mjrose
New Member
I thought I would share my experiences with my car, as I have received a fair bit of help from these forums and want to pass something back!
I bought a 1995(N) multivavle diesel saloon six months ago knowing it had been standing for a while and that there was no history. However the 125k mileage was warranted, the engine was strong, and the gearbox felt OK considering it hadn’t been used recently. The bodywork seemed fine (with one or two rust spots in the usual places), the interior was very tidy, and all the electrics worked as they should.
Unfortunately I’ve lots of problems! Although, with one expensive exception most were a relatively simple fix, once identified.
Gearbox – This went badly wrong two weeks after purchasing the car. The box would not shift into 3rd, but given enough speed and high enough rev’s it would shift straight from 2nd into 4th! This did not last and a week later the box self destructed (non repairable). My local independent (Staiths Garage, Dunston, Tyne and Wear) sourced and fitted a reconditioned box. However at £700 this was not a cheap fix! I found that when I got the car back I still had to do a fair bit of tuning to get the shifts right for me. Has anyone else found the throttle position is very critical for good smooth shifts!? I do have one outstanding problem though; the gearbox shifts up too late at high throttle openings. I.e. when I pin the throttle for an overtake, the engine will rev to 5,000 if I don’t ease off. (the previous box changed up around 4,500). I have booked it into my local independent who promises to sort this problem.
EGR – A fault here caused some on/off power cycling at a 55mph/60mph cruise (manifested as jerking, as if you were on off the accelerator). This was traced to an open/close cycling of the EGR valve. The EGR was subsequently disconnected by removing the vacuum line to the valve. The car drove noticeably better after disconnection.
Fuel Leaks – Everywhere! In the plastic lines, on the shut off valve and now (I think – not fixed yet) from the injector return lines. These have been a bit of a pain but easy to fix. The shut of valve was replaced by a plane bolt from an earlier car (freebie from indy).
Inlet Manifold – This was very dirty! A combination of the soot from the EGR, and the crank case ventilation fumes which enter the inlet tract just before the com chamber. The fumes from the CCV had turned the soot to gunk, almost blocking the centre inlets. Cleaning this out produced a MUCH smoother engine, more torque, and more power! I think re-routing the CCV away from the inlet tract would also help keeping the tract clean in the long term.
Underbody rust – There was quite a bit this, although it seems very much surface only. Waxoil Treatment seems to have stabilised any progression. However I will be keeping an eye on it.
Fuel Sender Unit – Fuel gauge was behaving erratically. Removal of the sender unit in the tank produced an obvious cause; it was caked with black gunk! Cleaned and refitted; its now behaving perfectly.
Fuel starvation – This one a little more serious and happens only when the tank is less than ¼ full. The engine gradually drops power, runs rough and knocks out lots of white smoke. This occurs intermittently and will usually self fix after a couple of moments (at the side of the road). As it seems to be only at low tank volumes some one on the forums here suggested it’s a block in tank strainer (probably with the same gunk that was on the sender unit). Its on my job list to fix, but until then I don’t let the car get below ¼ full of fuel.
Bodywork – I think my car is one of the water based paint ones and as such there is a fair bit of body rust (which I missed (was well hidden) when buying): Aerial hole, wings, drivers door, passenger a-pillar and a couple of small spots at the top of the windscreen. All of which has now been treated with rust inhibitor (and will continue to do so), however I’m not sure whether it’s worth trying to sort it all out properly (bodyshop) or just try to keep on top if it. Does anyone have experience of rust treatment on these later 124’s?
Mildew/mould – The car had been sitting and getting damp for some time, and therefore the interior needed a thorough cleaning with mildew/mould killer. Finding a good, clean, black MB-tex interior also helped (for £50!).
At the moment the car is running beautifully on 80%veg.
I bought a 1995(N) multivavle diesel saloon six months ago knowing it had been standing for a while and that there was no history. However the 125k mileage was warranted, the engine was strong, and the gearbox felt OK considering it hadn’t been used recently. The bodywork seemed fine (with one or two rust spots in the usual places), the interior was very tidy, and all the electrics worked as they should.
Unfortunately I’ve lots of problems! Although, with one expensive exception most were a relatively simple fix, once identified.
Gearbox – This went badly wrong two weeks after purchasing the car. The box would not shift into 3rd, but given enough speed and high enough rev’s it would shift straight from 2nd into 4th! This did not last and a week later the box self destructed (non repairable). My local independent (Staiths Garage, Dunston, Tyne and Wear) sourced and fitted a reconditioned box. However at £700 this was not a cheap fix! I found that when I got the car back I still had to do a fair bit of tuning to get the shifts right for me. Has anyone else found the throttle position is very critical for good smooth shifts!? I do have one outstanding problem though; the gearbox shifts up too late at high throttle openings. I.e. when I pin the throttle for an overtake, the engine will rev to 5,000 if I don’t ease off. (the previous box changed up around 4,500). I have booked it into my local independent who promises to sort this problem.
EGR – A fault here caused some on/off power cycling at a 55mph/60mph cruise (manifested as jerking, as if you were on off the accelerator). This was traced to an open/close cycling of the EGR valve. The EGR was subsequently disconnected by removing the vacuum line to the valve. The car drove noticeably better after disconnection.
Fuel Leaks – Everywhere! In the plastic lines, on the shut off valve and now (I think – not fixed yet) from the injector return lines. These have been a bit of a pain but easy to fix. The shut of valve was replaced by a plane bolt from an earlier car (freebie from indy).
Inlet Manifold – This was very dirty! A combination of the soot from the EGR, and the crank case ventilation fumes which enter the inlet tract just before the com chamber. The fumes from the CCV had turned the soot to gunk, almost blocking the centre inlets. Cleaning this out produced a MUCH smoother engine, more torque, and more power! I think re-routing the CCV away from the inlet tract would also help keeping the tract clean in the long term.
Underbody rust – There was quite a bit this, although it seems very much surface only. Waxoil Treatment seems to have stabilised any progression. However I will be keeping an eye on it.
Fuel Sender Unit – Fuel gauge was behaving erratically. Removal of the sender unit in the tank produced an obvious cause; it was caked with black gunk! Cleaned and refitted; its now behaving perfectly.
Fuel starvation – This one a little more serious and happens only when the tank is less than ¼ full. The engine gradually drops power, runs rough and knocks out lots of white smoke. This occurs intermittently and will usually self fix after a couple of moments (at the side of the road). As it seems to be only at low tank volumes some one on the forums here suggested it’s a block in tank strainer (probably with the same gunk that was on the sender unit). Its on my job list to fix, but until then I don’t let the car get below ¼ full of fuel.
Bodywork – I think my car is one of the water based paint ones and as such there is a fair bit of body rust (which I missed (was well hidden) when buying): Aerial hole, wings, drivers door, passenger a-pillar and a couple of small spots at the top of the windscreen. All of which has now been treated with rust inhibitor (and will continue to do so), however I’m not sure whether it’s worth trying to sort it all out properly (bodyshop) or just try to keep on top if it. Does anyone have experience of rust treatment on these later 124’s?
Mildew/mould – The car had been sitting and getting damp for some time, and therefore the interior needed a thorough cleaning with mildew/mould killer. Finding a good, clean, black MB-tex interior also helped (for £50!).
At the moment the car is running beautifully on 80%veg.
