W460 / 280GE petrol auto, Performance figures ?
Good luck, the 280 is a great engine when running properly. Shame about the fuel consumption but don't listen to the nay Sayers. It's way better than the 5 cylinder diesel of the same era.
When I bought mine it wouldn't pull you out of bed. 50mph max so I got a 2 owner G Wagen for £650. 30 minutes after getting it home I'd reconnected a vacuum hose and it as fixed. I then sold the stainless steel(original mb) bling off it for £300. Ah the good old days! It was a risk I guess. I convinced the seller that I was doing him a favour.
When I got rid of it I did a straight swap for a 7yr old Shogun which I sold on 2 weeks later, weird.
I still miss the basic honesty of the 460 at times.
You'll need to build a good relationship with the parts dept of your local Mercedes dealer. mention that you are a Club member and you'll start with at least 10% discount. For many service items (brakes, oil filters, fluids etc) you can get better prices at places like Euro Car Parts. But, when you start looking for auto gearbox oil filters, pan gaskets, radiator caps, vacuum valves and parts, you'll need to rely on your dealer.
As mentioned, you'll need to find a trusted mechanic to carry out the basic servicing (approx part costs in brackets)
- Change engine oil ( about £60 for semi synthetic)
- Oil filter (about £10)
- auto gearbox oil and gearbox oil filter and pan gasket, (about £80)
- Change coolant (about £25)
- Replace radiator cap (about £15)
- Renew power-steering fluid (ATF)
- Replace drive belts (about £40)
- Renew brake fluid ( 1 litre DOT 4 fluid)
- Renew diff lock fluid (as above)
- Replace spark-plugs (about £30)
- Replace ignition leads, if they look old (about £100)
- Replace distributor cap and rotor (about £35)
- Check vacuum hoses
- Check fuse for auto gearbox kickdown switch
- Check auto gearbox kickdown solenoid valve
- Check throttle linkages, lubricate and adjust.
- Renew front and rear differential oils (about £35)
- Renew transfer case oil (about £30)
- Grease prop shaft nipples (3 x 2)
Most of these are DIY-able, with the help of a service manual, and can be accomplished in one weekend.
Hi Neil
I have had My 280GE since July Last year.... when i got her there were a few small issues, and general tidying up needed... i have a basic understanding of how things work... i'm a self taught home mechanic and i have done a lots of different bits n bobs to my cars over the years in relation to general servicing and repairs... this is my first G..and i have completed a full service on the car as it was unclear when the last time it had one. I also had some electrical gremlins relating to the central locking and radio,clock,reversing lights,rear fog light, the under-bonnet insulation was sagging...the grille i had re powder coated..and upgraded to later clear type indicators and had the windows professionally tinted..etc... my car is 25 years old and although its well made... things always wear out or need attention so i view my G as a work in progress...
so far i personally have
done a full service ,(on my drive)
including new HT Leads, spark plugs Distributor cap and rotor arm
new v belts and adjuster bolt ( old one was toothless!)
replaced large vacuum pipe between brake servo and injection system including new inline valve
(the cause of my running issues)
Engine oil and filter , air filter
Gearbox oil
transmission oil
renewed diff oil front and rear (new plugs)
greased prop shafts
repaired headlamp washer jets (leaking)
Replaced one of the front fog lamps (incorrect one fitted)
carpets shampoo'd
undersealed fuel tank (precaution)
valve clearances adjusted by Paul at P&R Autos (noisy tappetts) who also diagnosed my poor running issues and gave it a tune up...
i renewed :
thermo time switch, 5 vacuum pipes.. (whilst looking for poor running issues)
soundproof coat under bonnet, rear floor/arches
New starter Solenoid (old one was playing up), new Positive lead on battery,clean all contacts on starter system,
new door seals (old ones perished)
windscreen replaced by AA (stone chips)
disconnected alarm system (was half disconnected anyway)
replaced rotary light switch (cause of my dodgy rear fog lights not working)
repaired earth to central locking system.. which fixed clock and stereo
replaced rear speakers ( old ones ripped)
replaced all badges with new ones (faded and scuffed)
replaced rear door check strap (busted)
repaired broken connector in reversing lights wiring ( took me a while and learned to read wiring diagrams at the same time!)
repaired (replaced) pipe between rear door and body
All at once it sounds like a lot.... at times ive been disheartened and frustrated with things.... now its running great... and i love it.... make a list of things you need to do and cross them off one by one.... people on here will guide you.. as will I when i can... most cars have similar issues so there will always be someone on here who can help... i would invest in a good set of tools... and in the members section there are some manuals wiring diagrams etc to refer to... the 460 is quite a basic car to work on so you should be able to service it yourself...take your time... and use your mobile to photograph bits before you take them off so they go back on the same way..
most of all... dont loose heart... the 280GE is a lovely little car and although i'd love a V8 throbbing away under the bonnet... the standard car is just fine for my needs at the moment... I was lucky enough to buy a car that had been wax-oiled from new...so no rust...only had 3 pervious owners and 100k miles..and was used mainly on road... it looked a bit sorry for itself when i bought it...but i have breathed a little bit of life back into it now....and enjoy the attention it gets everywhere i go....
If i can help you in any way with advice or identifying bits for you ...feel free to ask...
regards
John
No Worries
Lack of power can be caused by several things... as was the poor running issues i had... you will have to work your way through them one by one... starting with the least expensive the vacuum pipes.. there are two that go into the side of the distributor body...(from the left hand side of the engine)..links to the cold start valve and also a pipe to the EGR valve on the manifold ( shaped like a hat) with a red pipe and deal with advance and retard....one of mine had come off, replacing it helped... mine was a little bit stuttery just off idle... this was the leak in the vacuum pipe from the brake servo...it goes up the back of the block and round to the injection system... my leak was causing a 'too lean' mixture... it was found when Paul from P&R sprayed brake cleaner at various points on the engine (brake cleaner contains alcohol) and when he found the leak it picked up and revved... the pipe was actually a rubber one (incorrect) i ordered a new one from MB main dealer only £7 ! along with a new one way inline valve which is the angled plug sticking out of the brake servo... after Paul tuned it... and the difference was amazing... a vacuum pipe goes from the fuel injection manifold (underneath) down to the gearbox (thin clear pipe) and deals with the gear changes..
some or all of these things could be an issue...
happy hunting!!
John
2. Ah yes I forgot to mention the throttle linkage. This also connects to the auto box (I think anyway, it's maybe 7 years ago that I parted company with my 280). So if this is not adjusted properly it will affect performance.
3. The rubber hose is correct but as you point out it looks perished. This is what I was referring to when I said as a process of elimination you can seal these with electrical tape. You will need to replace the all of them though. Not big money.
Hi Neil
the throttle linkage definitely needs attention... the missing bits are important... mine perished also and someone made one out of wood! see pic.....MB do the part...Ive not got round to changing mine as its currently working ok... but i intend to it as someone rightly said connects to your autobox im not sure how but my belief is it gives throttle position for your auto gears...
the peice in the pic with red background is linkage piece
Russ,
Whats the large pipe on the left of the engine ? Mine's got a shed load of tin foil or something wrapped round it ! I'm quite sure that didn't ought be there ? perhaps that pipe is perished n' all and it's someones crude attempt of sealing it up ?
Neil.
As you have Aircon i suspect someone has cobbled together a heat shield. that pipe looks like it comes out of the aircon...compressor... does the aircon work?
these are the before and after pictures of my large servo to injection manifold vacuum pipe that was replace after poor running... im not saying yours is leaking but once you have the throttle linkage fixed and the vacuum pipe near your distributor cap replaced... check it as a matter of course... someone put a rubber pipe on mine with jubilee clips... the black shiny pipe is the correct one... it looks yellow in your pics... use the correct MB vacuum pipes.... dont use ordinary rubber ones... the bore has to be right... the hard plastic ones with rubber slip overs are the right ones...
