W124 Gremlin exorcism.

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

tron

Active Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2006
Messages
705
Location
Bournemouth or France
Car
S203 220CDI.
The E300D has had a number of odd little electronic maladies since arriving.
Surging throttle and odd glow plug indications being but two. Sure enough the wiring loom has the automotive equivalent of multiple sclerosis. Although I couldn't cure it for my former partner, I can certainly get the better of it with the MB so matching cable was ordered today, a cableform board will be created tomorrow and the sockets all desoldered, ready for the reconstruction which ought to be finished on Thursday evening. It isn't a lot of work to remake the loom. The cost is around £30 for all the cable and I shall have it made in much less time than it would take me to earn what MB would charge me for a new loom!
 
Thanks! Making a loom is tedious but not hard. I have a diagram giving gauge and colours, the old loom for a physical pattern, a big board to make the cabling jig on and a good idea of what I am doing. If, as I expect it fixes the surging idle, it will be a success. If the port runner flaps work as well, that will be a bonus. Biggest headache is actually cleaning all the soot out of the inlet manifold!
 
The soot in the inlet manifold is odious. I tried brake cleaner but the carbon just absorbed it and released it without any cleaning effect. Then I used my Nilfisk Drain cleaner attachment and that did the job, at the price of blasting black liquid everywhere. Horrible.

My E300D's loom is completely fubar. It works, but not as it should.
 
Had I a busted spare, I could remake them once I have a jig.
 
The jig is built and all the plug casings are soaking in cleaner, the pins and sockets are soaking in silver dip.
The glow plug cables are wired to their socket
and I managed to get 2.5mm tinned silicone covered mains flex offcuts from work for those so the first part of the job is done. Cable arrives tomorrow.

While the manifold was off, I decided to find the duff glow plug. Number six.
Start with a good socket. Push to tighten. Pull steadily. Repeat pushing and pulling. Then comes that sharp tick that means "I have given up one atom's rotation." Apply diesel to threaded area. Push. Pull. Repeat with care.
It was a VERY tight fit. But after about an hour, it came out whole.

That is another little bug fixed. Now it will start smoothly from cold and the glow plug lamp will go off and stay off. One other thing staying off for the time being will be the cam cover cover. I drained six ounces of DERV out of the injector wells and all the leak off pipes look new. They will be coming out for a Hard Stare before long.
 
If I can post an image, I shall but for now, there is a loom ready to plug in tomorrow afternoon and the wrong glow plug which will be going back tomorrow morning. The loom was offered up to the car so I know that it fits but I shall buzz it out before fitting to ensure that it is all correct. Not a bad evening's work!
Looking forward to firing it up!
 
Tron hope all goes to plan .You have a good idea on how to do it ..And should be a sticky on the forum for this for others to be able to do it . But with out pictures to help, it will be hard .
 
cableform.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
This is the cableforming jig with the loom being built.
It is frankly easier than taking a picture on the phone, emailing it to the computer, uploading it to photobucket and then posting it on here.
And as it doesn't effing work anyway, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Anyway, the car is back together. The glow plug did not want to play nicely and took half an hour to put in!
The crud in the inlet ports came out with a spoon! the port runners were in a similar condition and will require a more thorough clean later. The loom fitted easily and once the engine was coaxed back into life, the glow plug light worked as it should and the car started on all six. There is still a little surging at idle but it can now be parked with the air conditioning on. A little fine tuning of the idle speed should do it. Connecting the port runners and various thermosensors has changed the engine note and behaviour.
the car now seems to jump off the line with some enthusiasm and certainly goes a lot better. A trusted friend took it for a spin and was very impressed with the difference. I think it has been worthwhile but the engine bay is so original that some of the dirt on it originated in Bremen. I shall be spending some lolly on an engine bay clean, I hate the filth under there!
Still, I am a day ahead of schedule, I have a jig to remake an e300D loom
and the car is back together and running better than before.
Time for bed.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom