Removing inside door panel?

[300SDude]

I have most of the door panel removed except for the darned chrome surround that goes around the door handle.

Is there any way to get the chrome thing from around the door lever off or do you have to leave it on and pull the Tex off around it? (I have a back door that the "pull" has lost its bolt and now comes out when you try and pull the door closed. I would like to fix that as well).

Thanks,
300SDude

Edit:
Someone suggested just leaving the chrome on and pulling the Tex from around it. I don't know if I want to do that.



I just want to get in there to check the connections for the window!!!

If it was easy, I wouldn't be doing it, lol. (Good thing I have a good sense of humor).

300SDude

 

[abl567]

Carefully prise the black plastic cover/liner from inside the handle and there is a screw holding the chrome surround on, the handle remains in place

 

[300SDude]

Carefully prise the black plastic cover/liner from inside the handle and there is a screw holding the chrome surround on, the hadle remains in place

Thanks, I may go out and try it once it stops snowing, lol. (It just started here today, first time of the year).

300SDude

 

[Styria]

Hi Dude, in addition, when attempting to remove the door panel, make sure that you lift it upwards clear of the clips that are attached to the inner door skin at window level - do not attempt to prise or pull it away from those clips as you will break the plastic on the door panel frame. BTW, I like the colour of your interior. Anything else you need assistance with, just post. Regards Styria

 

[300SDude]

Hi Dude, in addition, when attempting to remove the door panel, make sure that you lift it upwards clear of the clips that are attached to the inner door skin at window level - do not attempt to prise or pull it away from those clips as you will break the plastic on the door panel frame. BTW, I like the colour of your interior. Anything else you need assistance with, just post. Regards Styria

Thanks, Actually I had company the last few days, so I haven't done anything with it all weekend.

I guess I am going to put the center console back together since I know it is not the switch.

I have got the door panel off enough without breaking any of the clips, but I still haven't tried to get it off around the handle. I wanted to take the door panel off to check the connection side on the motor, but from what I can tell, it is mounted to the door with a couple of screws and does not look like it has a plug.

I guess my partner and I will try and get the door panel off at some point today. (Waiting for the sun to get where the car is so it's warmer, lol). If anything, I am wondering if I can just jump the wires from a battery and get the window to at least go up. (My luck, it will just go down all the way, lol).

I also see why my vacuum door locks do not work, it seems to be missing a piece between the lack and the mechanism that makes them work. (I can take a picture and post it later, maybe someone else can tell me what part is missing, or a way to fix it). The locks work fine when I pull and push on the mechanism.

Anyway.....that's about where I am at at the moment.

This was taken yesterday morning. (I have a trash bag covering the window that won't roll up). It was just a little bit frosty out at 11AM!



300SDude

 

[Styria]

Howdy Dude,that sure looks cold to me. Just as an aside, and before I get down to tin-tacks, would be most interested to get some pics of your area - looks as though it may be the home for wolfs and black cats 'up them mountains'. Anyway, see how you go - sort of wouldn't mind knowing roughly whereabouts you're hiding etc. etc. (We have a section called odds and bits, pics etc.). But, don't feel under any pressure.

Regarding your door trim, try and take it off properly, because if you happen to break it, it will be a hassle to fix or find a replacement item. Also, I can't quite understand your remarks regarding the central locking - just remember, there is a really good write-up in the Technical Section or Articles section. Regards Styria

 

[300SDude]

I posted some picture stuff in the snippets thingy.

http://www.topklasse.org/forums/showthread.php?p=30617#post30617

Here is a picture of the vacuum door lock. The vacuum has yellow air lines running to it mounted to the door.



There seems to be a piece missing between the actual lock you pull up and down and the mechanism that works the locks. I tried to pull that little metal thing over and hook it in the mechanism, but it definitely does not reach that far, so I am thinking there must be something missing between them.

Here is a picture of what I can take looking from the edge of the door to the inside door pull.



It's that black thing that is holding me back from being able to get to the bolt for the door armrest. Is this the part that should pop-off if pried?

Again, if you know anything about the window motor, maybe I don't have to take the door panel off. If you don't know of a plug or anything, I can't really see my purpose in taking the panel off.

Thanks,
300SDude

Update: YAHOO!....I just decided that since I put the center console all back together that I would go over and try the window. It went up ALMOST to the top. I can deal with it being cracked open a little.....a lot better than being 3/4 of the way down! I am still going to leave the door panel off as much as I have it at the moment so that I can possibly jerry-rig the door locks.

Update Update: I got the window to roll all the way up! (I think there must be something wrong with the switch from it getting stuck so many times, hopefully now that I cleaned it and it moves freely, it will be OK). If not, I'll try and buy another whole switch and see how that goes.

As for the door and the locks......I think that now I have the window up, I am just going to put it all back together and deal with it next Spring.

LOL, the headlights wouldn't work the other day and only the high beams would.....I cleaned the fuse and the low beams work and now the high beams don't. LOL, I think this car is just messing with me and laughing at me when I have my back turned.

