OWNER JC220

[vatc5637]

I may have mis-understood your last post, but I would be very hesitant about using the puller to remove the center piston from the housing. Those holes where the spring-loaded pistons are installed are finely machined and I wouldn't want to mess them up while trying to pull the center piston out. As Gerry said, if you put a block of wood on the back of the housing, you should be able to drop it by tapping on the wood block after positioning it above two blocks spaced widely apart to allow the piston to drop down between them (though admittedly, it isn't for the faint of heart). I'm not sure, but if you use a puller like the one pictured below, you might even be able to pull the shaft seal without moving the piston, though I'm not sure how easy it would be to re-install the new seal correctly, plus there are likely additional seals on the bottom of the center piston as well. Good luck!

 

[JC220]

Yes that's a good point regarding the puller- what I intend to do is use the slide hammer to gently 'walk' the centre section out of the housing. It will be attached with the round disk type bearing puller from behind so the chance of damaging anything is very low. As you say putting a puller on & cranking it up is a bad idea. Thing is the other side of this pump has a finely machined face so I don't want to strike it even with wood to cusion it.

I did get the whole PS bracket off the car tonight. I removed the plastic cover over the roll bar and the air cleaner. After those were out of the way 10 minutes had the 2x 13mm bolts removed and the bracket out. The rear end of the pump is only a housing- there is one O Ring only sealing the top plate on. But at least I can reassemble the pump on the bench first then re-install the assembly. I can also steam clean all the oil mess off the engine first now that great access is available to the area of the oil leak.

 

[JC220]

Here are a few pics of the complete Cam Magnet rebuild I just got the Rivets in the post today so got stuck in. I choose 3.2 x 10mm countersunk closed end pop rivets which are ideal for this job. The original drill holes require countersinking so the Rivets sit nice and flush with the rear magnet face. A high quality RTV sealant is now applied in 4 rings inside each magnet then clamped tight with it oozing out all over. (All excess RTV was removed including the recess inside the Magnet where the Cam adjuster sits inside)

Those Magnets ain’t ever leaking again!! I am doing a full DIY writeup on my method – I’ll post it at the weekend with more step by step pics.

 

[Matin]

Nice work bud, you've really turned this car around

 

[JC220]

Nice work bud, you've really turned this car around

Thanks Matin! It's had a lot done in a short space of time but I enjoy working on it. Just as well really as I have lots more planned

 

[TerryA]

JC,

Thanks for posting the cam magnet job. It looks great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JC220]

JC,

Thanks for posting the cam magnet job. It looks great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No problem Terry - I also created a DIY here.

There will be more updates in a few days when the parts arrive from Germany. I also have a new Luk / Ina belt tensioner coming in a few days (I didnt like the end float in the original pulley bearing). And I have more work in mind now - I am thinking of doing the Air Pump delete too. The Air pump pulley doesnt turn by hand very nicely it feels like it's binding up.

All other pulleys spin really nice and quiet so with the new tensioner, rebuilt tandem pump, 150amp alternator and Air Pump delete it should make for a whisper quiet - reliable auxilary belt system.

 

[JC220]

Man that delete pulley sure is expensive, try $371 USD from my local dealer!!!

Thanks to Jonathan of Genuine Autoparts I got it for a much better price. But still holy crap - that thing must be cast with Gold. I'll have it in a week or so.




This is fast turning into the world's most expensive Aux Fan change


Next I need to measure & have cnc plasma cut 2no blanking plates for the old Air Pump connections on the intake manifold etc. They will be 3mm polished aluminium plate. These are pics I found on this forum-



Dave have you ever done the Air Pump delete before? Maybe you can't with the emissions stuff in the USA - but is there anything else needs done other than removing the air pump and associated gobbins / vacuum lines, fitting the MB delete pulley & blanking off the connection points?

 

[JC220]

I test fitted the new 150amp alternator today it fits really nice & just clears the oil lines.



Looking at the viscous fan coupling it's the original item still. So I have decided to ditch the fan and for 2 new electric fans instead.

Edit - I have bought 2 of these fans - 2 of them will provide 2300cfm of cooling

View attachment 0444_fan_switch_spec.pdf

 

[JC220]

All the parts arrived from MB Germany today so I started the reassembly of the LUK tandem pump.

But where do I find the Torque settings for the bolts holding the pump itself together? There are 8 bolts up front 2 of different types.

