[MBL87560SEC]

I'm a bit confused cause when I looked up for my thermostat there looked to be normal ones for mine and then there was other ones with a rod off the side? Weird shape. . Not sure which one to order. I Want the car working without pulling apart and then ordering one which will have to come by mail. No one will have one where I live.

I saw that too.. It looks as though that 'pin' type T/stat is used only on the '2-phase' design.. and I see that AUS is listed there..

You might also determine which 'stat' is recommended as referenced by your car's VIN.. and either the EPC or a call to MB dealership.

At least the will tell you which configuration it should be first..

The cooling system pdf shows the different designs.. I had thought one could tell by the configuration of the thermostat and vent hoses.. but I am unsure..

Here's the info anyways..

Good luck man,

MBL

 

[tusabes]

My gauge now pretty much sits on the mark after 40. I have to check maybe and see if there's thermostat. What temp does the cold start/enriching cut out? It's doing its normal idle. It smells quite rich and I have a bit of a miss which is slowly getting better but still there. The cars been in a shed for 5 years but should be running newer fuel through it now. I know I have to sort the miss out but was wondering whether they are linked or the enriching was a temp problem..

IF the car was in a shed for five years you need TO DRIve It more to work out the kinks

Also of greater importance is a new fuel filter and all ruber fuel lines must be changed as it’s a high risk of fires

 

[John350]

It would be really nice if we could not mix two similar but different problem cars in the same thread... Makes it hard to stay on top of things.

 

[BGW500]

It would be really nice if we could not mix to similar but different problem cars in the same thread... Makes it hard to stay on top of things.

Yep no worries. I was just wondering if my rich running/smell was due to the temp being too low.

 

[1783pictures]

UPDATE...

OVER-HEATING: Dropped the SEC off this morning. Got it back 1:30 PM and took it for a drive. The a.c. issue seems to be a-okay now as the fan did some on at low speed and after sitting in traffic and then getting a Starbucks and just idling for a while the temp topped out at about 90 degrees c. I can say that the car's a.c. will never get the cabin cold enough when the outside temp is 90+ because my center vents are not blowing. That is something I need to do myself when I have the courage to remove the dashboard. Scary shit for someone who has never even come close to attempting such a maneuver!

THE SHAKE: That shake (shimmy, vibration) I was getting at about 52 mph and above was not fixed by the steering dampener. In fact, it now feels different. It's difficult to explain. The steering wheel itself begins to vibrate around 60 mph. It's seemingly more side to side than back and forth. At 65 to 70 the vibration is at its worst and it's likely not good to be driving like that. I couldn't get above 75 since traffic is so damned packed today and had difficulty going beyond 65 for more than ten seconds.

These wheels and tires were purchased from a fellow member here but I think I may have been given a set of problems. One wheel is "slightly bent" and one tire is apparently not properly round. The mechanic recommended I buy two new tires.

My question to the peanut gallery is, what do you think? I love the look of these Penta wheels, but could they be (somehow) bad? That would be a financial punch in the nuts from Mike Tyson.

Could I just simply need to get that one wheel with the slight bend fixed, along with purchasing two new tires? perhaps that is where I need to start in trying alleviate this issue?

I am all ears.

 

[humblejoe]

These wheels and tires were purchased from a fellow member here but I think I may have been given a set of problems. One wheel is "slightly bent" and one tire is apparently not properly round. The mechanic recommended I buy two new tires.

My question to the peanut gallery is, what do you think? I love the look of these Penta wheels, but could they be (somehow) bad? That would be a financial punch in the nuts from Mike Tyson.

Could I just simply need to get that one wheel with the slight bend fixed, along with purchasing two new tires? perhaps that is where I need to start in trying alleviate this issue?

What Brand tires? If they suffered a hard blow the belts may have shifted. Or lesser brands sometimes are never balanceable. Which brings me to the issue of balancing. Might be they threw a weight? So you either need two tires, and or wheel straightening. New tires will be balanced.
Fixing a wheel is a couple hundred $ affair, no biggie and not uncommon for old wheels. I'd think its the tires. Did you shift front to back to isolate the issue?

 

[281lxm]

before you tear out the dash, you need that four letter word TEST. Get a mighty vac, and gain access to the solenoid distributor. You will need to pump up a vacuum to each pod and identify which one(s) are tengo unicorn. When I first had the "no center" vent issue, it was just the DS footwell pod that was TU. if one is broke the default flow is out the defrost - not the center. All of the pods can be replaced without dash removal and is incrementally easier on a Gen 1. If you do the dash, then change everything you can and do this once. (all pods, rebuild box and replace TEV, evap coil and the heater core).

 

[TexFinn]

UPDATE...

OVER-HEATING: Dropped the SEC off this morning. Got it back 1:30 PM and took it for a drive. The a.c. issue seems to be a-okay now as the fan did some on at low speed and after sitting in traffic and then getting a Starbucks and just idling for a while the temp topped out at about 90 degrees c. I can say that the car's a.c. will never get the cabin cold enough when the outside temp is 90+ because my center vents are not blowing. That is something I need to do myself when I have the courage to remove the dashboard. Scary shit for someone who has never even come close to attempting such a maneuver!

So... It was the aux fan, then?

