RESTO PROJECT: M119 / W124 / E500 Engine Top-End Refresh

[gerryvz]

I just got notification from MB Annapolis that there are two of the regeneration valves in the Robbinsville, NJ warehouse, and that the ordered valve will be here in town for pickup tomorrow (Friday). So this means I can button things up over the weekend, at least with the inner fender/EZL area and vacuum+vapor lines.

 

[gerryvz]

Over the past few years, I'd decided to do a complete refresh of the top end of the engine -- particularly all of the 'soft parts' -- because much of it was original, and now 26 years old.

Generally, the scope of the job is as follows:

• Replace all vacuum lines in the upper engine area
• Replace rubber intake air tubes (if needed)
• Replace suspected lazy thermostat with new Wahler unit
• Proactively rebuild original ETA wiring
• Replace soft parts at intake manifold -- fuel injector seals, intake manifold gaskets and seals, etc.
• Replace upper timing chain rails
• Clean out likely clogged EGR tube inside intake manifold
• Separate and have halves of intake manifold hot-tanked
• Replace transmission cooling hoses
• Replace heater hoses at back of engine
• Replace smog pump hoses
• Replace front crankshaft seal
• Replace two ignition coils
• Replace ceramic resistor
• Inspect distributor caps, rotors, and insulators and replace if needed
• Inspect other plastic and soft parts and replace if needed
• Replace cracked/broken/missing plastic conduit in engine compartment
• Replace cam covers with red covers I had powder-coated two years ago
• Replace very crunchy hood pad with new hood pad
• Change transmission fluid, filter and pan gasket
• Perform any other maintenance and repair underhood as needed

So, as you can see, this is a very long job that is going to take methodical process and lots of time to complete. Who knows what I will find along the way? This will be a running tally as I work through everything. I am expecting this to take a couple of months -- some of the time gating on how quickly I can obtain the needed parts from MB and other sources. I will maintain a tally of all parts that I find that require replacing or repair, along with the costs and sources for said parts. I will only be going with quality aftermarket parts (i.e. Elring for gaskets), but otherwise will stick with factory MB parts.

Visiting the original scope of the job, from the first post in the thread. Checking off which jobs have been completed, as I wind things down.


Generally, the scope of the job is as follows:

• Replace all vacuum lines in the upper engine area
• Replace rubber intake air tubes (if needed)
• Replace suspected lazy thermostat with new Wahler unit
• Proactively rebuild original ETA wiring
• Replace soft parts at intake manifold -- fuel injector seals, intake manifold gaskets and seals, etc.
• Replace upper timing chain rails
• Clean out likely clogged EGR tube inside intake manifold
• Separate and have halves of intake manifold hot-tanked
• Replace transmission cooling hoses
• Replace heater hoses at back of engine
• Replace smog pump hoses
• Replace front crankshaft seal
• Replace two ignition coils
• Replace ceramic resistor
• Inspect distributor caps, rotors, and insulators and replace if needed
• Inspect other plastic and soft parts and replace if needed
• Replace cracked/broken/missing plastic conduit in engine compartment
• Replace cam covers with red covers I had powder-coated two years ago
• Replace very crunchy hood pad with new hood pad
• Change transmission fluid, filter and pan gasket
• Perform any other maintenance and repair underhood as needed

Looks like pretty much everything has been done. The plastic conduit is almost completely done.

The hood pad will be done as a very last thing.

And the "perform any other maintenance and repair as needed" is an ongoing process that I in all honesty cannot call complete, until the overall job is complete.

But dang, looks like I got mostly everything else done.

 

[gerryvz]

The regeneration (vapor purge) valve came in from MB Annapolis today. Ordered yesterday, picked up today. Not too bad.

Here are a few views of it, and comparisons to the "original" valve that was installed in 1993 on my E500.

In testing the NEW valve, I was NOT able to blow any air through it.

Touching its terminals to a 9-volt battery, a firm and cleanly audible "click" was heard.

The new valve comes with its own "MOT" rubber connector, as well as a new rubber "holder" for the E500E bracket.

There is probably an 80+% chance that your car's valve is dead / not working, FYI.

 

[gerryvz]

An update from Saturday, with about 3 hours total time spent out in the shop.

I installed the new "MOT" (purge or regeneration) valve onto its bracket, and then installed it back into the car. The rubber MOT valve surround is smaller than the original one that came with the car, but it is 100% compatible with the bracket and was a direct fit. In the photos below, you can see the new valve being fitted onto the bracket, in preparation for installation.



Fitting the valve and bracket into place, and tightening the two 10mm nuts that hold it to the fenderwall.



Here's what the valve looks like fully re-installed.



I then cleaned off the connector, and re-installed it onto the top of the valve.



The next job was to complete a couple of steps that I hadn't yet done — re-connecting the final couple of pieces of the accelerator cable linkage together, and re-installing the vertical spring. The first photo shows the vertical linkage piece that connects the throttle cable plate's pivoting assembly to the intake manifold's pivoting assembly. I also hadn't installed the third small bolt that held the throttle cable plate to the intake manifold, so I also did this, as you can see in the second photo below. The third photo shows the vertical spring that goes between the two pieces. This spring is a bit tricky to fit, but some long needle-nose pliers make the job go much easier.



Next, I turned my attention to the new Automotive Lighting (nee' Magneti Marelli and/or Bosch) turn signals I'd recently ordered, and received. Below are a couple of direct comparisons of the left side lamp, and labels. As you can see, the "new" units made in the Czech Republic are of FINE quality, and every bit as good as the originals.



More interesting, you can see what 25 years of sunlight has done to the orange reflector in the outler lens itself. This right here is a good case for freshening up the front end, and made the $130 investment for the new lenses TOTALLY worth it.



Pulling the light bulbs out of the old turn signal assemblies, they looked old and quite tired. So I grabbed some of the bulbs in my parts stock, as shown in the first photo below, and installed them.



Here are a couple of views of the right-side lenses ... old faded and new crisp.



And, a few shots of re-installing the new bulbs, and then then lenses, back onto the car.



Here's what the new, crisp, sharp turn signal lenses looked like, installed. Quite nice.



The next step was to install the fuel injectors into the intake manifold, in preparation for the installation of the fuel rail. I had gone back and forth on this, at first decided to install the injectors into the manifold, then opting to install them directly into the fuel rail.....but then after more reading and thought, I decided to push them into the manifold, and then re-install the fuel rail on top of them. The injectors take a fair bit of effort to push down into the manifold to their proper depth. I used hand pressure, with a folded-up piece of lint-free towel (fourth photo) to press each injector into place with the heel of my hand. I used a small amount of silicone grease on each injector's o-ring and the intake manifold injector hole to help ease installation.



Here's what an injector looks like, properly seated into the intake manifold.
NOTE: Early cars through about mid to late 1993 have a separate, plastic piece that presses into the intake manifold that the injector slides into. Later cars from late 1993 through end of production have a modified manifold that eliminates this piece; the injector slides directly into the manifold.



Here is what the injectors look like, fully seated into the manifold on each side. The injectors can be rotated in their holes, as needed, once mounted.



Next up — installation of the upper wiring harness. I pulled the harness out of storage and examined it carefully, taking an inventory of its condition and what needed to be mended or fixed. A few things came to light: one of the metal clamps was bad (shown in the second photo below), and the two plastic connectors at the cam adjuster solenoid connections had broken. Fortunately I had spares of all of these, so it was not too difficult to repair.



Here are a couple of photos of the label on my wiring harness. I had replaced it many years ago (around 2005), when I was living in Portland, Oregon.



First, replacing the clamp.



Then I moved on to replacing the plastic connectors for the cam solenoids. I cleaned the pin bushings after extracting them from the broken pin bushing housings.



And, the refurbished pin bushing housings for the cam solenoid connections.



Next, I grabbed the upper wiring harness and loosely fit it into position. I had to work its larger plug end through the hole in the inner firewal where the lower wiring harness and the heater hose go through, but this wasn't too difficult...



The next few photos show me wrestling the harness into general position where it needs to be.



Moving the ETA cable into position...



Then, I moved the fuel rail into general position on top of the wiring harness. I took a Q-tip with a little motor oil on it, and carefully and lightly swabbed the upper o-ring of each fuel injector with motor oil, to ease its sliding into the fitting on the fuel rail. The third photo below shows the clips, and the small water bottle cap-ful of motor oil that I used as a small oil container for the Q-tip.



Moving the fuel rail into final position above each fuel injector, and pressing the rail down evenly across it onto the injectors. You should generally hear a small "click" or "pop" when each injector's o-ring fits into the fitting on the fuel rail.



The photo below shows a seated injector in the fuel rail.



