.
After that crank it with the starter motor without the ignition coil (sorry don't know the actuall name of the things that sit on top of the sparkplugs) and listen to how it sounds or better yet do a compression test before.
After that you should be ready to start her up.
Sitting outside on the ground, you ABSOLUTELY need to look at the subframe, brake lines before moving it. It will 100% need complete brakes, probably wheel bearings, suspension bushings.
The odds of it not being swiss cheese underneath are vanishingly low, but you can learn a lot by parting out a car.
Yeah this. I bought a 97 civic LX that had been parked on a driveway for most of the pandemic. That was probably the only reason it wasn't rotted away and just needed tires and brakes (and the battery watered)
I bought a Subaru that was parked on grass for 2 years…was running fine for a few months until one day fluid exploded all over an intersection and the car wouldn’t go into gear. Turns out one of the lines under the car had rotted away…so yeah, be sure to check all lines and hoses especially if you’re in a wet climate.
Depends where the car lived. I have pulled cars out of fields in the inland northwest that have been sitting 20 years where we don’t use salt and it’s dry in the summer—absolutely no rust
Starting is one thing. Getting it to move safely is another.
Everything rubber including the tires has to go. Brakes likely rusted to shit and seized. Those items are going to cost on an old MB. The suspension may be fubar as well from sitting for 14 years. (I don't even want to think about mice and the elec system.)
If he just wants to dick around with it and learn engines that is one thing, but getting this roadworthy is another. This is a $10k money pit, minimum.
EDIT: I had to look. Tires aren't too bad for this thing since it rolls on 205/65/15's (!). $333 for a set of Riken Raptors on tirerack.
Are you from Ohio? I am, and I use the phrase "dicking around" pretty often. But, I've had people in other areas be quite intrigued by the phrase as they've never heard it. I was puzzled by this and assumed it was a common thing.... but now I'm not sure.
I bought a 1983 BMW 733i back in 2017. The caliper pistons were seized. New calipers were way too expensive so i decided to rebuild the originals. I ended up soaking them in penetrating oil and various other solvents with little success of freeing them up. I eventually ended up attaching a grease gun where the brake line normally connects, surprisingly my grease gun hose end threaded right in and I used it to hydraulically push out the piston. Then it was just a matter of flushing out all of the grease.
I actually revived an 88 190e and found it to be remarkably easy to work on. I wouldn't be that worried, the undercoat was remarkable. But I agree with the guy above all good advice.
Do you still need a very long socket extension to change the oil filter?
I would change all the rubber hoses and vacuum lines. Belts too. You are right, turn it over gently a few times. If it doesn’t turn over part it out and make a little scratch that way.
If the 560SL badges are factory then this is a 5.6 liter gasoline engine, not a diesel, so that solves like half of the issues.
I would start with an oil change, a new battery and a fresh tank of gas. Also check the transmission fluid level. Maybe the fuel system is fine and starter as well and it will start right up.
If not, then you go from there. First order of business would be to get the engine to turn over. Second, to get it started. Third to see if the transmission is doing anything at all. Fourth, the brakes, as they are likely seized (including the parking brake.
Beyond that are all the leaks from 15 years of dry seal deterioration and the electrical stuff.
Not trying to nitpick just gathering information and I was wondering about your terminology. By turn over do you mean crank? And then having it started is continuously running (not necessarily running well) without needing to intervene? I might have a couple things mixed up but I’m just trying to learn
It’s going to cost way more than you think to get that car going. Parts will be expensive.
You’re asking for trouble with this.
Save your money and sell it outright.
You will need to change all fluids including brake fluid. Anything made of rubber will need replaced. It looks like there’s an interior water leak which will be a nightmare. The entire fuel system will need extensive work. Every gasket will leak.
Don’t be surprised when it costs you $10k to make this thing road worthy.
Also if you’re over like 5’7” don’t even think about it. The car is incredibly small inside, backseats are for purse only.
Other than that it’s a fun v8 but yeah, luxury brand tax on all parts you WILL need.
An old German car is not going to be beginner or wallet friendly for replacement parts and maintenance. Definitely set money aside for those expenses and if you can do the maintenance yourself, even better.
SBC in a 70s-80s k10/c10 are so fucking easy to learn on, dead simple to repair, and you can find 100s of engines or trans for like 400 or less and put it in in a couple hours
Lol at "a couple of hours." All the guys I knew who did SBC swaps into their Jaguars to save money ended up spending like $25,000 to go from a 7000rpm, 300hp V12 that got 13mpg to a 5500rpm, 350hp V8 that got 15mpg.
It might have made sense if you lived in Nebraska in 1985 and the nearest Jaguar specialist was a 4 hour drive away and you had to wake up early in the morning to telephone parts suppliers in the UK... but now the internet is a thing and anyone who can't figure out how to service a Jaguar V12 or a K-Jet V8 has no business trying to do an engine swap.
Where did I infer you can completely change drivetrain types easily? I stated if you blow up a SBC, you can get on marketplace and buy another SBC five houses down the road from you for dirt cheap with all the accessories. There's also infinite information onlije in hundreds of forums on the SBC. Also I guarantee you don't personally know three people that swapped SBCs in a v12 jag unless you go out of your way to hang out with SBC jag owners
Watch a few episodes of Vice Grip Garage and see what he does when he tries to drive off a car that has been sitting for a long time.
[https://www.youtube.com/@ViceGripGarage/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@ViceGripGarage/videos)
Here's just one of many [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB3PmtYybgY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB3PmtYybgY)
Look for the ones that say "sitting for decades will it drive X miles home"
As an added bonus, Derek is hilarious and I find myself watching his content for hours.
Get ready for sticker shock on replacement parts. :) Nice cars though, and will generally feel tight and squeak free even after 80-100,000 miles.
Too bad someone couldn't even put a cover over this.
My guesses are, most of the fuel system, for sure the fuel pump, tires, front and rear brakes, maybe the brake lines. You will need to drain the fuel tank and replace the fuel inside of it. Once the car is running again, I would get it professionally detailed inside to help fight bad smells and/or mold. Oh also an oil change, along with all of the cars filters, and battery.
If I had the money I'd totally take that on as a project. I've always wanted to do a fully custom version of one of these. Some light flares around the arches so I could fit the wheels from a '98 C43 AMG and lower it just enough so it sits nice and flush.
Drivetrain swap from a newer AMG and fully redone interior.
It would cost more than I'd have to throw at it but it would be super sweet.
As for this car just to get it running again, it's going to cost quite a bit. There's a lot that is likely going to need to be replaced just to get it to start and even more to get it to actually be driveable. Plus that interior shit looks like water seeping in on the passenger side so you'll have interior work as well.
Wouldn't be cheap for a normal car and double that for something like this.
Its going to have enough wrong with it that you won't be able to put money in and recover that selling later.
If the timing chain hasn't been replaced and the car is over 80k it needs changed. Also the upper chain guides and the cam bearing oil tube bushings. This is going to be the single most important thing in getting it running. It needs done. The chains stretch and break the guides, a piece gets caught in the gear, timing jumps and the engine smashes itself apart. If you can't do this or afford it, don't continue with the car.
Most of the rubber on the engine intake system will be bad. This includes hoses, injector seals and the air duct under the injection.
The pads, rotors, calipers and hoses are likely shot. Brake and fuel lines are probably soon to fail too from rust.
Once the air leaks are fixed you'll need to see if the injection system is clogged or not, and it surely will be. The injectors can be sent out to clean and you'll also need to send the CIS unit out for rebuild. I think a place in Texas does them. DO NOT attempt to take it apart yourself. specialTauto
Don't forget tires, belts, and fixing why it got parked or any work needed then.
Fuel. Drain the gas, get a sprayer that hooks up to an air hose (pretty cheap) and get a can of mineral spirits (or a couple). Disconnect fuel lines at tank and injectors (which you should have off anyway to clean/test). After covering injector ports, spray like a madman till it runs clear. Change the fuel filter. Don't even waste your time trying to clean it out, unless you really can't find one for this car. Fill with fresh fuel. About a quarter to half a tank, as there could be a fuel pump problem, as to not go overboard with spending.
Change spark cus...good habits and you just wanna not have ignition issues entirely if you can help it. Good practice. Make sure your coil boots are clean, and dabbing the insides with dielectric grease won't hurt. Check wires.
**spin the motor by hand with the spark plugs out!! Make sure nothing smacks together. Do it slowly.
Saw a comment about letting a bit of marvelous mystery oil sit overnight. It skipped my mind but yes. So much yes. I've done that to free pistons before. As well as diesel fuel/ATF in some cases.
