kth286
MB Enthusiast
doesn't it have mechanical injection ? So, it is not all electronic engine control like HFM ?
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doesn't it have mechanical injection ? So, it is not all electronic engine control like HFM ?
Heres my old loom
Doodle
MB Enthusiast
That looks about as bad as the loom on the SL
Imminent replacement I fear, I shall probably have to do it myself to try and keep costs down.Martyn_n
Active Member
Hopefully more relevent than the last post.
Got a quote from my local dealer for the loom, £970 and none in the country so would not be able to offer a discount!! I walked away!
Sent a part request to the inchcape web site, got a reply offering the part with 10% off, plus a voucher code for a further 5% off on-line, price delivered would be £830. When I put the part number into their website it came up at £705, so less the discount I paid £670. Got a phone call from them the next day confirming the order and the fact that there were loads in the country so it would be with me within the week. Just had a text from parcelforce saying it will be here today! So 200 quid less than the local dealer, who lied about stock levels, even though they are both part of the Inchcape group! Also there is a 10% discount code (promo10) I later found out about that would bring the price down to about £635 delivered.
Got a quote from my local dealer for the loom, £970 and none in the country so would not be able to offer a discount!! I walked away!
Sent a part request to the inchcape web site, got a reply offering the part with 10% off, plus a voucher code for a further 5% off on-line, price delivered would be £830. When I put the part number into their website it came up at £705, so less the discount I paid £670. Got a phone call from them the next day confirming the order and the fact that there were loads in the country so it would be with me within the week. Just had a text from parcelforce saying it will be here today! So 200 quid less than the local dealer, who lied about stock levels, even though they are both part of the Inchcape group! Also there is a 10% discount code (promo10) I later found out about that would bring the price down to about £635 delivered.
BoyracerAU
Active Member
For anybody whose car has not yet had it's loom changed I'd recommend checking your loom thoroughly with a view to changing it BEFORE something goes wrong.
I ended up with a spiked ECU and a bill for just over $AU4,000 at the beginning of this year.
This is on a car with 125,000kms (78,000m) on the clock.
I ended up with a spiked ECU and a bill for just over $AU4,000 at the beginning of this year.
This is on a car with 125,000kms (78,000m) on the clock.
Martyn_n
Active Member
Seconded, I've chosen to replace mine at this point for two reasons, firstly as a prerequisite for replacing the head gasket and secondly due to the fact that if I did want to sell the car anyone likely to buy it would just knock the cost of the loom off the asking price!! (I didn't do enough research) Boyracer's comments are a very valid third reason. But be aware that thoroughly checking it could bring on it's demise, they really are that fragile.
kth286
MB Enthusiast
hope you ordered it by chassis number (VIN).
Martyn_n
Active Member
I did indeed, and I got two dealers to quote from the vin / reg number and they both came up with the same part number. The number was different to any I would have picked from the various websites so I think your comment is a very important one for people to take on board.
Having said all that, I haven't tried fitting it yet so have no idea if they have it right. I assume that as they supplied based on vin number it will be their problem if it is wrong.
charan_singh
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2011
- Messages
- 247
guys - the dreaded loom has failed. Can anyone shed light on the most cost effective option for a replacement / repair? Im being quoted £800 as opposed to £400 cos mine hasnt got AC. FFS;-/
I have access to the online EPC (which references the chassis number) but am struggling to get a part number for this loom/harness.
If I need to go to the dealer to source a new loom, what info will I need to give them and what exactly do I ask for?
If I need to go to the dealer to source a new loom, what info will I need to give them and what exactly do I ask for?
JUst the chassis number and tell them the engine wiring harness.. some models have an upper and a lower loom.
kth286
MB Enthusiast
the options on the car make a diference which loom you have.
eg. whether you have air con or not,
manual or auto gearbox
4 or 5 speed auto
whether you have ASR (anti slip regulation) diff. etc etc
eg. whether you have air con or not,
manual or auto gearbox
4 or 5 speed auto
whether you have ASR (anti slip regulation) diff. etc etc
scillyisles
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2008
- Messages
- 204
It would appear that Mercedes has now standardised on just a couple of variants of engine bay wiring loom. ASR seems to make a difference as does Tempomat (cruise control)
There is no longer a different wiring loom on the latest EPC for cars with 4/5 speed gearboxes, with or without aircon. They seem to have replaced all the old part numbers.
