Mercedes W124 E300D estate - progress, or not...
Discussion
What a superb thread. Read all 16 pages today, which took me all of my train commute to and later back from work. Hats off to you Northbrook for 110% commitment to the W124 and also thanks for amusing writing style. You are forgiven for being paid 14p to have an LS400 mkIV (+ the extra free DHP wheels)
I have nothing useful to offer technically sorry, beyond rooting for you that one day it will start and run reliably
I have nothing useful to offer technically sorry, beyond rooting for you that one day it will start and run reliably
It's not a Superb, it's an E... Oh, wait, I'm with you 
Thanks for the support - it's nice to have, both in terms of this thread and the car.
So, progress! Maybe.
Rear hatch window checked - seems fine, but it's a good shout. Thanks for the suggestion.
I think I mentioned that I took off the old crumbly front-of-bonnet insulation. I may even have mentioned that I'd treated the surface rust that was revealed. I don't think I'd have mentioned that I'd then primed those bits, nor painted them (in a non-metallic navy blue, because it'll be invisible) so I can install the new insulation piece.
Mostly because I hadn't done that.
But I have now, and I may even go to the Man's place on Sunday evening, when I have a couple of hours to kill, to press the new piece into position. But I may go to the pub instead.
While sponging out the water from the front footwells today - I think it was on the first occasion, rather than the second - I noticed that the bottom of the carpet over the transmission tunnel under the dashboard (if that makes sense!) was wet, despite not having a reason to be - it's above the level of the water in the footwells, thankfully, so shouldn't be wet.... Unless it's an entry point of the water. So, I suspect that the water is entering at the base of the windscreen (ish), being blocked from escaping down the drains into the transmission tunnel area as it should be, and so entering the cabin through a grommet/hole/cable run. Come to think of it, that might also explain the occasional condensation on the inside of the instrument panel <strokes beard>.
In addition, with the rear inner side panels off in the boot for a few days, the inside wall of the boot side under the loadspace window (if that makes sense) is also very damp. I suspect the window seal....
... but my Man suspects the rear light first.
Car is with him while I'm away next week. He's going to look at the propshaft area again to establish the source of the noise. He'll also reseal the rear light and rod the scuttle drains.
Part of me hopes he gets enthusiastic & carried away with helping me make the car better. All of me hopes he doesn't get carried away with billing me for the all hours he puts in on finding the problems.
I bet he will.
Thanks for the support - it's nice to have, both in terms of this thread and the car.
So, progress! Maybe.
Rear hatch window checked - seems fine, but it's a good shout. Thanks for the suggestion.
I think I mentioned that I took off the old crumbly front-of-bonnet insulation. I may even have mentioned that I'd treated the surface rust that was revealed. I don't think I'd have mentioned that I'd then primed those bits, nor painted them (in a non-metallic navy blue, because it'll be invisible) so I can install the new insulation piece.
Mostly because I hadn't done that.
But I have now, and I may even go to the Man's place on Sunday evening, when I have a couple of hours to kill, to press the new piece into position. But I may go to the pub instead.
While sponging out the water from the front footwells today - I think it was on the first occasion, rather than the second - I noticed that the bottom of the carpet over the transmission tunnel under the dashboard (if that makes sense!) was wet, despite not having a reason to be - it's above the level of the water in the footwells, thankfully, so shouldn't be wet.... Unless it's an entry point of the water. So, I suspect that the water is entering at the base of the windscreen (ish), being blocked from escaping down the drains into the transmission tunnel area as it should be, and so entering the cabin through a grommet/hole/cable run. Come to think of it, that might also explain the occasional condensation on the inside of the instrument panel <strokes beard>.
In addition, with the rear inner side panels off in the boot for a few days, the inside wall of the boot side under the loadspace window (if that makes sense) is also very damp. I suspect the window seal....
... but my Man suspects the rear light first.
Car is with him while I'm away next week. He's going to look at the propshaft area again to establish the source of the noise. He'll also reseal the rear light and rod the scuttle drains.
Part of me hopes he gets enthusiastic & carried away with helping me make the car better. All of me hopes he doesn't get carried away with billing me for the all hours he puts in on finding the problems.
I bet he will.
If I had one of these I’d be tempted by one of these:
https://www.dieselpumpuk.com/shop/crate-engines/cr...
https://www.dieselpumpuk.com/shop/crate-engines/cr...
The idea has occurred to me but, to be honest, (the rest of the car needs fixing first) I don't think the car needs extra power for what I want it to do.
Granted it's not the fastest away from the lights, but this is a 25-year-old diesel estate car with 316k on the clock - I like the way it drives. I drove ~7k miles in these cars last year (4.5k in mine, 2.6k in r129sl's beauty) and I rarely felt like extra grunt was needed. Except for accelerating onto French motorways uphill.
I'd prefer cruise control, heated seats, a quiet driveline, fewer rust holes, seals that seal..... Once the driveline is sorted out, I'll gladly drive the car anywhere.
Although probably on my own - after being informed, after a drive in this car, that she didn't want to be driven in anything else, the Lexus has now taken the crown from the Mercedes. Because it has a quieter driveline, cruise, seats, less rust, seals that seal... (I don't think she's noticed the V8 yet)
I'd consider adding a turbo at some point, but the car isn't my daily driver so I'm happy with it as-is for the foreseeable future.
{Foreseeable future: time between now and running out of problems to fix}
Granted it's not the fastest away from the lights, but this is a 25-year-old diesel estate car with 316k on the clock - I like the way it drives. I drove ~7k miles in these cars last year (4.5k in mine, 2.6k in r129sl's beauty) and I rarely felt like extra grunt was needed. Except for accelerating onto French motorways uphill.
I'd prefer cruise control, heated seats, a quiet driveline, fewer rust holes, seals that seal..... Once the driveline is sorted out, I'll gladly drive the car anywhere.
Although probably on my own - after being informed, after a drive in this car, that she didn't want to be driven in anything else, the Lexus has now taken the crown from the Mercedes. Because it has a quieter driveline, cruise, seats, less rust, seals that seal... (I don't think she's noticed the V8 yet)
I'd consider adding a turbo at some point, but the car isn't my daily driver so I'm happy with it as-is for the foreseeable future.
{Foreseeable future: time between now and running out of problems to fix}
[quote=Northbrook I like the way it drives. I drove ~7k miles in these cars last year (4.5k in mine, 2.6k in r129sl's beauty) and I rarely felt like extra grunt was needed. Except for accelerating onto French motorways uphill.
[/quote]
That was a great adventure. Sardinia this year...
[/quote]
That was a great adventure. Sardinia this year...
Look who's back!
Temporarily.
You know you have a problem (car-owner virus, if you will) when you take a car to The Man, and your courtesy car is another one of your cars. Swapping back into the -14p Lexus later on.
Water ingress at the front has been - potentially - sorted through strategic sealant application, along with stripping and refitting the under-windscreen plastics. The thought is that the water was running down the windscreen, under the sealing strip at its base, into the heater box and into the car. There's also no pollen filter fitted or obvious space for one. I do suspect, though, that the plastics have been bodged at some point - shiny self-tappers & oddly placed holes are the clue - so it's entirely possible what's there is a lash-up. We shall see.
The damned noise is still there, so another of the Men with more RWD will have a look early next week.
The brief drive was a nice change to the Lexus, but there are some things to address.
I've had a bit of good news this week. Not directly about the car, but it'll become car-related:
I've had a decent pay rise, so I'll have more cash to throw at mechanics and parts suppliers.
No news on the car yet, but I'm starting to look around for a replacement diff. In all honesty, I don't really know what will be needed.
- A diff. That much I know. Not sure on part number (may be cack-handedly reading the parts diagram), whether a saloon diff would fit, whether a W210 diff would fit if the ratio is the same (3.07, I think, thanks to r129sl's thread), whether it's worth spanking wallet further for pre-fitting reconditioning.