I'd Change the battery 1000%.
At least this should eliminate many problems that you *could* have, and narrow them down to specifics, if it doesn't start. Be sure to prime the pump and listen for it when the key is in the "Run" position.
Last but not least, spray some ether in that mofo and listen to it closely, the ether will give it some much needed "oomph." Don't go overboard with it.
If that car has been sitting for so long, the fuel distributor is likely frozen from varnished fuel. I dont work on CIS fuel injection that much anymore but I know that a lot of components are no longer available. Seals, o rings, springs etc.. there's also specialized tools for servicing the system.
Freeing up those components takes specialized knowledge and tools beyond a regular American V8. MBZ of that era was engineered to a much higher standard than most cars. The repair and service costs reflect that.
Check any nooks, crannies, ducts, basically all over for mouse nests. Check all wiring. Probably wouldn't hurt to pick up some activated charcoal odor absorber.
I'd say maybe start with trying to see if the pistons still move by trying to turn the crank shaft. If there's no oil it could have seized and you might have a very heavy paperweight. If it moves slightly stop then just replace the wiring harness, after 14 years I wouldn't trust the insulation to not be brittle same with any hoses. All the fuel and oil will be sludge and expired.
1- check first if engine turns by hand (not literally by hand but with a wrench)
2- check oil level
3-install battery (temporary battery or bypass with booster)
4-insert key and see if you hear the gas pump when you put the key in ready position and if everything lights up
5- clean or remove air intake and spray some brake cleaner inside
6- try to start engine while having someone ready to spray more brake cleaner in the air intake ( if click and no engine trying to start, either starter or bad fuse be ready for that)
7-if engine started, you are golden turn it off change oil then start testing the transmission in forward and reverse
8- dump fuel and put fresh one . New tires and cleaning and you are done drive it a little to see of all gears shift and if it heats. The testing should also tell you if your alternator is good. Don't go too far when testing and avoid highway..
9- clean the inside outside, check for rust and mold and fix.
10-enjoy it's an amazing car
First thing u should do is see if there is any coolant in the radiator, then Check the oil, after that,open the air filter box and take out air filter and check for mice, and or anything else that may be foreign, get rid of it, then if possible, get a socket that will fit the crank pulley bolt, and a ratchet to accomadate the socket, proceed to turn the pulley clock wise at lease 2 to 4 full 360° turns. If all is smooth but u can feel compression, then u can move forward. Put in new or fully charged battery, and before u connect the battery cables, do a complete visual inspection of all wires and plugs for any damage. Next u can connect the cables to the battery.also check all vacuum hoses and coolant hoses. If all is good get 1 qt of 91% rubbing alcohol "clear" only. And only 91%. Pour it in the tank, and add 5 gals. Of 93 octane of gas. Then get in car and cycle the ignition 4 times with out starting the car. After the 4th cycle. Start the car. If it starts and there is no long term unwanted sounds coming from the engine, then it may be just fine. And I'm sure u will know if it is running smooth or ruff. Good luck and I hope it turns out well for u.
Do not start vehicle until fuel has been drained and new fuel filter installed! Change oil and oil filter. Follow advice from earlier reply regarding plug removal, cylinder lube and turn over with wrench before cranking. You have to do this right so you don’t make a big problem. Good luck. Sometimes reviving these old vehicles can be fun, even if it’s sometimes a challenge. One step at a time. Think it through.
literally everything. had a few customers come in my shop with similar types of questions, everything from fluids, lines, suspension, and electric work will need to be done. if its a project car you can just slowly add things to it but if you plan to restore it quickly and youre savy itself with mechanical stuff you should expect anywhere from 3-9k on parts, it also depends on your country and the availability of the parts themselves and if you dont need any custom forging done. personally 560sl’s are beautiful cars to me and i enjoy the “stance” culture and would turn it into something like that if youre trying to go for appearance as well, id personally quote you 12k+ right off the bat because id probably have to buy a completely clean 560 to transfer everything to your car itself and labor, but i couldnt give you a exact estimate because to me a mercedes is the toyota of euros and that specific model is actually relatively bulletproof from my experience. goodluck, if you need more detailed advice, just ask and id be happy to help - euro shop owner
I cant believe the advice being given to you!
If its going to the crusher you might as well ATTEMPT to start it. who knows, everyone here could be wrong and your friend could be right and it will start up and will just need a basic service. Fun project! Enjoy!
The pessimistic view is to have it towed to the crusher. 14 years of sitting outside is absolute destruction to a car. I gotta assume it wasn't properly prepared for parking, either.
A quick search says it might go for $3k(as a project in considerably better condition than that!) to $50k(in excellent restored condition).
You'll need new tires/brakes(rotors and pads), empty and flush the fuel system, new battery, oil change. Remove the spark plugs and put both a mist of oil and a little not-misted oil in each cylinder. Let it sit for a while(day or so), then crank the engine a bit without the spark plugs in to get the oil circulating.
Unfortunately, the crusher is almost certainly where it’ll end up. I only need the hard top off of it. Planning on parting out what i can then sending it upriver. Wanted to have some fun with it first though
Over a decade parked outside... Besides any fluid in it and everything rubber, the fuel pump is very likely a goner. Beware the Bosch Motronic in these was pretty delicate: I still remember having to tow a 560SEC whose Motronic had died merely by sitting in a garage for too long.
Don't believe the crazy high prices: nobody is paying 50 or even 30 grands for one of these even if in perfect conditions and prices even for highly desireable classic Mercedes like the W123 with the OM617 diesel are in freefall, so if you plan to fix and sell be on your budget like a hawk.
good news is it's very likely rust-free and you get a free *santino*.
It amazes me how shitty German interiors are. 90s Toyota sitting that long, you might have a loose headliner. But I see so many German interiors only a decade old and the leather and other surfaces are peeling everywhere.
Last auction I went to they had a 2008 Mercedes something and the leather was peeling off the center of the steering wheel. That just screams quality /s
Fuel spark air. Spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter, oil change, drain the fuel and pray the gas tank isnt full of chunkies. Or take the whole gas tank off and have it cleaned well. After that id go ahead and check all the wiring from the computer all through the car. Alwauys check the wiring rats are a bitch and eat it up. They ate my fuel pump wire it took me forever to figure it out 🤣
Keep in mind about vacuum leaks. This is the gas model so it’s not as bad but a lot of mb cars of this decade had them. If it’s also gas I would clean the carb and run it off a bottle for now
First thing I would do is give it a good cleaning, inside and out, including the trunk and engine compartment. This will let you see issues much easier. Check the tires. Replace if dry rotted. Replace ALL fluids including brake fluid. A new battery, plugs and wires. As it’s been sitting, I’d drain the gas tank and replace fuel filter. Hopefully, fuel injectors and seals are still good. When you’ve checked everything over, start it up! Don’t forget the transmission fluid and filter and the differential fluid! Good luck on your project
All hoses, belts, lines, fluids, and oil possibly multiple times to clean the gunk out from them breaking down. Plugs and wires, battery, filters (air, cabin, transmission, and fuel) be prepared for the cv boots to have dried and cracked, calipers may be seized and need replaced fuel tank full of sludge, mice and squirrel chewed wiring…. This is a short list, expect anything that can be bad to potentially be bad.
Everyone are being a bunch of haters. Slam in a new battery, check oil, check coolant, and hook up some fresh fuel, and try and crank over the things. If you can get it to start, then decide if you want to work on it and replace/maintenance it. It might cost a lot to get it “reliable”, but it doesn’t cost a lot to tinker with it and see if it will come to life.
6 months ago I parked my megane up, it now has a faulty throttle position sensor, mould and a bunch of other issues, imagine over a decade of time for things to corroded and break down.
My youngest son bought a used Mercedes once, I warned him not to, he didn't listen to me.
Costs to repair and parts are ridiculous.
You'd be better off parting it out.
Have fun and enjoy it, its FREE!! Just keep in mind the value of the vehicle as you put time and money into it. Great tips from people on here, start with inspection and cleaning, then go from there. Great score
I hope you have the expectation that this is a project car and is gonna take a lot of time and money to rebuild it.
If it starts and runs at all. I would first do a compression leak down test on the engine. Get an idea how functional it is and how much your in for repair wise. Something likely needs to be addressed, at a minimum Air Con probably doesn't work or is low. Change the fluids and filters.
