Holiday burn up moving on

[brucemillar]

Well on the 26th August returning from the family hoilday in Scotland our beloved P38 4.6 HSE Range Rover - caught alight on the A66 just outside of Penrith.

Wife, Kids and me all baled out with no drama. Car went up (fuel fire) very quickly. Burnt out from the front to the dash board in a matter of a couple of minutes. Cumbria Fire and Rescue were on the scene in minutes and put out the fire. I have to say a big thank you to these guys who were brilliant.

Car is a right off. Insurance think a fuel line split and sprayed petrol down onto the exhaust.

In need of another 4x4 I have bought a W124 300te 4matic 7 seater estate. This car was owned by Andy at WrightTec Mercedes in Sidcup.

Mechanicaly it is sound and drives beautifully. Smooth and silent with no drama. One rust hole in the rear wing (under the rear window) it needs a new bonnet (dented badly) and could do with a re-spray.

Original intention was to keep it until we found something else. Now we love it. So are looking to try and restore and keep it.

This now means that we have three merc estates (mad)

Any members who wish to give me help, advice, free stuff, cheap stuff. are welcome.

I live in Kent. Feel free to comment on my madness.

Bruce

 

[carat 3.6]

Not madness at all, anybody that is going to restore a w124 get's my support.

 

[NOMONEYBUTAMERC]

Just glad to hear you all got out safe . As for spare parts - spend some of that insurance payout

 

[Dieselman]

Car is a right off. Insurance think a fuel line split and sprayed petrol down onto the exhaust.

That can't be it, petrol onto a hot exhaust can't set fire.

Much more likely either petrol onto an HT lead/spark cap, or more likely an oil leak onto the Cat.

 

[moonloops]

That can't be it, petrol onto a hot exhaust can't set fire.

Much more likely either petrol onto an HT lead/spark cap, or more likely an oil leak onto the Cat.

That's my understanding also.. having poured petrol onto a hot exhaust manifold to see.. just "boils" away.

anyhoo glad the family got out all OK..

 

[brucemillar]

That can't be it, petrol onto a hot exhaust can't set fire.

Much more likely either petrol onto an HT lead/spark cap, or more likely an oil leak onto the Cat.

The order of cermony was:

1) Phutt sound (similar to tyre bursting)

2) Hissing sound (like tyre deflating)

3) Loud yelling sound from wife as smoke started pouring in through the air vents.

We had just left the M74 and joined bumper to bumper queue of traffic through roadworks. As we started to get moving again it all went wrong.

It got even worse when I tried invoking my recovery insurance to get us all home. That is another story for another day.

So.

Phutt - Hiss - Yell - Jump

 

[Dieselman]

That's my understanding also.. having poured petrol onto a hot exhaust manifold to see.. just "boils" away.

When young, we used to put sealed tins of petrol into bonfires. It never ignites until the lid blows off...

 

[flango]

That can't be it, petrol onto a hot exhaust can't set fire.

Much more likely either petrol onto an HT lead/spark cap, or more likely an oil leak onto the Cat.

That's perfectly correct what usually happens is the split fuel line dumps fuel onto the exhaust immediately causing petrol vapour which is ignited by the HT system causing the lot to go up. High pressure fuel pumps used on modern injection engines make this worse as when they go they a dump a load of fuel before the shut off valve kicks in.

 

[brucemillar]

All this CSI stuff is very interesting.

What I was really hoping was that like the Amish you would trot round to my gaff carrying gifts of 124 parts and rebuild mine while my wife and I sang some nice songs and prayed for you.

 

[d w124]

What do you need apart from Bonnet?Don`t ask for cash though as I`ve none left,spend them all on my 124s lol

 

[Dieselman]

Feel free to comment on my madness.

You bought a 4-Matic..


No further comments needed.

 

[brucemillar]

You bought a 4-Matic..


No further comments needed.

....And it's light metallic green

I need drivers door. Tailgate and bonnet. Electric ariel.

 

[BTB 500]

Does the transmission all work - I read that old 4-Matics often end up as 2WD (rather than paying a fortune to fix)?

 

[Mike Walker]

All this CSI stuff is very interesting.

What I was really hoping was that like the Amish you would trot round to my gaff carrying gifts of 124 parts and rebuild mine while my wife and I sang some nice songs and prayed for you.