 

[Styria]

Electrics and poor contacts can really play havoc with the operation of various functions. As far as the fusebox is concerned, it would pay to really clean up the various terminals and perhaps even replace all the fuses with new ceramic ones. Your intended long winter 'lay-off' will not help the car. A few gremlins are likely to raise their ugly heads after the winter sleep in.

Now to your central locking - the picture of the part with the three vacuum hoses running to it is the master switch that controls the distribution for the locking and unlocking functions, and of course the third line is the one that supplies the vacuum from under the bonnet. If this switch is faulty, your central locking will not work. In order to test its function, you will need a vacuum pump. It's the only foolproof method. See thread of central locking procedures in the technical section. Additionally, the 'connecting' piece appears to be broken. It needs to be connected up in order to activate the master switch you have pictured. If you don't have that little piece, I'll send you one free of charge as I have several spare ones.

It's not a bad idea to remove the door trim fully, because you will then be able to test the operation of the motor itself. As I have previously said, they don't give a lot of problems. Try and re-fit the door trim BEFORE the winter sleep-in. Refitting it only becomes a hassle three or four months down the track. Also, an important little tip - it is preferable to have the window all the way down to facilitate fitting the door trim back and over the metal clips. Believe me, I know what I am talking about. Regards Styria

 

[300SDude]

I can move the thing the vacuum lines are connected to, and all the other locks go up and down when I move it, so I know it works OK, it's just not connected at the drivers door lock.

I actually managed to get the door panel back in just fine.

Yeah, after looking in the fuse box, it is definitely in need of a good cleaning! And yeah, the fuses that are in it are the old plastic type. (Next time I take it into my mechanics I'll have them update them).

I usually go down and start the car and let it run for a half hour or so once a week just to keep it in running order throughout the winter. It has an engine block heater that I plug in a few hours before I want to start it and it starts right up. (It takes a few tries to get her going in the cold if you haven't plugged her in, but she will start).

Thanks, for all your help!

300SDude

 

[Styria]

Hey Dude - that master switch. It may work alright moving it from side to side if there is vacuum in the system. Obviously, if the engine is running, you will have vacuum. However, if it is not, the system should hold vacuum about eight to ten times of operation. Furthermore, there may just be a very slow leak - again, the vacuum pump is your tool to have. Anyway, the main thing is the window, worry about the rest next time. Regards Styria

 

[300SDude]

It worked the locks in the other doors without the car being turned on. I am sure it will only work a few times until the car needs to be started so the pump builds-up the pressure again.

LOL, apparently I didn't put the switch in the right position because now all my locks are stuck in the up position.......good thing I don't really have to lock it here where we live. I'll get in there and move it the other way so that I can at least push them down if I need to.

It's getting cold just to be outside, so this little project may wait until Spring, lol.

Thanks,
300SDude

 

[Oversize]

Most things are easy if you know how. These inner door trims can be a pain if you find that all the plastic clips/hooks have been broken off by someone else! They cannot be replaced and so you're left having to source a completely new trim panel/card, or somehow fabricate new clips. And I doubt that'd be very successful.

Dude as was mentioned earlier if you remove the plastic insert around the chrome door release lever, you'll find a phillips head screw which is the only thing that's preventing you taking the whole thing off... The plastic insert can be removed using a small screwdriver and hooking it under the edge of the insert furtherest from the pivot point of the lever. I'd post a pic, but my internet's extremely slow at the moment and I'm waiting for my plan to be upgraded tomorrow (it's been slow for nearly a week so no pics from me just yet)... I wouldn't blame you for putting the car into hybernation, but maybe you could consider buying a garage heater? We have them here and they look like a mini jet engine, which runs off a BBQ gas bottle or similar. They're fairly cheap and work reasonably well. But I reckon the cold will get to you eventually!

Styria, you probably know already but when diagnosing vacuum locking issues, it's best to disconnect the reservior in the boot. That way you can identify problems much quicker, as there's no supply to give you false hope that you actually fixed the problem!!

 

[300SDude]

My locks work just fine, I just need the piece in the drivers door.

I did not take the door panel completely off. The window decided to work and it's fricking cold...so I may wait until Spring to mess with it.

Yes, I know propane "jet" heaters well.....the car works fine with the engine block heater plugged in.

I met with my mechanics today (picking-up the diesel Suburban we have (very hard to find diesel cars/trucks here in the US). Told them about the "issues" I had with the Mercedes the last 2 days.

I am 95% sure I need my glow plugs replaced (this is one of the first diesel vehicles you could buy here in the US).

It doesn't want to even TRY and start now that its below freezing here.

I took it on it's last trip for this year (16 miles) and it is now parked in it's garage for the winter. I do go down and start it at least once a week just to make sure everything is good when I want to drive it. (This is our summer "fun" car....we just drive it because it is a classic and it looks cool, lol).