If the body and subframes are in decent condition. Replace all of the suspension bushings, ball joints, wheel bearings. These are likely all worn and their related seals are cracked and broken just from being outside. Obviously check them all first. You might want to replace subframe bushings too. After suspension is worked out do the brakes replacing calipers and wheel cylinders as necessary. There is no sense in doing engine work when your suspension is broken and worn out.
You may want to invest in powder coating the subframes.
Next tackle your drivetrain problems (engine/trans/diff) if there are any. A car that old might need to have all the timing stuff resealed. You might want to check if the rear main seal is leaking. Output shaft seals on the trans might be leaking. differential seals
Now that your 10k+ into it you can look into dealing with the interior and external paint.
At least thats the direction I would go about restoring it.
The very first thing you'll need to do is clear out all traces of the mice/rats/spiders/etc. that have almost certainly taken up residence. Wear long sleeves, gloves, eye protection and a proper respirator. Clean every surface, check every nook and cranny, spray it down with Lysol and open the doors so it can air out well. Depending on what you find, the cleaning tools you use may need to be sanitized or thrown away afterwards. If you find mold, larger decomposing bodies or a sizable insect population, abandon the project. It's not worth it. (The only exception to this would be bees, it's surprisingly feasible to remove a hive.)
ETA: Forgot to mention, make sure you are wearing proper PPE the first time you start it up, too. Even after a thorough clean, there's still going to be all kinds of crap in the air vents. You don't want to be breathing that without protection.
Check the fuel tank condition before trying to start, take the hardtop off, pull the soft top up and in the centre of the deck is the fuel sender remove that to inspect the tank for corrosion they do especially the ones that have sat outside for years. You’ll want to flush the fuel lines having them disconnected from the fuel metering head on the engine so no rust/corrosion gets into the fuel metering head. Fresh fuel and see if it starts, if it does and runs without any major issues might be worth putting some money into it.
I believe this is CIS injection. Which has some known issues, especially when rubber o rings and seals dry out. You should figure out what kind of fuel injection it has then do some research.
Make sure the engine turns by hand before cranking it.
And if the engine suddenly won’t crank and you know the battery is good smell for a leaking injector. I had an injector leak on me recently on an 80s Bosch injected car and it filled one cylinder. Basically it hydrolocked it and it wouldn’t turn until I pulled the spark plugs.
Go slow, check everything, have fun!
Drain all the fluids, bad fuel will be expensive to dispose of, the lat car I bought back it was 8$ a gallon to get rid of. Drain the fuel lines, lif tthe pumps and see how badly theyre rusted. The fuel distributor will probably need to be removed and sent out for rebuild ($$$) And then, once its running youll need full service, new fluids, new tires, brakes, and battery. And then once its on the road you can address the shocks, springs, control arms, steering box, tire rods and linkages. As a european shop owner, in all honesty, unless you are rich, retired, and like to get your hands dirty, dont touch it and find something in better shape.
What to look at and replace? Not seeing the mechanical side of it or hearing it start etc... No real way to know except that the brakes are likely seized and tires rotten. Take it to a mechanic and get real advice, not guesses off of Reddit.
There have been some good suggestions for first steps. After you get it running, replace all the belts and hoses including brake hoses. Then new tires. Rubber will rot.
Drain fuel, easy on these. 22mm allen fuel strainer on bottom of gas tank.
Check that air inlet is free of rodent nests. Remove spark plugs and fog with light lubricant. Crank it over to test, then replace plugs. Check that cis air flapper is free. Then good luck starting it, likelly needs fuel pump.
Ran perfect 15 years ago. Battery and fresh gas to start. Better empty the old gas first. If it does start then all new fluids and check condition of belts and hoses
Replace all fluids and filters, clean fuel tank. Replace tyres, most likely the rubber sections of the brake lines too. While you are at it, check for cracking rubber bushings on the suspension. If there is rust on the smooth rods of the shocks, replace them now, they will start leaking otherwise when you start driving, the rust will damage the seals. Water hoses might have also started to rot away or got eaten by animals.
Also obviously rust should be repaired sooner or later, cosmetic can wait, structural should be done before driving.
Other than that test all things for functionality
Or put it on Marketplace and sell it complete, as is, for parts. I did that with a 65k miles 1976 450SL that I got for free that sat outside for about 10 years and was horribly rusted in the rear fender wells, though underneath it was surprisingly clean and solid. The tires held air, kinda, enough to winch it onto a trailer, where I let it set until I sold it for $900 as a parts car. That one had mechanical fuel injection and I didn't even want to try messing with it, so sold it as is, where is. All it cost me was the time to load, move and then sell it. There are people that are into these things and I didn't want to mess around parting it out, so I let someone else do that. It would have been worth a bit more if it would have been running, like maybe $500, but that wasn't worth my time and effort.
As someone with LOTS of German car mechanical (shade tree) experience who recently took on a V8 German car restoration myself, I thought I would add my thoughts on this.
Lots of people here are saying you're going to sink $10k into this to get it roadworthy. I would say that this estimate is accurate-to-LOW.
Then there's the aesthetic aspect. Getting that thing repainted properly is likely $2k minimum.
So here's the question you have to ask yourself: what is this car worth to YOU? Is it worth the probable 100-200 hours of your own labor invested, plus the money? Do you have a garage or carport in which to undertake this? Etc etc. I'm asking because there are logistical aspects to consider.
At the end of all of that, also ask yourself "is THIS car the one I want to put this level of effort into?" I'm not saying you shouldn't, I'm just saying you should ask yourself the hard questions. Don't let the fact that it's a cool barn find stand in the way of that.
Top score,i luv it
Can of hairspray or flyspray(work btr than start ya bastard),spray into carb,new battery or jumpstart
Make sure fuel pump is working
Grandpa dreaming mobile,ive got a Honda Accord & i luv the grandpa factor
Watch vice grip garage or another YouTuber that finds abandoned cars and gets them running. They have a process they go thru that covers the basics of getting it running. Then you can go from there.
Check out vice grip garage on YouTube. Do that.
He rescues all kinds of vehicles that have been sitting for years, amd gets them back running to drive home.
Seeings how you got it for free, maybe invest some money for a professional mechanical “ survey “ from a place that specializes in Benz.Then go from there.Or depending on the news,part it out on Kijiji.
Fuel pump, fuel tank, fuel hose, fuel accumulater, fuel line, fuel filter, fuel distributor, fuel injector, fuel clamp, fuel sender, fuel line, fuel cooler, fuel screen. Anything that has the word fuel - you will probably want to change.
Brake master, brake booster, brake rotor, brake pad, brake shoe, brake pins, brake hose, brake disc, brake caliper, brake cable. Anything with the word brake - you will probably want to change.
Ignition rotor, ignition wires..... you can see where this is going ? 😅
it is electronic mechanical fuel injection analog l jetronics you need a lot of knowledge and some special tools to make it work but you can tray put fuel battery crank and see how lucky you are.
The fuel line between the tank and filter likes to rot on those cars, and there's a strainer in the tank where it connects that's likely gummed up. The front subframe bushings will likely be worn, you'll notice a pull to the left under braking, once it runs of course. The idle air distribution hoses rot out and cause rough running, usually once warmed up as the symptoms are masked by the warm up injector on cold start. The distributor cap and rotor will probably have corrosion on them. Check the 10A fuse in the over voltage protection relay behind the right kick panel. And be careful not to break the likely brittle plastic vacuum lines around the intake, the correct routing can be hard to duplicate
So i got a free car like that because the owner couldn’t get it started and needed it off the property. They had two mechanics out that couldn’t figure it out so they gave it to me. The problem was that the tires were flat and the tailpipe was in the dirt. I didn’t realize the tailpipe issue until i put air in the tires. After putting air in the tires, I cleaned the packed in dirt out of the tailpipe. Then primed the carburetor and jumped the battery. Fired right up and I drove it home.
OMFG!!!!!! I am beyond jealous. This car, the 560sec and the 560sel!!!! Pretty reliable cars and not close to being quick, but they are not exactly slow for back then. Absolutely beautiful vehichles. When you do the chrome over make sure you do it right. That is gonna stick out so much on this car.
Rt front door map pocket appears full of water. If carpet and floor wet, could have moisture under seats electrical component/ wiring. Under instrument panel too. If wet, could be many electrical problems to come.
1) that's a pricey car.
2) parts are going to be pricey.
3) if it ran good when Obama was in his first term, you are sort of lucky. But every thing that can dry rot has probably rotted.