And once the injectors are fitted into each port on the fuel rail, then you can add the clips. The clips slide into a small slot onto the top of each injector, and around the rounded fitting on each rail. There is a rectangular projection on one side of each injector (you can see it in the photo directly above) that fits into a slot in each clip.



And here is the fuel rail, in place, with all clips installed.



I fitted each fuel rail hold-down bolt into its attachment point in the top of the intake manifold, but only screwed each bolt 1-2 turns into the manifold.



For the passenger side of the fuel rail, the upper wiring harness's plastic "J" tube needs to be fitted on top of the fuel rail connection point. This is just two of the three bolts on that side. So I removed those bolts, and as shown below, moved the upper harness "J" tube into place, and re-installed the two 10mm fuel rail bolts that hold it down. I did not tighten anything down, yet.


At that point, Laura came out to the shop and let me know that the homemade pot of chili that she'd been cooking all day, and the scratch-baked cornbread she'd just made, were done, and we were ready for dinner. So, I somewhat abruptly knocked off for the day.

More to come.....stay tuned !!

 

[gsxr]

Make sure to route the harness through the correct holes in the clamshell. See TSB below, note there is an error (gasp!), as the facelift 036 has the ETA cable routed separately similar to the .034 diagram:

http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/M119/M119_ETA_harness_routing.pdf

 

[gerryvz]

That is correct. My car has the ETA cable routed NOT through the clamshell (which only had the upper + lower harnesses, plus the heater hose through it), but rather through the plastic windshield water collection bottom piece, as shown in your TSB. I am actually getting ready to route it through there later today, after I return from some errands with Laura.

 

[gerryvz]

A bit more (~30 mins) progress out in the shop, though none in the afternoon, as we got home too late from errands to make it worthwhile to get anything done. Nonetheless, here are a few photos.....

Fitting one of the brackets into place at one of the rear hold-downs for the upper wiring harness "J" housing.



Fitting the upper wiring harness' connector to the round plug at the MAF. This is a "twist" connector.



Routing and fitting the coolant temp and cam position sensor plugs at the front of the intake manifold.



And ... a little more finessing with the fuel injectors on the driver's (left) side. The front-most three injectors (#5, 6 and #7) should be turned so that the little square protrusions on the sides of the injectors that fit into the installed clips, are facing toward the INSIDE of the engine, not the fender side. This is so that the injector electrical plugs are pointing to the REAR, and so that the clips will slide on from the inside of the engine, pushing onto the injector to the OUTSIDE. The reason for all of this is so that the upper wiring harness' fuel injector electrical connectors for that side fit the electrical connectors from the rear side.

The exception to this is injector #8 (the rear-most injector), which is fitted in an opposite orientation.... so that its electrical connector is facing FORWARD, and its clip is fitted from the outside (fender) side of the injector and presses INWARD toward the center of the intake manifold.



Plugging all eight of the connectors into the injectors. Fortunately, the yellow factory injector numbers on each connector of the wiring harness was still intact and readable. They won't last for much longer, so I should probably look for a new label of some sort, and apply them.



And, here is what the completed injectors and rail look like, on the driver's (left) side of the engine !!



Replacing the rubber vacuum connector at the vacuum line that goes through the inner firewall and goes to the "crows-foot" vacuum splitter near the brake booster. I'm actually going to just replace this entire vacuum line ... I've got the specified vacuum tubing, and I've already cut it to its specified 560mm in length. It's the last remaining vacuum line under the hood left to replace. This connector had about 1 cm cut off of its long straight end, from the factory, so I did the same when replacing it.



Then, it was FINALLY time to re-install the new rubber crankcase vapor "Y" hose that I'd re-assembled from its individual parts some months ago !! This hose lays across the top of the fuel rail, and its two arms go down below the fuel rail to their large nipples on the intake manifold. It's a bit of maneuvering to get the ends of the hoses down there, but they're not to difficult.



Routing the hose ends downward to their correct spots.


And then you press them onto their nipples. Only the hose end that connects to the driver's side valve cover has a metal spring clip. The other two press right onto their nipples and should be a pretty tight fit.



And then, you use the integrated press-in clip in the connector to press the hose into the hole in the fuel rail mount. You will see one remaining nipple in that connector......



...and this is where you connect the large diameter black vapor line that you installed a little ways back, through the front of the intake manifold and curving upward.



I began to tackle the hold down for the upper harness on the right (passenger) side valve cover, but decided to stop, as I had to get ready to go out for errands. That was all for Sunday morning.



More to come soon ... thanks for your interest!!

 

[nocfn]

Gerry I did that hose job recently and I got the 1/2" hotrod sheathing to cover them all and protect from the heat.

 

[gerryvz]

Which hose(s) are you talking about?

I did cover the vapor line + EZL vac line with hot-rode sheathing, FYI.

 

[nocfn]

breather hoses for the engine

 

[gerryvz]

I’m not going to bother with sheathing for the rubber breather hoses. My old set replaced 15 years ago are still entirely serviceable. Stiff, but not hard or brittle. May order a spare set, though.

 

[gerryvz]

Some modest updates from the past couple of days .... about 5 hours out in the shop, total time.

Fixing up a lot of odds and ends as things go back together.

A lot of work routing cables and hoses on the top of the intake manifold, and double-checking against my disassembly photos to make sure that I got things right. The nitrous-oxide system in my car has a number of extra parts, which complicates things. Most everyone else won't have to deal with the extra work of routing these wires and hoses.

Routing the ETA cable through the inner firewall.



Installing twist ties, as it was when I disassembled things, to hold vapor tubes down.



Various nitrous-oxide tubing installation and routing.



Replacing the last remaining vacuum line underhood -- one that goes from a nipple on the top rear of the intake manifold, to the "crow's foot" near the brake booster. I just pressed the old line out of the sheath, and replaced it with the new one by pressing the new one in behind it. The old one actually was in good condition, but since I had replaced all of the other vacuum lines, it made sense to replace this one as well.



Installing zip-ties, as had previously been done, to hold down the nitrous tubing.



Continuing to shape up, albeit slowly.



Routing and installing the wiring harness and the ETA cable in its clamp. Connecting the harness ground to its point on the intake manifold.



Close-up of how one of the nitrous-oxide vac lines goes THROUGH the engine lifting lug.



Next, I spent a couple of hours under the car. Specifically I removed the flywheel lock, replaced its cover, and re-installed the crossover exhaust pipe. The other thing I did was to install some sheathing on some of the wires where the previous sheathing had disintegrated and cracked off with heat and age. I didn't get any photos of this, but I basically wanted everything to be just as it came from the factory.

With that done, I could turn my attention to re-connecting all of the electrical and vacuum connections at the EZL. Part of this process was also re-connecting the two vapor lines to the "MOT" valve just below the EZL. Below are photos of plugging in the various connections at the EZL and MOT valve.



Just about that time, a nasty evening thunderstorm rolled in, and we started receiving a deluge of rain !!



After taking care of the EZL, I decided to (finally) install the new Behr radiator that I'd ordered some time back. First, I removed the two layers of cardboard that I'd had protecting the condenser from any damage while working on the front of the engine. It was affixed to the upper radiator support with two pieces of ductape.



Removing the cardboard revealed something that I'd noted at disassembly time -- the rubber seal at the top of the condenser had lost two of its three press-in clips. I'd ordered replacements from MB, so I installed two new clips to keep the rubber seal in place.



One other small repair job, before I installed the radiator. One of the vertical rubber seals that goes next to the radiator had completely fallen off on the passenger side. The upper half of the driver's side seal had come off. I repaired it with some contact cement, and got out the replacement length of seal that I'd ordered from MB, for the passenger side.



I cut an appropriate length of seal, and affixed it to the passenger side as shown below.



Then, it was time to install the new radiator. I slowly and carefully lowered it into place.



And I replaced the two clamps that affix the transmission cooling line to the bottom of the radiator.



And that was about it, for now.....

More to come soon.

 

[gerryvz]

Today was about five hours out in the shop, continuing to install and arrange various things, and clean where needed. This is the stage where the perfectionism kicks in as to how things are routed and installed.

The first task was to install the upper metal bracket for the lower wiring harness. It mounts via one of the 10mm fuel rail mounting bolts to the top rear of the intake manifold. Took me a little while to remember how it went together, but eventually I figured it out.



Yesterday, I realized that I had not quite seated the fuel injectors into the fuel rail far enough -- the side wings of the fuel rail were not locked into the slots on the sides of the metal clips. I gave the fuel rail a few medium "bangs" with a rubber mallet, above each injector (after removing each clip). This forced it down onto each injector about another mm or two, and this was enough so that I could slide the clip on and it would lock into place. See the close-up photos below as to how the clips should sit on the injectors and fuel rail.



