Mercedes W124 E300D estate - progress, or not...
Discussion
Maybe a trailer would cut the mustard instead? I'm considering a tow bar for this car, but (1) I'd want a removeable-head one, and (2) I have two cars with tow bars already. Plus (3) there don't seem to be any aftermarket bars of the type I want left any longer.
Anyway, I had time for a little bit of tinkering today. I would have done more, but I put my back out earlier in the week so light duties it is. Except the garage door is broken, so is heavy and won't stay up, so that's hardly a light duty!
Anyway anyway. I think I mentioned some stickiness of throttle during my trip last weekend, so I thought I'd have a go at improving that, although I suspect the problem may be linked (pun) to the new but cheap throttle pedal I put on last year.
This car has a fully mechanical linkage - one of the things I appreciate about it - so I did what any home spannerer would do.
I got my balls out
of the socket joints, cleaned them all up, and put them back together. After I'd lubed them up, of course.
And then, of course, I went for a drive.
And have I fixed it?
Anyway, I had time for a little bit of tinkering today. I would have done more, but I put my back out earlier in the week so light duties it is. Except the garage door is broken, so is heavy and won't stay up, so that's hardly a light duty!
Anyway anyway. I think I mentioned some stickiness of throttle during my trip last weekend, so I thought I'd have a go at improving that, although I suspect the problem may be linked (pun) to the new but cheap throttle pedal I put on last year.
This car has a fully mechanical linkage - one of the things I appreciate about it - so I did what any home spannerer would do.
I got my balls out
of the socket joints, cleaned them all up, and put them back together. After I'd lubed them up, of course.
And then, of course, I went for a drive.
And have I fixed it?
The previous owner at f this car rang me up last week, out of the blue. (Hello Baldev!) He had a bunch of spare parts he'd bought for this car during the ten years he had it, and had upgraded some things along the way. He'd also bought, and partially stripped, a similarly Azurite Blue S124, albeit an E280, and had a good amount of parts stashed away.
But now he doesn't.
And I do.
:-D
I haven't had a chance to fully work out what I've brought home, but the haul includes a Hirschmann antenna (needing replacement mast), set of ribbed mats plus front footwell carpets, set of Sacco boards, estate boot floor boards, and so on.
I didn't even take a pic of the dashboard or centre console.
Various bits I'll be wanting to keep/use (mats, probably aerial, headlights are going to r129sl) but other pieces would be available to 124 owners for a consideration to the car's bork fund.
After that, Baldev and I chatted about our experiences with the car - which he never planned to sell, but life happened - along with the work each of us has done. Turns out the E280 donated its bootlid as it was in better condition, along with its leather steering wheel (with the airbag from the original wheel, to keep the silver star from the last of the W124 build run). Bit of a shame he didn't keep more of the car as it was being stripped, but nobody has unlimited space.
It also turns out that he now drives buses, after redundancy from his electrical engineering job, and has seen me driving around over the last couple of years. Nice to be able to keep in touch - I hope I can take him for a drive once the diff is sorted and the world permits.
But now he doesn't.
And I do.
:-D
I haven't had a chance to fully work out what I've brought home, but the haul includes a Hirschmann antenna (needing replacement mast), set of ribbed mats plus front footwell carpets, set of Sacco boards, estate boot floor boards, and so on.
I didn't even take a pic of the dashboard or centre console.
Various bits I'll be wanting to keep/use (mats, probably aerial, headlights are going to r129sl) but other pieces would be available to 124 owners for a consideration to the car's bork fund.
After that, Baldev and I chatted about our experiences with the car - which he never planned to sell, but life happened - along with the work each of us has done. Turns out the E280 donated its bootlid as it was in better condition, along with its leather steering wheel (with the airbag from the original wheel, to keep the silver star from the last of the W124 build run). Bit of a shame he didn't keep more of the car as it was being stripped, but nobody has unlimited space.
It also turns out that he now drives buses, after redundancy from his electrical engineering job, and has seen me driving around over the last couple of years. Nice to be able to keep in touch - I hope I can take him for a drive once the diff is sorted and the world permits.
