Central to the Citroen DS hydraulic system is a set of ‘spheres’ that hold hydraulic pressure. The spheres have an internal diaphragm so they can contain gas on one side and hydraulic fluid on the other. One is used for each wheel to provide the suspension, as the gas forms the ‘spring’ and the amount of fluid in the sphere controls the ride...
The 280CE came over to the garage to continue the items on the major service, namely: New Spark plugs Transmission fluid and filter Rear end fluid change Brake fluid flush We used NGK spark plugs as they offer non-resistor plugs that are easy to find. The original spec for these cars called for non-resistor spark plugs, which are much harder to find now....
I have tried a few times to get the rear trim that sits between the C pillars to not fall down on to the parcel shelf. My first attempt was to use the correct clips, however the trim would fall down over bumps. My second attempt, was a 3M product, which is sort of like Velcro and sold in little squares at...
after checking all the connections, the Retrosound Model 1 is now back in the E-Type and I also replaced the cigarette lighter while I was at it. The cigarette lighter had rusted internally and was no longer working – and on longer drives the battery in the GPS was not cutting it. Replacing the cigarette lighter was fairly easy, although the replacement...
I attended the Mercedes Club Concours this year. It was a lovely day, 18c and a great turn out of cars. Also got to talk to some interesting people and hear about their cars. Unlike the last time I went in 2012, the older cars are starting to come back, they seemed to stay away for a few years, for one reason or another....
The Retrosound Model One I have in my Jaguar had stopped working – symptoms were that the display was lit up in every possible place (i.e. like a digital watch showing 88:88). This had happened before, and the cause turned out to be one of the 12v lines was not connected. The Model 1 uses two 12v and a ground – one...
It was time again for another service for the DS. Last time, the gear oil in the transmission was quite dirty so even though it didn’t need to be done again, I thought it would make sense to change the oil in there too. I also had a tip from the forum that using Castrol VMX with the Nulon gearbox additive makes...
The brakes on the E-Type have been somewhat problematic since I got it. When the brakes got hot, they would not always release fully. Over the last 4 years I have tried a number of things to fix the problem but it has always come back to some extent. When I still had the car in the USA, it was worse,...
The 280CE had been performing well on the road after being put back into service, but the most obvious issue was that it never got up to operating temperature. Running too cool is not good for the engine and also results in higher fuel consumption. As they say, overheating an engine might kill it instantly, but underheating it will kill it slowly....
The DS door contact switch that controls the interior lights based on the doors being open or shut had disintegrated, which meant that the interior lights were always on. Not the most helpful feature if you want to be able to restart the car after leaving it parked. The actual switches are easy to remove and install, but the problem is that since...
Mercedes SLC models (280, 350, 380, 450, 450 5.0, 500) had three different steering wheels in their lifetime. All three steering wheels were large (around 19″) and made from plastic. This was a big departure from the elegant wheels of the 60’s and the nicer leather covered wheels from the mid 80s and 90s. These wheels also do not fare well in the...
In a previous post, I was looking at the changeover of production of the 220SEb Coupe/Cabriolet to the 250SE Coupe/Cabriolet. Mercedes used the same number series for the 220SE Sedan, 220SE Coupe, Cabriolet and the 250SE Coupe and Cabriolet. According to a Mercedes Factory Manual I have, the last 220SEb was #82991 (and the first 250SE #82992). At the start of...
The fourth and final door card for the DS is now installed. The reason for the long delay was that the rear drivers side door would not lock. If the door was unlocked, the mechanism would not hold the door closed, if locked, it would behave as if it were unlocked. Therefore, before I fitted the door card, I wanted to fix the...
EMBARGO: Please do not publish before Sunday April 30, 1972 SUPERB NEW TWIN OVERHEAD CAMSHAFT ENGINE FROM MERCEDES-BENZ Confounding the criticism that today’s automobile engineers are too heavily engaged in meeting safety and pollution requirements to produce better vehicles, Mercedes-Benz has just unveiled a superb new twin overhead camshaft engine. As well as meeting the conflicting requirements of performance with economy, the new engine...
The 280CE was making a knocking sound while steering and it had failed its rego due to a bad tie rod, necessitating a replacement. The job is not that difficult, especially if you have the right tools. There are a few good resources on the Internet, but a few things I found: I couldn’t remove the ball joints with a pickle fork,...
Not a perfect match, but a good repair for $300 cash.
The 280CE is finished. New muffler, passed blue slip and sold. My brother has purchased the car as he wrote off the BMW that we ‘dismantled’ earlier. That means that it will still be featured on this website from time to time even though I no longer own it. There are still a few things needed to do on the car,...
After replacing the water pump and test driving the 280CE, it was time to get it registered. Unfortunately it failed due to a small rust hole in the body work. This is not structural, but NSW is very strict in this regard. There was also a minor leak from the power steering and minor leak from the rear muffler. All...
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