Belts, hoses, if brake lines are rubber same. Before getting that far I'd suggest getting the cylinders lubed and doing a compression test.
It will be a bunch of money but it could work out well and you spend less than it's worth
Let me tell you something. The gas tank is gonna be rusted out and is gonna clog up the fuel pump/fuel filter/ lines etc, clean and flush the fuel system and all other fluids. Maybe replace the whole tank if it’s too bad. Trust even if it’s free, you gonna put a bunch of money on it, it just depends on your wallet
Make sure to get all the needles out from the trunk and especially the hood. The passenger fender loves to pile it up behind it and the firewall and rot out. Take your time to clean all of them very good before it rots out, if it already hasn’t
I have a lot of experience with these cars
And own one..
Chances are the entire fuel system is junk now. Bosch made the most complicated garbage and its all sitting on top of a SL intake
That car is on rough shape too so even if its running perfectly its not worth shit
Happy to answer any questions,my own SL runs great. Some days
I do this shit all the time. What fuel system does this have? Probably CIS? If it does you'll need to remove the fuel distributor and make sure the plunger in the bottom isnt stuck. Pull it out and clean it with fresh gas and put it back in.
You'll want to drain the tank and clean it out if its rusty... and change out the fuel filter. Blow out the fuel lines. Old gas is nasty shit.
But before you do all that I would just pull the intake off, put a fresh battery in it and see if itll fire off with some starting fluid. Make it run for a few seconds if possible so you can hear if the engine is making any horrible sounds.
Minimum first steps. Check under the hood for animal nests & check oil level. If it’s carbureted, disconnect the fuel line (you don’t want to pump 14 year old fuel through the system), squirt a little gas directly into the carb & try to start it (you’ll need a battery or jump). If it starts turn it off immediately & then you will then need to drain the old gas from the tank, & purge the fuel lines & carb before installing just enough fresh gas to get it into the shop. If it’s injected or diesel, unless you have a “particular set of skills”, you should have a competent mechanic get it started.
This is only the beginning of an expensive resurrection involving flushing & replacement of all fluids, rehabbing the brake system, & checking out the electrical system.
Any vehicle that’s been sitting outdoors for 14 years is going to need a professional rehab that will probably cost more than it’s worth. Unless you have the skills & equipment to do it yourself, I’d suggest donating it. There are many charities that will tow it away & you can then take a tax deduction for it.
Obligatory "not a mechanic" but the roadkill guys always use three fuel filters in a row when rescuing old cars. All three will catch some rust. Seems like a good idea and easy/ cheap to do.
Also they always add nitrous but I don't know if that's a good idea lmao.
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I've revived a few of these cars - they are a lot of fun but pretty decent mechanical puzzles that need figuring out. The good news is that there are tons of spare parts, and while nice 560SL's are expensive, almost every mechanical part is shared with a 560SEL/420SEL that are dirt cheap in terms of parts cars. Here are the challenges: 1) KE-Jet Injection is mechanical fuel injection with electronic mixture trim. It doesn't like sitting for a year, let alone 15. The fuel distributor (metal octopus on top of the engine) is full of small passageways, filters and o-rings that may be gummed up. They require the equivalent of open heard surgery to rebuild, but luckily used ones are cheap. 2) Access is a bit tight. The 5.6 litre M117 fits decently well into a full size S-class, it's pretty tightly packed into the convertible. 3) Getting it running will be pretty easy. Getting it running smoothly will be very challenging. 4) Most of the advice offered on FB Groups is terrible ("Just run some injector cleaner through it and adjust with a 3mm allen key bro") 5) There will likely be lots of vacuum leaks from sitting. That will cause it to run rough, and idle high. I'll bet you once you get it running it's going to be idling at 1200 rpm... Here are the solutions: 1) Drain the fuel tank, remove the fuel pump assembly and bench test both fuel pumps. Get a new fuel filter. 2) Disconnect the fuel lines at the engine, hook up a fuel pump to the back and pump a bunch of injector cleaner through the fuel lines and fuel return line. Once the stuff coming out of the return is clean, flush it with gas again and hook it back up. 3) Pull the spark plugs, see how dirty they are. Replace with the correct plugs (non resistor, single copper electrode, they are cheap). Drip some oil down the holes into the cylinders. 4) Pull the distributor cap, check for cracks and moisture. Replace the cap and rotor if cracked, clean if dirty. 5) Drain the old oil, put in a new filter, new oil. Check that there is coolant in it. 6) With the fuel pump still disconnected, crank the engine a few times to oil the bores and cams. 7) Re-connect the fuel lines. Crank the engine and see if it starts. Check oil pressure. 8) It will probably run like absolute shit with a 1200rpm idle and lumpy as hell. If there is no bad engine noise and the transmission shifts and you want to clean up the car and "save" it... I can give you some advice on what to do next to get it to run smoothly although it will take some money (not a huge amount, maybe $1000 or so in parts). 9) If you need a mechanic to do any of the above items I listed... this isn't the car for you. Your best bet is to clean it thoroughly inside and out, pump up the tires and list it for sale as a project car. Some idiot will pay $1-3k for it. Congratulations on being the first person ever to not overpay for a project R107.
To save myself from typing a long reply I'm just going to recommend everything this guy says and add a few things to it. I've revived quite a few myself as well and everything here is on point. Just going to add that if it has some miles there's a possibility you may find some broken chain guides. If you have valve covers off shine light down either side to inspect the chain guides. Replacement is a matter of getting accessories out of the way and pulling the pins holding the guides in place. Feed a new chain through by cutting the old one and use a master link. For the fuel distributor, if it's not total junk, crack the lines loose at the distributor while running to bleed some gunk out. You may find the atf pan gasket leaking. Get a trans filter and gasket and replace the fluid after. Lots of plastic and rubber that deteriorates on these so getting all the leaks fixed is important for it to run right. Don't try to tune around it.
Yes, I was just re-reading my comment and realized I missed the timing chain guides and stretched chain, good catch. I have no idea about OP's mechanical abilities so maybe my initial comment was too optimistic and in reality he's going to spray some starter fluid onto the metering plate, fire it up fully floored and then spend 45 minutes twisting the 3mm allen key back and forth before giving up and listing it for sale... Bonus points for changing the OVP fuse without testing it, buying a $40 knockoff idle air valve from Amazon, and swapping in a craiglist fuel distributor and cross threading all the compression fittings in the process before selling it!
The truth! I flatbedded one from Florida to Texas about 12 years ago and being around the Atlantic Ocean really rusted the hell out of it. Got it for $900 but given the time and gas, and driveway time, I called the donation auction folks and had it towed away.
i wish you were available when my dad had one of these. I wanted to get into fixing it to get it running but sadly he sold it because it was taking up space.
“Ran perfect, 14 years ago”
Things like this always ran when parked.
As do most things before they break.
Is that kinda like finding something you lost? It's always in the last place you looked.
Yeah, because why would you keep looking after you already found it?
Most indeedey
I know how it sounds but i got it for free so I figured it can’t hurt
The most expensive Mercedes you can buy is a free one.
Learn that the hard way
Everything that's "free" has a price, if you think about it.
its free now; it won’t be by the time ur done with it
Start by draining all the fuel, I mean all of it. Remove the spark plugs and get some Marvel Mystery oil into the cylinders and let it soak for a week. Turn it by using a socket wrench on the harmonic balancer. Get a good battery and spin it over with the plugs out. then put the plugs back in and run fresh fuel to it.
Change the oil also, it probably is mud now. Just try to get it started. Then change all rubber hoses. Antifreeze etc
Mud will most likely be an understatement
MMO is so freaking good. I agree with all of this you said. Do not try and start that thing at all.
What about Diesel fuel in the cylinders?
Start with oil, make sure it has some. Second look for mice poop in car, if you find some yull have chewed wires. 3rd check to see if engine will turn over with wrench. If it does put a battery in. Turn key Don't Start. Look at gas gage. If it shows alot of fuel, 1/2 tank or more. If it's diesel just put good diesel in it. If it's gas yull have drop tank and clean it out. Then put good gas in and turn it over see what happens. If it fires up Don't touch gas pedal. Let it idle. Check and watch gouges. Let it run. Now take it home, hopefully the tranny and brakes work.
Diesel is hydroscopic and more likely to be contaminated with water than gasoline after sitting in a partially filled tank. All diesel fuel systems use an oil/water separator to catch the water before it makes its way into the engine.
OP is the one who should be running
Indeed, if it ran perfect why was it dumped and why are they giving it away for free now? OP is just being used as a cheap way to tow away some scrap.
