Fixing my 420

[King13ls]

If the ASR light comes on and thats when the accelerator pedal does nothing for the first 1/2 of travel, that is classic limp mode. Search the forum for more details. Restarting the engine should cure / reset it temporarily. Odd thing is none of your codes seem to indicate limp mode. If the ASR light comes on and the accelerator pedal feels normal, thats different.

yeah sometimes it happens tho like I don’t know how to explain but with it sometimes if they pedal is hard its like but seem like it doesn’t like to go up with the rpm unless floored, but it feels solid in power however almost like slow as in timing/response but when the pedal is freely it’s like the rpm rev higher but seems like the power isn’t there like it isn’t really pulling, but like let’s say I’m merging on to the hwy and I pressed the gas heavy, it feels like it takes forever to get going but sometimes I feel it pulls strong but still not getting no good mid ranger power but then after a bit of holding down the pedal I’ll start to pick up speed, I’ll have to do a pull and see what it does

ive Checked the fuel pressure before and it all read good but it has been a long time Sence then,

 

[King13ls]

But honestly id say the car has been running real good however i know there lot and lots of work left to do, because i remember one of the first pulls I ever did on it, it laid me back into the seat and i felt it in my gut, I’m trying to get it back in that shape but that might have just been because the car hadn’t been started in years

 

[King13ls]

with deep shame I’m sorry to say that another 124 is down

 

[Ascension]

Yeah I’ve read all of that thread I’m going to buy, new distributors and ignition parts for it

Make absolutely certain you pull the rotor mounts and at the least check the back side of the insulator discs under them and the cavity of the head for moisture. Have had absolute fits with my 420 from this. It's some thing i have fought for the 8 years I have owned my car. When you pull the insulators if there is the slightest amount of moisture on teh back side use a hair dryer or lighter to fully dry the insulator if you dont just replace them. If you don't the issue will return soon. I have started coating the backside of those insulators with a light coat of high dielectric grease and it seems to help.

 

[gsxr]

with deep shame I’m sorry to say that another 124 is down

Noooo! What happened?

 

[King13ls]

Noooo! What happened?

I basically hit a tree going like 45mph I was behind a suv that was behind a 18wheeler on the left side of a two lane road, going into a curve going left and all of the sudden the tractor stops and the car behind braked hard and if I would’ve slammed on my brakes I would’ve hit the car in front of me so I swerved to the right lane so I wouldn’t have to brake and as I get side by side with the 18wheeler pulling cars I see that he’s making a right turn in the left lane and I slammed on my brakes but the car just slid I tried to turn into the curb so i wouldn’t hit him but he kept turning and all the car was doing was sliding and I hit his tires and it knocked me into the curb and as I was trying to turn my left wheel but it got caught on the curb just going straight into the tree

 

[sheward]

sorry to read this. Were you injured by the airbag?, or otherwise?

 

[gsxr]

YIKES. Was the sliding due to poor traction, or did the ABS not function? Hope you were not injured!

 

[Kridre]

Oh, no... Sad to see these kinds of things... If you are going to fix it all I can say GOOD LUCK!, I wish for you that the NLA parts god's will be on your side!

 

[King13ls]

No thankfully no one was injured my brother got a lil burn from the airbag but nothing to bad just a little soreness, honestly I’m not all that sure it was raining outside when it happened the roads were wet but I didn’t brake untill the last second because originally I simply tought the trailer was going to make a left turn in the left lane but nope he made a left turn from the right lane and as I saw the front end start turning my side I braked and I just slid

Oh, no... Sad to see these kinds of things... If you are going to fix it all I can say GOOD LUCK!, I wish for you that the NLA parts gods will be on your side!

honestly right now I’m not even sure what I’m going to do with it the engine cracked from the hit

 

[King13ls]

sorry to read this. Were you injured by the airbag?, or otherwise?