Niks
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 1,542
These wiring looms really do like standard mains cables! The copper wiring goes slightly dark greenish when exposed over time, it looks the same on the wiring loom where the cracks are. If thats the case, sod MB! Im off to an electrical shop to buy a whole roll of mains cables, heat resistive tape, clean up all the connectors and make my own loom!
Martyn_n
Active Member
If only I knew it was that easy I wouldn't have bothered with the new loom.
If anyone is really going to attempt this remember that some of the worst offending wires are the ones to the coils and they are moulded into a big lump of rubber to route it tidily in the cam cover so are not that easy to replicate. If someone needs a donor loom for such an insane project they can make me an offer for the one in my garage!
Niks
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 1,542
If the coil ones are only £7 each as someone mentioned before, then its better to buy those new. But some of the other cables, it shouldnt be too hard to fabricate your own I think.
Martyn_n
Active Member
At £7 each thay are good value, but replacing them in isolation onto an existing loom would mean disturbing it and that leads to a whole world of pain, it's all or nothing I believe. The loom I took off was by no means as bad as some I have seen pictures of, but even so I would not have considered re-using it once it had been man-handled to do the timing cover gasket, and not all of the connectors appear to be easy to re-use (either sealed or perished) so you would have to buy new ones of those, along with new pins to replace the innards. I could see the price creeping up close to the point of not making it a worthwhile exercise.
Also buyers of these sorts of cars are becoming a lot more aware of the issues surrounding them (thanks to forums like this) and if I were buying now I would want to see the receipt for a replacement loom otherwise I would be looking at a discount to reflect the fact it needed doing, regardless of assurances that it had been patched up.
Also buyers of these sorts of cars are becoming a lot more aware of the issues surrounding them (thanks to forums like this) and if I were buying now I would want to see the receipt for a replacement loom otherwise I would be looking at a discount to reflect the fact it needed doing, regardless of assurances that it had been patched up.
Williamwoo
Active Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2010
- Messages
- 998
- Location
- Somerset / Chives, France
- Car
- W124 E320 estate / Audi A6 BiTdi / Skoda Yeti 4x4 / VW Caravelle
Hi Charan (& others),
Sorry to hear of another loom issue.
I don't know how adept you are with a soldering iron etc, but I successfully rebuilt the loom on my 1995 E320 last winter (mainly because I couldn't afford a new one). These are some notes and observations I made (the bulk of which also features in other threads)...
Take plenty of photos and ideally some video before you start, and intermittently as you progress (v important!!).
The wiring loom starts from the ECU that sits behind the battery on the right-hand side (viewed from the front) of the bulkhead. To remove it:
· Remove the battery
· Disconnect the main plug into the ECU. This is a large black plug with all the wires from the loom going into it. It is held in place by a metal lever (quite awkward to remove)
· Remove all trim necessary to free the main cable as it nears the engine block.
· As the main cable divides into its constituent parts and each wire branches off, remove all clips and cable ties etc, and disconnect each plug in turn, ideally taking a photo of each for later reference.
· There are many different types of plug, and consequently differing ways of removing them. Some are a lot easier than others, but all are removable with a bit of persuasion and/or logic. One of those small inspection mirrors attached to a rod with a universal joint is very useful occasionally.
Lay the old loom out, and take more photos, including close-ups of each plug, showing the colour of each wire going into it if possible. I also found it useful to draw a diagram and note the length of each set of wires.
It’s now a case of replacing each individual wire. I bought new wire from Maplins, and always tried to replace like with like in terms of thickness (number of strands). I could get no more than 6 different colours though. The loom has many more than this but, using several different colours of permanent marker, I could create the same number of unique colour combinations as in the original, by ‘dabbing’ the marker every 5 mms or so along the length of each new wire. I of course kept a record of what colour wire I replaced with what (it was often not realistic to replace like with like – purple/black is hard to replicate for example).
· The coaxial wires do not seem to disintegrate and do not need to be replaced
· The leads to the coil packs pass to them through a rubber ‘block’. I did not reuse the block; instead I connected wires directly, ensuring I sealed them at the point they entered the top of the engine.