Next, I finished tightening down the clamp that holds the upper wiring harness to the rear of the passenger side valve cover. The important thing was to install the clamp for the upper harness on the rear-most bolt, in its rubber clamp.



I decided to replace the clamp for the ETA cable atop its little tower, attached to one of the fuel-rail bolts.



The lower wiring harness metal bracket contains a hole next to the mounting hole. This hole is for a black plastic clamp, which I pressed into place. This clamp goes on the large PCV vapor hose that goes from the rear of the passenger side valve cover to the ETA.



Next, I installed the lower radiator hose. To do this, I had to remove the radiator (which I'd not bolted into place) and the fan and clutch. These only took a couple of minutes to remove, and this made plenty of room to install the lower hose from below, and put it in place. There is a circular metal holding bracket on the bottom of the alternator, which holds the body of the lower radiator hose into place and keeps it away from the very close-by fan.

I routed the long, skinny hose upward to the coolant expansion tank. I clamped it into place on the bottom of the expansion tank, and I also attached the two zip-ties that hold it to the inner frame, near the SLS fluid tank.



Here's what the lower radiator hose looks like, mostly mounted. You can see the metal bracket, and the ring clamp that I then slid up and used to attach it to the bottom of the fan housing (which is a coolant passage that comes from the water pump).



With the lower radiator hose installed, I then re-installed the radiator. The two metal spring clamps hold it to the upper radiator support. I transferred the two rubber inserts for the spring clamps, from the old radiator to the new one.



From below, I then attached the lower radiator hose to the bottom radiator outlet.



It was then time to install the transmission coolant lines to the radiator. The Behr radiator was shipped with two red plugs that screwed inside the transmission line ports, to keep dust out. I removed the red plugs, and got new copper washers of the appropriate size for the banjo bolts for the upper and lower transmission hose fittings. Each banjo bolt requires TWO copper washers -- one on either side of the banjo bolt.



Hand-tightening the banjo bolt for the upper transmission line connection, with a 19mm box-end stubby wrench. I'll torque the upper and lower banjo bolts to their 20 Nm factory torque setting later on.



I closed the second zip-tie for the lower radiator hose's line up to the coolant expansion tank.



Then it was time to install the upper radiator hose. I just did this loosely for now, because I will fill the radiator and the engine block via both ends of the upper radiator hose, to minimize air in the system and the need to "burp" the cooling system at startup.



Here's what the upper hose looks like, loosely installed.



I grabbed the coolant overflow line from the top of the radiator to the coolant expansion tank, and "roughly" routed it where it needs to go. I will install it soon, but not until it is time to install the fan shroud.



I pulled out the fan shroud halves, and daubed a bit of anti-seize paste into the bolts on the lower half, for where the upper half bolts in. I also noticed that the foam rubber on the underside of the top half of the upper part of the shroud was severely crushed and dilapidated, so I will replace this foam soon, before installing the fan shroud.



Lastly for the day, I spent 15 minutes cleaning up the two zoom tube air scoops that fit onto the rear side of the headlight buckets, and prepared to install them soon. The driver's side is almost installed....



Next up are two remaining jobs -- install the spark plug wires, and install a new throttle cable. The throttle cable will be a minor PITA, because I will have to run the old cable back through the firewall, and install the new one in the reverse way. The old cable is very old and heat-baked, though it was still functioning fine. However, I had bought a new one back in 2014, so decided to install it as a preventative measure.

More soon.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[gerryvz]

About 3 hours in the shop throughout the day on Sunday, again tending to a variety of miscellaneous / button-up tasks to make things right.

Here's an overview of what I did:

The biggest task was to get all of the spark plug and coil wires (a total of 10 wires) routed from the correct origin points to the correct end points. I started with the two coil wires, as shown below. The coil wires are relatively easy, because there are only two of them -- the short one goes to the driver's side distributor cap; the longer one goes to the passenger side distributor cap.



From there, I used the numeric markings at each end of the original factory wires, to delineate where the wires started and ended. For the purposes of correct routing, it's important to keep two rules in mind:

1) The ORIGIN point is at each terminal on the distributor cap. I had previously marked each terminal on both caps with the number marked on the cap, with a silver Sharpie marker. You can see (for refresher purposes) my numbers in the above four photos). These are the points where the spark plug wires are routed FROM.

2) The TERMINATION point is at each cylinder. The cylinders (for the purposes of numbering) are 1-4 on the passenger side (one being the closest cylinder to the radiator; four being the closest to the firewall), and 5-8 on the driver's side (five being closest to the radiator). These are the points where the spark plug connectors are routed TO.

The act of installed each spark plug wire is simply laying out (roughly; not actually connecting them yet) each wire FROM its origin point TO its termination point. You can see this rough lay-out process in the photos below. You have to work the wires carefully past the front corners of the fuel rail, but there is enough room to do this. It's a bit tighter on the driver's side (due to smaller clearance), but you can do it. It's sort of like flossing your teeth



Once you get the wires generally/roughly routed, then you can start installing them in place. I started at the spark plug ends, as shown below. The two photos below (one of each cylinder bank) show the general routing of each plug wire. The factory wires (and the Beru wires) are generally the correct length, so you don't have much in the way of extra wire length to worry about. With the factory wires, at least, the #1 cylinder and #5 cylinder wires ARE extra long, and factory wire routing protocol says that you loop the extra wiring AROUND the #2 and #6 spark plugs and back to the #1 and #5 plugs. You can see the loops in the photos below.



After anchoring the ends in place at the cylinder heads, then you just work on routing each wire appropriately through the plastic "X" wire carrier where the need to go. It's a bit like a puzzle, but you'll figure it out. You press the wires into the "X" carrier, in some cases two and even three on top of each other. It's designed to fit. When things are routed, then press the connectors onto the terminals at the distributor caps. Make sure you double-check your wire numbers against the terminal numbers (easy to do with the silver Sharpie I'd used for each terminal).



Once you have your wires in place, then you install and flip up the plastic wire retainers on each side. This holds the wires in place in a neat bundle.



With the wires essentially done, I installed the plasic driver's side headlight air scoop. DO NOT FORGET to install the small plug that goes on the driver's side, which is the intake air sensor. This is often overlooked/forgotten, and WILL throw codes if not connected, as the LH computer is missing this important signal input. I cleaned mine off a bit with a couple of shots of brake cleaner.



Then it was time to reconnect the long hose that goes from the radiator to the expansion tank. Simple task. I gave the clamp a drop or two of motor oil to lubricate it, as it was bone-dry.



Next up, time to install the two halves of the fan shroud. The bottom of the fan shroud must be installed from BELOW the car; the upper part drops in from above. There are three small screws that hold the two parts of the shroud together (I had previously daubed two of the three screws -- both the stock captive nuts in the lower half -- with some anti-seize paste). On my shroud's lower half, I had some years back drilled out the third captive nut, because it had frozen and rusted, and replaced it with a small 11mm nut/bolt/washer. This has worked well and eliminated the captive nut spinning problem with that particular nut.

Here I am installing the two halves and screwing them together. The lower half of the shroud has two flat tabs, that press vertically into two slots in the bottom of the radiator (both the Behr and Nissens radiators have these slots). The upper half of the shroud has two tabs that mate right next to two tabs on the sides of the radiator. These tabs are held to each other via two metal spring clips, which are pressed down into place. The first and second photos below show these two spring clips going into place.



And here is what the fan shroud looks like, when intalled.



Next up, I re-connected the brake booster plastic line to the hard metal booster pipe atop the intake manifold. This uses a 19mm wrench. I also tightened the 10mm bolt that affixes the metal line to its riser on top of the intake manifold.



I then installed the second plastic air-scoop on the driver's side. This scoop has a small hook on top of it, which holds the expansion tank hose in place.



Starting to really shape up....



One thing I hadn't yet done, was to reconnect the two fuel lines to the fuel rail. I removed the two metal fuel line plugs, which screwed into the ends of the lines. These plugs used a 19mm wrench to disconnect.



Then I screwed each line onto the fuel rail, and tightened it with the 18mm open-end wrench. The rear-most (return) line required a "stubby" wrench for better clearance, but it was fine.



Reconnecting the other end of the coolant overflow hose, to its nipple on the expansion tank. Again, a drop of two of motor oil in the clamp helped lubricate it a bit.



The next task was to install the covers for the spark plug connectors. The driver's side cover splays out the incoming spark plug wires in a neat fashion, as shown in the third photo below.