No thankfully my brother got a his chin scraped by the airbag but as for me nothing really happened my arm and my legs are sore like I went to the gym n just did intense workouts nonstop but honestly man the moment the airbag hit me (I’ve never been in a car accident) the first thing I did was run out the car to the passenger side to make sure my brother was okay and he was alright witch is a bit crazy to think that he got more injured than me and I didn’t have my belt on and the tree hit hit the driver side, but after I checked on my little brother and made sure he was good I turned around and just saw the state the car was in and I was just crushed because it was in a worst condition then when I first got it,

 

[King13ls]

The car was running good I remember when I couldn’t even drive it to the stop sign without it stalling on me and I forgot to update but about 2months ago or so I took it up to dc from nc about a 6hours drive there and it ran like an a beautiful monster on the highway and then I left it in dc for about a week because I was going to Hawaii and on the way back first start it turn on no problem drove it back home but it was like a 9hkurs drive going back including traffic and what not and As for the the car honestly I’m not sure what to even do with it, I was thinking about parting it out but honestly I’m not sure what’s worth what and I also tought about I tought about trying to find another body and just swapping everything from it over but 400 i rarely see them here I’ll find a v8w140 before I find a v8124, but I have a question does a 300d or a
320 have the same chasis as a 400 or is the 500 the only one with a different chasis
I really want to get a 500 but looking at the prices makes me wanna cry, I tried looking for another 420 around and hardly no luck at all I found one but honestly I’m not to sure how I feel about it

 

[sheward]

The 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder chassis are not the same.
With a healthy amount of work, parting out an E420 will net you about $1200. to $1500. Unfortunately, there are not many left.

 

[gsxr]

The 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder chassis are not the same.

Yep. Waste of time and $$$ to attempt to swap the M119 into a 6-cyl sedan. And if you are going to do that to a wagon, coupé, or cabrio, it needs to be a 5.0L conversion to make it worth the hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars. This is not even remotely plug+play.

With a healthy amount of work, parting out an E420 will net you about $1200. to $1500. Unfortunately, there are not many left.

Value depends on the condition of various parts, and how much spare time you have to mess with removing parts & shipping them. And if you aren't proficient with packing and shipping, you can end up with upset customer when they receive a damaged part due to inadequate packing. If the factory catalyst pipe is intact and undamaged, that may be worth some $$$ but it must be removed without damaging the exit pipes (cut back by the middle muffler). If it has aftermarket cats welded in, nevermind, it's worthless. NLA stuff like the fan shroud will also be worth some $$$ if undamaged.

 

[King13ls]

Yep. Waste of time and $$$ to attempt to swap the M119 into a 6-cyl sedan. And if you are going to do that to a wagon, coupé, or cabrio, it needs to be a 5.0L conversion to make it worth the hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars. This is not even remotely plug+play.




Value depends on the condition of various parts, and how much spare time you have to mess with removing parts & shipping them. And if you arent proficient with packing and shipping, you can end up with upset customer when they receive a damaged part due to inadequate packing. If the factory catalyst pipe is intact and undamaged, that may be worth some $$$ but it must be removed without damaging the exit pipes (cut back by the middle muffler). If it has aftermarket cats welded in, nevermind, its worthless. NLA stuff like the fan shroud will also be worth some $$$ if undamaged.

I have time I was planing on just taking it all apart like everything from the inside to outside like completely stripping the car, and I was going wrap it up and put it away and most likely try putting it up on eBay or something altought the airbag kinda did mess up a bit of the wood inside but the seats are in pretty condition and so is the door side panels

 

[King13ls]

The 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder chassis are not the same.
With a healthy amount of work, parting out an E420 will net you about $1200. to $1500. Unfortunately, there are not many left.

I tought so thanks for letting me know

 

[King13ls]

been taking it apart and I tought that the actual block cracked but the block appears to be fine will have to take the engine out to really inspect it but it look like mainly the oil pan? Is what’s broke and a bit of the the right head is broke on the bottom but would a s420 have the same head I need or does the s have a different type of m119?

 

[gsxr]

OMG. How hard was this hit?!! You broke the upper (aluminum) oil pan in multiple places, the engine mount bracket, AND THE CYLINDER HEAD.

S420 cylinder head will be the same, or similar, depending on the model year / engine type (.971 or .981).

FWIW... I wouldn't try to fix the engine. It's good for parts though. Complete, undamaged 4.2L engines are dirt cheap due to no demand... they never wear out.

 

[King13ls]

The hit was really hard man if I wasn’t in that tank I would’ve most likely been in horrible condition or worse thankfully I just walked away with some sore legs n arms… but I hit the tree dead on doing like 45 man like I didn’t hit any thing else other than the tractors front tire, the tree just made me come to a dead stop, popped my trunk open, popped a few screws slap off of my subs, but I’ve been having ptsd about that hit sence it happened, all I see is just the tree closing in but just spare parts got it!! I’ve found a few 420’s but only 94’s and a few 400’s haven’t seen any 95’s at all, is there any significant changes from a 94 to a 95? And also is there any difference from the 400’s to the 420? Just asr right?

