Nab's 1975 280S

Post by **Nabstud** » Thu 04 Mar, 2021 1:32 am

Haha I was dancing with the devil at that speed!!!

Yeah I’m very happy with that temp towing. I’m not happy when on a summers night when the gauge goes past the 3/4 mark on a gentle cruise

Post by **CraigB** » Thu 04 Mar, 2021 1:42 pm

The funny bit is that the speed is illegal and I thought of a photo of yours with the needle just about wound off the gauge..... and that was legal!

Post by **Nabstud** » Sat 06 Mar, 2021 7:41 pm

T-Modell wrote: ↑Wed 03 Mar, 2021 11:25 pm There's no need to worry imho, towing a trailer at that heat ... especially now after committing a serious crime ... you did 113km/h in Australia. I guess you'll be in prison for a while soon, so the car can cool down

Thomas

If I was caught doing this on public roads I'd probably lose my licence for 6 months...

Post by **Nabstud** » Sat 06 Mar, 2021 7:43 pm

Got another set of cheap rims today, 3 of the 4 tyres are good too! A good clean and lick of paint is all they need. The kids don't like the Bundts but they like these...

Post by **T-Modell** » Sat 06 Mar, 2021 8:11 pm

Nabstud wrote: ↑Sat 06 Mar, 2021 7:41 pm
T-Modell wrote: ↑Wed 03 Mar, 2021 11:25 pm There's no need to worry imho, towing a trailer at that heat ... especially now after committing a serious crime ... you did 113km/h in Australia. I guess you'll be in prison for a while soon, so the car can cool down

Thomas
If I was caught doing this on public roads I'd probably lose my licence for 6 months...

You won't need it ... one year in prison?

Thomas

Post by **TheMadRacoon** » Sun 07 Mar, 2021 10:16 pm

Nabstud wrote: ↑Sat 06 Mar, 2021 7:41 pm
If I was caught doing this on public roads I'd probably lose my licence for 6 months...

Just say, "I thought that was the tacho."

Post by **Nabstud** » Sat 03 Apr, 2021 10:21 pm

TheMadRacoon wrote: ↑Sun 07 Mar, 2021 10:16 pmJust say, "I thought that was the tacho."

He would probably say "Its a 280S? No chance it could go that fast " haha

Post by **Nabstud** » Sat 03 Apr, 2021 10:44 pm

The electric antenna always went up but would only partially go down. Stripped it down today to repair it. It's not a genuine antenna as my 280 didn't come with a radio, it's just an aftermarket one.

No evidence of rust inside the guard which I was happy about. Had a good poke in the underbody coating with the screwdriver, thankfully it was solid as.

Pretty simple inside, luckily no cogs were damaged.

Straightaway found the cuprit. The retractable cord had snapped.

Had to remove the crimp, drill out the punch marks and install/crimp it on the cable.

Reassembled and reinstalled it, lubed it up and it works perfect now!

Last couple of tanks of fuel have returned 14.7L/100km. Been going great, getting a few km under it's belt, done approx 6000km in the last year.

Post by **Nabstud** » Tue 06 Apr, 2021 12:10 am

Went for a 100km cruise tonight, perfect weather with no wind and cool temps. Headed up to Gidgegannup and had a quick look where the recent devastating fires went though. A bit eerie driving through at night, even though they had cleaned up and restored power there were lots of trees down and burnt signs showing the brute force of the fire.

All photos turned out blurry but thought I would stick this one up as a friendly reminder to watch out for wildlife! Bunch of roos jumped out in front of me - luckily I was going reasonable slow - but then one decided to jump along the road for the next km or so at 20kph before he darted off into the bush. If I was going the speed limit I would have collected at least one of them...

Topped up with cheap fuel (cheap for 98...), 263km from 37.99L, 14.4L/100km.