Many of the plugs are moulded. You cannot apparently buy these new separately so they must be reused. I cut each plug off leaving about 3 or 4 cms of wire protruding, and soldered the new wire to this. Everything I soldered I subsequently sealed using heat-shrinkable sealing, which again is available, in various different diameters, from Maplins. I also used plenty of Servisol silicone sealant wherever necessary. Some of the plugs are not moulded though and these can be prised apart, the old wires released using the soldering iron and new wires soldered into place.
I sealed each new bunch of wires together using self-amalgamating tape. I'd never heard of it, but it's like insulating tape except that it is stretchy and, when wound round back on itself sticks and bonds to itself and creates a water-proof seal.
In the great tradition of Haynes manuals, replacement is simply a reversal of the removal process – well, more or less, anyway. I used small cable ties to try to keep it neat, and had to improvise on occasion where wires are now thicker than they were due to the application of the heat-shrink stuff and tape etc referred to above.
Purists may no doubt frown at some of the above, but I have no particular automotive skills other than perseverance, a bit of common sense and no aversion to getting my hands dirty. In any case, the car has run faultlessly ever since (about 5000 miles in 8 months).
Good luck if you try it!
... just my few pennies' worth ...
Sorry to hear of another loom issue.
I don't know how adept you are with a soldering iron etc, but I successfully rebuilt the loom on my 1995 E320 last winter (mainly because I couldn't afford a new one). These are some notes and observations I made (the bulk of which also features in other threads)...
Take plenty of photos and ideally some video before you start, and intermittently as you progress (v important!!).
The wiring loom starts from the ECU that sits behind the battery on the right-hand side (viewed from the front) of the bulkhead. To remove it:
· Remove the battery
· Disconnect the main plug into the ECU. This is a large black plug with all the wires from the loom going into it. It is held in place by a metal lever (quite awkward to remove)
· Remove all trim necessary to free the main cable as it nears the engine block.
· As the main cable divides into its constituent parts and each wire branches off, remove all clips and cable ties etc, and disconnect each plug in turn, ideally taking a photo of each for later reference.
· There are many different types of plug, and consequently differing ways of removing them. Some are a lot easier than others, but all are removable with a bit of persuasion and/or logic. One of those small inspection mirrors attached to a rod with a universal joint is very useful occasionally.
Lay the old loom out, and take more photos, including close-ups of each plug, showing the colour of each wire going into it if possible. I also found it useful to draw a diagram and note the length of each set of wires.
It’s now a case of replacing each individual wire. I bought new wire from Maplins, and always tried to replace like with like in terms of thickness (number of strands). I could get no more than 6 different colours though. The loom has many more than this but, using several different colours of permanent marker, I could create the same number of unique colour combinations as in the original, by ‘dabbing’ the marker every 5 mms or so along the length of each new wire. I of course kept a record of what colour wire I replaced with what (it was often not realistic to replace like with like – purple/black is hard to replicate for example).
· The coaxial wires do not seem to disintegrate and do not need to be replaced
· The leads to the coil packs pass to them through a rubber ‘block’. I did not reuse the block; instead I connected wires directly, ensuring I sealed them at the point they entered the top of the engine.
Many of the plugs are moulded. You cannot apparently buy these new separately so they must be reused. I cut each plug off leaving about 3 or 4 cms of wire protruding, and soldered the new wire to this. Everything I soldered I subsequently sealed using heat-shrinkable sealing, which again is available, in various different diameters, from Maplins. I also used plenty of Servisol silicone sealant wherever necessary. Some of the plugs are not moulded though and these can be prised apart, the old wires released using the soldering iron and new wires soldered into place.
I sealed each new bunch of wires together using self-amalgamating tape. I'd never heard of it, but it's like insulating tape except that it is stretchy and, when wound round back on itself sticks and bonds to itself and creates a water-proof seal.
In the great tradition of Haynes manuals, replacement is simply a reversal of the removal process – well, more or less, anyway. I used small cable ties to try to keep it neat, and had to improvise on occasion where wires are now thicker than they were due to the application of the heat-shrink stuff and tape etc referred to above.
Purists may no doubt frown at some of the above, but I have no particular automotive skills other than perseverance, a bit of common sense and no aversion to getting my hands dirty. In any case, the car has run faultlessly ever since (about 5000 miles in 8 months).
Good luck if you try it!
... just my few pennies' worth ...