I just got my Suburban back from the shop with some awesome Hancook Snow tires on it.........all I can say is WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Hancook tires ROCK in the snow! They are very spendy for my truck ($230 a piece) but they are AWESOME tires! http://hankooktireusa.com/Main/default.aspx

Since this forum is not US based, you may not know what a "suburban" is.....basically, it is one of the largest SUV's you can get here. Usually they are gas. It is very RARE to find a diesel one. (US diesels suck). This is basically a 350 Chevy gas engine converted to diesel.

This is our Suburban when we purchased it:



This is our Suburban with the greasecar kit installed in it.



It runs on diesel or WVO (waste vegetable oil) as well as my 300SD. They both run flawlessly on WVO and do not loose any MPG with it!

Anyway....I am just rambling on now...Thanks Everyone!

300SDude

 

[Michel]

I just got my Suburban back from the shop with some awesome Hancook Snow tires on it.........all I can say is WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Hancook tires ROCK in the snow! They are very spendy for my truck ($230 a piece) but they are AWESOME tires! http://hankooktireusa.com/Main/default.aspx

Since this forum is not US based, you may not know what a "suburban" is.....basically, it is one of the largest SUV's you can get here. Usually they are gas. It is very RARE to find a diesel one. (US diesels suck). This is basically a 350 Chevy gas engine converted to diesel.

This is our Suburban when we purchased it:



This is our Suburban with the greasecar kit installed in it.



300SDude

The greasecarkit turned it Purple????? or white or?????

 

[300SDude]

LOL, sorry......we purchased it in white (These vehicles are used by the city alot, so the majority of them seem to be white). Hence the reason we had it re-painted.

My girls like purple and they are the ones that drive it the most, so it got painted purple. We call it The Grapenator, lol.

We had the greasecar kit installed and then took it directly to the paint shop before we brought it home. (Or it would have never got painted).

Was rather odd though.......I tried to find someone to paint it and everywhere I called only painted pieces of cars (accident fixes) not whole vehicles. The only place that does whole cars (besides private painters) is Maaco, which is a commercial car painter. They did an awesome job on the Suburban, so that is where I took the Mercedes to get painted, again, they did an awesome job.

So no.......adding grease to your diesel will not turn it purple, lol.

300SDude

 

[Styria]

Hi Dude, we are familiar with the Suburban - well, certainly I am. They are the favourite toys, as are the new Ford F250s (?), of the well heeled and 'doing well' Tradies - they are (the cars) about one or two, or perhaps even thrre steps, above your mundane Toyota Hi Luxes and Nissans whatever.
In Diesel form, according to a couple of owners I have spoken to, they are quite economocal fuel wise - about ten liters to a hundred k's. Regards Styria

 

[300SDude]

Ours gets about 20 mpg's (have no idea what the conversion is), which is actually quite good compared to my gas version that gets about 14.

The nice thing about the diesel is that it gets the same mileage regardless of what it is doing. In 4WD, pulling a trailer, it will still get 20 mpg.

They have just recently (within the last 5 years or so) have introduced the Toyota and Nissan V-8's. People here are used to the Japanese trucks as still being a "mini" truck, so it's hard to comprehend that a Toyota or Nissan can compare to a full-size Chevy or F250 (F150 is a 1/2 ton, F250 is 3/4 ton, F350 is 1 ton, which is the weight it can hold in the bed/box).

American's do love their Chevy's (GMC) and Fords. They are still the most popular car/truck.

When I used to live in Southern California, you would see Mercedes, BMW, Lotus, Maserati, Ferrari's and such all the time, but up here where I am now, I am lucky if I see a Mercedes once in my drive to go anywhere. It seems the most popular one I see when I do see on is the funky M class SUV thing. (It's kinda ugly if you ask me). The M class is just coming out here and that one is much prettier. (There is some funky, reaaaaaaallly long station wagon thing that I don't even know the class of, but it's rather hideous looking as well).

300SDude

 

[Michel]

Australians had Suburbans sold as the local brand here - Holden - for a while
Some were fitted with the 350 petrol engine and others with a diesel power plant.

Here's a pic of my old (1974) 'burb

And another one of a Holden Suburban (circa 1999) sold in Australia as a '1500'

 

[300SDude]

LOL, those are both the same models we have.

300SDude

 

[WiSeGuYY]

Hey MICHEL , AGAIN red BURB LOL MAN , actually looks gorgious , those trucks are only good for the US , CANADA and AUSTRALIA for the vast spaces and parking lots but not in places like Europe or here in EGYPT , OHH also some places in the mid east like SAUDI ARABIA and the EMIRATES ( dubai and abu Dabi) this is places this things can sell.

DUDE M CLASS mercedes is a fine looking car and probably cost as twice as those GMC 4x4 's but in the US i usually use the FORD explorer very well sized for a family till i converted last year to a chrysler ( Twon& Country )and ohh boy what advanced they become with all luxury you can have , i was fond by opening the back door with just push of a botton while in the driver seat so i didn't face the heat of FLORIDA summer when my boys unload the van.

P.S the long MERCEDES you mentioned probably the new R model which not very famous and not selling enough , mercedes benz should promot it a bit.

REGARDS

TAREK