I have tried WIS but not really sure where to look for the Torque settings since I'm a WIS- WUS! I can find the other pump but not the LUK one

 

[JC220]

Well I got the tandem pump rebuild finished up & torqued to spec.

I got the new INA belt tensioner today and noticed there was an area scuffed off on the casing. I figured this meant it was an OE part and they had ground the Mercedes Part number off. Looking closely at the old tensioner it is indeed marked INA so they were the OE supplier

Look at the difference on the old VS new – looks like the old one was failing anyway as the clocking is off on the part with the 2 flat sides.




Has anyone any tips on removing that circlip holding the Oil Check valve in? Im finding it hard to remove not sure how to go about it. It seems there is a small gap made for a screwdriver or similar to pry it out but just want to be sure....

 

[JC220]

Tonight’s work was pulling the Oil Pan and replacing the Oil Inlet / screen with the new updated MB items and also renewing both O rings on the Oil Level sender. Good thing I ordered those O Rings, Oil was leaking badly from the sender connector. On inspecting the contents of the Oil Pan it was 100% debris free, no bits of plastic or anything else in there at all. It's hard to see in the pic - but what to hell-








Using a torch and slowing turning the crank over with a wrench underneath the car I got a look at in the inside of the crankcase & some of the cylinder walls. The cylinder walls look to be in SUPERB condition no marks or polishing of any kind so I'm really happy with that. It needs a few more oil changes to clean everything up the way I'd like it. All buttoned up again and the Pan torqued back to 9nm with a special low range torque wrench. Next is the upper rail guide replacement.

 

[nocfn]

While I finish my chain rails and spark plug/metal oiler swap, that will be the final job to replace all of that with blue hylomar and the sender with rings/oil pickup and screen along with replacing all of the wire heat protection tubes. Good work!

 

[JC220]

While I finish my chain rails and spark plug/metal oiler swap, that will be the final job to replace all of that with blue hylomar and the sender with rings/oil pickup and screen along with replacing all of the wire heat protection tubes. Good work!

Thanks! I had the same idea on the wiring tubing, mine is crumbling apart. Seems like now would be a good time to replace those. I'm also getting a load of tin work / bolts / pulleys in the engine bay re-zinc plated. Lots of running around dropping stuff off to get soda blasted etc but it should be worth it in the end. Zinc plating will happen next week hopefully.

BTW sorry for your loss. Part of my interest in w124's was from my late mum who gave me the family 124 saloon when I turned 18. It's the 200 that's now an E36, when it's done it'll be better than new. I have many fond memories in that car as we had it from new in 87. That's what it's all about- remembering the good times!

 

[JC220]

The new fans arrived today. A quick test run on a spare radiator core proves they move alot of air. And the noise is surprisingly low I think they will be barely audible with the engine running. They will easily outperform the viscous fan at idle.

I think my original 1992 viscous coupling was defective. It always seemed on full even at cold idle. It also takes a few HP to drive that mechanical fan so with the car having that new 150amp Alternator this upgrade just seems to make sense. A controller is being used to turn the fans on & off. A sensor pushes into the radiator core near the water inlet and it monitors the rad temps. The fan click on temp is fully adjustable so I can set it up to suit the car so they just kick in & out at idle as required.

I am designing a custom fan shroud which will closely mimic the design of the original item – so unless you look down at the fans it will be hard to tell anything is different from stock at a glance.

 

[JC220]

Today I got the LH cam cover off & the new timing guide fitted. Although the original was still in good condition with no bits broken & zero wear. Still glad I replaced it all the same. The Engine was clean inside – not great but not bad either. A few more Oil changes & it’ll clean itself up.


The Valve cover got cleaned and I spent about an hour just polishing up the sealing faces with 1200 grit to ensure a good seal. All new copper washers and re-torqued to 9nm. The rebuilt cam Magnet was reinstalled with the correct anaerobic sealant so next it’s on to the other side. (The Oil mess on the outside of the engine will be cleaned off when I have all the oilways sealed)











Edit- forgot to mention I am also going to try upping the spark plug gap to 1.0mm as recommended on here. I have a new set of MB plugs that ill gap like that and replace the recent .8mm Bosch plugs fitted. The larger gap is supposed to give a better idle. It feels 'wrong' to me but I'm curious to try it!

 

[JC220]

I got just a little more done last night to the 500E. I repeated the same exercise on the other cylinder bank - renewing the upper guides, cleaning the Valve Covers, fitting new gaskets and buttoning it up again.




