[manikjeet]

Today morning I went for nice drive in my E220 A spirited one.

I had filled her up around a week ago to the brim like always. And she sat for week, Today after driving her around for total 37 km on the trip meter the fuel needle was nearing the first marking after the F mark. So i thought she cant consume so much fuel so I open the tank and I was expecting some pressure but I think about a 1 L of fuel came rushing out so I immediately closed it again. I again tried the same but fuel still came out.

The car was on little incline with the tank side down but why did this happen I never experienced it.

PS It has a full bottle of system G as well

[rugsrags]

Hi guys I don't know whether this thread is the right place for my query but since its regarding a merc e class and I couldn't find the relevant thread elsewhere.
I'm being offered an e220 elegance 2005 model which has done a good 66k Kms. What are the things that I should look out for? I know it's not accidental and I know it's been driven with a light foot since I know the previous owner personally. What should be a just price for this car? Any help at all would be highly appreciated. Need to decide in the next day or two and in the meanwhile I'm getting the details of all the work that's been done in it. Looking forward to your suggestions and opinions.

[benz220]

Hi rugsrags
This is a W124 forum. You may have better luck in your model forum. Any be someone here can help point you in the correct place to get your questions answered.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by manikjeet

Today morning I went for nice drive in my E220 A spirited one.

I had filled her up around a week ago to the brim like always. And she sat for week, Today after driving her around for total 37 km on the trip meter the fuel needle was nearing the first marking after the F mark. So i thought she cant consume so much fuel so I open the tank and I was expecting some pressure but I think about a 1 L of fuel came rushing out so I immediately closed it again. I again tried the same but fuel still came out.

The car was on little incline with the tank side down but why did this happen I never experienced it.

PS It has a full bottle of system G as well

There is a vacuum release valve on the tank which could cause such a problem. And so can a faulty purge valve. Have these checked out, and it should solve your problem.

Also, Mercedes doesn't recommend any fuel additives, so I think you should stop using System G. If you want to clean your injectors, use an injector cleaner every 5K or 10K kilometres with one tank full of petrol.

Originally Posted by rugsrags

Hi guys I don't know whether this thread is the right place for my query but since its regarding a merc e class and I couldn't find the relevant thread elsewhere.
I'm being offered an e220 elegance 2005 model which has done a good 66k Kms. What are the things that I should look out for? I know it's not accidental and I know it's been driven with a light foot since I know the previous owner personally. What should be a just price for this car? Any help at all would be highly appreciated. Need to decide in the next day or two and in the meanwhile I'm getting the details of all the work that's been done in it. Looking forward to your suggestions and opinions.

That is a W211, and not covered in this thread. You'll have to search the forum and find the appropriate place for your questions. But anyway, make sure the transmission is okay, the W211 has a tendency of making a thud and a jerk when you switch from D to P or N. A slight one is okay, but one that makes the whole car shake could be a problem. Apart from that, the transmission is plenty smooth, and all in all, it's a good car. Apart from the horrible left side ORVM.

[ajmat]

The main bugbear of the w211 are the electronic brakes. Too many error codes etc.

[blackcloud]

guys, need your help. I am planning to change the engine wiring harness on my car. It is an Indian W124, E220, manual transmission, May 1996 model.

I see that experienced DIYers here order online for car parts by quoting the VIN. Which is the best site for ordering parts from an Indian perspective? (shipping to India etc.) Any customs/import duty implications?

This is the first time I am buying a part online. (Until now have taken the Gulf route through my mechanic. ) Don't want to go wrong on such an expensive part. Or do you suggest that I order something less expensive first to build my trust and then go ahead and order the actual harness?

Or last but not the least, I see contacts of suppliers in Mumbai furnished in this thread. Is that a better route compared to ordering online?

[sportz_kruzer]

How bad is the harness? The harness can be removed and restored at a fraction of the cost. They renew the disintegrated part with auto grade wiring. Worksmanship is the key here..

To your point. .I had come across Taiwanese stuff once which claim to be at par..but who knows?

All that matters IMHO is the quality grade and soldering quality of the wire. The wiring section from the MAF had gone brittle with cracks everywhere on my 96 E220. The wire would snap and break like a biscuit exposing copper. I guess mainly due to engine heat. I chopped off the affected section and replaced it with auto grade wiring and its doing fine..

I wouldn't spend 50k on a bunch of wire buddy. Rest your call!

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by blackcloud

guys, need your help. .... route compared to ordering online?

You can order from any of the places, as long as you can ensure that the wire is not old stock from the 90's. I got a new wiring harness which was produced after MB decided to ditch the biodegradable rubbish, so it should last a heck of a long time. It should cost you around 45K.

There will be custom duty hassles. Major irritant.

Originally Posted by sportz_kruzer

How bad is .... Rest your call!

Contrary to your opinion, I'd never repair the engine harness. Poor workmanship could cause some serious electrical fires. But at the same time, theoretically, there is nothing wrong with repairing it provided you have confidence in the electrician. But who will account for a mistake, if one does crop up?

[sportz_kruzer]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

Contrary to your opinion, I'd never repair the engine harness. Poor workmanship could cause some serious electrical fires. But at the same time, theoretically, there is nothing wrong with repairing it provided you have confidence in the electrician. But who will account for a mistake, if one does crop up?

