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there are more... ill give you a clue. i only noticed when trying to bolt in the timing case cover.
Gen-U-Whine gaskets yes?I know.. Had these gaskets here for months now too.
The engine cylinders look great now BTW – it’s coming together nicely! Great work. Do you intend to fully respray the car? Or blend the paint if the rest of it is still decent?

Small world. One of my engines is 5031, only six away from yours! And yep, it's the "middle" range.Mine is engine no 5037.


I *think* Laso is ok, if you can find one... otherwise it's only OE MB. Lots of junk on the market these days, avoid those like the plague. If you don't plan to take it on long trips, you can skip the tensioner for now, it may last a long time. I'd be nervous going on a long trip with an old one though, as it could leave you stranded. There's actually a test procedure in the FSM which basically consists of clamping it in a vise and twisting it by 30° in each direction. If the rubber bearing doesn't rotate in the shell, it's good (for now).The tensioner is original. However the mercedes part was very expensive. I couldnt find any good aftermarket tensioners so decided to leave it. Any brands aftermarket that can be trusted?

I *think* Laso is ok, if you can find one... otherwise it's only OE MB. Lots of junk on the market these days, avoid those like the plague. If you don't plan to take it on long trips, you can skip the tensioner for now, it may last a long time. I'd be nervous going on a long trip with an old one though, as it could leave you stranded. There's actually a test procedure in the FSM which basically consists of clamping it in a vise and twisting it by 30° in each direction. If the rubber bearing doesn't rotate in the shell, it's good (for now).
http://www.w124-zone.com/downloads/MB CD/W124/w124CD1/Program/Engine/119/13-3452.pdf
You're right, it's a spendy bugger, MB is proud of it... $334 USD list price, or €209 excluding VAT. Ouch!
http://partssearch.mercedes-benz-classic.com/parts/A1192000270?tt=automatic
I *think* Laso is ok, if you can find one... otherwise it's only OE MB. Lots of junk on the market these days, avoid those like the plague. If you don't plan to take it on long trips, you can skip the tensioner for now, it may last a long time. I'd be nervous going on a long trip with an old one though, as it could leave you stranded. There's actually a test procedure in the FSM which basically consists of clamping it in a vise and twisting it by 30° in each direction. If the rubber bearing doesn't rotate in the shell, it's good (for now).
http://www.w124-zone.com/downloads/MB CD/W124/w124CD1/Program/Engine/119/13-3452.pdf
You're right, it's a spendy bugger, MB is proud of it... $334 USD list price, or €209 excluding VAT. Ouch!
http://partssearch.mercedes-benz-classic.com/parts/A1192000270?tt=automatic
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INA is a good brand, and I'd be willing to give them a try. But I've never seen INA M119 tensioners for sale in USA.Ive got INA branded M119 tensioners which were very good - maybe even OE... that’s what I would recommend I got mine on Amazon UK at the time
looking at the 1st still pic, (empty engine bay), I see a shield on the passenger side now, did you find that lost original one, or make a custom one..
awesome project...
I guess mine is one of these early engines.I completely missed the timing cover bolt pattern.
This also solves the mystery as to why the right cylinder head, gasket, AND timing cover are all different for .974 engines up to #1893.
Affected engines would have been very early builds, 1990-1991 and very, very early 1992 USA model year. The change would have been approximately in September 1991.
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Their biggest challenge is how to make the 500E rear bumper work. Saloon/Estate bumpers are different altogether.
Hello Guest !
We wanted to let you know about a new resource that is now available to all 500Eboard members. This is a comprehensive database of all US-market (and soon to include Canadian-market) 500E and E500 models delivered for the 1992 through 1994 model years.
Data for this resource has been compiled continuously since mid-2003, and much of this information is seeing the light of day for the very first time ever. This new resource will allow you to utilize 500Eboard research and resources to track specific cars, their sale history, documented modifications, and other information that has surfaced over the years.
We are also providing analytics about the cars' production. This means that if you are curious as to how many "Signal Red" cars were produced for the US market with a black interior, specifically in Model Year 1993, you can now easily find this information. You can also find aggregated information -- for example, how many "Black Pearl" cars were imported into the US over the three-year span.
You can always find and enjoy this resource by clicking here (bookmark the site for easy reference!), or by going to the “500Eboard Registry and VIN Database” sub-forum below. You can also find a VIN Database button at the top of your screen, for easy access.
We hope you enjoy this resource. A LOT of blood, sweat and tears over nearly 23 years have gone into its creation.
Cheers,
500Eboard Management