Post by **T-Modell** » Tue 06 Apr, 2021 12:53 am

Great photo ... still > 14 litres for Aussie roads is quite a bit

... if you compare this to the Diesel-Experience recently with 4.9 ... sort of some progress there ...

Thomas

Post by **Nabstud** » Tue 06 Apr, 2021 1:35 am

Yeah it’s definitely not economical, but not too bad for a 70s car through the hills. New rotor, points and leads should just about get me into the thirteens!!!

Post by **Nabstud** » Thu 08 Apr, 2021 10:19 am

I had another play trying to eliminate my hard starting issues. All I did was adjust the float so the bowl was only filling to maybe 2/3. Now it drives like a bucket of crap - flat spots and stuttering on light throttle holding speed or accelerating gently. Idling is still ok and so is 3/4+ throttle. If I put my foot down hard from standstill it doesn’t flat spot or hesitate, only on part throttle. And it didn’t fix my starting issue haha!! I’ll adjust it back to standard and start again...

Post by **decca44** » Thu 08 Apr, 2021 3:08 pm

HI Nabs,
I was Service Manager at Yorkstar Motors during the 70s.
Hard starting on these carby motors (M110) was a issue when the vehicles were new.
Its caused by fuel vapours collecting in the air cleaner after switching a hot motor off, resulting in a rich mixture.
After motor has cooled down and vapours have evaporated, no problem.
If you remove air cleaner after switching off (or drive without it) no problem.
When asked for an answer to this issue, the MB factory said "up to 5 seconds for engine to start when hot is normal"

There are no modifications to the carby to allow fuel vapours to vent to the atmosphere.
I hope this helps
Derek

Post by **Nabstud** » Thu 08 Apr, 2021 9:30 pm

Thanks for that Derek. I will experiment with leaving the air cleaner off and see how it goes.

I noticed that other versions of the solex have a vented float chamber, mine just has a plate covering it. I wonder if venting it somehow would make a difference?

It never fails to start but always takes a bit of cranking. Even when it’s cold it still will only start if you keep pumping the accelerator while starting, and keep pumping for 5-10secs while running until it idles without any input (BUT if I fill up the float chamber with fuel before a cold start it will start and idle perfectly without any accelerator input, just like when I first bought the car).

If you touch the accelerator at all during a warm start it will take lots more cranking before it fires up.

When I first bought the car it started perfectly hot or cold, the only thing I have done is disconnect the coolant pipes to the TN choke as they had corroded and snapped off, can’t remember exactly when the starting issue started but I reckon I would have noticed if it happened at the same time.

I readjusted the float level today and it is running very well again. Still had a slight flat spot so I adjusted the accelerator pump a bit and after a quick drive seems better.

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 12 Apr, 2021 12:25 am

Well the good running lasted a few km before it started sputtering on light throttle. Idle fine, hard acceleration fine, sounded like an issue with the primaries. Sure enough, one of them wasn't squirting any fuel while holding revs. A bit of carby cleaner sorted it out...

For only a few km, then it happened again. This time I took the top section off and noticed a bit of crap in the float chamber. Drained the fuel and gave it a good clean out, same with the primary jets. Not much crap came out but I suppose it only takes a grain of dirt to block the jets. Used 1.5 cans of carby cleaner, back washing, spraying every hole I could find multiple times. I reassembled it and also installed a basic fuel filter in the fuel line just before the carby.

Only done maybe 10km since but it seems to be fine. I have also been adjusting the accelerator pump 1/2 turn at a time and seem to have eliminated the slight flat spot. It's raining here this weekend so will go for a good test drive when it's nice and dry.

Post by **CraigB** » Mon 12 Apr, 2021 9:28 am

Thanks for sharing so much of this sort of stuff. I always read it and it adds to our experience as if we experienced it ourselves and commit to memory. I've had that situation where I have thought "that all looks clean, that can't be the problem" but as you say it only needs the smallest amount of dirt. Have had lots of trouble with old fuel in my alfa with twin DCOE and in the final stages where I have totally dismantled and cleaned tank right through to carbs, hopefully all back together in next week or so.