Work continues apace.
If the pace is very, very slow.
I've booked in for a workout (the car, not me) in a couple of weeks at Wayne Gates. I'm hoping they can solve the whining (the car, not me), do some general fettling, and get some jobs ticked off. I'll need to spend a morning digging out and prepping all the parts I've got for the jobs between now and then.
I think I've not mentioned my searching for cruise control gubbins. Having been let down a couple of times by suppliers who didn't have the access to the parts once they asked their supplier (why not run an availability check now and again?), I have.....been let down again on some cruise control parts.
But I'm getting closer. I now have the actuator (used), stalk (NOS), ECU, and one of the two wiring harnesses. Admittedly the one I have is a single wire, but hey. But I DO have the other, bigger harness (supposedly) on its way along with some other bits.
What I'm now missing for the cruise setup is 0145458432 (coding plug for the ECU), 1245457540 and 1245452840 (mounting brackets). I suspect the coding plug is important; I'm hoping the other bits aren't.
Fingers crossed the ordered bits arrive before the car goes in in two weeks.
If the pace is very, very slow.
I've booked in for a workout (the car, not me) in a couple of weeks at Wayne Gates. I'm hoping they can solve the whining (the car, not me), do some general fettling, and get some jobs ticked off. I'll need to spend a morning digging out and prepping all the parts I've got for the jobs between now and then.
I think I've not mentioned my searching for cruise control gubbins. Having been let down a couple of times by suppliers who didn't have the access to the parts once they asked their supplier (why not run an availability check now and again?), I have.....been let down again on some cruise control parts.
But I'm getting closer. I now have the actuator (used), stalk (NOS), ECU, and one of the two wiring harnesses. Admittedly the one I have is a single wire, but hey. But I DO have the other, bigger harness (supposedly) on its way along with some other bits.
What I'm now missing for the cruise setup is 0145458432 (coding plug for the ECU), 1245457540 and 1245452840 (mounting brackets). I suspect the coding plug is important; I'm hoping the other bits aren't.
Fingers crossed the ordered bits arrive before the car goes in in two weeks.
Good point. I'll try my local dealer, although I suspect they won't be able to lay their hands on them. Still, the harness was the big showstopper - I'll be more confident once I actually have it here.
Bristol sounds like a plan. If you can let me know what day, I'll look to take some time off. Everything I can see on the diff points to it being from an E300 diesel saloon.
Bristol sounds like a plan. If you can let me know what day, I'll look to take some time off. Everything I can see on the diff points to it being from an E300 diesel saloon.
r129sl has, once again, proven to be a titivation instigator.
I've been to my local MB dealership this morning. Both my needed bracket and the coding plug are NLA from them.
I asked for a price on the rear side window seals, as at least the passenger side seal needs doing, and they were a surprisingly good price so I've ordered them. £260ish all in for the two big seals plus a couple of other random seal bits for the same area.
I've been to my local MB dealership this morning. Both my needed bracket and the coding plug are NLA from them.
I asked for a price on the rear side window seals, as at least the passenger side seal needs doing, and they were a surprisingly good price so I've ordered them. £260ish all in for the two big seals plus a couple of other random seal bits for the same area.
Ha - you get post 606 
. Thanks for the suggestion - I'll pass it along.
Funny you should mention my car. It's been with a specialist for a few months, and they've been overrun so it's been a while. I happened to call them yesterday, as it happens. I didn't realise I hadn't mentioned it on this thread - probably because I was expecting to be able to provide an update a little sooner...
So. They've changed the diff (new mounts) and the propshaft centre bearing (again), and the noise remained. We talked about what it might be - apparently the noise goes when the car is on a lift, which implies that it's something to do with the angle of something when it's weighted vs unweighted. I think that was when we decided to go down the centre bearing route.
Anyway, the noise is diminished (I'm told) but still present. Next culprit is rear wheel bearings, which will be changed next Friday. We'll then see where things are after that.
