'82 343 DLS: beyond the arctic circle

[trabitom99]

I had some pretty heart-stopping experiences in my old Merc which was regularly left for months at a time ... The first time I had to use the foot operated handbrake in an emergency (probably ancient brake fluid) the second time the master brake cylinder failed, luckily slowly and in stop/start traffic. Both times were after a long winter break.

So I'm a bit cautious these days

Tom

[trabitom99]

A steam clean, a tank brimmed with E5 Super Plus, and into hibernation for 9 months

... make that 10½ months. I reactivated this car last Friday! Packed a fresh battery in the boot of the Trabi, and drove the 200kms to where the DLS is stored over country roads, through the Eifel and Taunus hills.



Fitted the battery, and the DLS probably would have started first time if I hadn't forgotten the choke The brakes freed up pretty quickly, pumped the tyres up a bit, changed a headlight bulb and then drove the 200kms back home over the autobahn.

A quick wash the next morning:



The heater valve is still pretty sticky and will need changing if I don't want to get heat stroke in summer, but other than that the car is performing really well. Now it desperately needs its historic plate, the local "Umweltzone" will be widened as from 1. July meaning I won't be able to move it at all legally anymore without it ...

Tom

[Chris_C]

Looks like a cool trip Tom! These "Umweltzone" 's don't seem that genius... I have a heck of a lot of fingers crossed they don't appear over here :s

Are those heater valves the same as mk3 ones? They used to be fairly common over here, I'm sure we could sort something for you.

[trabitom99]

Thanks, Chris. I'm pretty sure this car has the same valve fitted to later cars (the straight-through version, fitted in the engine bay):

and I think I have a spare one of those.

Originally, the car should have had the one with a bend in it circled in red.


I guess they changed them over the years to make the heater respond more quickly or something ...

These Umweltzones are a real pain, particularly for 80's and 90's diesels and '80s non-cat, non-injection cars. They've virtually disappeared from the roads here.

Tom

[MCHUDD]

Hi Tom.
What a stunning car. Glad its up and running again.
Cheers Mark.

[jtbo]

These Umweltzones are a real pain, particularly for 80's and 90's diesels and '80s non-cat, non-injection cars. They've virtually disappeared from the roads here.

Tom

That is really stupid, they try to force people to by modern crap?

I can get lower fuel consumption with my 90's diesel than most modern same class diesel cars can get today, so that sounds rather unfair to me.


These 300 series cars are incredible in there that they don't really seem to get as horrible punishment for being not used than some other cars.

[SteveP]

Love this car, great save!

[volvosneverdie]

Love this car, great save!

+1!

Lovely thing indeed.

Well done Tom.

[foggyjames]

These 300 series cars are incredible in there that they don't really seem to get as horrible punishment for being not used than some other cars.

Myself and Rupert started up a 1984 340 which hasn't been on the road for 11 years earlier today. I have no idea when it was last run, but clearly not for a long time...possibly not for 10+ years. We cleaned out the pick-up pipe in the tank (was jammed with thick black sludge?!), replaced the short rubber fuel hoses between the tank, pump, and plastic lines (which go porous), pumped fuel through...and it fired first turn of the key.

We then took it out for a short drive once it had warmed up, and I even got a small drift on the go. The brakes were a little soft, but they worked. If it has been stood for as long as I suspect, it's pretty amazing. How well it did. A 7/900 or 850/x70 will usually have seized its rear calipers within 6 months of standing.

cheers

James

[SteveP]

Similar story with my 82 343... had sat for 8 years. The only thing it needed for the MOT was a couple of copper brake hoses and a caliper freeing up. It ran and drove absolutely fine as daily transport thereafter

[trabitom99]

Sturdy cars

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Squashed the car into the garage back at home:


until I get around to getting the historic plate thing sorted ...

Cheers

Tom

[SteveP]

That is squashed! I thought my current garage was small...!

[nvdw]

I hope the H-plate thing turns out OK Tom. Stupid Umweltzone nonsense but hey what can you do.

[V6 Man]

These 300 series cars are incredible in there that they don't really seem to get as horrible punishment for being not used than some other cars.

Myself and Rupert started up a 1984 340 which hasn't been on the road for 11 years earlier today. I have no idea when it was last run, but clearly not for a long time...possibly not for 10+ years. We cleaned out the pick-up pipe in the tank (was jammed with thick black sludge?!), replaced the short rubber fuel hoses between the tank, pump, and plastic lines (which go porous), pumped fuel through...and it fired first turn of the key.

We then took it out for a short drive once it had warmed up, and I even got a small drift on the go. The brakes were a little soft, but they worked. If it has been stood for as long as I suspect, it's pretty amazing. How well it did. A 7/900 or 850/x70 will usually have seized its rear calipers within 6 months of standing.

cheers

James

Not only that, but all the lights (bar sidelights) work, heater works, blower fan works on all 3 settings, rear demist works, horn works, washers and wipers work, electric cooling fan works, radio cassette works. We don't know if the heated seats work, but the ambient temps were too high for them to cut in. In short, if it wasn't for the sills she'd be back road legal with just a general greasing and clean up of brakes!

[Tom]

I'm a bit late to the party, but I've just read this thread from the start and you, trabitom, are a WINNAH.