Mercedes W124 E300D estate - progress, or not...
Discussion
Sorry I haven't replied to your earlier question - car is away being patched up, and has been for a while, so I can't check. No idea what the bill will look like - it's a garage I haven't used before plus they're getting a guy in to do the welding almost as a hobby. I'm hoping that'll be good for my wallet.
I've had the window thing before. I suspect - for mine - that it's likely damp in the window switches. Although I could easily be wrong!
I've had the window thing before. I suspect - for mine - that it's likely damp in the window switches. Although I could easily be wrong!
Sorry for the slow reply! I can't remember if I mentioned any specific spec when I got mine done a little while back. I'll see if I can find out.
At this point I'm getting a bit narked with the garage which is doing the work. My local The Man didn't want to take it on, so the car's been with someone else for four months. I've been pushing this week - because I need to move some doors - but both the work speed and the communications isn't what I'd like.
But.... Most MOT fail points have been addressed, with a couple of new ones (relating to the new rear brakes) to be dealt with. Hopefully, by this time next week I'll have the car back.
I don't have any new photos of the car, for obvious reasons, so here's a pic of a recent acquisition with some continence challenges.
At this point I'm getting a bit narked with the garage which is doing the work. My local The Man didn't want to take it on, so the car's been with someone else for four months. I've been pushing this week - because I need to move some doors - but both the work speed and the communications isn't what I'd like.
But.... Most MOT fail points have been addressed, with a couple of new ones (relating to the new rear brakes) to be dealt with. Hopefully, by this time next week I'll have the car back.
I don't have any new photos of the car, for obvious reasons, so here's a pic of a recent acquisition with some continence challenges.
No dust biting here. Some....'quirks', though.
Picked up yesterday morning, paid the bill and gently drove home (car hadn't gone far since December). Quick oil level check, tyre pressures, and off for a 220-mile round trip to Birmingham.
All mostly fine, except for the noise from under the bonnet (likely a pulley bearing, but not sure which one), and one of the rear door interior handles falling off when I tried to use it!
All loaded up with doors, and back home without issue. Plenty to do....
Picked up yesterday morning, paid the bill and gently drove home (car hadn't gone far since December). Quick oil level check, tyre pressures, and off for a 220-mile round trip to Birmingham.
All mostly fine, except for the noise from under the bonnet (likely a pulley bearing, but not sure which one), and one of the rear door interior handles falling off when I tried to use it!
All loaded up with doors, and back home without issue. Plenty to do....
Squealing is hopefully the belt (due to arrive tomorrow) or perhaps the tensioner isn't working as it should. A squirt of WD40 on the belt quietens things down (albeit briefly). Belt first, and maybe I'll get lucky.
Car has been straight back into action as kayak transport, which it does pretty well.
Car has been straight back into action as kayak transport, which it does pretty well.
Blessed silence!
Ish.
My first time dealing with an accessory belt. One bolt to remove to slacken the tensioner (which is an unusual design on these engines), the some choice language and a few minutes to get the old belt out. Was a Bosch 6PK2140, for my reference.
New one was more of a faff, until I realised that the tensioner setup had only slightly detensioned. Another boot undone and some strategic bashing moved the setup enough to spend a few more mins putting the new belt on, after giving the pulleys a little clean.
And it seems to have done the job! I'll consider changing some other bits on the tensioner - because I'm not convinced that the damper is necessarily entirely right - but the job is demystified now, and that's what I bought the car to do.
Ish.
My first time dealing with an accessory belt. One bolt to remove to slacken the tensioner (which is an unusual design on these engines), the some choice language and a few minutes to get the old belt out. Was a Bosch 6PK2140, for my reference.
New one was more of a faff, until I realised that the tensioner setup had only slightly detensioned. Another boot undone and some strategic bashing moved the setup enough to spend a few more mins putting the new belt on, after giving the pulleys a little clean.
And it seems to have done the job! I'll consider changing some other bits on the tensioner - because I'm not convinced that the damper is necessarily entirely right - but the job is demystified now, and that's what I bought the car to do.
Thanks Harry! I may do the same - I have a couple of spare Hirschmanns (Hirschmenn?) as the not-Hirschmann in my car isn't working and the seal is shot....but a plug and play solution may be a good stopgap until I extract digit.
Incidentally, the MOT bill this time was ~£500, which was reasonable. As long as it doesn't need revisiting for a few years. One day the car will get a proper going over.
Incidentally, the MOT bill this time was ~£500, which was reasonable. As long as it doesn't need revisiting for a few years. One day the car will get a proper going over.
Well, I appear to have found a (if not the) route that the water is coming into the car.
Does anyone know where the likely ingress point would be that means water is dripping from the plastic headliner panel in the boot?!
I'm guessing roof rails or something in the recess the boot hinges are. Bah!