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 12 Apr, 2021 8:11 pm

Cleaning fuel lines and tanks sounds like hard work!!! Have you got any pics of the Alfa?

Post by **CraigB** » Mon 12 Apr, 2021 8:42 pm

Alfa 2005.jpg

Digressing a bit from the topic.... not many digital shots..... a bit like your kids, you take hundreds when you first get them and then kinda forget to. I got the Alfa in 1991 I think. Car was originally dark green (and one day will return to that) and is a very early 1750GTV from 68, was one of the first cars off the line and first into South Australia.... not that it matters but just a curiosity - chassis number looks odd with lots of zeros! There was an old alfa mechanic in Adelaide, not sure if he is still alive, but he was working at Alfa when they developed the 1750 - he told me that he didn't know they had put the bigger motor in the 1600 and they chucked him the keys as a test driver - he said he came back and said "what the hell did you do to that!" I love history!

Post by **Christo C** » Mon 12 Apr, 2021 8:45 pm

What is that abomination?

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 12 Apr, 2021 8:59 pm

Looks like a little red go kart!! Bet it corners like be compared the the mercs...

Post by **CraigB** » Mon 12 Apr, 2021 9:21 pm

Same year as my SL and yes, different level of handling, but then having driven Adelaide to Canberra and back in the SL and basically non stop between 2 drivers, I probably would have needed a stretcher if i tried that in the alfa. Expensive car though in its time and not sure how it compared to the SL in price - but great spec - all alloy DOHC, dual DCOE carbs (so in effect one carb per cylinder), 5 spd, LSD, 4 big disc brakes and a lovely stiff chassis, all up just over 1000kg

Post by **Nabstud** » Sun 18 Apr, 2021 10:56 pm

The dirty carby saga continues! Took it out yesterday and it ran flawlessly for 30km. Took the kids out in the arvo and it sputtered once but then ran smooth again. Decided to go for a good run today, got just over 50km of great running from home when it started sputtering again. Progressively got worse so I pulled over at a random take away joint. Luckily I packed the carby cleaner on this run and I keep a handful of tools in the boot.

Heaps of dirt in there. Not sure where it's come from as I've installed an aftermarket fuel filter.

Done it a few times so only took me half an hour to take off the top of the carby, clean out the primary jets and reassemble and be on my way. Got me the 60km back home with no issues.

Post by **T-Modell** » Sun 18 Apr, 2021 11:48 pm

Dirt's relentless

... that's just the thing with an old car bought: you gotta repair it through, step by step.
Thomas

Post by **CraigB** » Mon 19 Apr, 2021 1:20 am

Thats a bit weird though with an inline filter. Is it a see through one? can you see dirt in it? What about the hose from filter to carb? That couldn't be breaking up internally?

Looking good though even with bonnet up. You have my personal favourite wheels on!

Post by **Giles** » Mon 19 Apr, 2021 10:04 am

Nabstud wrote: ↑Sat 06 Mar, 2021 7:43 pm Got another set of cheap rims today, 3 of the 4 tyres are good too! A good clean and lick of paint is all they need. The kids don't like the Bundts but they like these...

I’ve got just the ticket for these.

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 19 Apr, 2021 11:03 pm

CraigB wrote: ↑Mon 19 Apr, 2021 1:20 am Thats a bit weird though with an inline filter. Is it a see through one? can you see dirt in it? What about the hose from filter to carb? That couldn't be breaking up internally?

Looking good though even with bonnet up. You have my personal favourite wheels on!

It's not a see through one, they didn't have one in stock but I will get one next time.
I tried to like the Bundts, I do like them on other light coloured W116s but on mine I don't think it suited it. As soon as I put the steel wheels and hubcaps back on it just looked right again haha!

