Holy Guacamole! Coil wire connector corrosion

[tomer]

So I have been agonizing over a misfire for at least a year, and an intermittent condition where it seemed like the engine was running on maybe 4 cylinders and would hardly have enough power to pull away from a stop light :-( Once I could get the revs up over 2000 it would usually smooth out. but not always.

My independent mechanic about a year ago and not many miles (~200) replaced plugs/wires/rotors/insulators/dist caps and still same condition.

I checked the blink codes for the EZL pin 17 and only had a code 8 (Transmission Overload Protection). I cleared that.

Last thing was to replace the ignition coils myself, and boy did I get a surprise!! The coil and wire for the passenger side bank is rusted and coated in the green death gunk!!! The other one is perfect. This car is in dry California and really has not even seen rain over the last year... Not sure what could cause this mess.







The last pic is of the old coil wire which I kept (I usually ask for the old parts when I get work done)... would it be silly to use the old coil wire, as it has no noticeable corrosion?

Or does anyone happen to have an extra new coil wire for sale? I checked Pelican and AutoHauz just now and they don't sell just the coil wires :-(

Lastly, those 10mm bolts and nuts holding the coils on are pure evil!!! I did remove the headlight as suggested by the wisdom on this forum and it was definitely worth it... Of course that plastic stop thing on top that you have to twist counter clockwise disintegrated but I see they are readily available

Tom

 

[tomer]

Here is a pic of the headlight fastener clip (from Pelican Parts) which you can expect to disintegrate when you try to remove so might as well order before you do the job!

 

[gerryvz]

I recommend that you just get an entirely new set of wires for the whole car. Last I checked, the Beru-branded wires (which are the proper length and best quality aftermarket wires) were still available, I think via PartsGeek.com (i.e. PartsGsxr.com) There is plenty of info on the forum on them.

94 1994 Mercedes E500 Spark Plug Wire Set - Engine Electrical - AC Delco, Beru, Bremi, Denso, Karlyn, NGK, Prenco, Standard Motor Products, Walker - PartsGeek

Buy a 1994 Mercedes E500 Spark Plug Wire Set at discount prices. Choose top quality brands AC Delco, Beru, Bremi, Denso, Karlyn, NGK, Prenco, Standard Motor Products, Walker.

www.partsgeek.com

The BERU set is the one you want -- DO NOT GET BREMI.

 

[robm.UK]

^^^ ditto.
Incidentally other M119 owners have reported that that green oxidation on BW R129 forum, but I have only seen it so far on two other cars, both with replacement Bosch coils.
Also, the new Bosch coil leads I got have a cheap central plastic pole holding the copper terminal, which is riveted to the end. Beru, as in your first photo are built much better with a solid aluminium pole and copper electrode.

 

[robm.UK]

... and the green corrosion, presumably due to dissimilar metals on the galvanic scale, order of nobility, I have only seen on the LH coil of the pair of coils on the R129. The one closest to the turn signal, furthest from engine on the R129 500SL.

My hunch is that because this problem only occurs with new Bosch coils, I suspect that they may have changed the metal composition of the receptacle in the Bosch coil, and MAYBE that is why they also use a plastic central pole.

Not sure if you can get BERU coils. I haven’t looked.

Just my thoughts...

 

[robm.UK]

View attachment 138671

The green yuck is verdigris, corrosion of the copper/brass electrode prongs at the end of the pole. Almost certainly due to galvanic corrosion.

Whether or not the corrosion has anything to do with interaction with the aluminium pole in the BERU, I am not sure.

Maybe the receptacle in the coil is now a nickel chromium alloy in the new replacement Bosch coils instead of passivated zinc plating, therefore increasing the galvanic potential.

I suppose what I’m getting round to is that we have got to be more careful now in matching aftermarket parts, and by that I also mean Bosch parts supplied by the dealers.

This is going to be an interesting one to watch, or not. Too early to tell.

 

[robm.UK]

This is Professor Rob the Gob signing off...

 

[The Emperor]

This is Professor Rob the Gob signing off...

Where is our 81-page white paper on verdegris and galvanic corrosion properties of dissimilar metals?

 

[robm.UK]

If your force is strong you won’t need an 81 page report

 

[gsxr]

Not sure if you can get BERU coils. I haven’t looked.

