Bleeding W126 brakes with a Motive Power Bleeder

I recently changed the flexible brake hoses in my 1986 300SE. I wasn’t sure how old they were and they are a wear item. The next step was obviously bleeding the brakes. Bleeding W126 brakes is really no different to any other car. I recently purchased a Motive Power Bleeder to make this job easier.

I’ve bled brakes many ways over the years. The traditional two person method of pumping the pedal; various one man systems such as vacuum pumps or valves. So far I had found the vacuum pump system the best. However I had ruined two vacuum pumps […]

W111 Cabriolet rear seatbelts

I’ve always been a little surprised that my W111 Cabriolet rear seatbelts were lap only. Mercedes-Benz were such pioneers of safety at the time that it seemed odd that they wouldn’t have fitted lap/sash seatbelts. It hasn’t been a problem for me as I so rarely had passengers in the rear of the car.

That has started to change as my kids are getting old enough to want to ride in the back of the car. I wasn’t so keen in a convertible with lap only belts. I mentioned this when my car was at All Classic Car restorations being […]

W126 brake hose replacement

I’ve been meaning to change the brake hoses on the 300SE for a while. I have no history for the car, so I don’t know how old they are. As I also wanted to change the brake fluid, I thought it made sense to do both jobs at the same time. I had noticed a slight pull to one side on hard breaking. It may not have anything to do with the hoses, but they are a good place to start. Brake fluid really should be changed ever two years. Most people don’t do it that frequently, but regular changes […]

300SE fuel pump replacement

When inspecting the SLS in my 300SE, I noticed that the fuel pump was seeping fuel. It wasn’t enough to smell fuel, so I am not sure how long it had been like that. I’ve owned the 300SE for about four and half years and have not done the fuel pump replacement job.

As I keep a spare Bosch fuel pump and filter, I figured I should change it ASAP. In my view, it makes little sense to change out the pump and not do the filter at the same time. I changed the filter when I did the […]