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 19 Apr, 2021 11:04 pm

T-Modell wrote: ↑Sun 18 Apr, 2021 11:48 pm Dirt's relentless ... that's just the thing with an old car bought: you gotta repair it through, step by step.
Thomas

Yep, an unreliable car does not sit well with me so it will get another thorough clean soon..

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 19 Apr, 2021 11:05 pm

Giles wrote: ↑Mon 19 Apr, 2021 10:04 am
Nabstud wrote: ↑Sat 06 Mar, 2021 7:43 pm Got another set of cheap rims today, 3 of the 4 tyres are good too! A good clean and lick of paint is all they need. The kids don't like the Bundts but they like these...

I’ve got just the ticket for these.

Will be the classiest trailer in Perth!!

Post by **Giles** » Tue 20 Apr, 2021 10:43 pm

Nabstud wrote: ↑Mon 19 Apr, 2021 11:05 pm
Giles wrote: ↑Mon 19 Apr, 2021 10:04 am
Nabstud wrote: ↑Sat 06 Mar, 2021 7:43 pm Got another set of cheap rims today, 3 of the 4 tyres are good too! A good clean and lick of paint is all they need. The kids don't like the Bundts but they like these...

I’ve got just the ticket for these.
Will be the classiest trailer in Perth!!

Maybe the next one, the current one has seen better days.
It will at least give me a chance to refurb the Fuchs 14x6 1/2.

FEF64A4C-3592-4F0B-A4B5-3ED71D089906.jpeg

Post by **Nabstud** » Sun 02 May, 2021 10:56 pm

Giles wrote: ↑Tue 20 Apr, 2021 10:43 pmMaybe the next one, the current one has seen better days.
It will at least give me a chance to refurb the Fuchs 14x6 1/2.
FEF64A4C-3592-4F0B-A4B5-3ED71D089906.jpeg

I think they would look better on the trailer than the white coupe....

Post by **Nabstud** » Sun 02 May, 2021 11:30 pm

I think the dirt in the carby issue is resolved. Cut open the fuel filter and it was clean as a whistle.

I did the 120km round trip to Bartman's place where he cleaned my carby in his ultrasonic cleaner and checked a couple of things(thanks again Bart). We put the dirt issue down to the little bit of sealant I put on the middle gasket leaking into the carby. Got it home and gave the outside a little once over. Bit of fine steel wool, lots and look of carby cleaner and the air compressor got things looking nice and clean.

I then used heaps more carby cleaner to make sure everything was really clean and reassembled the carby. I need one more gasket to finish attaching the top air horn to middle body then I can put it back on the car and give it a go.

Almost looks like a new one!

Also changed a couple old fuel hoses and installed a new clear fuel filter.

Post by **Giles** » Mon 03 May, 2021 8:23 am

Nabstud wrote: ↑Sun 02 May, 2021 10:56 pm
Giles wrote: ↑Tue 20 Apr, 2021 10:43 pmMaybe the next one, the current one has seen better days.
It will at least give me a chance to refurb the Fuchs 14x6 1/2.
FEF64A4C-3592-4F0B-A4B5-3ED71D089906.jpeg
I think they would look better on the trailer than the white coupe....

Just temporary on the coupe as the tyres that were on the Lorinser rim weren’t round and made it difficult to push.
Little rims on big car equals easy push.

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 17 May, 2021 12:00 am

I sourced a gasket set from MLP in Melbourne, surprisingly got delivered to me in 2 days. Fitted it up and it started straight up. A bit of fiddling got it running pretty smoothly but with a decent flat spot, only at part throttle, no flat spot at full throttle opening. I modified the TN choke to properly block it off, cut off the corroded coolant pipes and installed a blanking plate.

I also took out and cleaned/adjusted the spark plugs, checked the points and checked the valve adjustment (all good). Got myself a vacuum gauge and at idle it is pulling 15in, seems pretty normal compared to other M110s.