John
that's the spirit mate.... take your time... speak to Gav for parts if you don't have a friendly local MB parts dept.... fix what looks obvious.... the vacuum parts and throttle linkage are the cheapest bits... like someone said...even a bit of temporary tape on a leaking vacuum or bake cleaner sprayed at it... will make a difference to a running engine tickover speed... there will probably be a few parts that need fixing the difference will be apparent straight away...
as time goes by you will become familiar with more and more bits of your car and how they work....
good luck mate....
John
If you are replacing the fuel tank, make sure to replace all rubber fuel hoses, as they perish with age. This goes goes for the ones in the engine bay, too. With Diesel you can take a chance but with petrol, you can't afford to.
Morning Neil... I took some more pics of my engine for you to compare yours with.. although i haven't got Air con... the first picture is the cold start valve.. which connects to the EGR valve with a red vacuum pipe(heat resistant) the other end goes onto the cold start valve on the block..and comming out of it a vacuum pipe which goes around the front of the engine to the side of the fuel injection intake (pic 2 and3) along with a shorter vacuum pipe from the distributor body.
The larger vacuum pipe going from the brake servo pic 4 to the side of the intake manifold pic 5 is thicker and is designed to create vacuum in the brake servo using engine vacuum, and is controlled by a one way valve on the servo itself that the pipe is attached to preventing the pressure on the brake pedal affecting engine performance. (yours is not wrong, according to my mechanic they were clear plastic origionally...mine is a new one and they have updated it making it solid plastic.
picture 6 the small thin sleeved pip into clear solid plastic pipe..is the vacuum pipe that goes to your gearbox... trace it al the way under the car and you will be able to see if its perished.
these are the vacuum pipes that can be easily acessed...there are more under the intake manifold that you can see with a inspection mirror... mine were ok so i left them alone... v difficult to get at with the injection system in place.
also check the tightness of the jubilee clips that connect the big intake pipe from the air filter to the intake system...air leaking in here would be bad too... check the concertina connector has no tears in either.
Sounds good. My only comment would be that changing all the injectors maybe premature and costly. It's pretty simple to check their operation. Remove one at a time (but leave connected to the fuel line) put it in a bottle and start the engine. It should be a continuation FINE mist. Any dribbling or continuous squirting equals a duff injector.
Of course this isn't without risk. Fine mist petrol next to high voltage!!!
re the throttle linkage... its very complicated with lots of ball joints due to the original car being Left hand drive (was simpler design) and connects to gearbox as well as distributor and fuel injection system....one rod goes behind the back of the block...one goes over the top... and one connecting rod goes down behind the brake master cyclinder to the throttle pedal... there is another that runs parallel to the engine on the intake side i have photographed all of the bits of mine for you... pay particular attention to the parallel connections next to the distributor...they can be dislodged easily and will affect performance.pic 1
the fact one of the connectors on yours is missing a split pin...will affect the interconnected movements and consequently performance....
on that subject...the G will change up quite quickly unless you keep your foot planted... but should kick down.... its going to likely be either the throttle linkage issue or vacuum...
simplest to fix at home...
from memory the small bore vacuum pipe comes by the mtr..and the sleeves are ordered as either angled or straight...(a few quid each) the larger bore pipe (brake servo) was special order by the mtr (£3.50per)
hope this helps you identify the parts you need to look at first.
regards
John
yes the same linkage on my G has worn out too....that brownish ball is white plastic!...am ordering one Tuesday.. had forgotten mine till you mentioned yours!!
the bore of the vacuum pipes is crucial...i know cos i tried non standard ones first .. it mucked up the mixture!
