6.9 # 7114 - it lives !

[CraigS]

After several attempts at replacing the fuel distributor, and filter, I have gone back to the original cast iron unit, and determined that it has the wrong WUR on it. It must have been replaced at some point, so I will order a remanufactured one from the US (US$240). Hopefully this may cure some of the problems being experienced.

I also noticed today an old roadworthy certificate when the previous owner renewed his registration in 2003. The mileage at that stage was only 280km less than what it is now - 10 years on. I guess I really need to get it running and drive it some !

 

[Styria]

Great car! All original, no molestation. Great stuff. No Taiwanese after-market bling in rims, wheel arches or interior changes. An absolute beauty! Enjoy it Craig.

Ouch, that hurts. POW POW, here's one, there's another, and another just for good measure. Oh no more, can't get up off the floor ! Nice to hear from you David. Regards Styria

N.B. Please, pretty please, can I enjoy GB.....yes.

 

[Michel]

Great car! All original, no molestation. Great stuff. No Taiwanese after-market bling in rims, wheel arches or interior changes. An absolute beauty! Enjoy it Craig.

Hear Hear!

 

[braminator123]

A gorgeous car Craig!

 

[CraigS]

OK. Here is the latest. After swapping fuel distributors and WUR's, I got it running a little better, but not good enough. So, I have taken the two fuel distributors I had, the two WUR's and the injectors up to Peter Bower at Bower Power to have them checked, and if necessary, rebuilt.

In the interim, I have ordered new intake manifold seals, gaskets and some related hoses, and have removed the intake manifold. This is not a pleasant job, as, inevitably, the front two bolts on the drivers side and the front one on the passengers side break. Sure enough, that is what happened to me. The problem is that they go through the water jacket and corrode. Next job is to try and remove the remaining pieces of bolt, and of course, these are drilled at an angle.

I will post some photos soon of the various components.

I also tested the air slide and it is not sealing completely, so if anyone has a spare they want to sell, or donate, I'm your man ! Any W116 or 380 one will do and there are probably others. If you want to test it, run the bulb under the hot water tap and you should see the piston rise and seal completely at the top.

When I took the cast iron fuel distributor up to Peter, his first comment was that it had had water in it - which is true, as the former owner left it under a tree for 4 years and we had to replace the fuel filter 3 times and the pump once to get it to the point where it would run, so presumably some of this water made its way up the front. Hopefully it will be salvageable.

Photos and progress reports to follow .................

 

[CraigS]

Photos. Scroll from the first one

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/...114/Re-commissioning/DSC00154_zps2c626291.jpg

 

[Styria]

Hi Craig, brought up picture, but when trying to scroll, nothing happened. Regards Styria

 

[CraigS]

Just tried it and it works for me. Does it show the thumbnails below the main photo ?

 

[Michel]

I'm so sorry you had so much trouble with such a beautiful car.

Sometimes I think it might have been a blessing that you beat me to it

 

[CraigS]

No trouble - just routine maintenance on a 6.9 !

 

[Styria]

No trouble - just routine maintenance on a 6.9 !

Hi Craig, sorry that I have to disagree with you on that one. 6.9s are generally stock reliable in the area of engine and mechanical components. You just replace components every five to eight years or so. I do think that probably some of your problems can be traced to the long lay-off the car has experienced for so many years now. Regards Styria

 

[CraigS]

And that is exactly what I am doing ! I have had the car for 6 years, the PO for 4 years - all laid up. The original problems arose because the PO left it under a tree and water got into the fuel tank. That obviously circulated through the system during our time of trying to get it running, with the result that the critical components of the system need work. Once resolved, I wouldn't expect to have to touch any of these for at least 10 and hopefully 20 years.

 

[Styria]

Give me a phone call, Craig, when I'm upstairs to keep me posted on how the components have stood up. I might just be able to lend you a guiding hand by that time ! Regards Holier than Holy Styria

 

[CraigS]

Depends if I get there before you !

I repaired the problematic air slide yesterday. As mentioned, it was not closing, leaving about a 3mm space between the piston and the top, which would have, or was, causing a problem with the idle speed.

I put a socket over the thermostat bulb to protect it, put it in the vice, and wound it down. Apparently over time, the top seal, which is a press fit, moves upwards ever so slightly, but sufficient to cause the problem outlined. It now closes completely, so will see how it performs when everything is back on the car.

 

[CraigS]

Fuel divider, Warm-up regulator have been rebuilt/cleaned and apparently came up very well. Today, I removed the fuel tank. I was never convinced it was any good - don't ask me why, but I picked up a nice clean one this week, so out came the old one. Here is why I am glad I did

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/...s/450 SEL 69 No 7114/DSC00184_zps476403ae.jpg

You should be able to scroll from the above. Note the crud in the strainer and strainer opening and the remnants on the ground. The blistering paint also tells me it is rusting from the inside out.

For reasons known only to Photobucket, you may need to scroll forward and back from the above.

 

[Oversize]

Holy hell! And that's why it pays to check the supply FIRST before doing any other repairs to the fuel system! Imagine if you'd just refitted the divider and warm-up regulator and tried to start the car as it was....

Craig do you own those other 2 cars?

 

[CraigS]

It was stated by Peter Bower (that did the recon of the fuel divider etc) that the fuel tank and lines must be spotless before reinstall. I had planned to change the tank anyway, as mentioned in another post where I was looking for a fuel tank. I can only say that I am glad I did !

What other 2 cars ? If you are referring to the line-up of W116's on the Photobucket site, they were all 6.9's, plus I had another one not pictured, but they have all gone bar the Inca Rot one.

 

[Oversize]

Yes I was referring to those ones. Did you own them all? Where did they go?

 

[CraigS]

Yes, they were all mine, but I had about 14 cars at that time, and it was getting a bit out of hand. I kept the best one (despite all the fuel problems) and the others were sold to Sydney, Melbourne and not sure where the other one went. Having said that, I am back up to 10 (not to mention the scooter and Honda Fireblade) so it might be time to rationalise again ! I am finally getting everything running again, so it might be harder to sell something.

 

[CraigS]

Good news ! The red 6.9 lives again. I completed the re-assembly of the injection system this morning, changed the fuel filter, fixed a small leak from the main tank hose, bled the injectors, cranked it over and hey presto, it burst into life and runs quite smoothly. Better than it ever has it seems. Very smooth when revving. Have a few things to do tomorrow, such as fixing a small water leak from the air slide, but once that is done, I will run it up to temperature and see how it settles down to idle. I might even take it around the block and see how it goes.