Does anyone know where the likely ingress point would be that means water is dripping from the plastic headliner panel in the boot?!
I'm guessing roof rails or something in the recess the boot hinges are. Bah!
And more excitement. The exhaust fell off!
I'm using the car regularly but not massively long-distance, simply due to life, but had to take a pair of metal gates away to be dipped. Obviously this car is ideal for that, so Saturday saw a 120-mile round trip with gates one way, and insulation rolls the other (for reference: 7 rolls fit). Interestingly, the need to top up the oil revealed that I was two undertrays short of full undertrayage (there being two trays, except when there are none).
Wednesday saw a drive up to Bala to go sailing, so another 40ish miles. I also dropped in at the garage that did this year's patching up job, to gently bend their ear about undertrays.
And then, on a trip to collect a tumble drier yesterday, suddenly I became an invading horde of ze Germans.....but only briefly. For, as soon as I realised that I had an almighty blow from the exhaust, it decided to become two exhausts.
A strategic bit of chain I happened to have in the car, some strategic - or maybe questionable - thinking about where to insert it (avoided: fuel lines; not avoided: brake line....) meant a get-home fix was achieved with mild worrying about sliding under the car while it was only on a never-used jack inserted into a crunchy jacking point.
But...
I dropped in to the undertray-gate garage to let them know we'd have to put off our arranged-for-today playdate off....and they offered to fix the exhaust while sorting the undertray.
Sadly the trays are long gone but they've promised to replace FOC and the exhaust was welded up FOC so I'm back on the road.
Which is good because I have some gates to collect. And a bed. And
I'm using the car regularly but not massively long-distance, simply due to life, but had to take a pair of metal gates away to be dipped. Obviously this car is ideal for that, so Saturday saw a 120-mile round trip with gates one way, and insulation rolls the other (for reference: 7 rolls fit). Interestingly, the need to top up the oil revealed that I was two undertrays short of full undertrayage (there being two trays, except when there are none).
Wednesday saw a drive up to Bala to go sailing, so another 40ish miles. I also dropped in at the garage that did this year's patching up job, to gently bend their ear about undertrays.
And then, on a trip to collect a tumble drier yesterday, suddenly I became an invading horde of ze Germans.....but only briefly. For, as soon as I realised that I had an almighty blow from the exhaust, it decided to become two exhausts.
A strategic bit of chain I happened to have in the car, some strategic - or maybe questionable - thinking about where to insert it (avoided: fuel lines; not avoided: brake line....) meant a get-home fix was achieved with mild worrying about sliding under the car while it was only on a never-used jack inserted into a crunchy jacking point.
But...
I dropped in to the undertray-gate garage to let them know we'd have to put off our arranged-for-today playdate off....and they offered to fix the exhaust while sorting the undertray.
Sadly the trays are long gone but they've promised to replace FOC and the exhaust was welded up FOC so I'm back on the road.
Which is good because I have some gates to collect. And a bed. And
Oh, and I took off the plastic trim panel at the back end of the headliner. I think my recent water ingress woes are due to a buildup of detritus in the boot seal, meaning the water pooled in the recesses where the struts are, and those recesses are open into the plastic panel so the water flowed downhill into the car from the bootlid opening. Oops.
Still working towards a fix - my local The Man reckons I need a new centre section (p/m A1244901235, which appears to be NLA from everywhere) and likely a back box, and perhaps the front section too.
Given the seeming impossibility of getting the centre section off the shelf - aside, it would seem, from a supplier with what appears to be a terrible reputation - I may have to trek to a proper exhaust place and get something made up. Which is a bit of a pain.
I did have my eye on a car which is being broken....but...he sent his exhaust off for scrap a few hours before I got in touch...!
Given the seeming impossibility of getting the centre section off the shelf - aside, it would seem, from a supplier with what appears to be a terrible reputation - I may have to trek to a proper exhaust place and get something made up. Which is a bit of a pain.
I did have my eye on a car which is being broken....but...he sent his exhaust off for scrap a few hours before I got in touch...!
If it helps, I did flush mine a few years ago. I think I would have posted what fluid I used. Took the opportunity to change the filter, too. Not sure what the level should be, but I've just been fiddling with the car so will check shortly.
In other news, I have an exhaust! A whole one! In the end, I sourced a saloon version of the mid box, which apparently fitted with minimal issue despite being nominally different. I ended up plumping for a new rear box to make the job simpler, painted it all in advance with high temp paint, and the under tray garage fitted it in lieu of replacing the undertrays which they kept forgetting to organise. I'll get new undertrays at some point.
I'll explain about my current wheel conundrum when I've progressed it to fixed.....or broken.
In other news, I have an exhaust! A whole one! In the end, I sourced a saloon version of the mid box, which apparently fitted with minimal issue despite being nominally different. I ended up plumping for a new rear box to make the job simpler, painted it all in advance with high temp paint, and the under tray garage fitted it in lieu of replacing the undertrays which they kept forgetting to organise. I'll get new undertrays at some point.