 

[tusabes]

Which wheel and tire have the problem ? The fronts ?
If they aren’t staggered size , simply rotating them to the rear should fix it

 

[1783pictures]

What Brand tires? If they suffered a hard blow the belts may have shifted. Or lesser brands sometimes are never balanceable. Which brings me to the issue of balancing. Might be they threw a weight? So you either need two tires, and or wheel straightening. New tires will be balanced.
Fixing a wheel is a couple hundred $ affair, no biggie and not uncommon for old wheels. I'd think its the tires. Did you shift front to back to isolate the issue?

Primewell Valera Sport AS 225/50ZR16. Total sh*t tires, I am assuming. That means buying four new tires, not two more shitty ones. Question is, which tires should I go for? I'll have to look into that.

My Pentas are 16X8 in case you are wondering. There is a so called Wheel Doctor in town people talk about so I should see him about fixing the bent Penta, get it done and then choose four new tires.

How can I be sure my wheels are a-okay and not the problem?

before you tear out the dash, you need that four letter word TEST. Get a mighty vac, and gain access to the solenoid distributor. You will need to pump up a vacuum to each pod and identify which one(s) are tengo unicorn. When I first had the "no center" vent issue, it was just the DS footwell pod that was TU. If one is broke the default flow is out the defrost - not the center. All of the pods can be replaced without dash removal and is incrementally easier on a Gen 1. If you do the dash, then change everything you can and do this once. (all pods, rebuild box and replace TEV, evap coil and the heater core).

lol, that is like reading Egyptian hieroglyphics! Tengo unicorn?

What I will need are in depth instructions with pictures to start reading and studying because I haven't a clue about this. Video would be fantastic, but if not available I'll read read if I can be pointed to the right place.

So... It was the aux fan, then?

Yes. The servos or switches or whatever they are called that operated the fan were bad. He also recharged the coolant.

Which wheel and tire have the problem ? The fronts ?
If they aren’t staggered size , simply rotating them to the rear should fix it

I thought so, but it just changed how the vibration felt.

 

[281lxm]

Back in the earlier Life, a common industry term for an aircraft that was out of service and the flight is about to cancel as a result. Tango Unicorn
Was code for tits up! Aka dead aircraft 12 hours from Airworthiness.

Tons of info already here. Search Read React

 

[Teutone]

Type 'Front vibration' etc into the google custom search top right.
Any tire shop can take the wheels on the balancer and tell whether it can be fixed with weights or to rotate a tire on the wheel.

There should be a raised oval on the side of your tires to determine age/safety. For example 2412 would mean the tire was made in the 24th week of 2012.
On cars that sat on inflated tires for month or years, tires can be permanently out of round.

In my limited experience, vibration issues as you describe are most of the time due to front suspension issues, ball joint, tie rods, bad struts etc.

 

[TexFinn]

Yes. The servos or switches or whatever they are called that operated the fan were bad. He also recharged the coolant.

7 pages of all kinds of speculation after I called it in post #2. Probably doesn’t hurt to eventually change some/all of the other stuff, of course. That way you’ll have a good baseline.

 

[1783pictures]

Yes, you had called it, but of course I figured out the aux fan wasn't spinning many pages ago. I just didn't understand why. I am glad it's solved, despite it cost some pennies.

Now it's the damned vibration that worries me. it could be anything. No question I will have to get new tires since the rubber on the Pentas now is shit. That's one place to start with.

I believe 225/55/16 is correct for my wheels. My car is not lowered and will not be for a while, if at all.

My good friend recommends Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 - SIZE: 225/55ZR16 ...

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...WR6DWS06&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

[tusabes]

PRimewell is Firestone dealers house brand Chinese tire .
Inever had a problem with them though. Buy from a local major chain with a a ride satisfaction guarantee so you can put the primewells back on if new tires doesn’t cure it

 

[humblejoe]

If you had primewells, I'm surprised you only have issue with one.

I'd just get new Michelins/Conti's or other top tier tire and see if the issue resolves itself.

IF not, then look at truing any wheels.

Found a review of the tire.... https://www.8thcivic.com/forums/wheel-tire-upgrades/612938-primewell-valera-sport-tire-review.html

 

[humblejoe]

In my limited experience, vibration issues as you describe are most of the time due to front suspension issues, ball joint, tie rods, bad struts etc.

I rebuilt the entire front end on my wagon because of something similar. In the end it was a near new Nexen tire, and problem was cured with new Premiere's.

But each car is different. Like Teutone said, go to a tire shop and have them spin your wheels to determine if the wheel/tire is the source of the vibration.

 

[dadrab]

Michelin makes a very fine tire. Expensive and worth it.

Most folks don't think about them, but Yokohama tires are about as good as money can buy. The last set I had installed, only one of them required wheel weights.

 

[1783pictures]

Guys, I will retire this thread and start a new one for the vibration. This way the thread here is clear for people with similar problems.

My SEC is being looked at more closely as I type this. I would love to find an easy solution to the vibration, but I imagine there are no easy solutions.

 

[281lxm]

road force balance may be it for you. (if the suspension is refreshed, rotors are not out of spec, wheels are not out of round, tie rods, guide rods, ball joints, idler arm bush upper/lower control arm bushes...) It never ends m8.