I did also ditch the recent 0.8mm Bosch Plugs for a set of new MB plugs which I gapped at 1.0mm this time around.



I’m still waiting on all the bolts / small brackets coming back from Zinc Plating so can’t get any further for now.

In other exciting news.....

The Air Pump delete pulley is quite a light weight item – vs the 8.6kg of the Air pump & associated gumph) it’s a nice little weight save too. Also – on weighing the 150Amp vs the stock Alternator the weights are pretty much the same at 6.9kg each. (The 150Amp Unit is 120grams heavier – nothing really)



One other thing that was bothering me was a sudden chronic lifter knock that my E36 project w124 developed. It sounded like cylinder 6.

C36 AMG Engines are characteristic of the diesel-esk lifter noise but this was too much! A bottle of Wynns Lifter Treatment and a third warmup tonight and it’s fine again

 

[nocfn]

Did you cheat with some superglue on the rear moons of the vc seals? I did...

 

[JC220]

Did you cheat with some superglue on the rear moons of the vc seals? I did...

Hi nocfn, no the MB Gaskets stuck on really good on their own. I did use brake cleaner to remove all oil / grease off the cam covers so I think that's what made them stay on so good. I got both cam covers on first time without issue- and I did jar them about a little since space is so tight. But they stuck on like s#%+e to a blanket as they say!

One cam cam cover bolt was loose and oil was weeping out for quite some time it appears. So even though the upper timing guides were OK I'm still glad I replaced them and the cam gaskets. The cam cover gaskets in mine were quite hardened- were yours like that too?

Im also considering the late m119 water pump upgrade..... I've found a Hepu pump for a great price.... but it seems such a shame to ditch that brand new MB thermostat I fitted. I might buy the pump & keep it on the shelf for now.

 

[nocfn]

Mine was new just prior to my ownership maybe less than 5k, but they used rtv so I scrapped them. I replaced the guides they did since I was there. Just posted a picture on my thread of the engine bay.

 

[JC220]

I picked up the freshly Zinc plated parts this morning

Pretty cool that these are the original MB parts / bolts and they look brand new again! I chose the yellow Zinc Plate because that’s what Mercedes used in that era. Although some of these parts were not plated originally – they were painted instead. The eagle eyed will spot 2 Plates in there too – those are the EGR Blanking plates I had machined for the m119.

The painted parts had to be soda blasted first to remove the old paint / rust-



Then the final results-





What some of the already plated parts looked like before-



And after-




The Oil Filter housing is also back from Ultrasonic cleaning so any / all old Oil residue is gone from inside. I’m gathering up some more parts / bolts for Zinc Plating but I can begin putting the Engine back together with the stuff I have now.

 

[JC220]

I got a few hours to work on the 500E today so I broke out the steam cleaner and washed a decade of Engine Oil off the front of the m119. Those Cam magnets were leaking oil bad – it was thick nasty stuff. But now all gone- I also got in under the car and washed the Engine off really well – its spotless now all around. Oil Filter housing is back on, Oil Cooler lines fitted with new MB O Rings & the EGR Blanking plates fitted.




So I can start fitting more new parts tomorrow morning. The Tandem pump was successfully rebuilt – the Genuine MB seal kit was perfect fit. I also ordered a pair of K&N Air filters for the 500E ref 33-2678

 

[lowman]

ooooohhhh love it.

 

[JC220]

ooooohhhh love it.

Thanks Norge- glad you like it!

 

[TerryA]

Looking Good JC

 

[JC220]

Looking Good JC

Thanks Terry!

Not much to report since. Been carrying out some more design tweaks to the custom fan shroud. The pics attached are just a ‘test run’ with paper before fabrication commences.

It will be made from 2mm aluminium with various angle folds etc to follow the same design of the original. Tig welded joints with a satin black finish is what I plan. This cowl also houses the adjustable fan controller and hides the wiring from view. A 4x pin in line plug will enable fast removal of the shroud and fans since this shroud mounts up exactly as the original did with the 2 lower tabs and upper mounting clips. Should be pretty trick when it’s done. My brother is helping out as he works in a specialist fabricators shop so they are fabricating it in the coming days.
This way the electric fan conversion is 100% reversible, light, efficient and maintains stock appearance which is important to me. It's taken me many hours to measure & design it to my picky tastes so I am looking forward to seeing the fabricated item now!

