Breaking a W124

[Munks]

I have a poorly late-1995 M111 E220 which has developed an engine misfire after pressure washing the engine bay ( ), most probably due to the engine loom crumbling to dust. It looks perfect at the ECU end, but has the characteristic look of doom at the coils.

I'm not sure if I really fancy shelling out the same amount as I paid for the car for a new wiring loom, especially when other things are no doubt around the corner.

If I were to break a W124, how much would I be looking at getting (and is there any demand!).

It's a four speed auto with about 170k miles. Before the misfire it drove perfectly and has:

• Decent condition (except for the drivers seat bolster) mushroom cloth interior
• Walnut trim in excellent condition
• Remote central locking & two key fobs
• Factory air con
• Electric mirrors front and rear
• Electric mirrors

It does seem a shame to contemplate ripping the vehicle apart, but I fear it probably won't be worth much more than £1k, even with the new loom...

-Munks

 

[Munks]

And I should also add 'Hi!' as this is both my first foray into Mercedes Benz' and to the forum

- Munks

 

[neilz]

I think you should ignore the value of the car - they are great cars. Before the wiring loom went, was it a car you were hoping to keep for years and years? If it was, I'd replace the loom. Resale value only really applies if you were actually planning on selling it on soon. Many are being broken so prices for parts aren't too high.

 

[trapperjohn]

Go on treat yourself to a new loom.

1995 E220. Handsome car and it will repay you back.

Oh by the way, where are you. Perhaps some forum members can help out.

 

[neilz]

I had a coupe - same mileage, same engine, same year. The wiring loom was very poorly yet had the car not had terminal rust and many other issues I would have 100% shelled out on a new loom. The cars (loom aside) were built to last (rust aside) and as long as it's working fine otherwise (vacuum locking system aside) it should be a keeper (windows motors aside).

I know, my model was abnormally ill. These are strong cars and if you replace the loom, with regular servicing I don't see what else would go wrong

 

[GP801]

Are you sure its the loom causing the problem? On ours it was the ECU at fault.

 

[neilz]

ECUs are a lot more expensive than looms which themselves are expensive. Before replacing the loom, I'd echo GP801 and say check it's not the ECU. Not that you shouldn't replace the loom anyway if it's degraded, but if the ECU needs replacing as well it may become a bit of a money pit.

 

[grober]

Depending on the rest of the car- state of bodywork-----paint colour etc --- you will get solid money for a good running car with a reasonable MOT. You will get derisory offers for a non runner.

ps there's a few posts on here how to rebuild the ignition output stage of these HFM ECUs for little money http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/engine/102590-ecu-ignition-output-transistors.html

 

[neilz]

I sold my coupe for £950/£990 (can hardly remember) even though it was on the brink of being unroadworthy. A perfectly running saloon should fetch considerably more if it hasn't been abused.

 

[Munks]

The car is in fairly decent condition bar the recent engine issue, which has probably been developing over the past 16 years!

The front wings are showing their age, as they have bubbles appearing in the usual place however the rest of the car is extremely solid and rust free.

It's also an estate, and not a saloon or (unfortunately!) a coupe. I assume the estates slot in between the other two value wise. It's half Azurite blue and half some other satin blue, so while it's a nice colour it's not quite the stunning Anthracite grey!

I bought the car (for very little outlay) knowing that it needed a few problems sorting - which I've managed to sort for under £50, but alas this recent pressure washing seems to have been rather more expensive!

Until it's up to temperature it's fine, and from then on really isn't drivable until you give it full beans! I have read about the ECU becoming knackered, although it's definitely one area that didn't get attacked with the pressure washer and I would have assumed that this would cause a misfire from startup?

The car has a years MOT, a years tax and I'm in Surrey.

It has crossed my mind that I could rebuild the loom from scratch (for much less than £700!) but I don't want to tear out the old one, make a new one and forget where all the connectors go!

 

[SilverSaloon]

i just broke a w124 estate taking off most of the bolt off easy stuff.... made around £1,500 in parts. if you have the space/time then you could make more if you were willing to strip more of the gearbox, engine, body and drivetrain which i never did,

 

[Scott_F]

Have you checked the more obvious and basic stuff like the distributor, spark plugs, HT leads etc. that could easily have been affected by the pressure washing ?

 

[GP801]

The ECU for our 280 was £1400 for the part alone! Fortunately an aftermarket warranty picked up most of that. If its up to a trip to Horndean get Olly at PCS to have a look. For a small outlay you would get an honest appraisal of what may need doing. Could be money well spent in the long run. As to value I think estates and coupes are generally worth about the same.

 

[Munks]

I didn't think the late E220's had a distributor? It's all done by two coil packs, which I've had a look at (and that's when I noticed the cracked wiring).

In a topic I found while searching, another user said they'd cut back the insulation as far as the damage was visible - mainly directly by the engine. I think I'll give this a shot tomorrow as I've got nothing to lose.

Thanks for the help so far guys!

 

[kth286]

you also need to check the wiring to the MAF. Been known to go on fire on that model for some reason.

 

[Munks]

I've checked all the wiring, slicing off the self-amalgamating tape back to the main looms to reveal that it's only the insulation exposed to the elements that's degraded, and even then it's cracked but hasn't separated.

I've removed the manky-looking top case of the engine / spark plug cover and found that it's full of water! Two of the four spark plug sockets were filled to the top.

I've whipped off the four (unfortunately not six!) HT leads and mopped up as much water as I could. It's now drying out, so hopefully later the misfire will be sorted!

 

[grober]

With a bit of luck you won't have blown the coils or ECU output stage. Hair drier can be a good idea to dry things out? Power washing a modern engine compartment is never a good idea.

 

[neilz]

Water and a petrol engine never were the best of friends

 

[Munks]

I've re-insulated all of the dodgy looking cable pieces I found, and refitted the HT leads.

Fired up perfectly and on a short drive seemed to be completely misfire free!

I've also tried a new OVP relay, but the ABS light is still on and it still sometimes wants to stall when stopping quickly. More investigations!

 

[neilz]

Yay! Would have been a shame to break it