W124 - 2 big problems!... Engine not breathing/fueling problem & Transmission

[Prof.C.Benz]

OK, so on my drive to work this afternoon, my engine started to choke, cut-out twice and generally would not respond to throttle... I was very close to work at this point, so instead of pull over and carry on my journey some other way, I slung her into Neutral to keep the revs up... I then did something stupid, and while the revs were up I dropped her into drive only to hear a loud bang, with the gear selector not engaging.

Any ideas on the damage I have done?... Also what the Engine choking might be?

I know what I did was stupid trying to keep the revs up, so any messages telling me how stupid I am afre really not needed... I Love my W124 (her name is Jasmin) more than words, so I'm beating myself up, big time...

She's a '91 300CE M103....

Any help greatly appreciated... Also, knowledge of any specialists in London greatly appreciated...

Cheers... The Prof

 

[grober]

Engine dying like that essentially 2 things. Lack of fuel or ignition partial failure under load. There are several causes for both. Lack of fuel could be fuel pump failure or fuel pump relay failure or blocked fuel filter. Ignition failure could be down to distributor cap/rotor arm problem/condensation coil overheating or EZL ignition unit over heating. System failure effecting both or either could be ignition switch related or an OVP relay problem or an earthing problem [ engine earth strap] Old alarm/immobilisers can also give problems.
A good MB specialist familiar with these older models should be able to track the problem down.

Gearbox wise haven't a clue. Check you haven't sheared a propshaft flexible doughnut or a rear half shaft i.e check all external things first before looking at gearbox internals. One comforting thing is that the old 4 speed hydraulic boxes are very robust and can be rebuilt by transmission specialists.

best thing get it to a specialist for a thorough check up.

 

[RBYCC]

Assume that you got someplace with the car.
If so does it start and idle ?

Ed A.

 

[Prof.C.Benz]

Last I left her, she wouldn't start.. Off to check on her now before work starts

 

[RBYCC]

Last I left her, she wouldn't start.. Off to check on her now before work starts

If it cranks but does not start the first thing to check, as Graeme posted, is the OVP relay.
The relay is mounted behind the battery ( at least in USA 124's )
A panel must be removed to access this compartment.
The OVP will have either one ( old style ) or two (new style ) fuses mounted on top.
First check the fuses and if not blown then tap/jiggle the relay and see if the car will start.
Probably best to replace, not that expensive and critical to starting and running.

Ed A.

 

[Prof.C.Benz]

OK.. So The "Very Nice Man" (AA) came out and gave her a jump and she started first time.. On the money... No hesitance...

Tried to put her into gear and it seems I have snapped something on the back driver side.. Half Shaft I think.. She was locked up in all gears and even in Neutral... Had to put her into Park to roll her onto the tow..

The prop shaft is turning I assume, as it is making a grinding turning sound on the back??

She is home now, so just need to find a good trust worthy garage in South London to fix my silly mistake...

Live and learn...

 

[Mick1982]

I thinks you may have either sheered the rear end of the prop shaft at the donut as mentioned earlier or exploded your diff... Ones a cheap fix you can do yourself, the others not. Fingers crossed

 

[kth286]

there are several instances of drive shafts breaking on 124s.

water seems to get under the rubber covers at end and cause corrosion.

one mighty jolt and the shaft breaks in two.

You need to make sure you get the correct shaft for your car VIN as there were many varieties for the various versions of 124s made.

 

[Mick1982]

Indeed that too would go with quite a bang! I remember when my boss broke one on his w140 s class, scary stuff...