W124 500E - put a deposit down.

[MrMotul]

Well done Bill, you've been waiting a long time and I know it will have been worth the wait. Of all the Mercedes I have owned and driven, in my opinion the 124.036 is the best built and feels so, enjoy it, I am truly pleased for you,

Regards,

Terry.

 

[500E]

Over on the US 500E board. That's why MB have now switched over to Bosch from Beru:

Bosch Distributor Cap - 1 235 522 430
Bosch Rotor Arm - 1 234 332 422
Bosch Dust Cover - 1 230 500 240
Bosch Ignition Lead to cylinders 1/3/4/7/8 - 0 356 912 927
Bosch Ignition Lead to cylinders 2/5/6 - 0 356 912 928
Bosch Left Ignition Coil to Distributor - 0 986 357 769
Bosch Right Ignition Coil to Distributor - 0 986 357 772

Cheers for that mate, so you don't think the Beru bits are up to scratch?

Bill

 

[500E]

Well done Bill, you've been waiting a long time and I know it will have been worth the wait. Of all the Mercedes I have owned and driven, in my opinion the 124.036 is the best built and feels so, enjoy it, I am truly pleased for you,

Regards,

Terry.

Cheers Terry - it has indeed been a while and whilst this one isn't perfect it's solid cosmetically and the interior is near perfect.

I will work to get the car running right so I can enjoy it even more

Keep in touch

Bill

 

[Niks]

Cheers for that mate, so you don't think the Beru bits are up to scratch?

Bill

Personally I've always stuck to Bosch and all the 500E owners who I know through my business (not just in UK) have stuck to Bosch too. Thinking about it, there must be a reason why MB went back to Bosch to resupply these parts for the M119 engined cars.

If it was my 500, I'd take those Beru bits back and go for the Bosch items instead if you haven't used them yet. It's like when people bought Bremi d-caps for their 300E/300TE cars and they went back to misfiring within a year - switched over to Bosch and no issues since (if it was the d-cap as the source of the problem in the first place!). It was the quality of the metal contacts within the d-caps that made the difference amongst other little things.

Remember, when moisture builds up inside the cap, poor metals start to deteriorate (cap and rotor) and corrode which then allow for poor contact - i.e. misfiring/cutouts and so on.

 

[500E]

Personally I've always stuck to Bosch and all the 500E owners who I know through my business (not just in UK) have stuck to Bosch too. Thinking about it, there must be a reason why MB went back to Bosch to resupply these parts for the M119 engined cars.

If it was my 500, I'd take those Beru bits back and go for the Bosch items instead if you haven't used them yet. It's like when people bought Bremi d-caps for their 300E/300TE cars and they went back to misfiring within a year - switched over to Bosch and no issues since (if it was the d-cap as the source of the problem in the first place!). It was the quality of the metal contacts within the d-caps that made the difference amongst other little things.

Remember, when moisture builds up inside the cap, poor metals start to deteriorate (cap and rotor) and corrode which then allow for poor contact - i.e. misfiring/cutouts and so on.

Niks - cheers for this but i've fitted them last weekend as per my posts and won't be buying another set unless I really have to as they are pricey.

That's slightly annoying - why do they sell these parts if they're not up to it. F-ing annoying, also the leads are Beru so I'd expect their bits to be up to scratch...

 

[Niks]

Fingers crossed you get to the bottom of your misfiring issue. Least you know now you can get Bosch units.

It'd be nice to see your car sometime!

 

[Niks]

Bill, you mentioned your rough idle, what rpm does it start to smooth out and how erratic is it? Have you had the codes read yet?

 

[sharps]

Lovely car, if you replaced the plugs at the same time as the cap and leads, then pull them back out to see if any particular one looks fouled or smell for fuel, then you can begin to isolate your issue.

 

[500E]

Fingers crossed you get to the bottom of your misfiring issue. Least you know now you can get Bosch units.

It'd be nice to see your car sometime!

Thanks for that dude, to the extent that the Beru units are faulty they will have to be returned

 

[500E]

Bill, you mentioned your rough idle, what rpm does it start to smooth out and how erratic is it? Have you had the codes read yet?

I will get a video up tonight. Codes read at Terry's, I think the crankshaft position sensor kept coming back so this might be the issue.

It's going back to his on Saturday am and will be with him for a week for full diagnosis on the engine.

 

[500E]

Hello all, not much else happening here, something wrong with the throttle actuator now I think as it's struggling to rev. Anyways parked up and will be with specialist soon for diagnostic.

- 1 x 500E badge bought
- 2 x V8 badges ordered for the wings (MB part off CLK55 / G55)
- 2 x airbox mounts and screws ordered and fitted
- Oil change again, this time 10w40 Shell Helix
- Washer bottle removed and cleaned (needs a replacement though)

Removed the crank sensor today and it doesn't look too clever, cracks on both sides. Cleaned it up and re-installed, will have to order a new one from MB. Loving ownership so far and look forward to having it running 100% so I can enjoy it more and get other jobs done

And here are some photos of the car when in Japan - interestingly it has no boot badges and tinted rear windows.