I also did a task I'd been wanting to do for quite some time: re-gluing the rubber side piece on the edge of the engine compartment. I used some contact cement, squirted via a pointed syringe tip into the groove in the rubber, and pressed the side piece onto its metal edge in the engine compartment. Some wadded-up shop rags held it into place in a straight fashion, until the contact cement dried.



One of the last tasks for the day, was to route the upper and lower wiring harnesses through the plastic "clamshell" that holds them through the opening in the inner firewall. This took a bit of doing to maneuver everything into position, but eventually I got it, and was able to install the single, 8mm screw and clip that held the clamshell closed and in place on the firewall. It sort of presses into and through the firewall opening using small rectangular tabs on each side. Takes a bit of wrestling, but you'll figure out how it goes.



After finishing the clamshell install, I connnected the three connectors for the ETA and main upper wiring harness (one round ETA connector in the first photo; two harnness connectors in the remaining photos).



Lastly, I installed the second spark plug compartment cover, on the passenger side of the engine. The engine is now, essentially, cosmetically complete. You can see that on the passenger side, due to reduced space because of the oil filler cap and its riser in the valve cover, the four spark plug wires are "stacked" in a four-square arrangement where they transition from the "X" wire carrier down and into the spark plug compartment.



One last and important task remains ... that of replacing the throttle cable with the new one from my parts stash. That will be the focus of the next installment, and then we can add fluids and work toward slowly bringing this M119 back to life.

Stay tuned for more.
Thanks for your interest.
Almost done....

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[emerydc8]

Hi Gerry. I don't know if you know this, or whether it even matters, but if you use a magnifying glass there should be markings in the plastic cross-over trays that specify where each wire should go. If it were me I'd leave it now since it looks fine anyway.

 

[gsxr]

Hi Gerry. I don't know if you know this, or whether it even matters, but if you use a magnifying glass there should be markings in the plastic cross-over trays that specify where each wire should go. If it were me I'd leave it now since it looks fine anyway.

Yup, Jon is correct. The X-tray is marked with the specific position for each of the 10 wires, in each "leg" of the X. It takes 1-2 hours just to get the blasted wires all routed per factory. Not fun. Photo here. As he said, I'd leave it alone, nobody will ever notice...

 

[gerryvz]

I was aware of that previously, and did observe the markings in the plastic channel tray. Indeed, I'd say my routing is probably 90% correct -- there are a few wires that should be under or on top of or in the channel next to where it is marked. But as said, it's close enough and everything (directionally) is routed in the correct place. So, I'm not going to mess with it.

 

[gerryvz]

Today I spent about an hour out in the shop doing a few small clean-up tasks.

The first thing I did was to go back to the two plastic screws that hold the plastic covers on the spark plug compartments on both valve covers. I gouged up a couple of the plastic screws, because during the powder-coating process, some of the paint had run into the threads on a couple of the screw-holes. This made the screws extraordinarily difficult to screw in all the way.

Using my tap and die set, I took my M10 x 1.5 thread pitch tap, and cleaned out the threads in the valve covers. I have ordered four brand-new plastic screws (at $4.10 apiece) to make things look perfect. I'll keep the three that are slightly used as spares. I loosely re-installed the plastic screws and covers into their places, and they were MUCH easier to screw in after the threads were cleaned.

Next up, it was time to begin replacement of the throttle cable. As mentioned, @Glen has an excellent HOW-TO on replacing the throttle cable, which provided near-perfect instructions. A couple of minor revisions I found, though: All of the knee-bolster and under-dash screws are 8mm, rather than 7mm as in the instructions. Also, on the throttle cable bracket that is closest to the brake booster (atop the intake manifold), the cable pulls straight out through the eye, rather than to the right as described. The bracket closest to the passenger side has a slotted eyelet, and the end of the cable, as described in the instructions, is removed and installed through the slot, into the eyelet. There is one Philips screw that holds the knee-bolster to the under-dash plastic panel, in addition to one 8mm screw. The large round plastic screw that attaches the plastic panel to the firewall, above the brake pedal, does not need to be removed (as @Glen described).

Here are a few views of my process, on removal and installation of the throttle cable.

Removing the two vacuum lines from the transmission upshift delay valve and the crow's-foot connector, near the brake booster. Pulling the sheath containing both vacuum lines through the firewall, into the engine compartment.



Pushing the rubber grommet through the inner firewall, toward the brake booster. This grommet is part of the cable, and the new cable will have a replacement grommet. Note that in my situation, I had to cut the grommet because of four wires that passed through it for the nitrous-oxide system. Most cars will not have this issue, and the grommet will only hold the sheath with the two vacuum lines, and the throttle cable.



As @Glen's HOW-TO shows, you need to remove the three fascia plates on the dashboard and surrounding the steering wheel and ignition.



Then you remove the screws that hold the knee-board to the dashboard. The screws are self-evident, and are all 8mm.



Once you loosen the knee-bolster and are able to drop the plastic under-dash panel, you have access to the gas pedal, and the linkage above it. Using a flat-blade screwdriver, I removed the plastic plate that holds the end of the throttle cable to the gas pedal assembly. Here is the plate, below.



Then, per @Glen's instructions, I carefully pulled the end of the cable up through the firewall and removed it from the car.

Here is a comparison between the new and old cables. You can see the degradation of the plastic and the sheathing of the old cable.



Beginning the installation of the new cable.



Threading the cable through the two eyes in the engine compartment.



Here's the label for the throttle cable, with part number.



I successfully threaded the end of the cable through the firewall to the gas pedal, and was just inserting the retaining plate into the gas pedal assembly when my battery-powered work-light died. So I'll pick up the last step tomorrow after my worklight charges up.


The last task for the day was to re-attach the windshield wiper to the motor mechanism. It slides onto the shaft, and is retained with a single, 5mm Allen bolt.



Then I cleaned up and re-installed the black plastic cover. I'll rejuvenate the center cover a bit later on.



And that was all for this afternoon.

Thanks for your interest !!

 

[gerryvz]

A few more small tasks, with about 30 minutes out in the shop as I ended my workday.....

I cleaned and installed the two plastic distributor covers. Look great, and the engine is 100% complete except for the airbox and the front cover over the fuel rail.



The next thing I did was to re-glue the second rubber seal on the driver's side of the inner fender. I used contact cement to fasten this one. I wadded up and wedged shop towels against the rubber seal in several spots, to keep it in position as the contact cement dries. It should be good and dried by the morning.



The other (passenger) side rubber side seal turned out quite nicely, though it's hard to see in this dark photo.



The last thing I did was to re-attach the bottom portion of the water drain to the top of the inner firewall, and to re-attach the two rubber seals. Didn't take too much time or effort.


Next up will be the process of refilling the fluids -- power steering fluid, coolant, SLS hydraulic fluid, and transmission fluid.

Thanks for watching !!

 

[gerryvz]

About 1.5 hours out in the shop this evening, after work. Doing the final tasks.

First, I finished inserting the plastic clip into the throttle cable and gas pedal bracket, and then I buttoned up the underneath of the dashboard and the dashboard itself. Not the funnest task, being upside down on your back on the threshhold of the car, working on the underside of the dash by LED work-light.....

Next, it was time to begin loading the car with new liquids. I refilled it with four out of five of the fluids that it needed: windshield washer fluid; SLS hydraulic fluid; coolant; and power steering fluid.

The first fluid I filled up was the windshield washer fluid. I'd siphoned out the old fluid into a gallon container, and simply just poured it back into the reservoir through its wide-mouth opening. This was MB SommerFit fluid, courtesy of our @captruff.



The next fluid to refill was next door -- the SLS hydraulic fluid. I had two partial bottles of ZH-M fluid, as well as a third unopened bottle. Fortunately, the two opened bottles were JUST enough to refill the reservoir to its proper level.



After filling the reservoir with what I thought was the correct fluid level, I checked it with the built-in dipstick. Not quite enough....



The rest of the second partial bottle poured in, and a check shows a good level of fluid on the dipstick.



Here's what the fluid level looks like on the outside of the reservoir. I'm sure I will need to add a bit more fluid after the pump circulates it through the system.



After filling the SLS reservoir, I did a quick check of the two washer pumps, to ensure that they were not leaking from the rubber pump grommets, or the hose connections. Fortunately everything was tight.



Next, it was time to fill up the power steering fluid reservoir. Again, a partial bottle of MB power steering fluid was finished off, and I cracked a new, fresh bottle.



Here's what the reservoir looks like, filled up with new fluid. Note the filter on the bottom of the housing, which I dated with a "Sharpie" marker.



Next up, coolant filling time. Loosening the upper hose at the radiator, I inserted my long and skinny funnel into it, and proceeded to pour a full gallon of fresh coolant directly into the water pump and block.