Well thats holds true for anything. Poor workmanship can lead to a botch up of simplest of tasks as well. Haven't u heard about the dude who drained the engine oil and forgot to refill? Or who screwed back the spark plug wrong thread. .(ouch!)

Its a given that one should go to an experienced mech./electrician and understand his approach before letting him touch the car. (Which is what I always do)

The harness can be repaired as good as new if good quality wire, proper soldering and sleeveing and sealing of all joints for say not more than 1000 to 2000 bucks at max! vs 55k!! - I agree poor workmanship such as improper soldering and insolation (or the lack of it) or mixing up wires can lead to a catastrophe. Hence its a given that a good experienced electrician is a must and if one wants to DIY he or she better know what they are doing.

The harness removal and reinstallation is pretty straight forward on the 124. Its is enclosed in a plastic housing nearby the intake manifold. All connectors are unique and u cant mix em up even if u wanted to.

Coming to the main point 55k (what I ve been quoted) is ridiculous for a bunch of wires. ( unless am missing a point ) However if it can buy one mental peace and he has extra cash. .then go for it. End of the day its ones choice.

I am just stating my opinion here. I bought the whole car for 80k and I redid the maf wiring and OVP relay resoldering myself. Car runs great! Believe me its no big deal at all.

Rest its up to ones comfort level ..both that of mind and pocket ;-)

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by sportz_kruzer

Well thats holds ... of mind and pocket ;-)

My wiring harness was completely destroyed, and it was a wonder that the car was running at all. So if I had gone the repair route, it would've meant that the entire harness would've had to be made from each and every point. While I do trust my electrician, he quoted 10K to make a new harness, but it didn't make sense for me, so I got a new one.
I didn't realise that you only had one section faulty — no sense getting a new one for that!

Speaking of wiring things — I did get the wiring of the LLR redone recently, but it didn't make any difference. I have a feeling the my LLR is destroyed because of shorting of the wires as they were ALL fused together, and I will have to spend the 25K or so on a new one sooner or later. :(

[blackcloud]

Thanks for your responses sportz_kruzer and Viraat13.

I bought this car February 2012. That time itself, wiring of a section of the engine harness was re-done. The car has run without a hitch for one-and-a-half years. Now, the only problem is the car is having occasional engine surges. I am not an experienced DIYer, and my (very dependable and competent) mechanic checked all the other things. (MAF sensor, OVP relay, throttle body etc.) and found nothing wrong. The engine harness near the MAF looks to be okay.

I am someone who likes to keep cars until the wheels fall off on its own accord. So, want to do a preventive maintenance and replace the Achilles heel of 1993+ W124s, the engine harness. Might also consider replacing the throttle body. Approximate damage, 90k, but peace of mind.

My mechanic though gave me an option of re-doing the wiring, he is very dependable and I am confident he will do a good job. But he himself suggested that I get a new one to get rid of the problems once and for all. Also, I have read that faulty harnesses can make your ECU go bust. Don't want to take THAT chance.

All in all, this is not an emergency, and I might as well wait a few months and see if I can get any friends of mine to bring the part with them when they come back from US/UK. I am in no mood to grease the hands of customs officers.

[sportz_kruzer]

Could be a stuck throttle plate as well. Can you describe what u mean by occasional surging? When does it occur? Ac on off or under any specific condition? Does it recover if you tap the throttle? Possible vaccum leak? Does the rpm buck low before surging? What all have you tried till now if at all?

Get the car scanned for a more detailed review of the problem. Get them to clear and test a couple of times to see what codes come up frequently. Too many codes or inconsistencies "may" point to the harness.
Yup peace of mind is important at the end of the day ..provided it solves the problem ;-)

[blackcloud]

Originally Posted by sportz_kruzer

Could be a stuck throttle plate as well. Can you describe what u mean by occasional surging? When does it occur? Ac on off or under any specific condition? Does it recover if you tap the throttle? Possible vaccum leak? Does the rpm buck low before surging? What all have you tried till now if at all?

That is the next thing I am going to get checked. Have been reading posts on mbclub etc. and see that "gumming up" of the throttle body can cause these symptoms. So, will see if cleaning the throttle body solves the problem.

Yes, the rpm goes low before surging. This happens irrespective of AC on or off. It does not respond to throttling during that time. Have to immediately press the clutch to prevent the engine from dying and it will surge and come back on its own accord. My car has been at the workshop for a week now. The mechanic is trying to re-create the problem by taking it out for test drives. The problem is it happens very rarely and he has not been able to experience it first-hand till now.

[sportz_kruzer]

Well although its difficult to say with conviction without seeing it, sounds like a TB issue to me. Throttle (pedal) wont respond when engine surges at high rpm because the throttle plate is already open by x degrees by the Electronic Throttle Actuator. thus temporarily increasing play at the pedal. .hence the feeling of no throttle response. Try blipping the throttle by flooring it completely for an instant and release. If this works then should be the throttle body. Even a vaccum leak can trigger the same symptoms. Any pops and misfires to list as well?

[blackcloud]

Thanks sportz_kruzer! I will visit the workshop sometime this week and check out these inputs.

Originally Posted by sportz_kruzer

... Any pops and misfires to list as well?

None. No mis-firing. 99% of the time, no one would be able to say the car has any problems at all! I badly want her to reclaim that 1% health also.