OWNER gatorblue92 (E420)

[gsxr]

The driver front is 13 1/2” and the passenger front is 13 1/4”
I’m at just over 13” on the rear with a full tank of fuel.

WOW! That is extremely low. Stock is usually around 15", and Sportline is normally around 14" or so (give or take a bit). New front struts will lift the front slightly vs old/worn struts with lower pressure. Depending on which strut stop buffers are installed, the front may be close to, or sitting on, the stop buffers.

IMO, your front is not too high, but rather the rear too low. If anything I'd try to get the rear up slightly with a full tank. The rears may also be sitting on the stop buffers, but this is difficult to determine. I apply colored tape to rear shocks at the point where the stop buffer limits travel, this way I can look under the car and see how much travel is available. Photo attached below.

Not sure why there is such a difference between the front wheels. The car looks pretty level now and is driving perfectly straight after an alignment.

This is pretty normal. Almost every 124 that I've measured has had 1/8-1/4" difference left to right. Don't worry about it.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Ive been so focused on my new E420 for the past few months I’ve completely neglected my other Mercedes so this afternoon I took a social distancing cruise in my 77 240D. It’s so incredibly slow compared with anything else I’ve ever owned but it’s my forever car. It was a European delivery car and has been in the family since it was new and in my care for the past 15 years.

Has a small bit of rust but aside from a manual transmission swap it’s all original

 

[gerryvz]

Ive been so focused on my new E420 for the past few months I’ve completely neglected my other Mercedes so this afternoon I took a social distancing cruise in my 77 240D. It’s so incredibly slow compared with anything else I’ve ever owned but it’s my forever car. It was a European delivery car and has been in the family since it was new and in my care for the past 15 years.

Has a small bit of rust but aside from a manual transmission swap it’s all original
View attachment 101750

@gsxr secretly is coveting your diesel 123.

 

[gsxr]

@gsxr secretly is coveting your diesel 123.

Not even a little bit. I owned several 123's and hope to never own another.

However, I totally understand having sentimental attachment to a vehicle that has been family-owned since new, 40+ years ago. Looks super clean, and it's a really nice color! I thought 90% of 123 production was Sand Beige or an equally blasé shade of bleagh? Red looks sharp. Just remember to clean the splattered bugs off the rear of the car after a drive.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Replaced the rear brake calipers with some rebuilt ATE calipers from Rock Auto and installed some fresh rear lines this afternoon. Seems like my noise from the rear was likely due to a sticking passenger rear caliper since it is completely silent now. I knew I should have just done these when I had the rear apart a few weeks ago.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Went for about a 25 mile ride taking the long way to Costco this afternoon and the car is running absolutely perfectly now with fresh suspension and brake parts and a good alignment. Next items up are tires to replace the worn Continental ExtremeContact DW tires on the Monoblocks. Unsure if I'll go with the replacement ExtremeContact Sport or the slightly cheaper DWS 06 tires in the same 215/45/17 and 225/45/17 sizes I have now.

 

[Gatorblue92]

My oldest son had his 5th grade parade through the school parking lot today and he insisted we take the E420. Decorations are courtesy of Mrs Gatorblue92

 

[744Brillantsilber]

My oldest son had his 5th grade parade through the school parking lot today and he insisted we take the E420. Decorations are courtesy of Mrs Gatorblue92



View attachment 105495

Awesome, that is very cool, he has a good taste for sure!!
Your car looks great, no matter with or without party decoration

 

[Gatorblue92]

Got some new tires installed today. Went with the Continental ExtremeContact Sport DW tires from Tire Rack which is the replacement for the Continental ExtremeContact DW tires which served me well when I had these wheels on my prior 5 speed 91 300TE and 93 400E. Used Tire Rack’s mobile installation service which was extremely convenient. These tires are summer only and apparently should be stored at above freezing temperatures so I will be using the stock special edition wheels as my winter storage wheels.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Car is sleeping for the winter so it’s time to tackle the badly worn front seats. So far I’ve removed the passenger seat and swapped the V8 seat base onto a decent seat from a 95 E320. Not a terrible job but I did completely dissemble the old seat before swapping out the base since I’m going to use the padding on my driver seat. I’m definitely not looking forward to recovering the driver side with the very good condition seat cover which came with the car.




Still on the hunt for a backseat.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Got the driver seat mostly done over the last few evenings. Just need to repair the headrest mechanism which was detached from the frame and put the back cover back on. This job isn’t for the faint of heart.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Not perfect but for being in a total of $50 for both front seats I’m quite pleased.

Was also able to sneak it out for a quick run before the roads get salted again in the next few days for some winter weather.

 

[Gatorblue92]

This happened today. Was waiting until it rolled over to replace this awful cluster with a nice one I got a few months ago.

 

[gsxr]

Congrats on the milestone!

You know you can adjust the replacement odo to match, right? That way the pretty new cluster will read accurately.