Back around 2013, I bought some Beru coils, and they appeared to be re-branded Bosch. I haven't seen Beru coils for sale since then.

 

[robm.UK]

Interesting. Remember when Beru repackaged Doduco black distributor caps, which Doduco declared in their original 1989 patent (I have a copy if anyone is interested) had to be replaced every 6000 mile service otherwise the central electrode would fail. I had two Beru caps fail this way. Mercedes switched to Bosch in 1991/92 which had a longer service life and the old Doduco stock was bought up and rebranded by Beru.

Here is the failed Beru centrode

View attachment 138688

The tip (on left) blew off while driving. Complete loss of ignition. Luckily it didn’t take out the EZL. The bit on the right is what I removed by breaking the cap apart.

So, I compared an old Beru cap to a Bosch, and found that the tips come off the electrodes very easily on the Beru, as below: -


View attachment 138690

But they don't come off on the Bosch: -

View attachment 138691

So, as Dave has now pointed out, Beru were also repackaging Bosch coils. Oh s#1t! I am afraid to ask why.

Unfortunately I am now suspicious that there is a flaw with the Bosch coils. Not saying there is, but damn.

Here is the original Bosch part against a later 2018 replacement part: -

View attachment 138692

Original Bosch part: -

View attachment 138694

And the later Bosch part: -

View attachment 138695

 

[robm.UK]

See top of page 3 (of 6) of the attachment in link below for the Mercedes change from Doduco (black caps) to Bosch.

Programmed Repairs Engine 119 KE Injection

www.benzworld.org

Here is a link to the US patent by Doduco in 1992: -

US5078103A - Ignition distributor for internal combustion engines - Google Patents

The relevant extract is below: -
On the other hand, there are a plurality of spark discharges--equal in number to the cylinders of the engine--at the center electrode during each revolution of the rotor so that the wear of the center electrode of the distributor cap will be a multiple of the wear of the fixed electrodes. This is aggravated by the fact that a distributor which is directly mounted on the engine block will always be at a high temperature during operation and that the plastic material of which the cap is made is stressed at the same time by a high voltage up to 35 kilovolts. As a result, cracks will be formed in the plastic material which surrounds the center electrode and will become visible after a travel of about 10,000 kilometers. The cracks will become wider and deeper thereafter and portions of the plastic material may crumble and break out of the cap. In order to avoid such results it has been proposed by the makers of motor vehicles that the cap and the rotor of the distributor should be replaced after a travel of 10,000 km although this involves higher servicing costs.

 

[robm.UK]

More info... this might help others.

I know of two occasions where the central electrodes in Beru caps have failed, and at the time I was not aware of the ‘warning’ that Doduco had filed 13 years prior in their patent.

The M119 engine in my R129’s 500SL, which apart from being KE Jetronic and not LH Jectronic, and a closed deck design, is similar in many ways including the ignition system to the M119 in your 500E.

Several years ago my M119 had done roughly 4k miles since the last service, which included brand new Beru distributor caps to replace the old Bosch caps, when it developed the ‘usual’ misfire. I checked the usual suspects. Wires, coils, plugs were all ok, but scope traces on each coil wire pointed to misfire in both banks, except the left bank was worse. So, I inspected the caps again, and cleaned them, but no luck. In the end I couldn’t find the culprit and replaced the caps with new Beru caps and the misfire went away. The old caps went into a box in the garage.

2 years later it happened again, but this time the whole tip including the plastic surround came off the Beru cap and was dancing around in the distributor, which resulted in a complete loss of ignition.

I went to the box in the garage where I had put the previous Beru caps and on closer inspection I could see a continuous fine crack around the base of the plastic surround to the central electrode. It was very hard to see, but it was there.

Some time later 2019 I came across Doduco’s patent and the penny dropped.

My advice is, if you have a misfire problem and you are running Beru caps, and you are struggling to pin point the cause, and you have already checked for moisture related misfire problems, check for cracks around the base of the plastic surround to the central electrode. You have to look very hard. If they are there, you will see.

 

[tomer]

So I got the coils replaced and used coil wire from ebay installed, all set for road test... I was not going to touch the passenger side dist cap but convinced myself to remove it...