 

[gsxr]

I’ve found a few 420’s but only 94’s and a few 400’s haven’t seen any 95’s at all, is there any significant changes from a 94 to a 95?

No significant changes between 94 and 95. I have one of each.

And also is there any difference from the 400’s to the 420?

There are quite a few differences between 92-93, vs 94-95. Besides the body changes (facelift) there's a lot of other stuff, like better headlights & (arguably) stereo system. There are also engine changes between 92 and 93, lots of minor improvements on 93-up, like the automatic belt tensioner for example. Personally, I prefer the 94-95 but I'd consider a 93 with the right colors/options.

Just asr right?

ASR was optional on all years, 92-95. I love ASR and wouldn't buy a car without it, but that's just me.

 

[gerryvz]

The car and motor are GONE. Part the car out and get what you can to buy another one.

 

[Kridre]

If you will be parting this car per Gerry suggestion PLEASE write me a message I need few little things that I can't find anywhere.

 

[King13ls]

The car and motor are GONE. Part the car out and get what you can to buy another one.

Yeah I’ve definitely been taking it all apart been having a good time taking it apart been storing and wrapping up everything that seems good

If you will be parting this car per Gerry suggestion PLEASE write me a message I need few little things that I cant find anywhere.

I have made a decision yet if I do part out or
not I’m planning on getting
another w124, however I’ve had a tought about getting a 6.3w211maybe

But today when I was messing with the interior I realized why my knee felt funny after the crash this is why

 

[gsxr]

not I’m planning on getting another w124, however I’ve had a tought about getting a 6.3w211maybe

The E63's are pretty expensive these days, and are 10x more complicated to maintain vs W124. Plan on buying an SDS C4 ($600-$800) for diagnostics. Generic OBD-2 will have limited capabilities, plus you can't do cool stuff like enable the Euro bi-Xenon light settings, increase top speed limiter, etc... need SDS for that.

But today when I was messing with the interior I realized why my knee felt funny after the crash this is why

DAMN. That's nuts. You get checked out at the local hospital or DocInTheBox?

 

[Jlaa]

Yeah I’ve definitely been taking it all apart been having a good time taking it apart been storing and wrapping up everything that seems good

I have made a decision yet if I do part out or
not I’m planning on getting
another w124, however I’ve had a tought about getting a 6.3w211maybe

But today when I was messing with the interior I realized why my knee felt funny after the crash this is why

Wow!! Well look on the bright side. USA spec knee bolster, while a little ugly, saved your knee!!!

 

[King13ls]

The E63s are pretty expensive these days, and are 10x more complicated to maintain vs W124. Plan on buying an SDS C4 ($600-$800) for diagnostics. Generic OBD-2 will have limited capabilities, plus you cant do cool stuff like enable the Euro bi-Xenon light settings, increase top speed limiter, etc... need SDS for that.

I kindly figured so, but honestly it seems like(although ik my 4.2 was most likely not running at 100%)the m119 will just keep running and running like when I feel it start pulling it’s genuinely feels like it never gunna stop I wonder what the 5.0 feels like when it starts pulling

Euro bi-Xenon light settings,

???wott, I’ll have to look that’s up, I’ve seen on the forums about replacing something that’s gave a higher top speed and it allowing the car to rev higher

DAMN. Thats nuts. You get checked out at the local hospital or DocInTheBox?

Wow!! Well look on the bright side. USA spec knee bolster, while a little ugly, saved your knee!!!

Yeah definitely did I couldn’t imagine it if it would’ve been on bare metal, but no I didn’t get check out I felt pretty fine honestly the moment after the crash I didn’t even care about me being hurt i jumped out the driver side and instantly ran to the other side to make sure my little brother was okay thankfully he was alright he got a little scrape from the airbag umber the chin but other than that he’s was good, but if I’m being honest altought it was a bad accident it didn’t seem that bad or maybe I just got one to many loose screws, but I’ve been in other accidents like for example one time I went over a hill with my go kart probably doing like 30mph and when I came down my tire caught a drain at the corner of the hill and made my gokart flip like 4-5 times and it’s landed on my back like 3 times had a huge bruise on my back but I felt fine after it just sore as a mf

 

[King13ls]

is there like a wiring diagram or anything for witch wire is what? I kinda messed up taking it apart, I forgot to prep the seats so I couldn’t remove them and now that I I’ve pretty much unconnected every cable from the front of the vehicle I’m struggling to take the front seats out and also is there like is there a way for me to figure out what part is what without me being obnoxious and post pictures asking what’s what?