 

[TerryA]

Not perfect but for being in a total of $50 for both front seats I’m quite pleased.

Was also able to sneak it out for a quick run before the roads get salted again in the next few days for some winter weather.


View attachment 123956View attachment 123957View attachment 123958View attachment 123959

Gator,

Those seats look “Pretty Damn Good” to me!

Congrats, Your hard work paid off!

 

[Gatorblue92]

Congrats on the milestone!

You know you can adjust the replacement odo to match, right? That way the pretty new cluster will read accurately.

I'm only about 2500 miles away from matching the replacement. I broke one many years ago (for a long gone W123) when trying to match it up so I'm a bit scared of trying it again.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Had both cars out of the garage last weekend for a small car show my son’s boy scout troop organized. I really need to drive these more.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Well it’s cold and rainy so I ordered a cheap eBay grille. The quality is about 2 notches below URO unfortunately

 

[a777fan]

Oof yeah! Look at that top edge fitment! Wonder what they used for the design.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Salt free roads and some warmer weather meant I was able to take the car out for a 20 mile run to blow out the dust. Today is also 2 years since I bought this one sight unseen from 1000 miles away.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Well the car died on me last night right as I was pulling into the driveway. I've suspected the battery was weak for some time but I am now wondering if the alternator/voltage regulator is failing. I was able to jump start the car with my truck to get it back into the garage but the battery voltage was only 10.9 when it was running after the jump. Drops to 9.0 when it was off. With a healthy alternator I would expect at least 13-14 volts when running even with a weak battery.

FWIW the lower harness has not been replaced on this car so that's another potential culprit.

Any thoughts or other suggestions to check?

 

[gsxr]

Voltage regulator is the most likely culprit. Even with a near-dead battery it should be ~14v when running.

 

[nocfn]

GSXR FTW!!

 

[Gatorblue92]

Voltage regulator is the most likely culprit. Even with a near-dead battery it should be ~14v when running.

I always forget about these being serviceable on these cars. I’m guessing Bosch is the best option for this part?

 

[gsxr]

I always forget about these being serviceable on these cars. I’m guessing Bosch is the best option for this part?

They're all made in Asia now, including OE/MB, but yeah... get Bosch. At <$15/ea last I checked, buy two so you have a spare. Make sure it's a reputable vendor though, to avoid Borsch counterfeits.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Got the alternator out and on the bench yesterday afternoon. Still waiting on the new voltage regulator to arrive but I think it’s safe to say it’s very worn out. The shaft on the alternator also looks like it’s pretty worn so I’m now wondering if it’s worth it to just get a rebuilt alternator and call it a day.

 

[a777fan]

Yeah- if you can swing it ($$$) rebuilt is what I’d do.

 

[gsxr]

Those slip rings are toast. Replacement/rebuild time... new VR will just prolong the inevitable.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Took a gamble and my Bosch rebuild arrived this afternoon from Rockauto. They were the cheapest by about $120 over the usual suspects of FCP and Autohaus even accounting for shipping. Out of curiosity I pulled the cover off the new alternator and its got a UK built Bosch voltage regulator.

FWIW over the past weekend I had picked up a Napa rebuild which I promptly returned after I realized it had the wrong size pulley. I was planning on swapping it out with my old alternator but some gorilla must have tried it before and the XZN bits were completely stripped on the new one.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Got the new alternator in last night and just took it for a road test to get some coffee. Running perfectly and putting out 14.15v at the battery. Definitely a tougher job than on my old M103 powered cars.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Mileage finally caught up with my new cluster which I realized was from an ASR car

Works well but it’s not ”right” but still far better than the one it replaced.

On another note I suspect I’ve got a failing hvac fan regulator since I’ve only got low speed available at the moment. Already tried a few spare CCU pushbutton units on hand with no difference.

 

[gsxr]

Mileage finally caught up with my new cluster which I realized was from an ASR car

Works well but it’s not ”right” but still far better than the one it replaced.

Now you have 2 extra indicator lights to play with! For example, you could make the ASR light turn on when coolant temp exceeds a certain point, or if oil pressure drops to zero, or when the auxiliary fans are on, etc etc. (Not easy to create the trigger required for some of those though.)

On another note I suspect I’ve got a failing hvac fan regulator since I’ve only got low speed available at the moment. Already tried a few spare CCU pushbutton units on hand with no difference.

That does sound like a regulator failure. 94/95 aftermarket KAE regulators appear NLA (or long-term backordered), so you might be stuck with new OE at ~$300. If the fan is original, replace both at the same time. IIRC, @jhodg5ck reported old fans sometimes killing new regulators?