Holy (*&^%$#.... There was a thin film of oil with a lot of water on it, I smeared it with my finger to check it... Don't know how this condensation can accumulate inside the cap in our low humidity climate here in NorCal... cleaned it up with WD-40 and lite sand of the contacts with emery cloth and so far so good...


clearly arcing via the water...
last pic is cleaned up best I could!

 

[gsxr]

tomer, is there any oil leakage from the cam solenoid, running along the bottom of the distributor cap edge?

Read post #132 here for more info.

EDIT: Ooops, I see you replied to that already - nevermind!

 

[TerryA]

So I got the coils replaced and used coil wire from ebay installed, all set for road test... I was not going to touch the passenger side dist cap but convinced myself to remove it...

Holy (*&^%$#.... There was a thin film of oil with a lot of water on it, I smeared it with my finger to check it... Don't know how this condensation can accumulate inside the cap in our low humidity climate here in NorCal... cleaned it up with WD-40 and lite sand of the contacts with emery cloth and so far so good...

View attachment 139479
clearly arcing via the water...View attachment 139480View attachment 139481View attachment 139482
last pic is cleaned up best I could!

@tomer, You might want to check the cam seals behind the distributor rotors. If it’s leaking that’s a source for oil in the caps.

Also in NorCal don’t you get pretty cold nights? If your car is parked hot on a cold night the engine might draw in condensation. Check your weather’s humidity in the morning.

In SoCal 10 miles from the ocean the AM humidity is usually 75% to 85% but dries out during the day.

Won’t hurt to check.

Take Care

 

[JC220]

So I got the coils replaced and used coil wire from ebay installed, all set for road test... I was not going to touch the passenger side dist cap but convinced myself to remove it...

Holy (*&^%$#.... There was a thin film of oil with a lot of water on it, I smeared it with my finger to check it... Don't know how this condensation can accumulate inside the cap in our low humidity climate here in NorCal... cleaned it up with WD-40 and lite sand of the contacts with emery cloth and so far so good...

View attachment 139479
clearly arcing via the water...View attachment 139480View attachment 139481View attachment 139482
last pic is cleaned up best I could!

My thread below shows clearly the mods you want to carry out there. My 500E had these issues and now runs perfect despite living outside much damper climate.

This thread remains the only accurate and comprehensive single point of call for m119 ignition mods

FYI - Essential M119 Ignition "Tune Up" mods [Distributor cap vent / slot] | M119 Engine

Hi all, I have been meaning to address this on my little used 500E for years.... it is a problem I myself recognised about 5 years ago when I first looked at an m119 distributer cap..... Compare to any other distributor cap of the era such as an m104 and you will see there are NO ventilation...

www.500eboard.co

 

[robm.UK]

@tomer
Why you shouldn’t use petroleum based spray water dispersants such as WD40 in M119 distributor caps: -

• 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene and 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene, which are commonly used in petroleum based water dispersants such as WD40 permeate the plastic of the distributor caps and softens the surface.
• The oily film from WD40 contains (among aliphatic hydrocarbons, naphtha, isomers of trimethyl benzene, and mineral oils) roughly 50-60% alkanes. These alkanes are already heavily reduced and are readily oxidised by the high energy 30kV plasma inside the distributor cap, which releases not only heat but also carbon dioxide and water!
• One molecule of Nonane can potentially release 12 molecules of water if sufficient oxygen is present.
• Some of the water becomes adsorbed into the softened hygroscopic molecular structure of the plastic cap. While some of the water remains as tiny water droplets sitting on top of the oily film (comprising heavier hydrocarbons, cyclohexane and mineral oils), which is what you see in the photo. These water droplets cannot coalesce because of the hydrophobic film, and therefore the water droplets cannot readily conduct electricity.
• The adsorbed water in the cap does readily conduct electricity and carbon tracks readily form in the surface of the cap as the adsorbed water is oxidised by the HT plasma, oxidising the surface of the cap, leaving behind the carbon trails. These trails are more electrically conductive and more hygroscopic, causing further misfiring over time.
• The carbon trails form between the central electrode and ALL the outer electrodes due to the way the water is deposited uniformly by the oxidation of the alkanes.
• In contrast, the typical moisture related misfiring that is caused by humid climates, where there is a vapour drive from the more moist air outside to the warmer, more hygroscopic, air inside the cap, tends to produce carbon tracks mostly between the central electrode and the upper two electrodes, where the moist air inside the cap rises and becomes trapped in the upper part of the cap. Therefore arcing caused by humid climates results in misfires in the respective distributors feeding cylinders 2 and 5, and 4 and 6.

