Gilamonster - 3/30/2014 10:25 PM Greetings, This is my first post. Burquedoka recommended I join. He said this is the place to be regarding G-wagen mechanics. Last summer I purchased the infamous Europa camper and have been enjoying the heck out of it - my first G and my first camper. It runs like a fine tuned beast and I've been driving all over the dirt roads of New Mexico. It has almost 18k miles on it now. I've sorted out all of its camper related issues, done major maintenance and have been steadily refining the build. You can see tons of pics over at Expedition Portal "purchased an expedition g-wagen". I have a couple of questions that I would appreciate any feedback on. First, the front drive shaft doesn't have any zircs. Where the zirc is normally found it has a bolt with a long tapering heavy needle type thing on it. How does one go about properly greasing this shaft? Second, the original bilstein shocks are starting to get a bit soft on the top over the last 1k miles.. The vehicle weighs about 6900 fully loaded. It has the ORC springs, front/rear sway bar set up and I drive about 80% on dirt roads. Koni heavy tracks, Fox and King shocks have been recommended. Will the 2 1/2" diameter shocks fit on the 460 (it has a 463 body and a 461 engine)? Would the remote reservoir units offer much benefit/lifespan/reliability? They are expensive. Does the tunability of the dial type remote shocks really work. I'm looking for a smooth, controlled ride. I'm hesitant to go with a standard G shock due to the weight of the vehicle (mainly on the rear) and I'd like to avoid a pricey mistake. Thanks for any thoughts/input. William

Gilamonster - 4/1/2014 11:01 PM

Sorry I see I didn't rotate the photos. Next time.

On the front shaft pic you will see what looks like a small bolt head on the shaft - at 6 o'clock in the middle of the pic. This is the weird grease fitting. There are two more just like it on this shaft. Since posting this thread I did a bit more research and found that it is a nut with a small hole in the center (mine was covered in dirt). I need to get the special heavy needle type adapter for my grease gun and evidently that will allow me to get the grease in.

That brings up another question. Do I need to get a specific size needle adaptor to fit this (metric)? I do already have a needle adapter - the type you can stick thru a rubber boot, but this one is different.

Thanks,

William

Gilamonster - 4/1/2014 9:40 PM

Hipine,

Thanks. I didn't know that about the shock controlling the axle vs the vehicle. Very interesting.

Very good to know regarding the Koni's. I like longevity and a good all around feel. I'll call them tomorrow to get a feel.

I called a recommended King Shock retailer today and they asked for shock length measurements for when the suspension is compressed, sitting level and fully extended. They said that due to the ORC springs and sway bar the specs might be different than OEM shocks/vehicle. Makes sense. They also said that their OEM shocks might not be the best match due to the extra 1K lbs but that they can change the shims//valving accordingly. Like you mentioned, I would hate to have to go thru the "live with it or send it back/re-valve thing".

That brings up a question. I was in the new Santa Fe Mercedes dealership shop a while back and there was a sweet G from Pagosa Springs area that had "limiting straps" attached from the axle to the frame. What is the deal with that?

I also got lucky to find Marc Beyer is still in Santa Fe. He is the mechanic Europa imported from Germany and knows this vehicle (G's in general) like the back of his hand. I've been using him for maintenance and stuff I am not yet comfortable with.

As to the vehicle overall, I feel super fortunate to have found it. It isn't as elegant as many builds I've seen but they sure put a lot of thought into the mechanics and ergonomics. It is built heavy duty. It would have cost me sooo much more to have done it from scratch; Dave H put a ton of $$$ and thought into it. All it needed was a little attention to the final details. Also, I think it sat around and aged (un-used) for a long time during the build and with the last owner and as such needed appropriate service and maintenance and sorting out a few details. I've been working aggressively on that, in between trips. In January I made it from my place in Santa Fe to the AZ border in SW New Mexico (and back) on less than 100 miles of pavement. Saw some great country and hit roads I've been thinking about for years. I've done 3 other 1K mile mostly dirt trips in it since December. The engine seems to be getting stronger and smoother. I love using it!

Thanks again for your input.

William

Gilamonster - 4/2/2014 10:45 AM

I wonder why they use the different types of zircs on just the front drive shaft. Could it be that the lower profile helps in the balancing of the shaft?

William

You can address all your concerns with some koni 90s