- May as well change the rear flex disc.
- Mounts? Fittings? Bolts? Other stuff worth doing?
My Man has changed the diff fluid, and said the old stuff was treacle but didn't seem to have metal bits in. I'm still thinking it's a bearing rather than anything else, but I haven't found someone who can give me a definitive answer yet.
No photos, because the Man has the car.
I've had a decent pay rise, so I'll have more cash to throw at mechanics and parts suppliers.
No news on the car yet, but I'm starting to look around for a replacement diff. In all honesty, I don't really know what will be needed.
- A diff. That much I know. Not sure on part number (may be cack-handedly reading the parts diagram), whether a saloon diff would fit, whether a W210 diff would fit if the ratio is the same (3.07, I think, thanks to r129sl's thread), whether it's worth spanking wallet further for pre-fitting reconditioning.
- May as well change the rear flex disc.
- Mounts? Fittings? Bolts? Other stuff worth doing?
My Man has changed the diff fluid, and said the old stuff was treacle but didn't seem to have metal bits in. I'm still thinking it's a bearing rather than anything else, but I haven't found someone who can give me a definitive answer yet.
No photos, because the Man has the car.
Diff.
The saloon and the estate have different ratios but the diffs are otherwise interchangeable. I suppose the state is slightly heavier and more likely to be used with a heavy payload or trailer.
Other than that, not all w124 diffs are interchangeable. Some have 100mm output flanges; the E300d definitely has a 110mm output flange.
I doubt a w210 diff will fit.
The saloon and the estate have different ratios but the diffs are otherwise interchangeable. I suppose the state is slightly heavier and more likely to be used with a heavy payload or trailer.
Other than that, not all w124 diffs are interchangeable. Some have 100mm output flanges; the E300d definitely has a 110mm output flange.
I doubt a w210 diff will fit.
Thank you kindly, good sir.
I popped in at Peacock Central yesterday (yes, there are peacocks wandering around - no idea why) in an attempt to stir some action. Had a message today that they've done what they can with the car for the time being, and the guys next door think the noise is the gearbox.
So, dilemma time. Do I change the box for a not-necessarily-known-good alternative (at best, I'd be relying on the word of some random person I've never met), get mine rebuilt, get it looked at by someone else?
There's a MB specialist not too far away but I haven't so far had an entirely positive relationship with them; or there's an auto trans specialist a bit further away (not the one who said it wasn't a driveline problem when it seems like it can't be anything else).
Hmm.
But my Man seems to have stopped the water ingress. Bodgery, perhaps, but that can be rectified later as long as the swimming pool problem has abated.
I popped in at Peacock Central yesterday (yes, there are peacocks wandering around - no idea why) in an attempt to stir some action. Had a message today that they've done what they can with the car for the time being, and the guys next door think the noise is the gearbox.
So, dilemma time. Do I change the box for a not-necessarily-known-good alternative (at best, I'd be relying on the word of some random person I've never met), get mine rebuilt, get it looked at by someone else?
There's a MB specialist not too far away but I haven't so far had an entirely positive relationship with them; or there's an auto trans specialist a bit further away (not the one who said it wasn't a driveline problem when it seems like it can't be anything else).
Hmm.
But my Man seems to have stopped the water ingress. Bodgery, perhaps, but that can be rectified later as long as the swimming pool problem has abated.
Northbrook said:
So, dilemma time.
I've said this before, and I know it's an unwelcome observation, but wasn't the real dilemma to get rid months back or to get rid now? I said a while back that it was a futile challenge and was perhaps rightly rebuffed, but when will it stop? Will you ever end up with a great car?Is that better than the relief you feel when you can finally have a wee after holding it in for too long?
Come to think of it, that's not an immediate relief, is it - it takes a while to realise.
Off topic, me?
You're quite right, gentlemen. And yet....