The oily deposits in the photos in post #14 are probably old WD40. Not engine oil. I say this because -

• The oily film looks too clear for engine oil.
• Normally, oil leaks from either the cam adjuster solenoids or cam journal oil seals tend to leave engine oil in the bottom of the circular well in the cap for the insulator cup and also around the bottom mating face of the cap. Oil from leaking cam adjuster solenoids tends to collect dirt from the engine front cover on its way to the distributor and I can see no traces of any of this in the photos.
• The carbon trails in the photos have affected all the electrodes and this is not consistent with arcing caused in humid climates, which tends to affect mostly the uppermost electrodes as I explained above.

Nevertheless it is still possible that the cam adjuster solenoids or cam journal seals might be leaking, but this would not cause an oily film in the central part of the distributor cap. On page 42 of my 81 page report I also pointed out that for crankcase vapour to leak passed the cam journal oil seals both the seal must be leaking badly AND the crankcase breather PCV system must be faulty. The latter is highly unlikely on the M119, so I think any connection between leaking cam journal oil seals and moisture vapour in the distributors is an extremely tenuous one. To drive this point home, I replaced the cam journal oil seals and it made absolutely no discernible difference to the misfire whatsoever.

So, in your case I would not recommend the modifications in the link to the thread in the previous post. Although the thread did gather accuracy as others, including myself, contributed, unfortunately it infers a connection between leaking cam journal seals and distributor misfire, which simply cannot be proven. The thread also lacks many of the points that I have made both in this thread and others, so if it is the most ‘accurate and comprehensive single point of call for m119 ignition mods’ we are all in trouble.

I pointed out in post #10 of the previous poster’s thread that there are other factors that can elicit similar misfiring symptoms, such as other fuelling or ignition faults, air flow calibration, ignition timings, manifold depression, air leaks, faulty CTS etc etc. Prime of which probably is fuelling and the tendency (by design) for the Bosch LH Jetronic system to run lean, even at WOT. This tendency increases as the car’s get older due to wear, contamination and acidification of the fuel system due to the use of ethanol fuels. For instance a 0.1 bar drop in the fuel system pressure is enough to elicit an intermittent misfire at idle, and this can be caused by something as simple as a leaking fuel accumulator.

To trace the cause of a misfire condition the health of every component of the ignition and fuel system must be verified by following standard diagnostic procedures.

As far as using WD40 in M119 distributor caps. Don’t do it! See page 66 ‘Water Displacement and Sealer Sprays’ in my 81 page report.

Quote: - “Is the use of water displacement and sealer sprays a reliable solution? Answer - No.”

The use of WD40 in M119 distributor caps is NOT recommended.

If I were you I would check the cam solenoids or cam journal oil seals for oil leaks and attend to these accordingly, but you probably don’t need to modify your caps.

 

[Kyiv]

 

[robm.UK]

Better than WD40, but still not great or necessary to use in a distributor.

Doesn’t contain trimethyl benzenes, mineral oils or waxes, but it does contain the following alkanes: -

Hydrocarbons, C6-C7, n-alkanes, isoalkanes, cyclics,< 5% n-hexane, hydrocarbons, C6, isoalkanes,< 5% n-hexane, Pentane

Attached data sheet

https://docs.rs-online.com/e2ac/0900766b81250be8.pdf

Alkanes CnHx + HT plasma + (n+x/4)O2 = nCO2 + (x/2)H2O in your distributor.

 

[gerryvz]

I would use brake cleaner.....or a new cap entirely.

 

[robm.UK]

Better again, but brake cleaner also contains alkanes and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Hydrocarbons, C6-C7, n-alkanes,isoalkanes,cyclics,< 5% n-hexane, Hydrocarbons, C7, n-alkanes,isoalkanes, cyclic

but in different quants to electrical cleaner.

If there was oil around the cap I would probably use brake cleaner.

 

[robm.UK]

... because you use it Gerry

My brake cleaner consumption quadrupled after I read Gerry’s ‘Top End Refresh’ thread. Around the time @Duh_Vinci said his stash was running low and was having trouble finding stock.