Then, I inserted and tightened the radiator end of the hose back onto the radiator, and loosened the water pump end of the hose. I poured around 3.5 quarts of coolant directly into the radiator. Then I re-inserted the hose onto the fitting, and tightened it back up with the clamp.



I also re-checked the clamp at the radiator end of the hose. Everything was nice and snug.



The last item to fill up with coolant was the expansion tank. I filled it up with about a 1.25 quarts of coolant.



Thus, I poured in around 9 quarts of coolant. I probably could have gotten another quart or so into the block, but I will wait for the coolant to circulate and "burp" after running the engine, and then I will top it up via the expansion tank. I believe there are probably 1.5-2 quarts of coolant still in the block from the side that I did not drain, so I expect that the car has around 10.5-11 quarts out of the 12.5 quarts total capacity of the system.


With all of that done, it was time to install the airbox and top engine cover. I did this, as shown in the next photo, being careful to press the airbox down on the two metal spring clips on the insides of the valve covers. Somehow, these spring clips had gone missing from my car in the past, but I re-added new clips during this top-end refresh process.



Adding the front cover, and pressing it into place.



Ensuring that the rubber grommet on the brake booster vacuum line is properly inserted into the top engine cover.



I attached the two "zoom tubes."



And, finally, here is the complete engine.



The remaining fluid fill task is to add the two gallons of transmission fluid, which I'll do in the morning, along with a quick battery recharge to ensure things are in good order for the "first start" later this weekend.

Note, too, that I will be replacing the hood insulation pad, the original of which is quite crunchy on my car.

 

[linjam]

Then I cleaned up and re-installed the black plastic cover. I'll rejuvenate the center cover a bit later on.
View attachment 113027 View attachment 113028


And that was all for this afternoon.

Thanks for your interest !!

How does one rejuvenate these covers in a lasting way?

Also, Gerry, thanks so much for this exhaustive thread on your engine refresh. Quite an amazing journey. When I saw the top of your engine apart a few months ago when visiting you, I was most impressed but did not realize this job would extend to so many areas.

Would it be possible to have a list of each thing you did and why? This way, we who do not do this type of work ourselves could present it to our techs for things to check/replace. This thread has been full of items like EGR valve and all manner of hoses and the like which simply do not hold up over time but which perform important functions.

Thanks again for sharing.

J

 

[gerryvz]

I spent about 2 hours out in the shop late this afternoon.

I am happy to report 100% success, and that the project has been completed. The car is started and running fine. Here is the activity and procedure that I went through today.

First, I removed the airbox and top engine cover. This was so I could replace one of the anchors that screw into the top of the valve covers, on the passenger side. My passenger side anchor had sheared off on my original valve cover, (as well as the donor cover that I had powder coated red). Taking a pair of channel-lock pliers, I turned it out of the valve cover, and then installed a new MB factory anchor that I had in my parts stock (I had four spares).

I then re-installed the airbox and front cover.

From there, I filled up the transmission with about 6 quarts of transmission fluid. Then, I re-connected the battery in the trunk (it was still well charged, despite sitting for 5+ months in the car, disconnected).

Then it was time to start the car. I disconnected the two large round plugs at the EZL, and cranked the car on the starter for about five 5-7 second blasts. Finally, I started to see the oil pressure come up to the 3 mark. Then I knew that I could start the car.

I reconnected the EZL plugs, and then started the car. It cranked for 2-3 seconds, then coughed a bit. I cranked it again for 1-2 seconds, and it started. Slowly, cautiously at first, running roughly for the first 15-20 seconds. Then it began settling down. I ran the steering wheel from side to side 2-3 times, then went and re-filled the power steering reservoir with about 1/4 of a quart of fluid.

I slowly pulled it out of the garage, and into the driveway.

I let the car idle for about 15 minutes in the driveway. During the first minute or two, I could hear lifters ticking very slightly as they pumped up. I checked continuously for leaks of any fluids. After about 10 minutes, as the coolant came up to temperature and the thermostat opened, the coolant level dropped in the expansion tank, and the low coolant lamp illuminated in the dash. I filled up the expansion tank (it was just slightly below the sensor) with about 1/3-1/2 quart of coolant, to the seam.

Then I added another quart of transmission fluid to the transmission, and with everything checking out, I took the car out for a 15-mile drive on freeway and rural roads near my home. All was good. It felt just like it should. Coolant temp was 85-90C, with ambient temp outside about 70F.

Bringing the car home and re-checking the transmission fluid, I added about another quart. It may be slighly over-filled, but I'll check it cold tomorrow and hot after I drive the car again.

I seem to have a small engine oil leak, somewhere near the timing chain tensioner area. It appears like it may be at the valve cover, but I will check things tomorrow again. I can't tell if it is somehow residual oil from when I disassembled things, but more likely I think it is probably a slightly loose valve cover bolt or bolts in the front corner. Everything else seems to be nice and tight -- power steering, SLS, and coolant lines. I got under the car and all seemed to be pretty good.

I still need to change the hood pad, which is one of the final things to do for this job. The main thing is that everything was reassembled correctly with the timing chain and guides, and the front crankshaft seal.


Here is a video of the "first start" just as the engine was coming up to temperature.

 

[a777fan]

Congrats Ger! Bet it feels good to have it back on the road. Even a month or two left prior to the crappy weather.

 

[gerryvz]

How does one rejuvenate these covers in a lasting way?

There's no real way to do it in a "lasting" way -- basically you just use detailer on them regularly. That's about all you can do. I like to use "Gerry Curl" on my plastic parts, and it seems to work quite well, and lasts for at least a few weeks to a month. Smells good, too.

Would it be possible to have a list of each thing you did and why. This way, we who do not do this type of work ourselves could present it to our techs for things to check/replace. This thread has been full of items like EGR valve and all manner of hoses and the like which simply do not hold up over time but which perform important functions.

Yes, I think you came by the very first day I was tearing things down, or may be the second day. It was April 4th or 5th. What a long and winding journey it's been.

I have to give major credit and inspiration to @a777fan. He did this same job with his car, and documented it nicely. He led me to do some things that I probably wouldn't have done otherwise. I almost used his blue "Smurf Hat" injector pintle caps, but I had some orange ones that came in a kit, so I used those instead. Substantial credit also extends to the @gsxr, as well as @JC220 for general information and inspiration.

I think the job was fairly limited at first, when I first started scoping it out approximately three years ago (around the time that I moved from Texas to Maryland). I posted the piece of paper that I started accumulating tasks on. You can see two colors of ink -- the original things I wanted to do in black ink, and things that I added in blue ink just after I'd started the job, in the April/May time frame.

The job was generally driven by two things: a crankshaft oil leak, which I'd had for probably the past 5 years, which was slowly getting worse. It had really soiled the lower front of my engine, and the belly pan. The second thing was the CHECK ENGINE lights with EGR code and air injection pump inop code. These codes had been also going on for probably the past 6-7 years, and when I got into the job had simple causes: the vacuum lines to them had either broken, or become unattached.

I had never replaced my lower wiring harness, and this was overdue (and I have had it in my parts stock since 2014).

So, I'll try to give my rationale for all of the stuff that I did, via the table below:

Job Performed	Cause and/or Reasoning	Notes
Front crankshaft seal replacement	Significant & worsening leak
Water pump & thermostat replacement	Original water pump. Suspected bad thermostat	Behr thermostat had been replaced ~5 years ago. I used a new Wahler unit this time.
Smog pump hose replacement	Original rubber smog pump hoses were very hard
EGR hose clear-out	Suspected cause of CHECK ENGINE light. Didn't end up being blocked, but were dirty
Upper vacuum tube replacement	Original brittle vacuum lines
Upper timing chain rail replacement	Original upper rails. Top chain guides had been replaced already.	One rail was broken, so it was good that I found this.
Transmission fluid & filter replacement	It was time to do this per regular maintenance regimen
Transmission lower cooling hose replacement	One of these hoses was original. A prudent thing to replace as they get old and weepy
ETA check/replace/rebuild	Original ETA. Proactive repair by Don Roden	Biodegradable ETA wiring was very bad, and internals needed repair.
Lower wiring harness replacement	Original harness. I'd never replaced it. Upper harness done in 2004-2005 time frame	Lower harness was in HORRIBLE condition and past due for replacement
Cracked water drain at windshield replacement	Drain had a small crack/flaw, so I replaced it proactively from my parts stock
Cabin filter replacement	Filters had not been replaced since 2005-2006 time frame	Horribly dirty filters. I will replace these every 25K miles in the future
All vacuum lines and fittings replacement	Lines and rubber connectors mostly all original
Clean front of engine, radiator support	This was the result of the front crankshaft oil leak	Dirt & debris was ~1 inch thick on top of oilpan below crankshaft and hub area
Heater hoses replaced	Heater hoses were original, but in good condition. Proactive replacement
Cam solenoids replaced	Solenoids were original	Both solenoids were leaking modestly from riveted seam and/or electrical connector
Cam seals replaced	Cam seals were original	Both seals were leaking modestly, and were very hard from age and heat
Ignition caps, rotors and insulators replaced	Caps and rotors had been replaced around 2005. Insulators were original	All working OK, but replacement was warranted
Air filters replaced	Time to do this per regular maintenance regimen
Intake manifold hot-tanked & cleaned	Part of the job to make things look nice
Valve covers replaced	I had red powder-coated covers that I wanted to replace stock covers with
Ignition coils replaced	Both coils were original. Proactive replacement
Ceramic pre-resistor replaced	Resistor was original. Proactive replacement	Some degradation noted
Lamin-X installed on headlight and foglamp lenses	Had both headlights and foglamps removed, so easy to do
Foglamp lenses replaced	Old lenses were pitted. One was original
Turn signal lenses replaced	Original turn signal lenses	Both lenses significantly faded
Lower radiator hose replaced	Old hose was original, but in serviceable condition
Fuel injectors refurbished	Injectors had never been touched. New o-rings and spacers installed	Six of eight injectors had crumbled pintle caps. Most o-rings showed cracking, but were serviceable
Black plastic ignition wire routers/cap surrounds replaced	Black plastic items were original	I cracked one very slightly upon removal, so decided to replace both
MAF boot replaced	MAF boot was original	Near-fossilized rubber
Radiator replaced	I had slightly damaged radiator transmission line banjo fitting upon removal	Radiator had been replaced ~2013
Three coolant temp sensors replaced	All sensors in intake manifold were original
Intake manifold donut rings replaced	All donut rings mating intake manifold were original	Rings were semi-hard, but serviceable
Intake manifold gaskets replaced	Part of intake manifold re-installation
EGR gasket replaced	Part of EGR valve re-installation
Power steering fluid and filter replaced	Part of PS reservoir removal	PS filter last replaced ~2013
Power steering short hose replaced	Part of PS reservoir removal	Hose last replaced ~2014
Radiator fan clutch replaced	Part of maintenance. Factory Horton fan clutch installed, had since 2016	Fan had last been replaced with low-mileage used fan from 500E. Never felt it worked 100% as well as it should
Windshield wiper maintenance	General lubrication of wiper mechanism	Lube was dried up and needed replacement
Intake manifold vapor & PCV lines replaced	Proactive replacement. Previously replaced ~2005	All lines serviceable, but semi-hard
Water pump "weep" reservoir replaced	I had cracked this reservoir upon removal	NLA part, but was able to secure & replace
Coolant level sensor replaced	Proactive replacement. I had last done this ~2012
Coolant expansion tank replaced	Proactive replacement. I had last done this ~2012	Some yellowing of tank
Windshield washer tank replaced	Proactive replacement.	Minor yellowing of tank
SLS reservoir tank replaced	Proactive replacement.	Tank was yellowed and sticker was a dark brown color
All throttle linkage lubricated	Needed lubrication
Throttle cable replaced	Was original cable. Had some visual degradation	Heat and age had degraded cable to point where it would have failed in not too distant future
Sheathing on vac and electrical lines replaced	Corrugated sheathing had crumbled	Replaced with heat-resistent sheathing
Spark plugs replaced	Plugs had been last changed early 2009
Vacuum check valves and retainers replaced	Yellow check valves were original. Proactive replacement	Yellow retainers are NLA
"MOT" gas vapor regeneration valve replaced	MOT valve was original	Valve had failed and was non-operational
Magnet installed in transmission pan	Proactive maintenance item I'd wanted to do for years
Windshield & headlight lamp washer hose & check valve replaced	All hose was original	Hose was hardened and very dark brown in places. Needed replacement
Rubber water drains on headlight buckets replaced	Both rubber drains required replacement	Bottom parts of both drain rubber eaten away by rodents when I lived in Texas
Foam rubber on insides of plastic headlight air scoops replaced	Foam was original	Foam had crushed and degraded with age
Cam solenoid armatures replaced	Companion job to new cam solenoids	Requirement with new-design solenoids
Grill insert and aluminum trim strips replaced	Proactive replacement due to age and wear	Reverted to factory-style insert
Windshield washer reservoir cap and grommets replaced	Companion jobs to reservoir replacement
Hood release pull replaced	Proactive job
SLS pump and reservoir hoses replaced	Proactive job. Hoses were original	Hoses hard but serviceable
Foam pieces under headlight scoops replaced	Foam pieces were original	Foam was seriously degraded
Headlight washer pump replaced	I broke end off of nipple of delicate old pump upon removal
Headlight washer pump grommets replaced	Proactive replacement. This should be done every 5 years or so, or as they leak
Surface rust at windshield washer and expansion tank risers removed	Found this upon removing tanks. Removal and painting took care of issue
Windshield washer level sensor replaced	Proactive replacement
Radiator lower support, coolant expansion tank and windshield washer reservoir "foot" grommets replaced	Proactive replacement	Mounting grommets for expansion tank and washer reservoir were broken and degraded and needed replacement
Coolant short hose between water pump riser and intake manifold replaced	Proactive replacement
All broken or degraded clamps and plastic connectors replaced as needed	Replaced when observed as brittle, broken, or visually degraded

 

[linjam]

Here is a video of the "first start" just as the engine was coming up to temperature.

Sounds and looks great, Gerry

 

[linjam]

There's no real way to do it in a "lasting" way -- basically you just use detailer on them regularly. That's about all you can do. I like to use "Gerry Curl" on my plastic parts, and it seems to work quite well, and lasts for at least a few weeks to a month. Smells good, too.

Yes, I think you came by the very first day I was tearing things down, or may be the second day. It was April 4th or 5th. What a long and winding journey it's been.

I have to give major credit and inspiration to @a777fan. He did this same job with his car, and documented it nicely. He led me to do some things that I probably wouldn't have done otherwise. I almost used his blue "Smurf Hat" injector pintle caps, but I had some orange ones that came in a kit, so I used those instead. Substantial credit also extends to the @gsxr, as well as @JC220 for general information and inspiration.

I think the job was fairly limited at first, when I first started scoping it out approximately three years ago (around the time that I moved from Texas to Maryland). I posted the piece of paper that I started accumulating tasks on. You can see two colors of ink -- the original things I wanted to do in black ink, and things that I added in blue ink just after I'd started the job, in the April/May time frame.

The job was generally driven by two things: a crankshaft oil leak, which I'd had for probably the past 5 years, which was slowly getting worse. It had really soiled the lower front of my engine, and the belly pan. The second thing was the CHECK ENGINE lights with EGR code and air injection pump inop code. These codes had been also going on for probably the past 6-7 years, and when I got into the job had simple causes: the vacuum lines to them had either broken, or become unattached.

I had never replaced my lower wiring harness, and this was overdue (and I have had it in my parts stock since 2014).

So, I'll try to give my rationale for all of the stuff that I did, via the table below:

Job Performed	Cause and/or Reasoning	Notes
Front crankshaft seal replacement	Significant & worsening leak
Water pump & thermostat replacement	Original water pump. Suspected bad thermostat	Behr thermostat had been replaced ~5 years ago. I used a new Wahler unit this time.
Smog pump hose replacement	Original rubber smog pump hoses were very hard
EGR hose clear-out	Suspected cause of CHECK ENGINE light. Didn't end up being blocked, but were dirty
Upper vacuum tube replacement	Original brittle vacuum lines
Upper timing chain rail replacement	Original upper rails. Top chain guides had been replaced already.	One rail was broken, so it was good that I found this.
Transmission fluid & filter replacement	It was time to do this per regular maintenance regimen
Transmission lower cooling hose replacement	One of these hoses was original. A prudent thing to replace as they get old and weepy
ETA check/replace/rebuild	Original ETA. Proactive repair by Don Roden	Biodegradable ETA wiring was very bad, and internals needed repair.
Lower wiring harness replacement	Original harness. I'd never replaced it. Upper harness done in 2004-2005 time frame	Lower harness was in HORRIBLE condition and past due for replacement
Cracked water drain at windshield replacement	Drain had a small crack/flaw, so I replaced it proactively from my parts stock
Cabin filter replacement	Filters had not been replaced since 2005-2006 time frame	Horribly dirty filters. I will replace these every 25K miles in the future
All vacuum lines and fittings replacement	Lines and rubber connectors mostly all original
Clean front of engine, radiator support	This was the result of the front crankshaft oil leak	Dirt & debris was ~1 inch thick on top of oilpan below crankshaft and hub area
Heater hoses replaced	Heater hoses were original, but in good condition. Proactive replacement
Cam solenoids replaced	Solenoids were original	Both solenoids were leaking modestly from riveted seam and/or electrical connector
Cam seals replaced	Cam seals were original	Both seals were leaking modestly, and were very hard from age and heat
Ignition caps, rotors and insulators replaced	Caps and rotors had been replaced around 2005. Insulators were original	All working OK, but replacement was warranted
Air filters replaced	Time to do this per regular maintenance regimen
Intake manifold hot-tanked & cleaned	Part of the job to make things look nice
Valve covers replaced	I had red powder-coated covers that I wanted to replace stock covers with
Ignition coils replaced	Both coils were original. Proactive replacement
Ceramic pre-resistor replaced	Resistor was original. Proactive replacement	Some degradation noted
Lamin-X installed on headlight and foglamp lenses	Had both headlights and foglamps removed, so easy to do
Foglamp lenses replaced	Old lenses were pitted. One was original
Turn signal lenses replaced	Original turn signal lenses	Both lenses significantly faded
Lower radiator hose replaced	Old hose was original, but in serviceable condition
Fuel injectors refurbished	Injectors had never been touched. New o-rings and spacers installed	Six of eight injectors had crumbled pintle caps. Most o-rings showed cracking, but were serviceable
Black plastic ignition wire routers/cap surrounds replaced	Black plastic items were original	I cracked one very slightly upon removal, so decided to replace both
MAF boot replaced	MAF boot was original	Near-fossilized rubber
Radiator replaced	I had slightly damaged radiator transmission line banjo fitting upon removal	Radiator had been replaced ~2013
Three coolant temp sensors replaced	All sensors in intake manifold were original
Intake manifold donut rings replaced	All donut rings mating intake manifold were original	Rings were semi-hard, but serviceable
Intake manifold gaskets replaced	Part of intake manifold re-installation
EGR gasket replaced	Part of EGR valve re-installation
Power steering fluid and filter replaced	Part of PS reservoir removal	PS filter last replaced ~2013
Power steering short hose replaced	Part of PS reservoir removal	Hose last replaced ~2014
Radiator fan clutch replaced	Part of maintenance. Factory Horton fan clutch installed, had since 2016	Fan had last been replaced with low-mileage used fan from 500E. Never felt it worked 100% as well as it should
Windshield wiper maintenance	General lubrication of wiper mechanism	Lube was dried up and needed replacement
Intake manifold vapor & PCV lines replaced	Proactive replacement. Previously replaced ~2005	All lines serviceable, but semi-hard
Water pump "weep" reservoir replaced	I had cracked this reservoir upon removal	NLA part, but was able to secure & replace
Coolant level sensor replaced	Proactive replacement. I had last done this ~2012
Coolant expansion tank replaced	Proactive replacement. I had last done this ~2012	Some yellowing of tank
Windshield washer tank replaced	Proactive replacement.	Minor yellowing of tank
SLS reservoir tank replaced	Proactive replacement.	Tank was yellowed and sticker was a dark brown color
All throttle linkage lubricated	Needed lubrication
Throttle cable replaced	Was original cable. Had some visual degradation	Heat and age had degraded cable to point where it would have failed in not too distant future
Sheathing on vac and electrical lines replaced	Corrugated sheathing had crumbled	Replaced with heat-resistent sheathing
Spark plugs replaced	Plugs had been last changed early 2009
Vacuum check valves and retainers replaced	Yellow check valves were original. Proactive replacement	Yellow retainers are NLA
"MOT" gas vapor regeneration valve replaced	MOT valve was original	Valve had failed and was non-operational
Magnet installed in transmission pan	Proactive maintenance item I'd wanted to do for years
Windshield & headlight lamp washer hose & check valve replaced	All hose was original	Hose was hardened and very dark brown in places. Needed replacement
Rubber water drains on headlight buckets replaced	Both rubber drains required replacement	Bottom parts of both drain rubber eaten away by rodents when I lived in Texas
Foam rubber on insides of plastic headlight air scoops replaced	Foam was original	Foam had crushed and degraded with age
Cam solenoid armatures replaced	Companion job to new cam solenoids	Requirement with new-design solenoids
Grill insert and aluminum trim strips replaced	Proactive replacement due to age and wear	Reverted to factory-style insert
Windshield washer reservoir cap and grommets replaced	Companion jobs to reservoir replacement
Hood release pull replaced	Proactive job
SLS pump and reservoir hoses replaced	Proactive job. Hoses were original	Hoses hard but serviceable
Foam pieces under headlight scoops replaced	Foam pieces were original	Foam was seriously degraded
Headlight washer pump replaced	I broke end off of nipple of delicate old pump upon removal
Headlight washer pump grommets replaced	Proactive replacement. This should be done every 5 years or so, or as they leak
Surface rust at windshield washer and expansion tank risers removed	Found this upon removing tanks. Removal and painting took care of issue
Windshield washer level sensor replaced	Proactive replacement
Radiator lower support, coolant expansion tank and windshield washer reservoir "foot" grommets replaced	Proactive replacement	Mounting grommets for expansion tank and washer reservoir were broken and degraded and needed replacement
Coolant short hose between water pump riser and intake manifold replaced	Proactive replacement
All broken or degraded clamps and plastic connectors replaced as needed	Replaced when observed as brittle, broken, or visually degraded

Thanks, Gerry. That is a fantastic resource. Congrats on completing this important and major project and having her back on the road. Well done!

J

 

[pablo2696]

Here is a video of the "first start" just as the engine was coming up to temperature.

What a great work. Thanks @gerryvz for sharing all of your knowledge and work with us!

 

[JAB12]

Impressive and so educational. Well
done! Cheers to many more years of enjoyment.

 

[gerryvz]

A little bit of follow-up.

I stuck some cardboard under the car last night, when I parked it in the garage. Late this afternoon, I had a couple of drops of coolant from the front, and a couple of drops of oil from the chain tensioner area.

What it looks like to me is that the coolant was some residual coolant that got spilled when I was filling it up at the expansion tank. I probably spilled about 1/4 cup or so, and didn't get it all wiped up from the frame rail area on the passenger side. I did not see any wetness from the lower radiator hose, pet cock, or other coolant connections in that area.

The oil appears to be either residual oil that got caught when I removed the valve cover and/or timing chain, or more likely it may have leaked out of the lower front corner of the valve cover on the passenger side. The lower front valve cover bolt was slightly loose, while the surrounding bolts were properly tight. It's a difficult bolt to get to because of the SLS reservoir, so I believe I may have not tightened it quite enough / to spec when I installed the valve cover. I tightened this bolt about 1/4 turn. I will keep a close eye on this the next couple of drives, before I put the belly pan back on.

Checking the transmission fluid level, it appears that I may have over-filled it by about 1/2 quart. So, I will drain it slightly, and keep checking it until it is at exactly the correct level. It's not good for these transmissions to be over-filled, even by 1/4-1/2 quart. So I will do the little drain tomorrow.

Otherwise, everything is in good shape. I still have to replace the hood pad, which I will do soon. I won't document this, as it's been described and documented other places on the forum.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[EngineerSam]

A little bit of follow-up.

I stuck some cardboard under the car last night, when I parked it in the garage. Late this afternoon, I had a couple of drops of coolant from the front, and a couple of drops of oil from the chain tensioner area.

What it looks like to me is that the coolant was some residual coolant that got spilled when I was filling it up at the expansion tank. I probably spilled about 1/4 cup or so, and didn't get it all wiped up from the frame rail area on the passenger side. I did not see any wetness from the lower radiator hose, pet cock, or other coolant connections in that area.

The oil appears to be either residual oil that got caught when I removed the valve cover and/or timing chain, or more likely it may have leaked out of the lower front corner of the valve cover on the passenger side. The lower front valve cover bolt was slightly loose, while the surrounding bolts were properly tight. It's a difficult bolt to get to because of the SLS reservoir, so I believe I may have not tightened it quite enough / to spec when I installed the valve cover. I tightened this bolt about 1/4 turn. I will keep a close eye on this the next couple of drives, before I put the belly pan back on.

Checking the transmission fluid level, it appears that I may have over-filled it by about 1/2 quart. So, I will drain it slightly, and keep checking it until it is at exactly the correct level. It's not good for these transmissions to be over-filled, even by 1/4-1/2 quart. So I will do the little drain tomorrow.

