Quail in Distress

[LandQuail]

Hey folks.

So, I've got my beloved Mercedes 380SL back, and it's top speed is about 5 mph.

I've bought a new Bosch idle control unit — a little black box — that a chain-smoking, alcoholic old bastard named Vardaman (who's portfolio includes a couple Gullwing frame-off restos and a naturally-aspirated Ferrari 308 engine that's been dyno'd at just under 400hp — hard to believe, but it certainly sounds it...) said would cure it.

compression's good, spark's good, fuel pressure's good, etc.

But I can't find where the idle control unit goes? I've checked under the hood, naturally, and in the obvious places in the interior and trunk.

Anybody got any suggestions?

Squawk.

[pimento]

I can find a lot of workshop manuals for sale, but none just sitting around the internet anywhere...

However I did find another forum that's dedicated to these things, maybe someone there can help you. Like the guy in this thread.

[LandQuail]

Thanks, Pimento.

however, I thing this Jim guy you've linked me to is rather further up SHIT'S CREEK than I am, as he's asking for anyone who's got a wiring harness.

I just need to know where the ****ing thing is.............................

[pimento]

I was referring to the guy that offered to send him info from the workshop manual CD about it.

[nota]

Dunno where it is on W107s but in r/h/d W126s you look behind the passenger side floor carpet, behind the plastic panel

Be aware though that there can be a range of causes for a crap idle, and sometimes its not what amateurs (including me) might otherwise logically first guess, so the potential is there to be chasing shadows with your cash

Eg could it be your ICU or ECU or ISC or ICV or OVP etc

[LandQuail]

Thanks, Nota.

I found the thing myself, finally, right where you said it'd be (or close enough - behind the glove box lining). If I'd checked this thread earlier, it'd have saved me some time.

Anyway, I replaced the idle control unit, along with the idle speed valve — with no result.

I bought the parts on the recommendation of Riverside Mercedes, who put the car on their diagnostic computer device, which, I believe, cross-checks the on-board circuitry faults against a massive databank composed of the automotive repair knowledge of tens of thousands of expert hot-air balloonists.

The alcoholic, chain-smoking old bastard I mentioned is regarded as one of the best Merc mechanics in the south. He agreed with the dealership's diagnosis, which I still think lends it some credibility.

Buying parts is never a waste of money, one could argue, because it's only a matter of time until you'll need it, whatever it is. But my $270 spent to hook the thing up to a diagnostic computer will be sorely, sorely missed.

Thing is, the car idles great. It just responds to any amount of throttle by "falling flat on its face," as I hear it described in the south — give it any throttle and it stutters, keep applying throttle and it dies.

You can rev the engine (presumably to redline) by very, very gradually increasing throttle, but of course this doesn't work on the road. Last night I ****ed around for about an hour seeing if somehow one of the guys who had worked on it while it was in storage had somehow mis-configured the firing order, but it's sending the right spark to the right cylinder, and all eight are firing at idle.

Massive vacuum leak? Further problem with the fuel injection? I'll keep you all posted.

[kingofthering]

Or... you could spend the WRX money on stripping the damn thing down and rebuilding from the ground up ?

[nota]

I presume your car has the later KE injection?

Check yourself if the fuse on your OVP relay is blown (causes engine to go into limp mode)