So I figured, pandemic = garage time, so I bought two dozen. 12 months ago. Now down to last 6.

 

[tomer]

Thanks soooooooooo much for the fantastic info @robm.UK!!!!! I did check the seal on the cam behind the rotor on the drivers side and no leaks there so I did not pull the rotor on passenger side which had those ugly carbon tracks... I can of course pull it soon to check.

Perhaps the shop that installed the new caps gave it a wipe with WD-40 or brake cleaner for good measure when they installed them new... A retired mechanic at the pub recommended cleaning the caps with rubbing alcohol. Do you think that is better or worse than brake cleaner?

 

[robm.UK]

No problem.
It would be interesting to see if there are any leaks on the passenger side.

One more thing... from your photos in post #14, the black polypropylene radio frequency suppression cover on the passenger side cap with the carbon tracks has a crack down one side with a tell tale pry mark from a flat bladed screw driver. This cap has seen some unusual action for only 200 miles of use. Are you sure your mechanic changed it?

There should be date stamps on the black covers. A number in the middle designating the year and the arrow pointing to the month. They should be the same if they came from the same cap batch.

The cap below (from my spare parts shelves) has a date stamp Nov (month 11), year 2013. Bottom right.

View attachment 139656

 

[gerryvz]

... because you use it Gerry

My brake cleaner consumption quadrupled after I read Gerry’s ‘Top End Refresh’ thread. Around the time @Duh_Vinci said his stash was running low and was having trouble finding stock.

So I figured, pandemic = garage time, so I bought two dozen. 12 months ago. Now down to last 6.

You I presume can buy the "real" red-can "leaded" brake cleaner in the UK, no? Unlike the good folks in California and a couple of other US states, where it is banned as an environmental hazard that contributes to global warming.

Just bought a case of it myself (12 cans) as I was down to my last two. I think I went through about 10 cans when I did my Top-End job last year. Cleaning off the top/front of the oilpan and the front of the engine resulted in some REAL good hallucinations times.

 

[robm.UK]

The brake cleaner I use is certified green, age +4 and up, non PBT (Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic) so does not contain the nasty chlorinated hydrocarbons.

I thought yours in the US did. Texas, no?

I get it now, the ‘Wow!’ to my post #22 was a WTF! Wow!, not a Great! Wow!

 

[gerryvz]

I haven’t lived in Texas for more than four years now.

That said, I can still buy “the good stuff” brake cleaner in my current state of Maryland. You can’t very easily buy a gun, but you can definitely buy the good brake cleaner. In Texas it’s equally easy to buy both.

 

[robm.UK]

... A retired mechanic at the pub recommended cleaning the caps with rubbing alcohol. Do you think that is better or worse than brake cleaner?

I haven’t personally used rubbing alcohol.

Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol mixed with water) is known to permeate the surface of plastics and epoxy resins. So long as the caps are dried thoroughly afterwards, rubbing alcohol could be used I suppose.

Pure isopropyl alcohol will dissolve oil. The solvent and surfactant capability of isopropyl alcohol decreases with the water content. So I am not sure how effective rubbing alcohol would be in removing oil. (The water was added to isopropyl alcohol for medical disinfectant purposes to make it more effective on bacteria).

Rubbing alcohol and brake cleaner will probably leave a slight haze on Bosch caps where the solvents corrupt the surface structure.

The black (Doduco) Beru caps have an imide varnish coating which is much more resistant to hydrocarbons. But as explained earlier there are other drawbacks with Doduco caps.

I think it’s best to avoid using any solvent based cleaners on the M119 distributor caps. Just a clean dry cloth. But if I had to use a solvent to remove oil I would used brake cleaner as Gerry recommended. It flashes off very quickly, and most of the oil is carried off with the evaporations, leaving you to finish off with a quick wipe with a dry cloth.

 

[robm.UK]

@gerryvz, is that a Wow!, or aWow!?

or ?

You know what I’m saying?

 

[rayhennig]

Back around 2013, I bought some Beru coils, and they appeared to be re-branded Bosch. I haven't seen Beru coils for sale since then.

Is it not possible that the MB Star and/or part number has been ground off to be supplied aftermarket? Beru selling Bosch sounds unlikely to me but I'm no expert.