Cheers,
Bill

 

[500E]

Here is a video of the revving, sorry it isn't great

If you rev slowly it's smooth,if you hit the throttle quick it's not smooth and feels like stalling sometimes but doesn't actually cut out, then revs up - sorry the video is not great...

 

[500E]

Better video taken tonight - hope you can see it...

I try to rev and it drops the revs, almost cuts out then picks up...

 

[jaymanek]

Throttle body? Did you change rotor arms yet? Did you check condition of the back plates behind rotor arm? How is wiring loom looking?

Try putting washed bottle in dishwasher. Works great

 

[Doodle]

Niks - cheers for this but i've fitted them last weekend as per my posts and won't be buying another set unless I really have to as they are pricey.

That's slightly annoying - why do they sell these parts if they're not up to it. F-ing annoying, also the leads are Beru so I'd expect their bits to be up to scratch...

I wouldn't worry that much. I've been running both Beru and Bosch for the last decade on my SL, depending on what is cheaper/on offer at the time. IME they've been much of a muchness - neither has lasted noticeably longer, or performed better/worse than the other.

The ones in your pictures are in a shocking state though.

Regarding the dip as you apply throttle, I recall seeing something like this with my SL in the early days, which might have been down to the throttle body. (Forgive the haziness, it was over a decade ago!)

 

[500E]

Throttle body? Did you change rotor arms yet? Did you check condition of the back plates behind rotor arm? How is wiring loom looking?

Try putting washed bottle in dishwasher. Works great

Not checked throttle body or had the MAF off.

Rotor arms replaced with Beru parts. Old ones didn't look good. I did not check the back plates but think we cleaned them.

Wiring harness is ok from the front i.e. taken off plastic insulation and cables inside look good, not traced wires back and opened it all up to check yet.

Tried to scrub washer bottle but still looks grubby, also the white pump is knackered so will buy new bits, this can be done later though once the engine is running sweet then I can think about cosmetics.

 

[500E]

I wouldn't worry that much. I've been running both Beru and Bosch for the last decade on my SL, depending on what is cheaper/on offer at the time. IME they've been much of a muchness - neither has lasted noticeably longer, or performed better/worse than the other.

The ones in your pictures are in a shocking state though.

Cheers. Agreed they're battered - clearly had not been changed in a very long time

 

[500E]

Here are the pictures of the old rotor arms I just took for reference. Opened up the dist caps today and they look clean.

The new plugs are very sooty, took them out today and they're pretty filthy, checked the tip gaps and they are ok (consistent and same as what came out).






Plug from cylinder 7 had oil on the thread but the tip was dry



Cheers

Bill

 

[500E]

Wiring harness is dated year 2000 so is a replacement. Wonder if this loom is non biodegradable? I will have to open up wire covering all over just to check its all ok. Look good from the front of the engine.

 

[500E]

Hello all - not much to update here. I found out the wiring harness is indeed the later one and non-biodegradable. As a result it is in very nice condition throughout with no obvious damage.


Looks like the car has a throttle body and potentially MAF fault. The car is with Terry at WG at the moment for this issue and a full check up (hoping to see what else needs doing in terms of bushes, any leaks etc.). We think the throttle body fix may also solve the rough idle issue as well as the throttle issue, will catch up with Terry in the week for thoughts. The cable to the throttle body is probably original so no doubt that's fried.

Off chance, I picked up a throttle body, MAF, ignition module and a few other bits and pieces out of an S500 coupe breaking nearby as they were practically dirt cheap but will most probably keep them for spares as they're original and have my TB repaired by rewire. By looking at the part numbers online the parts look like they suit the W124 500E. I also got the brake calipers off it. I wasn't sure if they are the same as they later E500 brakes (for 320mm discs) off the SL600 but looked very similar and for the price I got them for it was rude not to. Hope they fit, will get them checked against the SL600/later E500 units to see if they are the same by part number.

After deliberating what wheels I should buy I finally purchased a set of Lorinser RSK-5's in 9J front and 10J rears, 17", ET 44. Ultimately, looking at other brands of alloys (AMG/OZ/BBS) would stray the car from the Lorinser theme and I was keen to keep in as "Lorinser" as possible. I really like the look of these alloys and how they look on a W124 so I look a punt on them and bought them!

They come with bolts, spacers, centre caps and a virtually new set of Michelin sport tyres. The front tyres will however have to change as they are 255's, I think I will run a 225 or 235 on the front. I'll keep the spare 255's as another set for the rear (which may come in handy if I decide to fit the ASR defeat in). If I'm feeling flush I'll go for a fat rear tyre size (anyone know what a 500E can handle on the rear with a 10J?), I'd imagine 265, potentially 275. Anyway, here are the photos:




On a facelift Lorinser E500 also in silver:





I was also lucky enough to come across a set of original Hella W124 500E headlights off eBay. These are specific for the 500E and can't be bought as lenses alone (you can only purchase the entire headlight unit and that is £££ from MB). I will keep these as a spare set should anything happen to my set.




That's all for now folks - more to come once I collect the car