 

[King13ls]

is there like a wiring diagram or anything for witch wire is what? I kinda messed up taking it apart, I forgot to prep the seats so I couldn’t remove them and now that I I’ve pretty much unconnected every cable from the front of the vehicle I’m struggling to take the front seats out or is there a specific way to move the seats ?and also is there like is there a way for me to figure out what part is what without me being obnoxious and post pictures asking what’s what?

 

[gsxr]

I kindly figured so, but honestly it seems like(although ik my 4.2 was most likely not running at 100%)the m119 will just keep running and running like when I feel it start pulling it’s genuinely feels like it never gunna stop I wonder what the 5.0 feels like when it starts pulling

The 5.0 has more torque, but doesn't feel a ton stronger at high RPM. The 6.0 dials that to "eleven"... monster torque, a bit more top-end pull. The M156 is a completely different animal. Good torque, but OMG pull to the 7000rpm redline. You'll pay $15k-$20k for a W211 E63 nowadays, and need deep pockets to maintain it.

???wott, I’ll have to look that’s up, I’ve seen on the forums about replacing something that’s gave a higher top speed and it allowing the car to rev higher

Look up the Intelligent Light System (ILS). It's disabled in USA but can be enabled via SDS in Developer Mode, for facelift (2007-up) W211 with bi-Xenons.

Yeah definitely did I couldn’t imagine it if it would’ve been on bare metal, but no I didn’t get check out I felt pretty fine honestly the moment after the crash...

Did both airbags fire? Also, did you have your seatbelt on? I was thinking the airbag wouldn't fire if unbelted but that might not be accurate.

 

[gsxr]

is there like a wiring diagram or anything for witch wire is what?

Schematics are in the FSM, Group 24, but it will take a lot of poking around to find what you need:

24 Electrical Troubleshooting

I kinda messed up taking it apart, I forgot to prep the seats so I couldn’t remove them and now that I I’ve pretty much unconnected every cable from the front of the vehicle I’m struggling to take the front seats out or is there a specific way to move the seats

What exactly are you trying to do?

?and also is there like is there a way for me to figure out what part is what without me being obnoxious and post pictures asking what’s what?

What exactly are you trying to do?

 

[Kridre]

Hmm, I see that you just started ripping apart everything. If you didn't labeled connectors and took a lot of pictures, well you will be in a hell of a treat to get all of this back together.

Wiring diagrams are helpful, but talking all of this apart without pictures and a lot of labels is just suicide. I took around of 100 pictures of the wiring alone when I was disassembling my 400E, and I'm still not sure if I will be able to put this car back together.

 

[King13ls]

Did both airbags fire? Also, did you have your seatbelt on? I was thinking the airbag wouldnt fire if unbelted but that might not be accurate

Yes both deployed but I did not have my belt on however my brother did and he got more hurt than I did.

Youll pay $15k-$20k for a W211 E63 nowadays, and need deep pockets to maintain it.

yea I’ve been looking around and those are about the numbers I’m seeing

The 5.0 has more torque, but doesnt feel a ton stronger at high RPM. The 6.0 dials that to eleven... monster torque, a bit more top-end pull

So have you rode in all? 4.2,5.0,6.0

What exactly are you trying to do?

To remove the front seats but I have them sitting down in the back where I can’t really get the back bolts that hold the seat

What exactly are you trying to do?

I was just trying to label things

Hmm, I see that you just started ripping apart everything. If you didnt labeled connectors and took a lot of pictures, well you will be in a hell of a treat to get all of this back together.

Wiring diagrams are helpful, but talking all of this apart without pictures and a lot of labels is just suicide. I took around of 100 pictures of the wiring alone when I was disassembling my 400E, and Im still not sure if I will be able to put this car back together.

Honestly I didn’t plan on having to put it back together because im just going to get a new 420/400 and just keep everything in this one as parts because a lot of the parts on the car are pretty Clean and working, I’m pretty sure the car was well maintained untill my ownership after it was crashed I kinda left it sitting for about like 3years or so, kinda messed it up especially with how the weather is here I’ll snow one day and the next be hot as can be, but I was just now getting it running good but I’ve been putting everything up in ziplock bags everything that came with the part srews included and whatever don’t fit I’ve justbeen wrapping it up with plastic wrap, my tought was if something goes wrong with it I’ll just have the part I need and if I for whatever reason need to take apart the next 400 ill be able to take it apart in a more efficient way but right now I’m just tryna take everything everything out bonestrip it so I can get the chasis out the yard ASAP, it’s very depressing to look at everything time I pull in the driveway

 

[gsxr]

So have you rode in all? 4.2,5.0,6.0

Yes, I've owned all 3 engine sizes over the years. And, had a 2008 E63 P30 (link).