RayH

 

[gsxr]

Is it not possible that the MB Star and/or part number has been ground off to be supplied aftermarket? Beru selling Bosch sounds unlikely to me but I'm no expert.

Yes, that is possible, but Bosch makes the OE coil... so it would be the same item, with different markings. As shown in the pics, the coil in the Beru box with Beru label was visually identical to Bosch.

 

[robm.UK]

My thread below shows clearly the mods you want to carry out there. My 500E had these issues and now runs perfect despite living outside much damper climate.

This thread remains the only accurate and comprehensive single point of call for m119 ignition mods

FYI - Essential M119 Ignition "Tune Up" mods [Distributor cap vent / slot] | M119 Engine

Hi all, I have been meaning to address this on my little used 500E for years.... it is a problem I myself recognised about 5 years ago when I first looked at an m119 distributer cap..... Compare to any other distributor cap of the era such as an m104 and you will see there are NO ventilation...

www.500eboard.co

Joe,

Since you have referenced your thread ‘essential-m119-ignition-tune-up-mods’ it is only right that the follow up that you instigated in the thread below should also be referenced, since it contains pertinent information:

400E - engine shuts its self off when reaches operating temp. | M119 Engine

With regard to your queries in your post below

400E - engine shuts its self off when reaches operating temp. | M119 Engine

Joe, I feel that my previous response has resolved a number of misunderstandings and there should be no meat left on the bone of your contention, other than a few final quibbles.

Regarding your Q, who should you credit and why, I suggest you could start with some of these contributions below, since they originated in this forum and hold pertinent information to your ‘How-to’. Maybe these posts also helped you out and are deserving of acknowledgement with a ‘like’? If you haven’t seen them before I am sure you will find them ‘informative’ at the very least: -

Best caps and rotors- and where to buy them??? | M119 Engine

Stripped bolt heads on distributor rotors: How to remove?? HELP | M119 Engine

Stripped bolt heads on distributor rotors: How to remove?? HELP | M119 Engine

Stripped bolt heads on distributor rotors: How to remove?? HELP | M119 Engine

HOW DO WE AVOID THE DREADED DISTRIBUTOR CONDENSATION ? | Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

Upgrading/preventive maintenane ignition system...Coils n such | M119 Engine

my sad 94 e420 | 400E / E420 Discussions

Identifying bad caps & rotors | M119 Engine

About to give up | Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

Engine still skipping a beat every few seconds | M119 Engine

Before the recent exchange, I didn’t really get your reaction in the essential-m119-ignition-tune-up-mods’ thread until now you have said it was the “Good to see you’re promoting my distributor cap fix :Big grin” comment that got under your skin, and for that you have asked for an apology.

Again, I did not mean to suggest you copied my report, or the vent idea was exclusively mine, or that your information was totally wrong. These were your words and interpretations.

Joe, ‘promote’ means to support! It doesn’t mean copy.
‘My’ mean’t mine inclusively, not mine exclusively. I was just trying to convey that I played a part in the fix, and you already knew that because you used my information from Benzworld. In case you forgot, you copied my 2017 BW posts, which described the distributor mods that you are now promoting, into your 2019 post #65 in the ‘thoughts on moisture problem...’ thread below: -

Thoughts on moisture problem inside insulators/and distributor caps :VIDEO | M119 Engine

My posts are here: -

M119 distributor caps.. moisture!!

M119 distributor caps.. moisture!!

If I’m hell bent on anything Joe it’s clearing my name that you have smeared with various fallacious arguments. You like to poke the wasp nest, yes? It’s fun isn’t it.

Another recent example - when you queried why I recently deleted several posts? Well, I ought to correct you there, it was two posts in a thread concerning the sale of a car. I deleted the threads because they contained personally identifiable information. That’s all it was, and is not relevant. Not sure why you brought it up?

Joe, I really don’t think I owe you an apology. I am grateful however for your responses, which have helped me understand more where you have been coming from. No hard feelings.

Rob

 

[Kyiv]

Ah, the British always stirring trouble in northern Ireland...

 

[robm.UK]

I’m staying out of hipolitics!

