I’ve been around technology all my adult life and have worked in the cellular industry for many, many years. My part in the technology was towards the cell site hardware.
This gigantic amplifier was located under the rear deck of the MB 380SL. It has a custom key for removal. Unfortunately I did not have this custom key and the amplifier had to removed by brute force.
I went over to my buddy’s place who’s into cars and he had the idea of using a crowbar to rip the underside off which was held by only a couple of sheet metal screws.
By removing this cell amp I gain more space for car audio amplifier installation or a sub woofer cabinet area.
I removed the MB 380SL door panel so I can see how the vacuum lines operated the door locks. It’s impressive how much vacuum lines are used throughout these old vehicles.
I have an intermittent problem with my climate controller on the MB380SL. Sometimes it works fine and other time I have no heat or fan blower movement. One cause I’ve read on the online forums was a bad mono-valve that may intermittely become stuck and prevent heated coolant to pass through and into the heater core.
This valve receives its signal from the climate controller inside the cabin. You can see where the screen preventing contaminants from entering has become corroded over time.
I can scratch another bucket list item off, owning a Mercedes Benz. I’ve been missing riding a full convertible at will. We have a BMW 330ci but it’s the wifey’s car and not available all the time. Also, I’m not able to tinker with it and out of commission for days at a time.
So I was looking at tooth brush case, real pencil cases (too short) and my wife came up with these “Smencil’s” that they sell at her school. Well it turns out the Apple Pencil fits perfectly in the case and you’re able to add a little piece of foam at the bottom to protect the point if needed be.
I guess if you really wanted to make a custom fit you could cut about a 1/4″ off the end of the tube to accommodate the length of the Apple Pencil.
I purchased a pack of 5 from Amazon for roughly $7 bucks. What a bargain.
For whatever reason when we first got Jaxson we were under the impression that his shots were up to date. This was a true statement from the time we picked him up but since then we should have been taking him to get his monthly puppy shots. That had somehow fallen in between the doggie parental cracks. Today I took him into the vet to get all caught up, his rabie shot and have a chip ID implanted.
He did really good and I found that this dude has no fear. He was growling and snarling at German Shepards five times his size and weight. He will have one more puppy shot session one month from today. After that, he’s all complete and I can have him licensed in the county.
Jaxson gave me a look like I tricked him and that he thought we going out to buy some dog treats somewhere. He did really good though for his first time out in the car and interacting with other dogs. I had to postpone his dog grooming as he couldn’t get wet after the chip implant for at least two days.
When I added the drop down bolts to the rear of the Vette’ the wheels developed a camber condition. It needed an alignment but I just didn’t have the days off until recently to take it in. The rear alignment went well without a hitch but the front left side seems to have a problem that will require another visit at some point.
The alignment shop I took it to has all the necessary equipment to perform a modern wheel alignment.
The heating furnace our home has been cutting off during the warm cycle or sometimes would not even come on when it had been set. If you took a screwdriver handle and tapped the controller you’d be able to get the pilot on and eventually the furnace would catch and turn on. It would stay on for awhile or shutdown a short time after.
Inside of the controller module is a relay that has a known tendency to “stick” in position. A sharp hit would loosen the relay and allow currently flow.
I’ve had repair estimates from an $800 dollar controller board, $480 eBay used board but eventually found it on Amazon Prime for $149! You can do a search on Amazon and find this exact controller. They are dropped shipped from North America HVAC. Even though they give an estimate of 7 days I received mine in 3.
After I examined the original 27+ year controller module I checked out the suspected failed relay component. If I was to do this again I may have replaced that part by itself to see if it repaired the problem. The issue is the downtown waiting for the part to arrive and not knowing if that part actually would fix the problem. I did the shotgun approached and replaced the module. It probably is a good idea to update the controller after so many years of use.
