1990s MB truck owners. Looking for some details!!

[charlieaarons]

I find it a little scary seeing people with no clue about air brakes or any understanding of how drums overheat and fail to stop you if you ride them on a descent, jumping into one of these trucks and driving off.
They are easy to drive, but if you don't know what you're doing it can end up very badly.

First thing I did practically after getting my U500 camper to Alaska was to get a CDL. It has great brakes: disk air brakes with ABS. More important, a compression release brake (like a Jake but mysteriously quiet) and an exhaust brake as well. In 2017, with 94k miles on it, I had a rear axle bearing replaced by a Unimog dealer in Germany on the way back from Mongolia. I told them to replace brake pads if 50% worn or more. They left them alone. I attribute that to completely obsessive use of exhaust/compression brake.
Remember that terrible accident in Longmont Colorado when a semi coming down I-70 had a “brake failure” (emitting flames etc) and killed a bunch of people in cars? I poked around and discovered that even in Colorado (a pretty mountainous state!!) exhaust/Jake brakes are NOT mandatory on class 8 trucks!
Crazy.
One more thing: it’s a REALLY good idea to read the owners manual.

 

[Geo.Lander]

Has anyone actually done a disk conversion on the LN2/SK trucks? Should be possible I assume?

 

[Neil]

Has anyone actually done a disk conversion on the LN2/SK trucks? Should be possible I assume?

I have the NG. It shares a lot of parts and is very similar with the SK and the LN.

I would think that to convert to discs you would need to swap in completely different axles .

Can't see a conversion being easy

Neil

 

[sprocket3]

Did the Arctros have disk brakes? I was told to avoid these due to complicated drive system and early Mercedes computers.

 

[Madoxen]

Did the Arctros have disk brakes? I was told to avoid these due to complicated drive system and early Mercedes computers.

The 01 actros had disk front drum rear
Although my 02 actros had disk all round just was not 4wd

 

[sprocket3]

The 01 actros had disk front drum rear
Although my 02 actros had disk all round just was not 4wd

thanks

Do you think the Actros (98-2000 range) with manual transmission can be DIY maintained out of Europe? I read they had a troublesome automatic, but i can't tell what the manual is like for reliability. What's your fuel consumption like as an RV now?

 

[Madoxen]

thanks

Do you think the Actros (98-2000 range) with manual transmission can be DIY maintained out of Europe? I read they had a troublesome automatic, but i can't tell what the manual is like for reliability. What's your fuel consumption like as an RV now?

The auto did not like very wet conditions and could and would loose reverse on occasion.
I purchased mine coz i was going to beable to maintain it world wide. Fuel was 20 to 40 ltr to the 100k. But depends on how and where u drove.
Manual is a good box no issues on mine.

I cannot comment on it being rv 😪 as just when i had finished making the torsion frame for it. The nz defence auctioned off some 1700l unimogs which i ended up buying and changing everything to make that my new exp vehicle. This as everything had many pros and cons and even though i had the choice of both sat on workshop floor. The mog won for my needs and is currently being built. I realy must update my build thread and prob start a new one if anyone is interested

 

[Deleted Member 183]

Hopefully Charlie Aarons will post up and comment on what measures he takes with his "electronic" Mog to be sure that he is not left "hi & dry" in BF Egypt! I know of one of his tricks is to always carry a hair dryer with him . But on a more serious note, I put an electronic controlled Mercedes OM602 DE2.9LA ( from a USMC "fast attack" G-Wagon) in my Jeep Scrambler and oddly enough it worked well in the US, but down in Baja it went into "limp mode" (more like whimper, snivel & crawl mode) several times. When i got back to California I took it to a MBZ dealer to get help... And they wanted to NOTHING to do with me or the motor!!!
I have since worked with a very good Bosch pump house and we built a hybrid mechanical pump for the motor ( They got the mechanical CE donor pump and I 5-axis machined to needed parts).

Personally I wouldn't touch an imported "electronic" European truck with a 10' pole!

 

[sprocket3]

What is the general opinion on 1990s Mercedes truck automatics vs manuals?

I rode in an Actros manual with split shifting and it looked like the driver would be pretty busy. Are the automatics just slush boxes that eat up a lot of efficiency like old car transmissions?

Thanks for all the help so far. I really appreciate it.

 

[DiploStrat]

Can't answer your question and every truck/engine/transmission/gears can be different. That said, doing roundabouts all day, there are times when an automatic transmission might be nice.

Also some argument that an auto transmission can be better in sand, worse in mud. (Depends on your left foot skills.)

 

[charlieaarons]

Hopefully Charlie Aarons will post up and comment on what measures he takes with his "electronic" Mog to be sure that he is not left "hi & dry" in BF Egypt! I know of one of his tricks is to always carry a hair dryer with him . But on a more serious note, I put an electronic controlled Mercedes OM602 DE2.9LA ( from a USMC "fast attack" G-Wagon) in my Jeep Scrambler and oddly enough it worked well in the US, but down in Baja it went into "limp mode" (more like whimper, snivel & crawl mode) several times. When i got back to California I took it to a MBZ dealer to get help... And they wanted to NOTHING to do with me or the motor!!!
I have since worked with a very good Bosch pump house and we built a hybrid mechanical pump for the motor ( They got the mechanical CE donor pump and I 5-axis machined to needed parts).

Personally I wouldn't touch an imported "electronic" European truck with a 10' pole!

Carry Star Diagnosis computer. Complete set of computer modules, and sensors. But never have needed anything except hair dryer (wet connection ) in 17 years and 110k miles. Exception: did replace 1 pressure sensor on 1 air tank, in Australia in 2009.
IMHO, by model year 2005, the electronics were good.

 

[Madoxen]

The actros auto box is not realy an auto but more of a pre select your gear with the selector and then dip the clutch to engage it. Yes u still have a clutch peddle to use and u still need to do the gears it is just very electronic rather than a mechanical manual.
They are actually nice to drive i just would not want one for world travel . Well atleast not an mp1 or mp2 version

 

[loonwheeler]

The mog won for my needs and is currently being built. I realy must update my build thread and prob start a new one if anyone is interested

Yes, please!

 

[sprocket3]

The actros auto box is not realy an auto but more of a pre select your gear with the selector and then dip the clutch to engage it. Yes u still have a clutch peddle to use and u still need to do the gears it is just very electronic rather than a mechanical manual.
They are actually nice to drive i just would not want one for world travel . Well atleast not an mp1 or mp2 version

Do you think the Electronic shifting system would be hard to repair/maintain DIY?

 

[Madoxen]

Do you think the Electronic shifting system would be hard to repair/maintain DIY?

Yes. If u carry a star computer u can diagnose faults and maybe even fix a simple problem but when they go wrong. They really go wrong and almost never a mechanical fix.