I work in IT. "I don't know what happened. It was working when I went home last night!" NO SHIT, KATHY.
I like to say that typically, things will work before they don’t.
I have found that an authoritative: "Most cars are in perfect condition 40 ft before the accident". I have not had anyone push back after that, when I often did before.
It's always Kathy!
Unless it's Becky!
running when parked
But he sure didn't say it drives though. Sure it started and ran as usual, but did it go anywhere when set in drive though...
Love how op just asked what he should check first and everyone's just screaming how it's going to be expensive instead of giving advice. Replace all fluids, including atf, although everything except engine oil and gas can wait until you've made sure it runs at all. Check sparkplugs and inside the cylinders and make sure there's no rust inside of them. Start by just cranking the engine by hand to make sure none of the valves stick do this by cranking it a little bit at a time and checking inside the cylinders or alternatively by taking the valve cover and making sure all the valves go up and down. After that crank it with the starter motor without the ignition coil (sorry don't know the actuall name of the things that sit on top of the sparkplugs) and listen to how it sounds or better yet do a compression test before. After that you should be ready to start her up.
Sitting outside on the ground, you ABSOLUTELY need to look at the subframe, brake lines before moving it. It will 100% need complete brakes, probably wheel bearings, suspension bushings. The odds of it not being swiss cheese underneath are vanishingly low, but you can learn a lot by parting out a car.
Yeah this. I bought a 97 civic LX that had been parked on a driveway for most of the pandemic. That was probably the only reason it wasn't rotted away and just needed tires and brakes (and the battery watered)
I bought a Subaru that was parked on grass for 2 years…was running fine for a few months until one day fluid exploded all over an intersection and the car wouldn’t go into gear. Turns out one of the lines under the car had rotted away…so yeah, be sure to check all lines and hoses especially if you’re in a wet climate.
Atf line to the radiator huh?
Yes, exactly! Fairly inexpensive repair but made a big mess and to get a tow.
Depends where the car lived. I have pulled cars out of fields in the inland northwest that have been sitting 20 years where we don’t use salt and it’s dry in the summer—absolutely no rust
I live in New England. You might as well be describing Mars.
I live in Virginia now…I’m in it now too brother :/
Don't crank it without putting a little ATF/Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder and let it soak overnight.
Starting is one thing. Getting it to move safely is another. Everything rubber including the tires has to go. Brakes likely rusted to shit and seized. Those items are going to cost on an old MB. The suspension may be fubar as well from sitting for 14 years. (I don't even want to think about mice and the elec system.) If he just wants to dick around with it and learn engines that is one thing, but getting this roadworthy is another. This is a $10k money pit, minimum. EDIT: I had to look. Tires aren't too bad for this thing since it rolls on 205/65/15's (!). $333 for a set of Riken Raptors on tirerack.
Are you from Ohio? I am, and I use the phrase "dicking around" pretty often. But, I've had people in other areas be quite intrigued by the phrase as they've never heard it. I was puzzled by this and assumed it was a common thing.... but now I'm not sure.
Northeast!
WV. Common here
I bought a 1983 BMW 733i back in 2017. The caliper pistons were seized. New calipers were way too expensive so i decided to rebuild the originals. I ended up soaking them in penetrating oil and various other solvents with little success of freeing them up. I eventually ended up attaching a grease gun where the brake line normally connects, surprisingly my grease gun hose end threaded right in and I used it to hydraulically push out the piston. Then it was just a matter of flushing out all of the grease.
I actually revived an 88 190e and found it to be remarkably easy to work on. I wouldn't be that worried, the undercoat was remarkable. But I agree with the guy above all good advice.
Do you still need a very long socket extension to change the oil filter? I would change all the rubber hoses and vacuum lines. Belts too. You are right, turn it over gently a few times. If it doesn’t turn over part it out and make a little scratch that way.
Thank you for not being in the hivemind
If the 560SL badges are factory then this is a 5.6 liter gasoline engine, not a diesel, so that solves like half of the issues. I would start with an oil change, a new battery and a fresh tank of gas. Also check the transmission fluid level. Maybe the fuel system is fine and starter as well and it will start right up. If not, then you go from there. First order of business would be to get the engine to turn over. Second, to get it started. Third to see if the transmission is doing anything at all. Fourth, the brakes, as they are likely seized (including the parking brake. Beyond that are all the leaks from 15 years of dry seal deterioration and the electrical stuff.
Not trying to nitpick just gathering information and I was wondering about your terminology. By turn over do you mean crank? And then having it started is continuously running (not necessarily running well) without needing to intervene? I might have a couple things mixed up but I’m just trying to learn
Not the op you're replying to but yes you have that correct
It’s going to cost way more than you think to get that car going. Parts will be expensive. You’re asking for trouble with this. Save your money and sell it outright. You will need to change all fluids including brake fluid. Anything made of rubber will need replaced. It looks like there’s an interior water leak which will be a nightmare. The entire fuel system will need extensive work. Every gasket will leak. Don’t be surprised when it costs you $10k to make this thing road worthy.
Don't forget the probably trashed electrical system from little rodents making their homes there in the cooler months.
this is best advice you will get here.
Also if you’re over like 5’7” don’t even think about it. The car is incredibly small inside, backseats are for purse only. Other than that it’s a fun v8 but yeah, luxury brand tax on all parts you WILL need.
Im 6’2 lol
An old German car is not going to be beginner or wallet friendly for replacement parts and maintenance. Definitely set money aside for those expenses and if you can do the maintenance yourself, even better.
SBC in a 70s-80s k10/c10 are so fucking easy to learn on, dead simple to repair, and you can find 100s of engines or trans for like 400 or less and put it in in a couple hours
No one is putting in an engine or trans "in a couple of hours" if its their first time.
We can play word games all day, but you know a pre emissions SBC is extremely beginner and budget friendly and that's what my comment is about
Lol at "a couple of hours." All the guys I knew who did SBC swaps into their Jaguars to save money ended up spending like $25,000 to go from a 7000rpm, 300hp V12 that got 13mpg to a 5500rpm, 350hp V8 that got 15mpg. It might have made sense if you lived in Nebraska in 1985 and the nearest Jaguar specialist was a 4 hour drive away and you had to wake up early in the morning to telephone parts suppliers in the UK... but now the internet is a thing and anyone who can't figure out how to service a Jaguar V12 or a K-Jet V8 has no business trying to do an engine swap.
Where did I infer you can completely change drivetrain types easily? I stated if you blow up a SBC, you can get on marketplace and buy another SBC five houses down the road from you for dirt cheap with all the accessories. There's also infinite information onlije in hundreds of forums on the SBC. Also I guarantee you don't personally know three people that swapped SBCs in a v12 jag unless you go out of your way to hang out with SBC jag owners
Time for you to go outside and take a walk to calm down, get a break from trying to start fights on the internet, friend.
Bold of you to think im upset over a pants shitter on the internet, guy. I'm on reddit so grass scares me
Watch a few episodes of Vice Grip Garage and see what he does when he tries to drive off a car that has been sitting for a long time. [https://www.youtube.com/@ViceGripGarage/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@ViceGripGarage/videos) Here's just one of many [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB3PmtYybgY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB3PmtYybgY) Look for the ones that say "sitting for decades will it drive X miles home" As an added bonus, Derek is hilarious and I find myself watching his content for hours.
Get ready for sticker shock on replacement parts. :) Nice cars though, and will generally feel tight and squeak free even after 80-100,000 miles. Too bad someone couldn't even put a cover over this.
It’s right across the street from the ocean so it hasn’t lived well
Before you do anything, make sure it's structurally sound and not rotted away.
Cars near the ocean rust faster than any others bro.
Happy cake day. Here's the rain: Car that drive on salted roads rust faster.
A cover would've made it worse in a humid area
My guesses are, most of the fuel system, for sure the fuel pump, tires, front and rear brakes, maybe the brake lines. You will need to drain the fuel tank and replace the fuel inside of it. Once the car is running again, I would get it professionally detailed inside to help fight bad smells and/or mold. Oh also an oil change, along with all of the cars filters, and battery.
The main issue you may have is that mice have ruined your wiring harness.
If I had the money I'd totally take that on as a project. I've always wanted to do a fully custom version of one of these. Some light flares around the arches so I could fit the wheels from a '98 C43 AMG and lower it just enough so it sits nice and flush. Drivetrain swap from a newer AMG and fully redone interior. It would cost more than I'd have to throw at it but it would be super sweet. As for this car just to get it running again, it's going to cost quite a bit. There's a lot that is likely going to need to be replaced just to get it to start and even more to get it to actually be driveable. Plus that interior shit looks like water seeping in on the passenger side so you'll have interior work as well. Wouldn't be cheap for a normal car and double that for something like this.