To remove the front seats but I have them sitting down in the back where I can’t really get the back bolts that hold the seat

Ahhhhh, got it. You should be able to plug the wire harness back into the seats, then connect 12v power ONLY to the one fuse for the seats, in the fusebox. That may allow the seat switch to move the seats normally. You could try to wire power directly to the motors, or to the pins at the seat connectors, but ugh... RPITA plus risk of frying something. It will be tough to remove those rear bolts without lifting the rear of the seat first.

I was just trying to label things

Best case, keep the entire car long-term. If that isn't an option, you should remove / save things strategically; not just strip everything and hope it may be useful and/or valuable. You can figure out what some parts are, from reading the factory service manuals.

I didn’t plan on having to put it back together because im just going to get a new 420/400 and just keep everything in this one as parts because a lot of the parts on the car are pretty Clean and working, I’m pretty sure the car was well maintained untill my ownership after it was crashed I kinda left it sitting for about like 3years or so,...

wait. what? I thought the accident just happened?

kinda messed it up especially with how the weather is here I’ll snow one day and the next be hot as can be, but I was just now getting it running good but I’ve been putting everything up in ziplock bags everything that came with the part srews included and whatever don’t fit I’ve justbeen wrapping it up with plastic wrap, my tought was if something goes wrong with it I’ll just have the part I need and if I for whatever reason need to take apart the next 400 ill be able to take it apart in a more efficient way but right now I’m just tryna take everything everything out bonestrip it so I can get the chasis out the yard ASAP, it’s very depressing to look at everything time I pull in the driveway

Storing all the parts safely will require space indoors, hope you have room for all the stuff. But yes, if you get another 400 then some of the parts may come in handy.

 

[King13ls]

wait. what? I thought the accident just happened?

Okay so the 420 was originally my uncles but he crashed it from the front and well one day I came over to my grandma house where the cars was and I was saw it n started checking it out n I was like bro how could u not wanna fix it and I told myself yk what ima fix it even tho I didn’t know jackshit about cars but I learned by working on this one it’s was my first car and also the first car i had ever worked on he sold it to me for about 400 and well at the time I didn’t live where the car was, so fast forward I ended up moving in with my GMA and seeing the car on a daily basis just made me start working on it and that’s was that

Ahhhhh, got it. You should be able to plug the wire harness back into the seats, then connect 12v power ONLY to the one fuse for the seats, in the fusebox. That may allow the seat switch to move the seats normally. You could try to wire power directly to the motors, or to the pins at the seat connectors, but ugh... RPITA plus risk of frying something. It will be tough to remove those rear bolts without lifting the rear of the seat first

yeah I’ll be fun tryna figure out witch cables what and what goes where but I’ll be something exciting/frustrating to do, because like an idiot I kinda started disconnecting everything from the front where the impact hit and worked my way back I disconnected EVERHTHING including the fuse box and everything else

Storing all the parts safely will require space indoors, hope you have room for all the stuff. But yes, if you get another 400 then some of the parts may come in handy

I do have a place where I can store it atm I’m just have everything that seemed important/electrical in a 40g bin wrapped up and covered but I’m planning on going thought everything over again and cleaning it up to store it for good untill I get me next I’ve found a green 94 for a good bit I think like 14k and it has like 61k miles on it

 

[gsxr]

Here you go... no reserve, you could get lucky, lol:

FOR SALE - 1992 400E, Midnight Blue/Palomino, 112kmi, BaT auction (Irving, TX) | 400E / E420 Cars for Sale

UPDATE: Sold for $8,500 plus fees in Jan-2022. For sale again Mar-2023, see post #12 below. Thread title updated. 1992 400E, Midnight Blue/Palomino, 103kmi, BaT auction (Albany, NY) No affiliation. ASR but no heated seats. VIN = WDBEA34E1NB787917 Datacard = Mercedes VIN Decoder | Decode...

www.500eboard.co

 

[King13ls]

Thanks for letting me but I’ll have to be about 4ish months till I can get another car or sooner, had a lot of fees to pay after crashin and also I got a quit a few thing’s going on so I won’t be able to fully save for another month or so