The real one won't be made of paper

 

[JC220]

So the 500E is edging closer to being able to start it again. Still waiting on stuff coming back from the Zinc Plater’s but I should be able to collect it this Friday. That is most of the bolts so I can finish putting the rest of the stuff back on the motor.




Question – when I bought the car it had Blue antifreeze in it. I have since diluted it down with water over several fills / empties. During the last drain I could see a very slight tint of blue to the water but not much at all really - a trace. I have not yet taken off the block drain plugs. I am kind of afraid they might shear or something – not sure if that’s an issue? IE; they may never have been removed since 1992!

Should I just re-fill with the correct Zerox yellow antifreeze now mixed with de-ionised water and call it good? Or should I attempt to flush the heater matrix with a hose pipe and / or drop the block drain plugs?

 

[nocfn]

I vote for the flush, but have spare or replacement block plugs. Mb citric flush but I'd wait on that part until it's running.

 

[JC220]

I vote for the flush, but have spare or replacement block plugs. Mb citric flush but I'd wait on that part until it's running.

OK, Thanks Nocfn. I’ll run it first then consider the citrus flush. The car’s coolant passages all look pristine though. It’s just a shame someone put the wrong antifreeze in otherwise it would be simple drain & refill.

 

[JC220]

Got these 2 filters in the post today from CKS Performance. I like K&N Filters myself – had them on many Mercedes before and never had problems when they are correctly oiled / maintained.



Performance wise –my 500E now has (Or will have completed shortly);


ASR Defeat
Viscous Fan delete
Air Pump delete
Uprated Walbro Fuel Pump
150Amp Alternator
K&N Air Filters
W124 Performance Chip
Early WOT Enriched ECU
Fox cat back stainless sports exhaust with Y Pipe
First Gear Start module
300km/hr Y Rated Tyres

And all brand new ignition system, wiring harnesses & Lambda probe etc.

It hauled ass before so I am looking forward to a test drive soon when It’s running again. All of the above may not have added HP as such but everything combined should make the car ‘feel’ quicker off the line for sure!

 

[JC220]

The drawings are slowly turning into reality! Behold one custom E500E Fan Cowl! It’s as light as a feather and fits like a glove! Bodywork on the shroud has commenced. It’s going to be Satin Black for OE Stealth. It clips in exactly as the OE shroud does. Super happy with it.

 

[195910]

Why do you need all this ? The original cooling system is perfectly fine upto 40C even in stop and go traffic. I ran my old 500E is 54C using OE upgrade parts of the original setup, was not idle but such ambient temperatures are only in Kuwait.

The drawings are slowly turning into reality! Behold one custom E500E Fan Cowl! It’s as light as a feather and fits like a glove! Bodywork on the shroud has commenced. It’s going to be Satin Black for OE Stealth. It clips in exactly as the OE shroud does. Super happy with it.

View attachment 55454View attachment 55455

 

[JC220]

Why do you need all this ? The original cooling system is perfectly fine upto 40C even in stop and go traffic. I ran my old 500E is 54C using OE upgrade parts of the original setup, was not idle but such ambient temperatures are only in Kuwait.

Because my Viscous fan was the original item and stuck full on / faulty. A 500E Viscous coupling is specific to that car and almost $1000 USD new from MB. (I would not fit an aftermarket Viscous coupling) However, I think Electric Fans are a more modern and efficient alternative and I’m not the first to consider this type of conversion-


E500E Electric Fan conversion thread | Heating and Cooling


But I did not want to slap an off the shelf fan cowl on the back and call it good. This one will mimic stock looks but with high performing fans at idle speed which will only come on & off when needed. All my modern Benzes are electric fans so Mercedes have moved away from the Viscous couplings long ago – it’s old school. Plus it frees up more room in the engine bay without that huge metal fan in the way.[FONT=&quot] I had already invested in a new 150Amp Alternator so the car has more than enough current at idle for this upgrade.[/FONT]

 

[JC220]

I am still waiting on the bolts I need to come back from Zinc Plating – for now I can’t get the Engine assembled without that. But I did get the shroud finished & a test fit in the car










I am using this Mercedes 3 Pin plug to hook up the shroud (Along with an Earth Eyelet) so install / removal of the fan pack can be completed in about 20 seconds.