. Thanks for the suggestion - I'll pass it along. Funny you should mention my car. It's been with a specialist for a few months, and they've been overrun so it's been a while. I happened to call them yesterday, as it happens. I didn't realise I hadn't mentioned it on this thread - probably because I was expecting to be able to provide an update a little sooner...
So. They've changed the diff (new mounts) and the propshaft centre bearing (again), and the noise remained. We talked about what it might be - apparently the noise goes when the car is on a lift, which implies that it's something to do with the angle of something when it's weighted vs unweighted. I think that was when we decided to go down the centre bearing route.
Anyway, the noise is diminished (I'm told) but still present. Next culprit is rear wheel bearings, which will be changed next Friday. We'll then see where things are after that.
Oh, and the cruise control wiring harness that I'd ordered didn't show up, of course. I do wonder why a company would send something with no tracking details, make me wait a couple of months until the arrival date has been and gone, then immediately refund me when I get in touch. I'm sure it's nothing whatsoever to do with any kind of creative bookkeeping or washing of funds.
But I have bought a tow bar.
Oh, and I bodged the exhaust rubbers with cable ties the day before it went in - I realised the O rubbers were in very poor shape, and one had given up completely. Partly explains the low-hanging exhaust, although the probably-wrong rear springs (which may be being changed) may have something to do with that.
Thanks for the tips, 4Matic. Got any photos of your car?
Oh, and I bodged the exhaust rubbers with cable ties the day before it went in - I realised the O rubbers were in very poor shape, and one had given up completely. Partly explains the low-hanging exhaust, although the probably-wrong rear springs (which may be being changed) may have something to do with that.
Thanks for the tips, 4Matic. Got any photos of your car?
Good suggestions, both, and I like the green on the S124.
When the propshaft centre bearing was done, which was nearly two years ago now, I supplied one new flex disk for the rear. Meyle, I think. Bearing and holder was Febi, I think. It's possible that there was some unusual assembly requirement that my Man didn't know/do. I think it's also possible that the act of disturbing the running gear after many years may have hastened something's demise. Gearbox mounts and front flex disk were changed (or, at least, were supplied) when the box was changed....whenever that was. I do have replacement engine mounts.
As a quick aside, I trust my Man to do the agreed work - he's kinda a family friend and I have no reasons to think that the result is anything but happenstance or an unusual requirement.
It's no bad thing that the rear wheel bearings get done. It's possible that the replacement box is noisy, but it would seem unlikely to have a continuation of the same noise straight away. Seems more likely to be something else.
The 'new' diff is, again, not new. Again, it might be an issue but it's on with new mounts.
Changing the propshaft bearing - which was where this noise business started - shouldn't have affected the wheel bearings, so that might just be a worthwhile improvement. The propshaft bearing definitely needed doing, though, and having seen the state of the exhaust hangers I presume there's other rubber under there in a similar state.
I'm looking forward to having the car back soon, and will then see where we are.
When the propshaft centre bearing was done, which was nearly two years ago now, I supplied one new flex disk for the rear. Meyle, I think. Bearing and holder was Febi, I think. It's possible that there was some unusual assembly requirement that my Man didn't know/do. I think it's also possible that the act of disturbing the running gear after many years may have hastened something's demise. Gearbox mounts and front flex disk were changed (or, at least, were supplied) when the box was changed....whenever that was. I do have replacement engine mounts.
As a quick aside, I trust my Man to do the agreed work - he's kinda a family friend and I have no reasons to think that the result is anything but happenstance or an unusual requirement.
It's no bad thing that the rear wheel bearings get done. It's possible that the replacement box is noisy, but it would seem unlikely to have a continuation of the same noise straight away. Seems more likely to be something else.
The 'new' diff is, again, not new. Again, it might be an issue but it's on with new mounts.
Changing the propshaft bearing - which was where this noise business started - shouldn't have affected the wheel bearings, so that might just be a worthwhile improvement. The propshaft bearing definitely needed doing, though, and having seen the state of the exhaust hangers I presume there's other rubber under there in a similar state.
I'm looking forward to having the car back soon, and will then see where we are.
....aaaaaaaaaaand we're back!