I'll get the car back early next week, check that the noise doesn't mean something is in very imminent danger of catastrophe (like the back axle last May, or the glow plug relay in the summer, or the PS pump on the Lexus in December & January) then drive the car for a bit to remind myself what I like about it.
And then probably speak with a different transmission place (I have a candidate lined up) so they can tell me what's wrong. Replacement boxes can be had relatively easily, although their condition is unknown. I'm still hoping it's a relatively easy fix, but then I have been drinking.
Come to think of it, that's not an immediate relief, is it - it takes a while to realise.
Off topic, me?
You're quite right, gentlemen. And yet....
I'll get the car back early next week, check that the noise doesn't mean something is in very imminent danger of catastrophe (like the back axle last May, or the glow plug relay in the summer, or the PS pump on the Lexus in December & January) then drive the car for a bit to remind myself what I like about it.
And then probably speak with a different transmission place (I have a candidate lined up) so they can tell me what's wrong. Replacement boxes can be had relatively easily, although their condition is unknown. I'm still hoping it's a relatively easy fix, but then I have been drinking.
I've bought a new OVP relay.
Heres a recap on this particular problem:
- The car's starting has been affected by glow-plug-related faults (dead plugs, plus dead GP relay, plus knackered wiring harness) but, even after all that has been fixed, while the car will now start fairly easily it struggles to idle when cold without a foot on the throttle. And that's not when it's really cold - it's all the time. Once warm, the car idles fine so it seems that either there's an electrical adjustment of idle speed when the car is running which isn't working, or there's a physical problem with the engine such that a hot engine doesn't have the problem.
- Rev counter has been a bit dodgy for several months: it mostly doesn't show up for work and, when there is a sign of life, it's acting with no interface with the engine speed.
From what I've read, while the W124/OM606 combo is very basic in terms of ongoing electrical input required for the engine to run - components such as the fuel pump are mechanically-driven instead, which appeals to me for my money pit of choice - quite a lot of functions, and other tasks you wouldn't think would, hinge on a fully-working Over Voltage Protection relay.
MBs of this era seem to be known for problems traced back to a worn out OVP - ABS warning light, rough running, lack of rev counter - because those functions are driven through the OVP. Presumably it's because the other relays and their functions need to be protected against an over-voltage situation, but at a result it seems like other things get changed out when they seem to point to separate issues, when there may be a root cause.
And so I'm hoping with this. Once I read that the OVP affects idle speed and rev counter - because those relays are fed by the OVP - I had a eureka moment. Let's hope it's a fix for a couple of niggling problems.
Heres a recap on this particular problem:
- The car's starting has been affected by glow-plug-related faults (dead plugs, plus dead GP relay, plus knackered wiring harness) but, even after all that has been fixed, while the car will now start fairly easily it struggles to idle when cold without a foot on the throttle. And that's not when it's really cold - it's all the time. Once warm, the car idles fine so it seems that either there's an electrical adjustment of idle speed when the car is running which isn't working, or there's a physical problem with the engine such that a hot engine doesn't have the problem.
- Rev counter has been a bit dodgy for several months: it mostly doesn't show up for work and, when there is a sign of life, it's acting with no interface with the engine speed.
From what I've read, while the W124/OM606 combo is very basic in terms of ongoing electrical input required for the engine to run - components such as the fuel pump are mechanically-driven instead, which appeals to me for my money pit of choice - quite a lot of functions, and other tasks you wouldn't think would, hinge on a fully-working Over Voltage Protection relay.
MBs of this era seem to be known for problems traced back to a worn out OVP - ABS warning light, rough running, lack of rev counter - because those functions are driven through the OVP. Presumably it's because the other relays and their functions need to be protected against an over-voltage situation, but at a result it seems like other things get changed out when they seem to point to separate issues, when there may be a root cause.
And so I'm hoping with this. Once I read that the OVP affects idle speed and rev counter - because those relays are fed by the OVP - I had a eureka moment. Let's hope it's a fix for a couple of niggling problems.
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