Where in Kent Bruce and I'll see what i can do to help.

 

[prprandall51]

All this CSI stuff is very interesting.

What I was really hoping was that like the Amish you would trot round to my gaff carrying gifts of 124 parts and rebuild mine while my wife and I sang some nice songs and prayed for you.

We do that for barns, not sheds.

 

[grober]

Transfer box is what usually goes wrong. The transfer box design was modified during the life of the car so if you have the later box fitted fine. what happened was that hydraulic fluid leaks into the transfer box via the operating piston this degrades the lubricating capability of the transfer case oil. the piston originally operated in an aluminium bore which was updated with a steel sleeve later to prevent fluid crossover. Early models had a 4matic shut off valve under the bonnet labelled " test" IF ITS IN THE VERTICAL POSITION FINE if its in the lower position it means the 4matic is disabled = normally means faulty. [ later models were switched electrically] So few "runners" about that its worth preserving imho provided the body is reasonably sound.

ps most of this is described in the Mercedes Benz E-class owners bible http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mercedes-Be...UTF8&qid=1315919423&sr=8-1&tag=amazon0e9db-21

 

[brucemillar]

Transfer box is what usually goes wrong. The transfer box design was modified during the life of the car so if you have the later box fitted fine. what happened was that hydraulic fluid leaks into the transfer box via the operating piston this degrades the lubricating capability of the transfer case oil. the piston originally operated in an aluminium bore which was updated with a steel sleeve later to prevent fluid crossover. Early models had a 4matic shut off valve under the bonnet labelled " test" IF ITS IN THE VERTICAL POSITION FINE if its in the lower position it means the 4matic is disabled = normally means faulty. [ later models were switched electrically] So few "runners" about that its worth preserving imho provided the body is reasonably sound.

ps most of this is described in the Mercedes Benz E-class owners bible Mercedes-Benz E Class Owner's Bible 1986-1995 Mercedes-Benz: Amazon.co.uk: Stu Ritter: Books

Grober

Mine is an early one. The lever is in the vertical and the 4x4 is working. If I drop the lever the 4matic light comes on and again I am in two wheel drive.

The car was looked after and then owned by Andy at WrightTec hence why I suspect it is mechanically well preserved. The panel damage is as a result of kids who jumped on the bonnet and keyed the drivers side end to end.

I was absolutely staggered when I first drove the car. I really expected to be wallowing about all over the road. This thing does not move it is like being on rails. The ride is firm with no banging or jolting around and steering is nice and tight. The car is a 1985 build (F reg). It spent it's first ten years in Northern Ireland and is still on Irish Plates.

I would love to get it back to a decent body condition. A few panels and decent re-spray would take care of that. It needs a new drivers seat or a re-trim. It has a beige cloth interior and matching carpets. It is still on the original wheels (which need a refurb)

I live in Kent off the A249 between the M2 and the M20 (Stockbury)

Feel free to PM me if anybody wants to drop by and have a look or bring me any presents ;^)

Bruce

 

[brucemillar]

Where in Kent Bruce and I'll see what i can do to help.

Mike

I think we met at the MB Medway GTG. I have the dark blue C55 Estate. I live near Stockbury just off the A249. Feel free to pop round and have a look.

Any donations will be greatly received ;^)

 

[grober]

The important check evidently is the oil level in the transfer box. Like the rear differential there is a level/fill plug on the side and a drain plug on the bottom of the casing. The oil level should be right at the level of the fill plug--- if more than 50cc flows out it may be an indication the hydraulic fluid is leaking into the box. Next thing is check the hydraulic fluid level in the reservoir in the engine compartment for corresponding loss. MAY BE A GOOD ROUTINE CHECK AT SERVICE TIME??
Having said all that if its a 85 car its almost certain the upgraded box has been fitted.
The other areas that can give problems are the ABS sensors the 4matic system uses to measure wheel speed plus the steering angle sensor wiper contacts behind the steering wheel . It would also appear the system can be very sensitive to wheel/tyre differences/pressures so care should be taken at replacement time. Hope you decide to restore it to its original state.

 

[trapperjohn]

Good Luck with it Bruce. Glad the family are OK too.