Early start this morning - first train on the line, meaning we had to go very slowly in case there were leaves on the line or summat, meaning an extra 20mins travel time.
...but not as bad as the mechanics. It's been so long that I couldn't remember what the head man looked like, so I left feeling mildly miffed at what felt like disinterest while I was there, only to be called by him while driving back once he'd got to work (apparently over two hours rather than one) for a catch up.
The good news: the noise is all but disappeared. Granted I've not seen the car for three months, let alone driven it, but while it's never going to be the quietest car at speed (4 speed auto NA diesel, remember) it's orders of magnitude quieter than it was. So, job jobbed.
Unfortunately, their very busy-ness has meant that some of the jobs I floated as an idea didn't get done. I think we talked about swapping the rear springs while the bearings were being done, but as that was weeks before the work got done the springs had been forgotten about. Which reminds me:
r129sl: when you have time, please can you give me a measurement from ground to arch on the back of your car? (Or anyone else with a 7-seat S124)
I don't think the exhaust hangers have been replaced, but I haven't checked. That'll need doing before the MOT, I suspect.
And I had a bulb out.
But it's great to have the car back, and the noise gone, even if it was a three month wait and a four figure bill.
Early start this morning - first train on the line, meaning we had to go very slowly in case there were leaves on the line or summat, meaning an extra 20mins travel time.
...but not as bad as the mechanics. It's been so long that I couldn't remember what the head man looked like, so I left feeling mildly miffed at what felt like disinterest while I was there, only to be called by him while driving back once he'd got to work (apparently over two hours rather than one) for a catch up.
The good news: the noise is all but disappeared. Granted I've not seen the car for three months, let alone driven it, but while it's never going to be the quietest car at speed (4 speed auto NA diesel, remember) it's orders of magnitude quieter than it was. So, job jobbed.
Unfortunately, their very busy-ness has meant that some of the jobs I floated as an idea didn't get done. I think we talked about swapping the rear springs while the bearings were being done, but as that was weeks before the work got done the springs had been forgotten about. Which reminds me:
r129sl: when you have time, please can you give me a measurement from ground to arch on the back of your car? (Or anyone else with a 7-seat S124)
I don't think the exhaust hangers have been replaced, but I haven't checked. That'll need doing before the MOT, I suspect.
And I had a bulb out.
But it's great to have the car back, and the noise gone, even if it was a three month wait and a four figure bill.
I've got it up!
Well. My Man helped me.
I dropped the car off yesterday morning for three things: (1) change rear springs & install new exhaust hangers; (2) MOT; (3) fiddle with vacuum modulator.
One and a half out of three isn't bad....
Failed the MOT on a track rod end; no big deal, and will be changed & retested on Monday. Man is very busy so missed checking them. No problem to me.
Springs and hangers done. Went well, and the car is noticeably higher at the back (I know it'll settle). They were both surprised to see the difference made by what appeared to be minimal difference in the springs. Good to stop my backside dragging on the ground.
And the modulator. I managed to get myself over there at the end of the day, they kindly put the car on a ramp and I whipped the undertrays off and adjusted by one turn (anti-clockwise to soften). Quick road test showed it was much better, but not there yet. Up again, another turn, and another test showing it as being marginally worse..... Of course, the ATF was warming up and thus expanding. We did another turn but ran out of time to do more. At least they know what to do now.
Unfortunately, we lost the O ring for the modulator cap, so I'm going to try to get another to finish the job off properly.
I had a look around under the car while it was in the air and they were busy.
Handbrake cable looks the worse for wear, but is working fine. I'll get one ordered up.
I'm wondering whether this car has had a towbar in the past. It's got a seven-pin socket tucked away This is a bar across the rear, behind the bumper, has two holes in it which kinda look like towball mount spacing holes, have scrapes behind in the underseal implying they're not factory fit... I'm not sure.
Some numpty wasn't paying attention recently, and ground the bottom of the car on a kerb. I'll have to put some paint on the bare metal soon, because that's the fuel tank.
Inside of the steering damper casing already has some surface rust. It's no more than 18 months old, and the car hasn't driven far.