I have had a similar issue.... not relating to the battery tray which was solid.( this can be an issue on many cars) on mine.that is a spare piece of sound deadening material i had left over after doing my under bonnet..
there are two places that are a common problem... the wiper spindles... over time they get loose and leak inside behind the dashboard..there is a repair kit you can buy... or the fiber washers might be letting water in if they are leaking but the spindles are not worn.... as a short term measure fill the spindle caps with vaseline..this is a temporary measure... i haven't done mine yet... i also suspected the windscreen rubber was leaking after a replacement windscreen... so i sealed under the rubber with exterior quality frame sealant as a second barrier.... then left carpets to dry... i also replaced my door seals as they had perished...water can get in there too.... seems to have worked... also a leaking matrix in the heater can cause water to flood into t your footwell.... have you been filling the rad more than often?
good luck.
if you remove the glove box (4 screws)... you will be able to see the back of the wiper spindles... if it has been leaking there will be water marks coming from it.... also is it leaking into both foot wells... the battery tray can leak as it sits inside the car bulkhead....
see how high the dampness goes up... also check the air-con unit isn't leaking...
im not sure what to do about the window seal mate... someone else on here may know....
all our cars have similar quirks.... ive been reading posts on here for 4+ years... and learning as i go...
good luck... search everywhere for the leak.... it leads to rust!!
check the drain hole in the air intake under the bonnet in the middle.... can block with leaves etc... big square box with a seal around the top on the firewall...
First thing to check with non working wipers.... fuse, wires going into the wiper motor in engine bay.. the relay deals with the intermittent wipe and parking of wipers i think i have pictures of when i changed mine, after you drop the fusebox out... its high up under the dash.. ill look later.. most common issues are checking earthing points.. block connectors... theres a bunch of them next to the battery tray... clean em up..
front wiper relay.... remove 3 scews that hold cover panel in.... then two more that release the fusebox... it hangs down on two hooks... the relay is the one im pointing at for front wipers.... i had to change mine..... bought replacement from Starpartz.com... cheaper than MB. same identical part in MB box.
before you change it though....check all connections... normally loose connection is the cause..
sounds like a loose connection rather than a relay...
The G was built to wade through water... your carpets will smell if you leave the leak... no need to fret... rust can be treated... takes months to take hold... my bet would be the wiper spindles ...a common problem on all G's .... a hairdryer will dry her out...lift the carpets and let it dry out.... the tip with Vaseline under the spindle caps will short term solve your issue... if that doesn't work...you know you have eliminated the spindles..and can investigate elsewhere.... did you say you had a new battery tray? check its sealed all the way round the edges...best to whip the battery out for that... this is also a G issue... lots of tiny issues.... nothing to worry about.... John
Neil
I bought this book together with the multimeter...and its the best tools i have ever used.... the book is designed for beginners...it explains how to test for faults on any car...highly recommended by me (bought from Amazon)
the Mutimeter is an excellent bit of kit...as a result of using both...have got to the bottom of most of my electrical issues....
John
on mine you can pull the hinge rods out with some needle nose pliers... the hinge is holding it in... you might be able to pull the top half out a little bit and lift the hinge over the bottom half....if not...lay in the footwell... and shine a torch up under the dash.... you may be able to see spindles with connecting arms without taking the glovebox out (I've had mine out several times)
re the battery ... in your pic the seal along the top of the bulkhead appears perished... this is how the water gets into the battery tray in the first place... if you have had a new tray placed over the old one water can still find its way in around and under.... so replacing the seal will keep it out altogether....
Yes the long rubber seal appears to be a bit deformed in the middle...
re throttle linkage in pic..... you could pack it with light grease as a short term measure... was it dislodged... that could be as a result of the other linkage being shot....
this is my linkage ...
Hello Russ,
Thanks for the heads up. i'll try having a good look around and spraying some WD ! i like to think it's a simple repair but i'm not at all mechanically clued up ! I am a wood butcher so metal and mechanics is outside my comfort zone but i might be able to wrap tape around hoses ! if i can find the hoses !!!
A friend on here has given me much guidance and assistance (in fact everyone has) and i will book an appointment with his mechanic very soon. i'm sure its simple and sure he'll cure her. (fingers crossed)
Neil.