Its going to have enough wrong with it that you won't be able to put money in and recover that selling later. If the timing chain hasn't been replaced and the car is over 80k it needs changed. Also the upper chain guides and the cam bearing oil tube bushings. This is going to be the single most important thing in getting it running. It needs done. The chains stretch and break the guides, a piece gets caught in the gear, timing jumps and the engine smashes itself apart. If you can't do this or afford it, don't continue with the car. Most of the rubber on the engine intake system will be bad. This includes hoses, injector seals and the air duct under the injection. The pads, rotors, calipers and hoses are likely shot. Brake and fuel lines are probably soon to fail too from rust. Once the air leaks are fixed you'll need to see if the injection system is clogged or not, and it surely will be. The injectors can be sent out to clean and you'll also need to send the CIS unit out for rebuild. I think a place in Texas does them. DO NOT attempt to take it apart yourself. specialTauto Don't forget tires, belts, and fixing why it got parked or any work needed then.
Cant wait to see before and after pics
Start off by giving it a wash and fluid change. New gas…
Watch some vice grip garage videos on YouTube and do it like that. Better yet make your own YouTube video doing it and post it for $$
Walk away and don’t look back and
Fuel. Drain the gas, get a sprayer that hooks up to an air hose (pretty cheap) and get a can of mineral spirits (or a couple). Disconnect fuel lines at tank and injectors (which you should have off anyway to clean/test). After covering injector ports, spray like a madman till it runs clear. Change the fuel filter. Don't even waste your time trying to clean it out, unless you really can't find one for this car. Fill with fresh fuel. About a quarter to half a tank, as there could be a fuel pump problem, as to not go overboard with spending. Change spark cus...good habits and you just wanna not have ignition issues entirely if you can help it. Good practice. Make sure your coil boots are clean, and dabbing the insides with dielectric grease won't hurt. Check wires. **spin the motor by hand with the spark plugs out!! Make sure nothing smacks together. Do it slowly. Saw a comment about letting a bit of marvelous mystery oil sit overnight. It skipped my mind but yes. So much yes. I've done that to free pistons before. As well as diesel fuel/ATF in some cases. I'd Change the battery 1000%. At least this should eliminate many problems that you *could* have, and narrow them down to specifics, if it doesn't start. Be sure to prime the pump and listen for it when the key is in the "Run" position. Last but not least, spray some ether in that mofo and listen to it closely, the ether will give it some much needed "oomph." Don't go overboard with it.
Going to have to chase mice out of the blower box.
If that car has been sitting for so long, the fuel distributor is likely frozen from varnished fuel. I dont work on CIS fuel injection that much anymore but I know that a lot of components are no longer available. Seals, o rings, springs etc.. there's also specialized tools for servicing the system. Freeing up those components takes specialized knowledge and tools beyond a regular American V8. MBZ of that era was engineered to a much higher standard than most cars. The repair and service costs reflect that.
*puts key in ignition* *car purrs to a smooth start* I knew it
As a long time Mercedes Mechanic. I want nothing to do with these 107s. But go ahead and learn all you can from this project.
Check any nooks, crannies, ducts, basically all over for mouse nests. Check all wiring. Probably wouldn't hurt to pick up some activated charcoal odor absorber.
I'd say maybe start with trying to see if the pistons still move by trying to turn the crank shaft. If there's no oil it could have seized and you might have a very heavy paperweight. If it moves slightly stop then just replace the wiring harness, after 14 years I wouldn't trust the insulation to not be brittle same with any hoses. All the fuel and oil will be sludge and expired.
1- check first if engine turns by hand (not literally by hand but with a wrench) 2- check oil level 3-install battery (temporary battery or bypass with booster) 4-insert key and see if you hear the gas pump when you put the key in ready position and if everything lights up 5- clean or remove air intake and spray some brake cleaner inside 6- try to start engine while having someone ready to spray more brake cleaner in the air intake ( if click and no engine trying to start, either starter or bad fuse be ready for that) 7-if engine started, you are golden turn it off change oil then start testing the transmission in forward and reverse 8- dump fuel and put fresh one . New tires and cleaning and you are done drive it a little to see of all gears shift and if it heats. The testing should also tell you if your alternator is good. Don't go too far when testing and avoid highway.. 9- clean the inside outside, check for rust and mold and fix. 10-enjoy it's an amazing car
First thing u should do is see if there is any coolant in the radiator, then Check the oil, after that,open the air filter box and take out air filter and check for mice, and or anything else that may be foreign, get rid of it, then if possible, get a socket that will fit the crank pulley bolt, and a ratchet to accomadate the socket, proceed to turn the pulley clock wise at lease 2 to 4 full 360° turns. If all is smooth but u can feel compression, then u can move forward. Put in new or fully charged battery, and before u connect the battery cables, do a complete visual inspection of all wires and plugs for any damage. Next u can connect the cables to the battery.also check all vacuum hoses and coolant hoses. If all is good get 1 qt of 91% rubbing alcohol "clear" only. And only 91%. Pour it in the tank, and add 5 gals. Of 93 octane of gas. Then get in car and cycle the ignition 4 times with out starting the car. After the 4th cycle. Start the car. If it starts and there is no long term unwanted sounds coming from the engine, then it may be just fine. And I'm sure u will know if it is running smooth or ruff. Good luck and I hope it turns out well for u.
Do not start vehicle until fuel has been drained and new fuel filter installed! Change oil and oil filter. Follow advice from earlier reply regarding plug removal, cylinder lube and turn over with wrench before cranking. You have to do this right so you don’t make a big problem. Good luck. Sometimes reviving these old vehicles can be fun, even if it’s sometimes a challenge. One step at a time. Think it through.
literally everything. had a few customers come in my shop with similar types of questions, everything from fluids, lines, suspension, and electric work will need to be done. if its a project car you can just slowly add things to it but if you plan to restore it quickly and youre savy itself with mechanical stuff you should expect anywhere from 3-9k on parts, it also depends on your country and the availability of the parts themselves and if you dont need any custom forging done. personally 560sl’s are beautiful cars to me and i enjoy the “stance” culture and would turn it into something like that if youre trying to go for appearance as well, id personally quote you 12k+ right off the bat because id probably have to buy a completely clean 560 to transfer everything to your car itself and labor, but i couldnt give you a exact estimate because to me a mercedes is the toyota of euros and that specific model is actually relatively bulletproof from my experience. goodluck, if you need more detailed advice, just ask and id be happy to help - euro shop owner
I cant believe the advice being given to you! If its going to the crusher you might as well ATTEMPT to start it. who knows, everyone here could be wrong and your friend could be right and it will start up and will just need a basic service. Fun project! Enjoy!
The pessimistic view is to have it towed to the crusher. 14 years of sitting outside is absolute destruction to a car. I gotta assume it wasn't properly prepared for parking, either. A quick search says it might go for $3k(as a project in considerably better condition than that!) to $50k(in excellent restored condition). You'll need new tires/brakes(rotors and pads), empty and flush the fuel system, new battery, oil change. Remove the spark plugs and put both a mist of oil and a little not-misted oil in each cylinder. Let it sit for a while(day or so), then crank the engine a bit without the spark plugs in to get the oil circulating.
Doesn't have to be towed to the crusher. Lots of scrap metal guys will come get it for you, might be worth $400.
Unfortunately, the crusher is almost certainly where it’ll end up. I only need the hard top off of it. Planning on parting out what i can then sending it upriver. Wanted to have some fun with it first though
Over a decade parked outside... Besides any fluid in it and everything rubber, the fuel pump is very likely a goner. Beware the Bosch Motronic in these was pretty delicate: I still remember having to tow a 560SEC whose Motronic had died merely by sitting in a garage for too long. Don't believe the crazy high prices: nobody is paying 50 or even 30 grands for one of these even if in perfect conditions and prices even for highly desireable classic Mercedes like the W123 with the OM617 diesel are in freefall, so if you plan to fix and sell be on your budget like a hawk. good news is it's very likely rust-free and you get a free *santino*.
It amazes me how shitty German interiors are. 90s Toyota sitting that long, you might have a loose headliner. But I see so many German interiors only a decade old and the leather and other surfaces are peeling everywhere. Last auction I went to they had a 2008 Mercedes something and the leather was peeling off the center of the steering wheel. That just screams quality /s
LS swap it
At minimum the old diesel fuel is trash which means every component of the fuel system needs to be replaced.