All being well, I should be able to collect the car with fresh shiny MOT on Tuesday. Granted I've spent time and effort on maintenance, but it's not bad.
Well. My Man helped me.
I dropped the car off yesterday morning for three things: (1) change rear springs & install new exhaust hangers; (2) MOT; (3) fiddle with vacuum modulator.
One and a half out of three isn't bad....
Failed the MOT on a track rod end; no big deal, and will be changed & retested on Monday. Man is very busy so missed checking them. No problem to me.
Springs and hangers done. Went well, and the car is noticeably higher at the back (I know it'll settle). They were both surprised to see the difference made by what appeared to be minimal difference in the springs. Good to stop my backside dragging on the ground.
And the modulator. I managed to get myself over there at the end of the day, they kindly put the car on a ramp and I whipped the undertrays off and adjusted by one turn (anti-clockwise to soften). Quick road test showed it was much better, but not there yet. Up again, another turn, and another test showing it as being marginally worse..... Of course, the ATF was warming up and thus expanding. We did another turn but ran out of time to do more. At least they know what to do now.
Unfortunately, we lost the O ring for the modulator cap, so I'm going to try to get another to finish the job off properly.
I had a look around under the car while it was in the air and they were busy.
Handbrake cable looks the worse for wear, but is working fine. I'll get one ordered up.
I'm wondering whether this car has had a towbar in the past. It's got a seven-pin socket tucked away This is a bar across the rear, behind the bumper, has two holes in it which kinda look like towball mount spacing holes, have scrapes behind in the underseal implying they're not factory fit... I'm not sure.
Some numpty wasn't paying attention recently, and ground the bottom of the car on a kerb. I'll have to put some paint on the bare metal soon, because that's the fuel tank.
Inside of the steering damper casing already has some surface rust. It's no more than 18 months old, and the car hasn't driven far.
All being well, I should be able to collect the car with fresh shiny MOT on Tuesday. Granted I've spent time and effort on maintenance, but it's not bad.
Good to know it's fixed, and at minimal cost. Funny how that relay can cause some unusual faults, but I guess that's how electrics goes.
I've now finished moving house, with the last thing being a carload in this car last weekend. It's been parked up since, but I'd like to get my winter wheels on soon, for variety as much as anything. I've got a set of 15 holes with proper winter tyres on and this is a hilly part of Wales.
I've now finished moving house, with the last thing being a carload in this car last weekend. It's been parked up since, but I'd like to get my winter wheels on soon, for variety as much as anything. I've got a set of 15 holes with proper winter tyres on and this is a hilly part of Wales.
So, have I done any of the things I said I was going to do?
Nope.
It turns out I was knackered from moving house (long story short: decided to do the grunt work myself, had to do 9 trips because I have too many hobbies, drove 6000 miles in six weeks), and the car hasn't been used much.
I did manage to take a dishwasher to the tip. Sadly it would have been quicker just to leave it on the sack truck and walk it there (half a mile away), rather than tip it onto its side and then have the deal with the resultant in-car swimming pool....
Another little milestone today:
I shall have words with the photographer.
Some drama today, though. I drove 40 miles from now-home, thankfully along a good road that I enjoy driving, to pick up a plum tree for the new garden. Thankfully it was still there despite not being reserved any longer (not told they have a two-week reservation limit when it was reserved four weeks ago).....but, before I collected the tree, there was the small matter of the passenger front door seizing open in a supermarket car park!
Happily it was a nice day, and I have this week off, so aside from the panicked run to a nearby Poundland (door stuck wide open) and the need to take the door card off to replace the check strap mechanism (rear doors already done, and neither card is yet back on properly...), No harm done except to my plans.
Driver's door is making horrible noises, too. Both sides only started grumbling a couple of weeks back, but I best get on with it!
Hacksaw will be staying in the car until the check straps are done....
Nope.
It turns out I was knackered from moving house (long story short: decided to do the grunt work myself, had to do 9 trips because I have too many hobbies, drove 6000 miles in six weeks), and the car hasn't been used much.