 

[JC220]

Regarding your Q, who should you credit and why, I suggest you could start with some of these contributions below, since they originated in this forum and hold pertinent information to your ‘How-to’. Maybe these posts also helped you out and are deserving of acknowledgement with a ‘like’? If you haven’t seen them before I am sure you will find them ‘informative’ at the very least: -

Best caps and rotors- and where to buy them??? | M119 Engine

Stripped bolt heads on distributor rotors: How to remove?? HELP | M119 Engine

Stripped bolt heads on distributor rotors: How to remove?? HELP | M119 Engine

Stripped bolt heads on distributor rotors: How to remove?? HELP | M119 Engine

HOW DO WE AVOID THE DREADED DISTRIBUTOR CONDENSATION ? | Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

Upgrading/preventive maintenane ignition system...Coils n such | M119 Engine

my sad 94 e420 | 400E / E420 Discussions

Identifying bad caps & rotors | M119 Engine

About to give up | Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

Engine still skipping a beat every few seconds | M119 Engine

Before the recent exchange, I didn’t really get your reaction in the essential-m119-ignition-tune-up-mods’ thread until now you have said it was the “Good to see you’re promoting my distributor cap fix :Big grin” comment that got under your skin, and for that you have asked for an apology.

Again, I did not mean to suggest you copied my report, or the vent idea was exclusively mine, or that your information was totally wrong. These were your words and interpretations.

Joe, ‘promote’ means to support! It doesn’t mean copy.
‘My’ mean’t mine inclusively, not mine exclusively. I was just trying to convey that I played a part in the fix, and you already knew that because you used my information from Benzworld. In case you forgot, you copied my 2017 BW posts, which described the distributor mods that you are now promoting, into your 2019 post #65 in the ‘thoughts on moisture problem...’ thread below: -

Thoughts on moisture problem inside insulators/and distributor caps :VIDEO | M119 Engine

My posts are here: -

M119 distributor caps.. moisture!!

M119 distributor caps.. moisture!!

If I’m hell bent on anything Joe it’s clearing my name that you have smeared with various fallacious arguments. You like to poke the wasp nest, yes? It’s fun isn’t it.

Another recent example - when you queried why I recently deleted several posts? Well, I ought to correct you there, it was two posts in a thread concerning the sale of a car. I deleted the threads because they contained personally identifiable information. That’s all it was, and is not relevant. Not sure why you brought it up?

Joe, I really don’t think I owe you an apology. I am grateful however for your responses, which have helped me understand more where you have been coming from. No hard feelings.

Rob

I am aware of the various ignition threads on 500E board yes, indeed I also contributed to many of them too!

The purpose of my How-To was to provide a single thread with simple step by step instructions taking in ALL work that in my opinion should be considered and what I do to my M119 cars. That is the cam seal replacement, insulator cups, ventilating the caps and plug gap recomendations. You will not find another ignition thread on here that achieves that goal. Posts are all over the place and only if you know how to search would you even find it which again I wanted to improve upon. Your report also must not contain all of that either since you queried the 1mm plug gap which is will known by the 500E board anoraks this years.

You will see in my other How-Tos where I have used GSXR images etc I DO credit him for example. And I do make a point of asking permission before posting! Beyond that, where it is my own words, photos and opinions no I do not need to credit anyone else or link other threads unless I feel it is appropriate. And members do contribute further information on How-Tos which when presented in good taste is very well recieved.

Ref your deleted posts you are still making references that only your data is correct and my thread is flawed.

So, in your case I would not recommend the modifications in the link to the thread in the previous post. Although the thread did gather accuracy as others, including myself, contributed, unfortunately it infers a connection between leaking cam journal seals and distributor misfire, which simply cannot be proven. The thread also lacks many of the points that I have made both in this thread and others, so if it is the most ‘accurate and comprehensive single point of call for m119 ignition mods’ we are all in trouble.

If you prefer @robm.UK I can delete my Ignition How- To? Happy to delete it if that means you will not comment on me or my How-To being inaccurate in the future.

I can't say fairer than that.

If you agree to leave the thread then we must agree to disagree and move on. Simple as that I'm sure members are not enjoying these posts either I understand that too.

I will put you on ignore list and suggest you do the same to me.

 

[gerryvz]

Perhaps "Tachy Goes to Coventry" mode could be enabled. @xfadmin, can you kindly manage this?