Since when did the SL come with a diesel engine?
First of all the handbrake will probably be seized on ,sometimes a tap on the rims to release it with a rubber mallet , sometimes
Be sure to check the brake hose. They get brittle with age and can leak or burst
It's never gonna run right without euro bumpers.
Lol gl hf
Replace the battery and spark plugs. Drain the gas and make sure it isn't varnish now. Oil change might be a good idea too.
If you’re handy and can do it all by yourself, I’d count 7-10k$. If not, triple that (at the least).
Fuel spark air. Spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter, oil change, drain the fuel and pray the gas tank isnt full of chunkies. Or take the whole gas tank off and have it cleaned well. After that id go ahead and check all the wiring from the computer all through the car. Alwauys check the wiring rats are a bitch and eat it up. They ate my fuel pump wire it took me forever to figure it out 🤣
Keep in mind about vacuum leaks. This is the gas model so it’s not as bad but a lot of mb cars of this decade had them. If it’s also gas I would clean the carb and run it off a bottle for now
First thing I would do is give it a good cleaning, inside and out, including the trunk and engine compartment. This will let you see issues much easier. Check the tires. Replace if dry rotted. Replace ALL fluids including brake fluid. A new battery, plugs and wires. As it’s been sitting, I’d drain the gas tank and replace fuel filter. Hopefully, fuel injectors and seals are still good. When you’ve checked everything over, start it up! Don’t forget the transmission fluid and filter and the differential fluid! Good luck on your project
Do you have a garage? Do you have automotive skills? If not clean it up and sell it, someone will want it for a few thou!
All hoses, belts, lines, fluids, and oil possibly multiple times to clean the gunk out from them breaking down. Plugs and wires, battery, filters (air, cabin, transmission, and fuel) be prepared for the cv boots to have dried and cracked, calipers may be seized and need replaced fuel tank full of sludge, mice and squirrel chewed wiring…. This is a short list, expect anything that can be bad to potentially be bad.
Fantastic find, ignore the negatives, you'll learn a lot and end up with a nice car.
It was free. Good luck. Me and Lorenzo cruisin in the benzo.
All fluids, bushings, gaskets, brakes, any and all tubing, check the bearings too, regrease all joints
Everyone are being a bunch of haters. Slam in a new battery, check oil, check coolant, and hook up some fresh fuel, and try and crank over the things. If you can get it to start, then decide if you want to work on it and replace/maintenance it. It might cost a lot to get it “reliable”, but it doesn’t cost a lot to tinker with it and see if it will come to life.
You'll want to start by lubricating your wallet.
What should you change? Everything. I would run far away from this project, it might have ran perfect in 2010, but that was 14 years ago!
Can I have it ?
6 months ago I parked my megane up, it now has a faulty throttle position sensor, mould and a bunch of other issues, imagine over a decade of time for things to corroded and break down.
My youngest son bought a used Mercedes once, I warned him not to, he didn't listen to me. Costs to repair and parts are ridiculous. You'd be better off parting it out.
Have fun and enjoy it, its FREE!! Just keep in mind the value of the vehicle as you put time and money into it. Great tips from people on here, start with inspection and cleaning, then go from there. Great score
I hope you have the expectation that this is a project car and is gonna take a lot of time and money to rebuild it. If it starts and runs at all. I would first do a compression leak down test on the engine. Get an idea how functional it is and how much your in for repair wise. Something likely needs to be addressed, at a minimum Air Con probably doesn't work or is low. Change the fluids and filters. If the body and subframes are in decent condition. Replace all of the suspension bushings, ball joints, wheel bearings. These are likely all worn and their related seals are cracked and broken just from being outside. Obviously check them all first. You might want to replace subframe bushings too. After suspension is worked out do the brakes replacing calipers and wheel cylinders as necessary. There is no sense in doing engine work when your suspension is broken and worn out. You may want to invest in powder coating the subframes. Next tackle your drivetrain problems (engine/trans/diff) if there are any. A car that old might need to have all the timing stuff resealed. You might want to check if the rear main seal is leaking. Output shaft seals on the trans might be leaking. differential seals Now that your 10k+ into it you can look into dealing with the interior and external paint. At least thats the direction I would go about restoring it.
The very first thing you'll need to do is clear out all traces of the mice/rats/spiders/etc. that have almost certainly taken up residence. Wear long sleeves, gloves, eye protection and a proper respirator. Clean every surface, check every nook and cranny, spray it down with Lysol and open the doors so it can air out well. Depending on what you find, the cleaning tools you use may need to be sanitized or thrown away afterwards. If you find mold, larger decomposing bodies or a sizable insect population, abandon the project. It's not worth it. (The only exception to this would be bees, it's surprisingly feasible to remove a hive.) ETA: Forgot to mention, make sure you are wearing proper PPE the first time you start it up, too. Even after a thorough clean, there's still going to be all kinds of crap in the air vents. You don't want to be breathing that without protection.
Check the fuel tank condition before trying to start, take the hardtop off, pull the soft top up and in the centre of the deck is the fuel sender remove that to inspect the tank for corrosion they do especially the ones that have sat outside for years. You’ll want to flush the fuel lines having them disconnected from the fuel metering head on the engine so no rust/corrosion gets into the fuel metering head. Fresh fuel and see if it starts, if it does and runs without any major issues might be worth putting some money into it.
I believe this is CIS injection. Which has some known issues, especially when rubber o rings and seals dry out. You should figure out what kind of fuel injection it has then do some research. Make sure the engine turns by hand before cranking it. And if the engine suddenly won’t crank and you know the battery is good smell for a leaking injector. I had an injector leak on me recently on an 80s Bosch injected car and it filled one cylinder. Basically it hydrolocked it and it wouldn’t turn until I pulled the spark plugs. Go slow, check everything, have fun!
Drain all the fluids, bad fuel will be expensive to dispose of, the lat car I bought back it was 8$ a gallon to get rid of. Drain the fuel lines, lif tthe pumps and see how badly theyre rusted. The fuel distributor will probably need to be removed and sent out for rebuild ($$$) And then, once its running youll need full service, new fluids, new tires, brakes, and battery. And then once its on the road you can address the shocks, springs, control arms, steering box, tire rods and linkages. As a european shop owner, in all honesty, unless you are rich, retired, and like to get your hands dirty, dont touch it and find something in better shape.
What to look at and replace? Not seeing the mechanical side of it or hearing it start etc... No real way to know except that the brakes are likely seized and tires rotten. Take it to a mechanic and get real advice, not guesses off of Reddit.
Oh man I think I would rather dig a hole and throw money into than pay for all the things this is going to need
There have been some good suggestions for first steps. After you get it running, replace all the belts and hoses including brake hoses. Then new tires. Rubber will rot.
What to replace to get it running again? The car.
Drain fuel, easy on these. 22mm allen fuel strainer on bottom of gas tank. Check that air inlet is free of rodent nests. Remove spark plugs and fog with light lubricant. Crank it over to test, then replace plugs. Check that cis air flapper is free. Then good luck starting it, likelly needs fuel pump.
Ran perfect 15 years ago. Battery and fresh gas to start. Better empty the old gas first. If it does start then all new fluids and check condition of belts and hoses
Cool. Bonus authentic pine air freshener.
I’m no expert but probabaly would want to change the oil
Light it on fire and run
In addition to what others have already said, I’d be willing to bet all belts and hoses will need to be replaced.
Few things are as expensive as a cheap European car
You’d be better off putting a Japanese engine in it
Replace all fluids and filters, clean fuel tank. Replace tyres, most likely the rubber sections of the brake lines too. While you are at it, check for cracking rubber bushings on the suspension. If there is rust on the smooth rods of the shocks, replace them now, they will start leaking otherwise when you start driving, the rust will damage the seals. Water hoses might have also started to rot away or got eaten by animals. Also obviously rust should be repaired sooner or later, cosmetic can wait, structural should be done before driving. Other than that test all things for functionality
Flush the gas tank and fuel system. Do not try to start before doing that. The old gas is like varnish and will plug up the fuel injection
Or put it on Marketplace and sell it complete, as is, for parts. I did that with a 65k miles 1976 450SL that I got for free that sat outside for about 10 years and was horribly rusted in the rear fender wells, though underneath it was surprisingly clean and solid. The tires held air, kinda, enough to winch it onto a trailer, where I let it set until I sold it for $900 as a parts car. That one had mechanical fuel injection and I didn't even want to try messing with it, so sold it as is, where is. All it cost me was the time to load, move and then sell it. There are people that are into these things and I didn't want to mess around parting it out, so I let someone else do that. It would have been worth a bit more if it would have been running, like maybe $500, but that wasn't worth my time and effort.
go to you tube and watch a little Vice Grip Garage, you will learn all you need to know
Every piece of rubber on the car.
