Hi all, I'm a brand new brick owner as of yesterday. I purchased an '87 white 245 with butterscotch int. 233K miles on it so far. It appears to have been well cared for and locally owned.

My question(s) are these:

I can't, for the life of me, figure out what is the purpose of the red "brake" light at the very top of the rear tail light cluster. The very top section (on mine) is red and nothing seems to make them light up? I thought perhaps, that they were the rear fog lights that I read about in the owners manual, but the toggle switch next to the clock on the dash doesn't have any affect. I replace the bulb(21W), but no change.

also, one of the few options I have is the heated seats (which may, in fact, just be standard?)... At any rate, the switches in the console don't light up in either position and I can't really tell that the seats are heating? should the toggle switch be pressed so that the red/seat icon side is down (to turn them on) or did that make any sense at all???? Is there a seat heater relay that could be out?


Next, I get a very slight 'shimmy' or wobble on left turns (mostly/only on the hwy). where should I start looking for the culpret. tires, tie rod ends, bushings, ...? I will eventually do all of this but would like to start with the problem first then move onto the improvements.

Lastly, I have a really good pull-it-yourself junkyard near me that is loaded with 240s of all description. What are the donor cars/wagons that offer the heavier anti-sway bars that would bolt into mine... Currently mine rides with the typical 'float'. Much like a canoe loaded with people...

Thanks and great board!!

Rear fog lights. Wired to come on only when the rocker switch is on AND the head lights are on low beam. The rocker switch will light up with the fog lights unless the little bulb in it has burned out. Those little bulbs are used in many places, get 10 or so from AutoZone (or the like).

Heated seats. If the switch does not lights up, the bulb is burned out. Power to the seats goes through a thermostat that is in the seat bottom, and the wire to it breaks easily. Likely yours are broken. If the heaters work, you or the passenger will know easily.

Quick test for front wheel looseness. Test each front wheel.
Jack up car, wheel off ground. Grasp wheel at 12:00 0'clock and 6:00 0'clock, attempt to rock it. Looseness indicates wheel bearing problem. Uncommon.

Grasp wheel at 3:00 0'clock and 9:00 0'clock, rock back and forth. Looseness indicates problem in tie rod ends, tie rods, or ball joints, or all of the above. See if the rubber boot is ripped open. If yes, dirt inside may have damage the tie rod joint. If you can look at the tie rod ends while a helper rocks the wheel, you might see the looseness.

Heavier anti-sway bars were stock on the 240 turbo models, which model run ended with the 1984 1/2 240 Ti. Otherwise, having larger diameter bars is due to aftermarket addition. Not uncommon, I found a set from a 1983 242Ti for my 1986 244. Recommend the addition of upper strut braces along with the bars.

Stuff from junkyard? Interior trim pieces, seats in better condition. Any year fits any year, but the post 1986 headrests are different from the 1985 and older models.

Cargo door struts that are better than yours. Ditto for headlights and corner lights. Center arm rest. Power rear view mirrors.

There's more, but space is limited.

Regards,

Bob

:>)

Noticed another item that raises a few more questions. This one is specific to 245's. I noticed that I don't have any of the 'electrical' functions associated with the rear tail gate. When I poked around a little, I noticed that the wiring that runs from the gate through the hinge (looks like about 6 or 7 colored wires) are all broken. I assume from fatigue and weather exposure?.

Anyway, How do I access these wires? I can see the wires running down the inside of the tailgate post so I assume I can get to those, but the ones coming from the car seem to be hidden by the headliner. Please tell me I don't have to peal it back and dig into that!!!

Also, Made the junkyard run yesterday and did o.k. Got a few trim pieces, tailgate shocks, cig lighter, unbroken headlight bucket/frame, etc. my friend picked a front spoiler and an arm rest... it was a decent hall.

still struck out on hubcaps? Does anyone know what the darker grey (14") plastic caps came on originally? or better yet got a set for sale (in the U.S.)?

Thanks.

I'll try to answer a few of your concerns.

The light at the top is the rear fog light. It's turned on by the toggle switch near the headlight dimmer. The headlights have to be on. It is as bright as the brake lights so the people behind you can see you better in the fog.

I know nothing about heated seats.

The shimmy is probably the tie rod ends. You can usually grab one of the front wheels at both sides (steering wheel unlocked) and wiggle it in and out and be able to feel the loose tie rod ends.

The heavier sway bars are found on the turbo cars. Check the archives for the size difference. I hear some people here praise the difference over the stock bars.

If your in Houston, the Pick and Pulls are a bad place to find good parts........JUST KIDDING!

The ones here change out the cars often and I've found some really good stuff over time.

Good luck.

Kyle245

I suspected the rear fog lights...mostly because I noticed that toggle. It doesn't seem to control anything even with the headlights on and the toggle switched? I suppose I'll look for a relay or fuse?

Thanks for the input.