Been busy today...
Oil change all done. It only takes 8.5 litres. And guess who found the new sump plug washer on the floor having just refilled it and run it up to temp
Managed to undo the sump plug, fit the washer and refit the plug without losing more than a cup full of oil or burning my finger
Won't make that mistake again
Other work was a combination of tasks, not least resealing the freshly sealed lights. Weather has finally been atrocious and inspite of the new seals, one light was flooded and tother clearly had water draining past it into the inside of the boot
Stripped out the boot for several different jobs, removed the lights and bumper for 4 reasons. Reason number 1 was to remove the tailgate aperture trim which runs down behind it which needed removing to address the water ingress with a bit more vigour.
Picked up some expanding all weather roofing sealant and ran a thick bead behind the trim from the gas strut mounts to the rear panel. Hopefully this will be enough to divert the water away from the light apertures and into fresh air behind the bumper. I also ran a bead around the outside edge of the foam pads to dissuade any water that might now get behind the lights. Time will tell...
Bumper removal reason number 2 was to address the beginnings of some rust on the nearside rear quarter. Turns out it's had a minor repair in the past and paint was chipping along the top edge of the bumper and eventually moisture had got to the metal. It's right on the bottom edge as it folds over the bumper, and barely an inch long... Well it was
Really it could do with another small skim of filler, but I can live with the 3/4" scar. Been primed and painted and there's a scratch on the dog leg of the wheel arch, so once the colour coat has hardened over the weekend, I will rub both down with 1500 grit wet and dry and then lacquer it to blend it to the body line. A similar approach to a scratch on the OSF wing has saved the panel, so worth a go.
Bumper removal reason number 3 was to deal with the shin breaker. Now removed and replaced with a factory fold away tow bar. Just waiting on the last couple of bits of hardware to arrive to wrap that up and need to run the wiring. The wiring being reason number 2 for stripping the boot. Again...
Bumper removal reason number 4 was to investigate the non function parking sensors. Once the bumper was off, the inch of mud and other crap covering the sensor suggested it had had enough. Sensor swapped with the used one along with the relatively clean loom I acquired at the same time and I now have working parking sensors.
Today's surprises were the missing under trays and the lack of the low speed impact pad behind the rear bumper.
Oh, and the droplinks are floppy but will require cutting off to remove as they're quite crusty... and the CV boot cable tie bodge didn't hold... Need a metal one to clamp it a bit tighter. Failing that another CV shaft. If it needs removing it to fix, I may as well fit one that isn't broken.
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Topic: Mercedes ML 280 CDI Project. (Read 1545 times)