1958-1993 Mercedes-Benz Switch 124-821-21-51 | MB of Covington

1958-1993 Mercedes-Benz Switch 124-821-21-51

parts.mbofcovington.com

124-821-21-51 - Switch 1958-1993 Mercedes-Benz | MB Parts Source

Factory Direct Switch (1248212151) For Your 1958-1993 Mercedes-Benz Vehicle. Up To 35% Off On Every Order And Guaranteed Fit When You Enter Your VIN!

www.mbpartsource.com

 

[Gatorblue92]

Another quick update... the blower is now completely dead

Where is the blower fuse on the late 95 cars? Its not on the strut tower like on all of the other W124s I've owned.

 

[gsxr]

Another quick update... the blower is now completely dead

Where is the blower fuse on the late 95 cars? Its not on the strut tower like on all of the other W124s I've owned.

94/95 cars have the 30A strip fuse behind the brake booster. The auxiliary fan fuses were relocated to the relays inside the relay compartment.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Quick update on the blower issue... the fuse is good and after picking up a used regulator and blower the one in the car started to work as designed again. Very odd but I suppose if the regulator is failing that could cause intermittent issues.

At least I've got a spare on hand for when it does give up the ghost.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Had a chance to take the car out for a nice long drive this weekend now that my son's high school marching band season is winding down. Probably drove it about 150 miles on Saturday and it was flawless. Still haven't fooled with the blower since its been windows down weather for the past few weeks and we only have a few more weeks before they will likely begin to salt the roads and the car will go away till spring.






Bonus picture of what my weekends have looked like since August.

 

[a777fan]

Love the monoblocks with your sportline setup. Remind me again, is that a square c36 set? Or the real w124 specific monos?

 

[Gatorblue92]

Love the monoblocks with your sportline setup. Remind me again, is that a square c36 set? Or the real w124 specific monos?

These are the staggered W202 wheels. I think they were on both the C36 & C43

Front - 17 x 7.5", ET35
Rear - 17 x 8.5", ET30

 

[a777fan]

These are the staggered W202 wheels. I think they were on both the C36 & C43

Front - 17 x 7.5", ET35
Rear - 17 x 8.5", ET30

V neat. Do you have the AMG fender spacers up front? Any rubbing?

 

[Gatorblue92]

V neat. Do you have the AMG fender spacers up front? Any rubbing?

No spacers and no rubbing. It’s extremely close though in the front.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Took advantage of the latest sale on Coco Mats and finally got a set. Took a gamble on getting a darker set on my mushroom interior and I really like how it came out.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Got back from a 3 week road trip with the family over the weekend (18 states, 9 national parks and 6500 miles pulling our camper) and went to start the car for the first time in a month and it felt a bit rough. Took it for a drive and barely managed to get home before it was missing horribly. Seemed like potentially a classic case of moisture in the distributors and sure enough there was quite a bit there. One nice thing about being a chronic parts hoarder is I had a nearly new set of caps, rotors and cups to put in and the car is running beautifully again. The cups which came out weren’t wet like the distributors but they were very crusty in appearance. I know they were not changed last time the distributors were done before I bought the car.

 

[gsxr]

Did the previous caps have the ventilation slots added? And did you cut slots into the nearly-new/replacement caps?

Adding those vent slots should drastically reduce this problem.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Did the previous caps have the ventilation slots added? And did you cut slots into the nearly-new/replacement caps?

Adding those vent slots should drastically reduce this problem.

I did not but there are some notches on the bottom which appear to be molded in. Im pretty certain these are Bosch caps and insulation cups and Bremi rotors. I bought them 5-6 years ago for my now scrapped 93 400E after I bought it back but the transmission promptly failed. Ended up selling the hulk to someone who needed the engine for a W140

 

[gsxr]

The notches at the bottom are not enough... you need to replicate those on the other 2 sides higher up the 'triangle'. This will help more than you realize... a Dremel makes quick work of adding the slots, as shown here. This can be done "on the car", without unplugging all the wires from the cap.

 

[Gatorblue92]

I'll make those notches as suggested.

Drove the car to the office today and it ran perfectly however the blower motor issue resurfaced again on the way home. Thankfully the car was in the garage at work so it wasn't too hot. Ordered new cabin air filters today along with a few other assorted parts for the 240D to get free shipping so once they are in I will fix the blower issue with the used parts I picked up a while ago.

 

[Gatorblue92]

Swapped the blower motor and regulator last night and I've got hurricane force A/C in the car again. The old cabin filters weren't the original but I would doubt if they had been replaced in the last 10 years since they were very dirty.

 

[Gatorblue92]

On the W123 front I finally got my Coco Mats installed. They are perfect for this vintage car.

 

[Gatorblue92]

I'm a week late on this post but I sent my E420 off to enjoy someone else's garage and wallet last Saturday. 4 years is the longest I've owned a car which wasn't my 240D and figured it was time. I've owned 7 W124's over the years and was ready to move on to something completely different.

Already have its replacement which is an 80's low production submodel with a 5 speed and a turbo.

 

[a777fan]

Lookin good as it rides off into the ‘sunset’! Hope u stop by from time to time, and fill us in on this replacement while you’re at it!