Please tell me I haven't got a DMF...

[jonathan_dyane]

Last night driving home from the cinema in the 190D I had the joy of getting a migraine, and with my vision going I pulled over to let the girlfriend drive home.

 

Now it's amazing how when you're used to driving around a problem you can almost forget about it, and since I bought it the 190 has had an unholy amount of slack in the drivetrain. With the girlfriend driving it was like we were running on kangaroo petrol, crazily lurching around like mad.

 

Today with the migraine subsiding I begin to consider WTF is the matter with the car. I have already swapped the diff and the propshaft to no avail. I had a suspicion that the (manual) gearbox might be to blame, but yesterdays lurch-fest made me think that no matter how fucked the gearbox could be, I fail to see how it could possibly have that much slack in it.

 

With horror, I entered the words '190d' and 'dmf' into ebay. I get this result http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-190- ... 3cbf212bdc

 

Fuck! I had now idea that they invented the horrible things so long ago! More researching on a Russian parts site does indeed seem to confirm what could well be the source of my pain.

 

Can it really be the case that in 1986 Mercedes were already fitting these horrible things, and if I don't replace it will it grenade and take out the bellhousing with it?

 

Regardless, paying £363.58 for a DMF is not in the rules.

 

Bastards...

[ProgRocker]

Had to have the clutch on my Almera replaced in December (just in time for Christmas ). That too has a DMF. I paid about the same for a non genuine Nissan one (proper Nippon one would have been £500! ). Cost £1,100 to get the clutch properly sorted.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

That's nothing. Imagine the feeling of realising that your PETROL car is equipped with one of the fucking things.

[jonathan_dyane]

Paranoia over; it seems they weren't fitted until the 1988 facelift.

 

Guess it has to be the gearbox

[Lankytim]

Have you checked things like saggy engine mounts?

[Guest mjrose]

I had a w124 of similar vintage, with similar amounts of drivetrain slack. It seemed to be a combination of worn engine and gearbox mounts, and a sloppy guibo...

[jonathan_dyane]

Interesting stuff. If anything the guibo's seemed age-hardened; how do you normally test them? Engine mounts don't seem too bad like.

[trigger]

What's a guibo?

[jonathan_dyane]

What's a guibo?

 

The propshaft rubber flexi-coupling disc thing.

[Guest mjrose]

If the guibo looks age hardened then its probably knackered. They go hard then crack and the brass bolt housings seperate from the rubber. I'd suggest changing it as it should be <£20 and its easy to do as long as access is OK (make sure the rear wheels are off the deck so you can spin the prop and get access to all the bolts!).

[trigger]

Ah so it's the name of the Prop rubber doughnut then. everyday's a school day.

[oman5]

IIRC these also like to lunch the rear axle mounting rubbers, worth a look