[Ravindra M]

Originally Posted by majumon

....

We had a reverse run of your trip, we flew to Pune to bring a W124 to Bangalore for a friend of mine and what an exhillarating experience that was.....

Maybe you can share your buying experience of W124 and the drive back to Bangalore.

[bikertillidie]

Thanks all for the wishes !

A few updates on the restoration

As Javed's garage was closed due to Eid, I decided to attend to a few niggles on my own.

Had made a mental list during our drive back to Pune, and addressing the runaway engine was on top of my list.

Rubber vacuum tubes are available at almost all auto stores and I purchased a length of tubing. Would have preferred black but the only colour available was grey/off white.

Function over form - I reminded myself.

I now needed a three-way connector to hook up the vacuum lines and a friendly pet store which also deals in aquariums came to the rescue.

Here's what the end result looked like (admittedly a bit odd) but the issue of the runaway engine was fixed





Next on my to-do list was to address the temperamental horns & pathetic headlights.

On our journey back to Pune, the horns worked whenever they felt like it, and illumination from the headlights was poor.

The horns were mounted within front wheel wells and received liberal splashing's of water/mud baths and had to be discarded.

New Bosch horns were purchased and mounted behind the front grill, ensuring there was adequate clearance for the bonnet to be easily opened.

Headlight bulbs were replaced with regular Philips H4 100/90W halogen bulbs.



More updates to follow shortly.

[Ricky_63]

Congratulations on acquiring the iconic W123 !! It's indeed a great car, hope you have a wonderful time driving the beauty.

Sigh ! Brings back memories of my W124 always preferred the W123 but never got a good car here in Gurgaon/ Delhi.

Unfortunately in Delhi NCR one cannot drive these old cars because of the NGT order, even if the car is as good as new

All the best, enjoy your 123

Cheers

[androdev]

Thanks for sharing, made my day reading about your experience and loved the highway pictures. It's a pity Mercedes is not putting the star on the hood anymore for many of it's models.

[majumon]

Originally Posted by Ravindra M

Maybe you can share your buying experience of W124 and the drive back to Bangalore.

Sir , it is your beloved beauty that we drove from Pune. We had looked at several cars in the course of more than a year and I was hoping to get one for my friend through our own forum. Then lo we find your ad in the classified KA registration in Pune. The call to my friend was immediate and I knew then and there that this car was for us. The car was in excellent shape and the write up was so detailed there was no way we are letting go of the car. Calls were exchanged pictures received, flight ticket booked one way pay order ready in hand and off we flew to get our beauty. One look at the car speaks volumes of the owner, she was spic and span, covered park with a cover on top. The car was shining, every single thing in the car was working and there was nothing to be done on the car except tank up and drive. We had so many spares to carry which was carefully collected over a period of time. It took some time for us to get used to the huge car and in time we were flying on the highway as if it was a new car. A very big thank you for parting with such a beautiful car. We still admire her beauty every time we look at the car. All the care and attention you have given over the years will not go in vain, it is still kept under a lot more love and care.

[bikertillidie]

Post Eid, work began in earnest.

Javed & I collectively decided on a plan of action

(a) all mechanical issues on the vehicle would be sorted out first.

(b) this would be followed by bodywork & paint.

(c) trim, electricals, upholstery & electroplating would be handled at the very end

Mechanicals issues

(i) The engine was oozing engine oil from everywhere and everything was covered with engine oil. The leakage needed to be addressed.

The primary culprits appeared to be a faulty oil filler cap, cracked crank case breather, and rocker cover gasket.




We also wanted to flush the engine to get rid of years of sludge & deposits and fill-up new engine oil, as on the way back from Kochi, the engine felt smoother & revved freely the more we drove.

We suspected that a piston ring replacement may not be needed right away, and flushing may actually help achieve better sealing.

There are multiple schools of thought around the merits/demerits of flushing - some suggest never to flush engines with high mileage, some do - I just wanted to give it a shot to see if we could avoid an engine rebuild.



The radiator & galleries were also flushed simultaneously.



After flushing the engine, the engine oil was fully drained out. The sump was removed to remove all traces of sludge.



This is when we discovered the damage to the oil pump and a stripped drain nut.




The damaged oil pump would be attended to at a later date with the engine removed from the engine bay.
While at it, the timing chain would also be replaced.

The radiator cap, crank case breather, drain nut and oil filler cap were duly replaced.





The rocker cover was also opened up, cleaned and fitted with a new gasket.



(ii) The hand primer leaked (sprayed would be a more appropriate term) diesel while being used, and hence had to be replaced.

(iii) The injector nozzles were also serviced




(iv) A crimp was observed in one of the diesel lines, and a small section of tubing was replaced to allow unrestricted flow

(v) To aid easy inspection of power steering fluid level, a wing nut was fitted. I plan on repeating the same treatment with the air filter.




The engine bay appears much cleaner now.

[apn6]

Congrats on the W123. The Fire Engine Red is very cool!!

And most of all, THANKS for sharing this exciting post - really made my Sunday morning

I've always loved the W123 / W124 for their stately looks. Really nice to see one getting a new lease of life. Hoping one day, in the not so distant future, I might be able to spare Time and Effort to get one of these beauties!

All the very best for the restoration project.Keep posting pics.

[bikertillidie]

Originally Posted by BowMan

Of the listed spared I would definitely not use the piston rings in MB engine. It is not just the design/dimensions but the metallurgy which is also quite of significance. And OEM MB piston rings from Kolbenschmidt/Gotze/Mahle made for MB engines are still not that expensive.

I would also be wary of gasket, timing chain and sproket.

Standard sized piston rings are available from multiple vendors. Goetze piston rings (with MB packaging) are available at Force Motors/Bajaj Tempo dealers.

I am not sure about the make of cylinder liners (I presume it's either Usha/Goetze). Will need to check at the store.

Oversized piston rings are a different matter though.

Options are rather limited as far as timing chains are concerned. I have found Rolon to be a reasonable trade-off between price vs quality.

Originally Posted by BowMan

So has this issue been solved?

Yes, cleaning the diesel tank worked wonders.

[BowMan]

Originally Posted by bikertillidie

We also wanted to flush the engine to get rid of years of sludge & deposits and fill-up new engine oil, as on the way back from Kochi, the engine felt smoother & revved freely the more we drove.

We suspected that a piston ring replacement may not be needed right away, and flushing may actually help achieve better sealing.

There are multiple schools of thought around the merits/demerits of flushing - some suggest never to flush engines with high mileage, some do - I just wanted to give it a shot to see if we could avoid an engine rebuild.

First you need to get drip timing done on the engine and valves adjusted to proper specs. Next if possible get the engine compression measured across all four of the cylinders. Report the numbers or consult the factory manual to understand if the numbers are a cause for worry. If not you are hopefully good for a few more years.

If yes then do yourself a favour and discard this product and pour some brake fluid in each of the cylinders. Leave overnight and the next day crank the engine a few times manually. Pour some more brake fluid and repeat this procedure over a couple of days.

What this intends to achieve is dislodge carbon deposits in the rings and hopefully they start moving more freely. This should restore some loss in compression.

Originally Posted by ajay99

The Kerala white Mercedes which you are referring to is not the white car(Kl-09) but would be the KRU registered one which was advertised about 4 years back and is still in Chennai and for sale with another dealer

I never inspected the car in person. But I hope she finds a good loving home. Sad to see such cars land in the hands of greedy dealers. That is not where they belong.

Originally Posted by bikertillidie

Standard sized piston rings are available from multiple vendors. Goetze piston rings (with MB packaging) are available at Force Motors/Bajaj Tempo dealers.

Goetze rings should be in Goetze packaging. Not MB. What you say only makes me a bit suspicious. Be very careful to be sure these are not Chinese/Usha parts which have been repackaged. Or are you saying these are MB rings made by Goetze? That's almost too good to be true.

But good to know stuff is easily available. Do post pictures on what is available down there.

Originally Posted by bikertillidie

I am not sure about the make of cylinder liners (I presume it's either Usha/Goetze). Will need to check at the store.

Oversized piston rings are a different matter though.

Options are rather limited as far as timing chains are concerned. I have found Rolon to be a reasonable trade-off between price vs quality.



Yes, cleaning the diesel tank worked wonders.

Good to know this worked. My tank too was fouled up and it was messing with the field tank sender unit.

[winsler_srider]

Hello bikertillidie,

Nice to see a W123 travelling from the place I live all the way to Pune and that too driven.

Originally Posted by bikertillidie

Random shots near Hill Palace
Attachment 1656562

The Bishop House and near by Georgian School is the place that I spent my life till my 10th a long time back. Brings back great memories. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by bikertillidie

Thanks !

As for the brakes, the brakes felt spongy and required to be pumped to achieve a quick stop. If one pressed the brake pedal forcefully, it gradually sank to the floor.

Best Regards !

This could be due to leakage of brake fluid to the inside of Booster as sometimes the seal between the mass cylinder and the booster compromises and looses pedal pressure on sudden engagement. Replacement of both booster-MC assy would result in better performance if the issue is not due to and resolved with brake line bleeding.

Wishing you have an enjoyable cruise always when you take your ride out.

regards,
winsler

[Bulldogji]

Brake pedal going down to the floor after some time would indicate master cylinder failure.

It should be looked into without delay.

Lovely car, great to read about the whole process from start to coming home and hope you enjoy many happy motoring hours in this workhorse,this model being one of the sturdiest from their stables.

If oil consumption is not much, I would just enjoy the car without opening the engine.However, timing chain and gears should be replaced unless there is a record of when this was done, this being a neglected area in many cases.

These engines are robust and generally trouble free provided oil and filter changes are regular.

[MaGosen]

Congratulations on the new 'old is Gold' Merc. This surely looks like an adventure and thanks for sharing the same with us. I am hooked to this thread now, very eager to see how the restoration shapes up.

[bikertillidie]

Query to W123 owners -

Where can I find a master cylinder kit for my 240D (assuming such a kit is available). Would any of the TVS Girling kits for Mahindra/Tata/other vehicles work?

Else, I may have to order a master cylinder assembly and wait several weeks for the shipment to arrive.

[kevinephraim]

Nice thread and interesting reading. looking forward to updates.

[coloneljasi]

Originally Posted by bikertillidie

Query to W123 owners -

Where can I find a master cylinder kit for my 240D (assuming such a kit is available). Would any of the TVS Girling kits for Mahindra/Tata/other vehicles work?

Else, I may have to order a master cylinder assembly and wait several weeks for the shipment to arrive.

It may be expensive when ordered through official MB channels in India, but you can try sending an email to mbclassicsindia@daimler.com.

Or if you can PM your car's VIN, I'd be happy to check with MBIL myself as well as with some of my local sources. Need the VIN to get the exact part number on MB's Electronic Parts Catalogue (EPC).