Since the strip and clean, the cold start has been great: one pump of the accelerator, turn the key ans it starts quick and idles great. Still has the hot start-long crank issue but I can live with that for now...

I have been reading lots of info about adjusting the Solex carb and what not to touch. I had replaced the accelerator pump diaphragm and adjusted it to give a solid squirt of fuel so eliminated it from the flat spot issue. Float level seems to be another common cause of flat spots, there seems to be conflicting info on setting the float level for the 4A1. The info I have been going by is 9mm below the carb top/middle join, as per info I printed off a while ago. I also found somewhere that said 5mm below, which I experimented with to try and solve my starting issues. Neither of those settings helped the flat spot. Then I found more info which said that the float level needs to be 0mm below (ie level with the join). What the hell, might as will give it a go and it seems to have solved the flat spot issue.

Adjusted the idle a bit more and now it is running sweet. Idles nice and smooth, very responsive to throttle and power is still good. Will see how it goes on fuel economy but for now I'm happy how it's been running. Used it all weekend for about a dozen short trips and it was spot on!

Post by **CraigB** » Mon 17 May, 2021 9:12 am

You get a gold star for persistence! I hope that's the end of it all. With hot start is confusing - you would think the pump jet would have it fire if lack of fuel (and guessing you checked it is pumping when hot......doesn't sound like there is anything you haven't checked!) or wide open throttle would have it start if it was too much fuel.

Post by **Bartman4800** » Mon 17 May, 2021 11:04 am

Great result!

Glad you got it running sweet.

Regards, Bart

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 17 May, 2021 12:13 pm

Yeah Bart, it’s been a mission but I’m 95% there!

Craig, persistence seems to have paid off!! I didn’t check the fuel pump pressure when hot, but pushing the float down with a screwdriver while idling sees the fuel quickly overfill the float chamber so it’s doing something. Hot start issue is related to how hot the motor got. When cold or soon after turning it off it stars within a second. Just doing the school run and back home, it only cranks for a couple seconds max at the next start. After a half hour drive, the next start will take around 4-5 seconds, but the next morning it starts fine again. Someone mentioned taking off the air cleaner lid, will try that next time after a hot run.

Had the top of the carb off to check the float level that often that I decided to time myself - from popping the bonnet, taking top carb cover off, air cleaner back on and started took me 18mins, personal record haha!! Still haven’t got my head around the Solex workings but I know enough now to know what to touch and what not to touch!

Post by **Nabstud** » Sun 27 Jun, 2021 3:02 am

Just been enjoying driving it in between the crappy weather. My work car was getting serviced last month and I had a small job to do, old Fritz came to the rescue!! Client was impressed haha!!!!

Post by **CraigB** » Mon 28 Jun, 2021 10:15 am

Its a very pretty car - you must never tire of seeing it..... turn around to peek back at it after you have parked it - love that feeling.

Post by **Nabstud** » Sun 08 Aug, 2021 2:25 am

The weather has been pretty crappy here for the last couple months so not much has been done to Fritz, nor has he been driven much. The fat spot started to come back, seems like the float level in the carby had dropped a bit. Readjusted it and the flat spot seems to have reduced a lot. Not sure how the float level can change? Maybe an issue with the needle? It has a new needle and the seat wasn't loose last time I checked.

Post by **Nabstud** » Sun 08 Aug, 2021 2:25 am

After a long wait I finally found a local headlight (first one I got cheap was smashed in the post...). Rather than use the whole headlight I just switched over the glass. Pretty straight forward to remove the headlight - remove indicator, remove little panel below headlight, remove 6x headlight screws and it's out.

Taking out the glass was also easy just needed a bit of care not to damage the glass.

When I took the old one out the glass fell into 2 parts...

I gave the glass a good clean, reassembled and re-installed. The glass was noticeably cleaner than the other side so I took that one out and cleaned the glass. It didn't look dirty but the difference was very noticeable. Was surprised to see how clean it was behind the headlight, like new!!

When I got the car, it came with some old Aunger plastic headlight protectors. I never put them on as I didn't like the look, even though they are in new condition, but now I have new-looking headlights I'll see how they go.

Post by **Nabstud** » Sun 08 Aug, 2021 2:43 am

The indicator stalk has progressively become reluctant to stay on when indicating left. You needed to be gentle and hold it for a second otherwise it just flicked off straight away. I had a quick look but seems like the issue is wear and tear on the "lump" that the spring loaded roller sits on. I cleaned the grease off it and reapplied new grease, will wait until my next drive to see if it has helped but doesn't feel different sitting in the driveway. Short of putting more tension on the spring I think a replacement may be the only fix.

For a while now the wipers didn't work on the regular speed setting, high speed and intermittent worked fine.

I used a pick to push out the pin holding the end of the stalk on and pulled it out with needle-nose pliers. Can see it just poking out. If you do this make note of how the spring and plastic bits sit in the end.

Another pin holds the fast/slow/intermittent switch in place. Removing that exposes the contacts.

Nothing looked broken, checked the wiring and all was good. I used a screwdriver to short out the contacts and the wipers worked. Seems the issue must have been some grease/dirt on the contacts. I gave them a bit of a clean with electrical contact cleaner, gave the surfaces a light scratch with the pick and reassembled. Now I have 100% working wipers again!!

Post by **T-Modell** » Sun 08 Aug, 2021 3:54 am

Good research!
Thomas

Post by **CraigB** » Sun 08 Aug, 2021 10:55 am

Thanks, great to see one apart. That worn lump - I have successfully deepened the low point with a small round file and still working.

Post by **Nabstud** » Sun 08 Aug, 2021 2:50 pm

CraigB wrote: ↑Sun 08 Aug, 2021 10:55 am Thanks, great to see one apart. That worn lump - I have successfully deepened the low point with a small round file and still working.

That’s a great idea, never thought of using a small file. Did you take it all apart or file it in situ?

Post by **CraigB** » Sun 08 Aug, 2021 3:41 pm

insitu from memory but was about 20 years ago

Post by **Chai** » Mon 09 Aug, 2021 8:42 pm

Confirm that the deepening of the 'valley' where the indicator slide over (can be seen in the picture: top of right hand spring) can be filed in-situ, without disassembly.
Buy a cheap small round file (Daiso has them in Melbourne city), angle grind the end so that the filing material is at the tip.
The indicator material is aluminum so isn't too bad a job.
WD-40 spray with a rag underneath to flush the metal filing aside.
Earbud or wooden skewer with grease to lube.

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 09 Aug, 2021 9:47 pm

Thanks for that. That will be my plan a. Plan B will be getting a dremel…

Post by **Nabstud** » Wed 11 Aug, 2021 12:16 am

Well I went straight to plan B with the indicator stalk. Bought a cheap dremel-style tool, the kit came with the exact sized burring tool I needed. Didn't need to grind much material off, the soft alloy was easily shaped. Only took a few goes getting the stalk to sit more firmly. Feels a bit different now, even though I only took off a poofteenth. Could very easily go pear shaped if you pressed too hard for a few seconds!!!

Post by **Nabstud** » Thu 12 Aug, 2021 1:38 am

Took Fritz for a 70km round trip tonight. Indicator is working great, feels a little different but engages nicely each time. Auto cancelling also works perfect.

It did rain ever so slightly, for some reason the normal wiper speed has stopped working again. High speed and intermittent still work fine. Maybe a dry solder joint or similar, will have to have another look.

Post by **Nabstud** » Mon 30 Aug, 2021 11:45 pm

Took apart the wiper switch again. Everything looked fine, had a little prod around the wires while the wipers were switched on and it sparked and worked a bit. Couldn't pin point the exact spot so I unsoldered it, covered it in heatshrink and re-soldered it. Touch wood it's working properly again!!

The red wire was the culprit