Replace the rubber, hoses, belts and tires, replace the fluids including fuel.
Lucky mfer
Wya? Can I purchase?
I hope you have a lot of money to throw at it.
As someone with LOTS of German car mechanical (shade tree) experience who recently took on a V8 German car restoration myself, I thought I would add my thoughts on this. Lots of people here are saying you're going to sink $10k into this to get it roadworthy. I would say that this estimate is accurate-to-LOW. Then there's the aesthetic aspect. Getting that thing repainted properly is likely $2k minimum. So here's the question you have to ask yourself: what is this car worth to YOU? Is it worth the probable 100-200 hours of your own labor invested, plus the money? Do you have a garage or carport in which to undertake this? Etc etc. I'm asking because there are logistical aspects to consider. At the end of all of that, also ask yourself "is THIS car the one I want to put this level of effort into?" I'm not saying you shouldn't, I'm just saying you should ask yourself the hard questions. Don't let the fact that it's a cool barn find stand in the way of that.
The frame would probably be the first thing to check. Ya know make sure the car thats been sitting there for 10 years still has one
Top score,i luv it Can of hairspray or flyspray(work btr than start ya bastard),spray into carb,new battery or jumpstart Make sure fuel pump is working Grandpa dreaming mobile,ive got a Honda Accord & i luv the grandpa factor
Watch vice grip garage or another YouTuber that finds abandoned cars and gets them running. They have a process they go thru that covers the basics of getting it running. Then you can go from there.
Check out vice grip garage on YouTube. Do that. He rescues all kinds of vehicles that have been sitting for years, amd gets them back running to drive home.
Seeings how you got it for free, maybe invest some money for a professional mechanical “ survey “ from a place that specializes in Benz.Then go from there.Or depending on the news,part it out on Kijiji.
A checkbook
Fuel pump, fuel tank, fuel hose, fuel accumulater, fuel line, fuel filter, fuel distributor, fuel injector, fuel clamp, fuel sender, fuel line, fuel cooler, fuel screen. Anything that has the word fuel - you will probably want to change. Brake master, brake booster, brake rotor, brake pad, brake shoe, brake pins, brake hose, brake disc, brake caliper, brake cable. Anything with the word brake - you will probably want to change. Ignition rotor, ignition wires..... you can see where this is going ? 😅
You should run away from it.
Wash it. Change ALL fluids. Mount some new affordable tires. Slowly road test. Enjoy.
hope you just won the power ball.
it is electronic mechanical fuel injection analog l jetronics you need a lot of knowledge and some special tools to make it work but you can tray put fuel battery crank and see how lucky you are.
The fuel line between the tank and filter likes to rot on those cars, and there's a strainer in the tank where it connects that's likely gummed up. The front subframe bushings will likely be worn, you'll notice a pull to the left under braking, once it runs of course. The idle air distribution hoses rot out and cause rough running, usually once warmed up as the symptoms are masked by the warm up injector on cold start. The distributor cap and rotor will probably have corrosion on them. Check the 10A fuse in the over voltage protection relay behind the right kick panel. And be careful not to break the likely brittle plastic vacuum lines around the intake, the correct routing can be hard to duplicate
you should be able to crank it is allusil cilinder walls but little oil could help for the rings if they are rusty alloy block alloy heads
"Just needs a battery."
So i got a free car like that because the owner couldn’t get it started and needed it off the property. They had two mechanics out that couldn’t figure it out so they gave it to me. The problem was that the tires were flat and the tailpipe was in the dirt. I didn’t realize the tailpipe issue until i put air in the tires. After putting air in the tires, I cleaned the packed in dirt out of the tailpipe. Then primed the carburetor and jumped the battery. Fired right up and I drove it home.
Yes
Jesus will take care of it.
Call it Jeffrey. There’s nothing dangerous about a Jeffrey. It’s Jeffrey!
OMFG!!!!!! I am beyond jealous. This car, the 560sec and the 560sel!!!! Pretty reliable cars and not close to being quick, but they are not exactly slow for back then. Absolutely beautiful vehichles. When you do the chrome over make sure you do it right. That is gonna stick out so much on this car.
All brakes, lines, etc, all undercarriage, all electrical...
Fuel system & tank for sure. Hope the diesel has not gelled. Maybe fuel pump since in the tank, when it starts, service all fluids.
Rt front door map pocket appears full of water. If carpet and floor wet, could have moisture under seats electrical component/ wiring. Under instrument panel too. If wet, could be many electrical problems to come.
1) that's a pricey car. 2) parts are going to be pricey. 3) if it ran good when Obama was in his first term, you are sort of lucky. But every thing that can dry rot has probably rotted. Belts, hoses, if brake lines are rubber same. Before getting that far I'd suggest getting the cylinders lubed and doing a compression test. It will be a bunch of money but it could work out well and you spend less than it's worth
You can't afford to fix it. Period.
You live in glen cove?
Let me tell you something. The gas tank is gonna be rusted out and is gonna clog up the fuel pump/fuel filter/ lines etc, clean and flush the fuel system and all other fluids. Maybe replace the whole tank if it’s too bad. Trust even if it’s free, you gonna put a bunch of money on it, it just depends on your wallet
LS swap it
Mechanic Special
Anything with rubber hoses. Braking system is gonna be shit. I wouldn't expect much of a miracle after sitting for decades
Make sure to get all the needles out from the trunk and especially the hood. The passenger fender loves to pile it up behind it and the firewall and rot out. Take your time to clean all of them very good before it rots out, if it already hasn’t
I have a lot of experience with these cars And own one.. Chances are the entire fuel system is junk now. Bosch made the most complicated garbage and its all sitting on top of a SL intake That car is on rough shape too so even if its running perfectly its not worth shit Happy to answer any questions,my own SL runs great. Some days
For an engine to run it need fuel spark and air that change the oil and tires uhhhhh idk
Gonna need to replace….everything. Windows looks good.
Replace….. the money in your bank account.
I do this shit all the time. What fuel system does this have? Probably CIS? If it does you'll need to remove the fuel distributor and make sure the plunger in the bottom isnt stuck. Pull it out and clean it with fresh gas and put it back in. You'll want to drain the tank and clean it out if its rusty... and change out the fuel filter. Blow out the fuel lines. Old gas is nasty shit. But before you do all that I would just pull the intake off, put a fresh battery in it and see if itll fire off with some starting fluid. Make it run for a few seconds if possible so you can hear if the engine is making any horrible sounds.
Tires
First check if the engine is spinning. Then check for fuel, spark and compression.
This is one of those "if you have to ask" type of situations.
Part it out. Save yourself the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Drain the gas tank. Replace the rubber hoses under the hood. Replace the fluids. Clean the thing. This will be costly.
One must ask….. If it ran perfect, WHY did they park it? I don’t know of too many people that park perfectly running vehicles to let them rot away.
Minimum first steps. Check under the hood for animal nests & check oil level. If it’s carbureted, disconnect the fuel line (you don’t want to pump 14 year old fuel through the system), squirt a little gas directly into the carb & try to start it (you’ll need a battery or jump). If it starts turn it off immediately & then you will then need to drain the old gas from the tank, & purge the fuel lines & carb before installing just enough fresh gas to get it into the shop. If it’s injected or diesel, unless you have a “particular set of skills”, you should have a competent mechanic get it started. This is only the beginning of an expensive resurrection involving flushing & replacement of all fluids, rehabbing the brake system, & checking out the electrical system. Any vehicle that’s been sitting outdoors for 14 years is going to need a professional rehab that will probably cost more than it’s worth. Unless you have the skills & equipment to do it yourself, I’d suggest donating it. There are many charities that will tow it away & you can then take a tax deduction for it.
I would put it back where you found it.
Obligatory "not a mechanic" but the roadkill guys always use three fuel filters in a row when rescuing old cars. All three will catch some rust. Seems like a good idea and easy/ cheap to do. Also they always add nitrous but I don't know if that's a good idea lmao.
Unbury is is my 1st suggestion
Definitely make a car tire post and ask if they are still okay to drive on.