I'll explain about my current wheel conundrum when I've progressed it to fixed.....or broken.
Oh, I'm definitely a mechanical simpleton! I have no recollection of what I did, to be honest, but it would have been fairly straightforward. Also worth checking out r129sl's thread, which will doubtless explain more eloquently.
I've just been out to check, and the level is the same as the above photo, so that level appears to do no harm.
I've just been out to check, and the level is the same as the above photo, so that level appears to do no harm.
Honestly, it's okay. Only three bits to it.
The smallest circular jobbie is the dipstick for the bottle (aha!).
The fitting on the front, with the pipe coming out of it, unscrews so the pipe can be disconnected from the cap (and the pipe has enough spring in it to do that with some jiggling).
The large cap has the outer ring which unscrews, so the whole cap - with in-tank filter attached to its underside - lifts out vertically. It's not under any sort of pressure.
Hope that helps!
The smallest circular jobbie is the dipstick for the bottle (aha!).
The fitting on the front, with the pipe coming out of it, unscrews so the pipe can be disconnected from the cap (and the pipe has enough spring in it to do that with some jiggling).
The large cap has the outer ring which unscrews, so the whole cap - with in-tank filter attached to its underside - lifts out vertically. It's not under any sort of pressure.
Hope that helps!
Blackpuddin said:
Evening all.
Anybody know the right/best hydraulic fluid to use in an S124 E300 diesel? Level looks a bit low in mine, though if I'm being honest I don't know what the level should be as I can't see any marks on the bottle.
Just to follow through on this - the small circular job on the cap has a dipstick underneath, I'm pretty sure. So that would be the way to check level, rather than any indication on the outside of the tank/bottle/container. Anybody know the right/best hydraulic fluid to use in an S124 E300 diesel? Level looks a bit low in mine, though if I'm being honest I don't know what the level should be as I can't see any marks on the bottle.
Nicely done.
I changed wheels on mine recently, for a set I picked up years ago (shown somewhere upthread) and had refurbished. The eight-holes are quite past their best visually, and I'm not sure how much work (money) will be needed to get them back looking presentable - there's a fair amount of metal kerbed off.
So, in advance of a local car meet/drive a couple of weekends ago (Monte Coastal - recommended), I started to change the wheels over. First one was a right bugger, with the nuts being very reluctant to turn - not cross-threaded, as far as I can tell, but very hard work.
One done, albeit likely some clearance issues between balancing weights and calipers (my second instance this year), I moved on to the second. And the first thing to go crack was a rib...
Anyway, wheels eventually on, and the test drive revealed both fronts clacking away with the weights hitting the calipers....and....the sound of a rear disk dust shield twanging too. So I gave up and took the Lexus.
Wheel weights off the fronts, I took a drive yesterday to see if I could figure out the problem with the rear(s). I'm not sure. There's definitely a clearance issue now, and it's metallic, but I'm not sure what it is. Doesn't seem to be the barrel of the wheel hitting the dust shield, or the shield hitting the balance weights - no witness marks. Maybe the wheel bolt seats are marginally closer to the hub so a bolt is too long and through the back of the hub?
BUT. I've taped over the sunroof aperture and my water ingress issue currently appears to have resolved. So it's time to get a new seal, then crank the roof open manually (something electronic have given up the ghost) and get to work.
I changed wheels on mine recently, for a set I picked up years ago (shown somewhere upthread) and had refurbished. The eight-holes are quite past their best visually, and I'm not sure how much work (money) will be needed to get them back looking presentable - there's a fair amount of metal kerbed off.
So, in advance of a local car meet/drive a couple of weekends ago (Monte Coastal - recommended), I started to change the wheels over. First one was a right bugger, with the nuts being very reluctant to turn - not cross-threaded, as far as I can tell, but very hard work.
One done, albeit likely some clearance issues between balancing weights and calipers (my second instance this year), I moved on to the second. And the first thing to go crack was a rib...
Anyway, wheels eventually on, and the test drive revealed both fronts clacking away with the weights hitting the calipers....and....the sound of a rear disk dust shield twanging too. So I gave up and took the Lexus.
Wheel weights off the fronts, I took a drive yesterday to see if I could figure out the problem with the rear(s). I'm not sure. There's definitely a clearance issue now, and it's metallic, but I'm not sure what it is. Doesn't seem to be the barrel of the wheel hitting the dust shield, or the shield hitting the balance weights - no witness marks. Maybe the wheel bolt seats are marginally closer to the hub so a bolt is too long and through the back of the hub?
BUT. I've taped over the sunroof aperture and my water ingress issue currently appears to have resolved. So it's time to get a new seal, then crank the roof open manually (something electronic have given up the ghost) and get to work.
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