OWNER dionphaneuf

[dionphaneuf]

On the cam position sensor, I noticed that the EPC lists a ton of different options for what I thought was a gasket that goes between the sensor and the head but I think is actually just a spacer/shim in a range of thicknesses; some are NLA. Is the answer just to replace with whatever is closest to original, or do you even need to bother replacing the part?

I see the o-rings that are on the sensor that actually do the sealing seem to be NLA as individual parts.
104 997 01 48
104 997 00 48

 

[gsxr]

You should not need to replace the spacer, although it wouldn't hurt to check the air gap the next time the valve cover is off. I think the spacer thickness is based on variation of the cylinder head castings, not variation of the sensor body thickness.

I forget if the seal is an O-ring... or if the sensor comes with the O-ring...

 

[dionphaneuf]

I'll double check. Probably best to just measure and grab the same size from McMaster or wherever as a starting point.

 

[dionphaneuf]

• New LH valve cover gasket and washers
• New upper chain rail guides on that side while I was in there (not needed at all, old were fine as was case on other side)
• New cam position sensor (old was leaking and may have been oil leak source)
• Cleaned front of LH side of engine to help find oil leaks.
  • Looked on side of engine and there's a mess on the back of the AC compressor that's almost certainly from the tandem pump hoses. I can't tell if the tandem pump is leaking from the front, I may pull the pulley off when I get more time. I have the ZF one and I hear the seal kit is NLA?
  • Lower Oil pan leaking, have the gasket and a new level sensor + o rings
  • Steering box input/output also a mess. I'm resealing the oil pan + level sensor, steering box, AC comp, PS pump, SLS pump, and all soft lines on my SEC and if that goes well I'll likely need to do the same on my w124

249k mi, PCV hoses and other HW for trans overload switch arrived yesterday night so will fix those in the coming days.

 

[gsxr]

I have the ZF one and I hear the seal kit is NLA?

E500E ZF tandem pump seal kit is available, but the price is ~3x what it was a few years ago.

 

[dionphaneuf]

• Replaced PCV hoses
• Replaced trans overload switch, strongly recommend a lift for this one
• Replaced ignition coils
• Replaced rear license plate lights
• Replaced rear license plate HW (rusting) with tamper proof Torx stainless HW

Starting to plan out next batch of work on the car, namely

• Stereo upgrade
• Resolving all fluid leaks, namely the aformentioned tandem pump rebuild, the steering box, and oil leaks
  • Oil pan (I think) and level sender
  • Rear main seal or some of the bolts/the stud near the starter may be leaking. Need to degrease the bottom of the engine to really get in there on this one and troubleshoot the source, but given that I saw not insubstantial amounts of oil in the metal 'window' on the bottom of the transmission where you access the torque converter drain this seems pretty likely

Are there any other 'while you're in there's ' for the lower oil pan reseal beyond the level sensor? I'm really hoping it's not the upper oil pan seal.

Just under 250k mi, got some fun weekend driving in the rain in this past weekend on a group drive with friends and the car got some enthusiastic reviews.

 

[sheward]

Great pictures. A dash cam is on my wish list. These cars offer extreme confidence in the rain.

Since you have the early audio system you may be interested in an amp installation under the passenger floorboard. It takes some of the cost and work out of a total retrofit. If one uses the existing rear speaker wires the entire install can be accomplished at the dash and door panels. Some details are in my owner thread.

 

[TimL]

Love how tenaciously you are bringing this car up to a fantastic standard, @dionphaneuf!

 

[gerryvz]

Are there any other 'while you're in there's ' for the lower oil pan reseal beyond the level sensor? I'm really hoping it's not the upper oil pan seal.

Yes, do the oil pump rubber pickup + screen assembly. Absolutely incremental labor. Covered in the HOW-TO on replacing the oil level sensor.

If you haven't done it, I would proactively replace the oil pressure switch. Again, just a screw-in item and incremental labor. If you do, be sure to get a VDO or MB factory unit, no off-name units !!

 

[dionphaneuf]

Thanks @gerryvz - I actually have both those parts and they're on the list. On my SEC the o-rings for the level sender are leaking; it's at much lower mileage (90k mi) so I'm hoping I can only replace those vs the entire sensor (which I bought w the 500E in mind).

Thanks @sheward - will look at your thread. I was thinking of a more thorough tear up but need to do more research and put more time into this - really just in the planning/explore phase now and will move to a separate thread when more in nuts/bolts of this.

 

[dionphaneuf]

Hit a fun milestone last night! Thanks to all on this board for accumulating the wealth of knowledge and the community on this board to help set it up, especially @gerryvz . Also big thanks to @gsxr @Jlaa and others for all the excellent technical knowledge along the way. 250k mi and running better than ever!

 

[dionphaneuf]

Didn't realize I didn't post at all in over a year. I didn't get around to my stereo but made a few upgrades here and there, including the trunk bump stops. I have the trunk plastic trim piece that sits above the license plate 'filler' piece to replace along with a few other jobs here and there. The car had been pretty issue free until the last month or so when I ran into an issue that seems very similar to what @emerydc8 had in the below link. Basically....

• At idle, I get a fair amount of RPM osciallation, like 500-750RPM
• It immediately goes away in Park, R, or N, then immediately comes back in D
• It is also present off throttle at low speed (25 MPH) while coasting
• ETA was rebuilt by Don Rodden in....2021?
• NSS replaced in Fall 2023 during my trans overload switch fiasco
• Vacuum hoses all replaced in summer 2023 save for the Charcoal cannister and purge valve but I have those so can install when I get some time. Will recheck for vacuum leaks when done

I'll be rather steamed if it's the NSS but Emery's was also a recent replacement and not the most fun job out there with the extremely limited space between the tunnel and the transmission. I'm fairly certain I have a fluid leak at the front of the transmission OR at the rear main seal; I need to do the full towel inspection, but if I indeed do I'll replace the NSS with the trans out of the car. This is more a minor nuissance than an actual issue so I'm tempted to 'live with it' until I have more time to tackle a bigger job.

Surging Idle While in Gear | Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

Most notably, the engagement of the idle control switch when the throttle is closed? When I had mine in and out, i didn’t adjust the linkages properly and the idle control switch wasn’t engaging. This resulted in a high idle. Are you talking about the S29/3 on the gas pedal? I don't have ASR.

www.500eboard.co

FWIW I pulled codes and got the below

• Nothing on pins 4, 6, 16, 19
• Pin 7 had a code 6 which it lists as 'Safety Contact Switch or Stop lamp switch'. This cleared and didn't come back after a 10 minute drive
• Pin 8 had issue 17, the blower inside the base module box, cleared and came back after a drive
• Pin 30 had code 3, cleared and didn't come back

Finally, if anyone could tell me the PN of these rubber 'side garnish' strips the affix to the fender edges under the hood I'd greatly appreciate it. I've checked the EPC and never found them.

 

[Kridre]

P/N for the seal R and L 201-889-05-98.

 

[dionphaneuf]

Thanks! At $40 a side these might go on the list to scour at the pick n pull

 

[TerryA]

Thanks! At $40 a side these might go on the list to scour at the pick n pull

I just keep straightening them out and reinstalling them. I think new ones would curl up also.