Otherwise, everything is in good shape. I still have to replace the hood pad, which I will do soon. I won't document this, as it's been described and documented other places on the forum.

Cheers,
Gerry

I had to re tighten my valve covers bolts after the car was warm and the rubber was soft because it leaked bad and all the bolts were loose after driving.

 

[gerryvz]

Indeed — totally agree. I recommend to everyone retightening all valve cover bolts and hose clamps after a week and/or a few heat cycles.

I also found my radiator and heater hoses needed a smidge of tightening yesterday. The rubber compresses and then the clamps get a bit loose.

 

[gsxr]

I often find I need to tighten hose clamps after a few heat cycles. If the valve cover bolts are all torqued to 9Nm spec, they *usually* do not need to be re-torqued. However, with the engine in the car, it's not possible to get a torque wrench on all the bolts, particularly the rear/lowers. I've had a lot more problems with the oil pan leaking despite careful torquing...

 

[gerryvz]

Oil leak seems to have been stopped.

A few drops of coolant coming from passenger side of radiator, at bottom. It must be either lower radiator hose connection, or drain pet-cock. I will be investigating these and diapering them on Tuesday.

Everything else seems in order. No CEL.

I did pull the battery and tray (which Id replaced in August 2017 with a new one). Tray was in perfect condition. There was some light surface rust at the rubber drain plug under the tray. This has started some years back from a previous non-AGM battery that leaked (see battery tray post).

I took a wire wheel to remove the rust, then cleaned the area thoroughly of rust dust. The. Used POR-15 (two coats) to cover the metal.

Replaced everything and installed a new rubber plug. Used a die to re-cut threads on tray screws where I’d painted them with POR-15. Two year old AGM battery will go back in on Tuesday.

Hood pad replacement is next.

 

[a777fan]

I did pull the battery and tray (which Id replaced in August 2017 with a new one). Tray was in perfect condition. There was some light surface rust at the rubber drain plug under the tray. This has started some years back from a previous non-AGM battery that leaked (see battery tray post).

I took a wire wheel to remove the rust, then cleaned the area thoroughly of rust dust. The. Used POR-15 (two coats) to cover the metal.

Didn't use UK's 'miracle paint'?!

 

[gerryvz]

Didn't use UK's 'miracle paint'?!

UHT uses the traditional POR-15. "Miracle Paint" is for @nocfn, who is a loyal and confirmed buyer of MercedesSource products.

 

[nocfn]

OMG it is GSXR's Cousin who I buy from, I didn't know any better. I am so ashamed.

 

[JC220]

Some members my not be aware of this inside joke but @gerryvz is actually related to Kent of Mercedes source

Who would have thunk it! The world is a small place really

 

[hnyc]

I haven't checked as much as I used to but I used to have a self invented race with you to see who would get their car done sooner. I just kept having so many delays that you were sure to beat me. I stopped looking at your progress before Labor Day as other things started pulling my attention away. And you got her started on Saturday.
So I was right and you did beat me. By one day.

All things considered I think it's pretty close timing considering the two paths our projects took.
I still have to do one or two things but it does run and drive. I might post about it separately but I had to note the coincidence.
Job well done and amazingly documented.

 

[gerryvz]

I haven't checked as much as I used to but I used to have a self invented race with you to see who would get their car done sooner. I just kept having so many delays that you were sure to beat me. I stopped looking at your progress before Labor Day as other things started pulling my attention away. And you got her started on Saturday.
So I was right and you did beat me. By one day.

All things considered I think it's pretty close timing considering the two paths our projects took.
I still have to do one or two things but it does run and drive. I might post about it separately but I had to note the coincidence.
Job well done and amazingly documented.

You should start an OWNER thread and post a list of what you did during the course of your work.

A case of Lyme Disease and Babesiosis took me out for a full two-plus weeks of June. All I have to do is replace the hood pad and put the engine encapsulation belly panel back on.

 

[gsxr]

A case of ... Babesiosis took me out for a full two-plus weeks of June.

Babesiosis? Is that what the kids are calling "getting engaged to be married" these days?

 

[gerryvz]

Babesiosis?

It was nothing to trifle with, and not fun to have.

Babesiosis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[LWB250]

Babesiosis? Is that what the kids are calling "getting engaged to be married" these days?

Also known as "Texas Cattle Fever".

Guess he didn't get out of there quick enough.

Dan

 

[TerryA]

Gerry,

Congrats on your E500’s start up. You have laid out quite a trail over the last few months.

I must have overlooked your start up post on Sunday. I’m recovering from a new ball joint myself in my left hip installed on 9/27 and haven’t been paying attention very well.

Sounds like you have everything under control and your E500 is good to go for a long time. I will be diving in to my 500E as soon as I feel up to it. I will be paying close attention to your whole write up.

Congrats Again

Take Care

 

[gerryvz]

Got under the car this morning. 4-5 drops of coolant on the lower radiator support, under the lower radiator hose connection. I tightened the clamp about 1/2 to 2/3 of a turn.

One drop of transmission fluid on one of the rear transmission pan bolts. That bolt was also slightly looser than most of the others. I tightened it up about 1/4 turn. Previously I had a small & persistent transmission oil leak for some years, which I believe was due to a not-quite-sealed pan gasket. Hopefully that is now taken care of.

No other leaks from any of the other connections on the water pump, radiator, tandem pump, and thermostat housing. Nothing yet on the valve covers either. I will run the car 3-4 times up to temperature, and then go back and re-tighten all hose clamps and the valve cover bolts, though I suspect they are in good condition.

 

[JC220]

Yes the valve covers definitely require re torqued to spec after a couple weeks and heat cycles. Mine definitely needed it I was surprised how loose some valve cover bolts got.

 

[gerryvz]

Gerry,

Congrats on your E500’s start up. You have laid out quite a trail over the last few months.

I must have overlooked your start up post on Sunday. I’m recovering from a new ball joint myself in my left hip installed on 9/27 and haven’t been paying attention very well.

Sounds like you have everything under control and your E500 is good to go for a long time. I will be diving in to my 500E as soon as I feel up to it. I will be paying close attention to your whole write up.

Congrats Again

Take Care

Thanks Terry. I was surprised at the stuff I found that needed attention, despite nothing (other than the front crank oil leak, and the recurring CEL) being obviously wrong in how the car ran. It ran strong and perfectly before I delved into ANY of this.

Most people would just run their car until there was something really wrong / awry before they reactively dealt with it. For most folks, this is most commonly the caps/rotors/insulators.

What I also learned is that I didn't do enough / deep enough diagnosis for the CEL codes that I was getting for EGR and for air injection. Between the CEL and the crank seal oil leak, that was the impetus. Yet there was so much more.....

 

[gsxr]

Yes the valve covers definitely require re torqued to spec after a couple weeks and heat cycles. Mine definitely needed it I was surprised how loose some valve cover bolts got.

Must be related somehow to not being able to directly torque all 9 bolts with the engine in the car. On the 2 engines that I had on the engine stand, and could torque all 9 bolt easily, neither had the slightest hint of oil anywhere from the valve cover gaskets, and never needed to be re-torqued. Go figure!

Again, the oil PAN is an entirely separate discussion.

 

[JC220]

Must be related somehow to not being able to directly torque all 9 bolts with the engine in the car. On the 2 engines that I had on the engine stand, and could torque all 9 bolt easily, neither had the slightest hint of oil anywhere from the valve cover gaskets, and never needed to be re-torqued. Go figure!

That was a w140 Dave so I could use my low range 1/4 drive torque wrench on all bolts. I think the rubber gaskets settle a little when the engine is fully heated up. Hence the need to re-visit them. Mine were just starting to weep on one corner due to the bolts self loosening! Which reminds me I need to go back in and re-torque the M275 valve covers soon too

 

[gerryvz]

Correct. Valve cover gaskets and hoses settle and compress after initial tightening, necessitating a "touch up" tightening after a bit of time and some heat cycles.

 

[gerryvz]

More data based on driving the car more.

The passenger-side valve cover is leaking both from the back (onto the exhaust manifold) and slightly from the front corner (despite tightening it).

I'm going to need to remove the passenger valve cover and "re-set" the gasket. I'll do this when the car cools down, perhaps tonight or tomorrow morning.

Secondly, I solved the coolant drip from the lower radiator hose connection at the radiator. However, there is also a small leak where the lower radiator hose connects to the bottom of the water pump. So, I need to tighten up that connection (clamp) now, as well. This lower hose connection did not drip earlier.

Everything else seems tight and is working well. The mechanicals are strong, which is the important thing.

It is 100% normal to have these types of things pop up when a job of this magnitude is performed. So, you just methodically diagnose and then solve them, one by one.