I did manage to take a dishwasher to the tip. Sadly it would have been quicker just to leave it on the sack truck and walk it there (half a mile away), rather than tip it onto its side and then have the deal with the resultant in-car swimming pool....
Another little milestone today:
I shall have words with the photographer.
Some drama today, though. I drove 40 miles from now-home, thankfully along a good road that I enjoy driving, to pick up a plum tree for the new garden. Thankfully it was still there despite not being reserved any longer (not told they have a two-week reservation limit when it was reserved four weeks ago).....but, before I collected the tree, there was the small matter of the passenger front door seizing open in a supermarket car park!
Happily it was a nice day, and I have this week off, so aside from the panicked run to a nearby Poundland (door stuck wide open) and the need to take the door card off to replace the check strap mechanism (rear doors already done, and neither card is yet back on properly...), No harm done except to my plans.
Driver's door is making horrible noises, too. Both sides only started grumbling a couple of weeks back, but I best get on with it!
Hacksaw will be staying in the car until the check straps are done....
Did you get a Jag in the end, Steve?
Not a huge amount has happened with the car recently. It's mostly been sat on the drive - it's a bit of a faff to get it out, and I've generally not got around to it.
Nor to the door check strap, although I've taken off the easy part in the door shut. Wow. I do need to get it done, so I'm comfortable driving it.
But another job has taken over on top of the list. Because the car won't start!
Whether from age or lack of use, the last few times of starting the car have shown up a very, very, slow cranking speed. Almost too slow to count, if that makes sense.
Battery was duly charged, but it took me a few more days to try again, and the car didn't really want to start (but did). New battery ordered and delivered (Bosch, same as the last one, £80ish delivered - not too bad).
After ninety mins of trying to find the right tools (partly successful), I 'whipped' out the old battery, decided to take out the battery tray for a quick inspect, sheared one of the bolts, removed some dried leaves, and put things back together again with the new battery.
First try: started reluctantly, with a slow starter, but started nonetheless. This on a partly warmed up engine.
Second, and all subsequent, attempts: pas de saucisson. Pas de legume. No clicks, no whirs, no startee.
So.
Could it be the starter? (and, if so, is there any way to tell whether the mounting holes are threaded, or not, without taking it off?)
Could it be the ignition switch?
Probably not the neutral switch - tried that.
Or could it be wiring harness? (The glow plug part of the harness, at least, has been redone...but I don't know whether that would include the starter harness section).
Answers, please, on a new starter motor, wiring harness and ignition switch....installed in the car.
I'll have another look when I'm not 200 miles away from it.
Not a huge amount has happened with the car recently. It's mostly been sat on the drive - it's a bit of a faff to get it out, and I've generally not got around to it.
Nor to the door check strap, although I've taken off the easy part in the door shut. Wow. I do need to get it done, so I'm comfortable driving it.
But another job has taken over on top of the list. Because the car won't start!
Whether from age or lack of use, the last few times of starting the car have shown up a very, very, slow cranking speed. Almost too slow to count, if that makes sense.
Battery was duly charged, but it took me a few more days to try again, and the car didn't really want to start (but did). New battery ordered and delivered (Bosch, same as the last one, £80ish delivered - not too bad).
After ninety mins of trying to find the right tools (partly successful), I 'whipped' out the old battery, decided to take out the battery tray for a quick inspect, sheared one of the bolts, removed some dried leaves, and put things back together again with the new battery.
First try: started reluctantly, with a slow starter, but started nonetheless. This on a partly warmed up engine.
Second, and all subsequent, attempts: pas de saucisson. Pas de legume. No clicks, no whirs, no startee.
So.
Could it be the starter? (and, if so, is there any way to tell whether the mounting holes are threaded, or not, without taking it off?)
Could it be the ignition switch?
Probably not the neutral switch - tried that.
Or could it be wiring harness? (The glow plug part of the harness, at least, has been redone...but I don't know whether that would include the starter harness section).
Answers, please, on a new starter motor, wiring harness and ignition switch....installed in the car.
I'll have another look when I'm not 200 miles away from it.
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