I hope to have the car running again by Saturday. I will run it up to about 95 degrees and turn on the fans to see just how well they can cool the car. Initial jumpering of the fans in car is very promising – they move alot of air and are quite quiet. I think they will be barely audible at all with the engine running.

 

[SayHey]

Is it possible tp get a drawing of this plate from you?

 

[JC220]

Is it possible tp get a drawing of this plate from you?

OK, I don't mind sharing it - PM me your email address and I'll send the drawing .dwg File. The shroud is in 2 parts which are CNC plasma cut from 2mm Aluiminuim. I gave the drawings and my Rad to my brother's shop who are experienced fabricators. They can make any parts I draw & in any material so it's a great help!

They spent quite a bit of time getting this made to precision for me. My drawing is mm perfect but it still takes a skilled fabricator to Tig weld the plates together so it fits perfect onto your Rad. (I don't think they will make another one of these btw)

If you do get one fabricated as per my drawing make sure & post pics!

 

[JC220]

Well after a serious amount of work the car is up & running again! It started up like it was running just yesterday and no issues at all.

It actually sounds different....... but way better!! Ditching the Air Pump and fitting the new alternator & tensioner etc has the belt drive whisper silent. I mean totally silent I have never heard one quite so quiet before. And with the mechanical fan gone there is no more loud fan noise when revving the engine. My original coupling was very loud I’m not sure why. But now I can hear the V8 when at idle and revving instead of the fan. The engine sounds so good it’s like a sewing machine running in a bath of oil!- very nice smooth idle.

The electric fans are fitted and I did a test run. I let the car idle up to 100 degrees then jumpered the fans for 30 seconds. Went around to the gauge & it was already back down to near 80. The fans are very quiet too – to the point where they are not audible standing in front of the car with the bonnet shut and the car idling. I am also fitting a resistor to the new Aux fans to kick them in at 95 just as back up insurance. The controller will be set for the main fans to come on around 92. With the thermostat at 87 if I recall correctly that should be a good setup.

 

[JC220]

First test drive completed tonight. The cumulative effect of the few extra mods can be felt in the car for sure. It accelerates so damn hard I’m worried it might blow a propshaft or something the whole time I think new flex discs are next on the list (Just for peace of mind)

The electric fan install required some changes – here are my observations-

I had mounted the relay on the fan cowling before. This was not a good idea due to the shear amount of heat in that area so the fan controller is no re-located to the CAN box area where it is much cooler. The fans kick in & out at idle. Fans run about 70% of the time roughly at idle. They cannot be heard inside the car with the windows rolled up but they can be heard outside the car. The rad sensor is very sensitive. So much so that lifting the bonnet up can let the car idle up to near 100 until the fans kick in. Whereas with the bonnet kept shut they kick in about 90 at the current setting.

A variable speed fan (Constant on) would be better – I do find myself watching the temp gauge to make sure the fans kick in but maybe I’ll get used to that. The controller is easy to set and maintains a nice temp very similar to before.

The most interesting part is that whilst moving the fans NEVER kick in or even come close to it. Even at 30mph the temp maintains a steady 87 which I think is the thermostat doing it’s job. Overall noise at highway speeds is also reduced – as a direct result of the visco fan not fitted I think. (Although my old viscous coupling was faulty and appeared stuck full on)

 

[JC220]

Ok so something strange is happening now when the car is stone cold. There is a grinding like noise from the pulley system. Most all of that is new besides the 2 waterpump pulleys. I removed the belt and tried to find noise by spinning the pulleys by hand. But cannot locate the noise so easy – it seems that the left hand lower water pump pulley is slightly making noise but not sure that it’s it. The A/C pump has been engergised and the clutch kicks in etc with no change in the noise.

This noise only occurs at first startup and goes away after 3 -5 minutes of running and never returns until it has cooled right off again. As I say it sure sounds like it’s coming right dead centre at the front of the motor – at the main waterpump.

I have attached videos too- what do you guys think – Dave, Kilnk?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqIsrz5kCS8


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h9SAk2a32s


EDIT- New thread started here

 

[JC220]

It's been a while from I posted- been waiting on parts from MB (For the water pump upgrade) They are due to arrive tomorrow

Tonight I got a small job done I've been meaning to do for a while. Applying fresh thermal paste to the EZL. The unit appears to be a replacement since someone before left a nut off and make a mess of the paste! It was hard as concrete, rough uneven surface and making near zero contact with the fender. This new paste should extend the life of the EZL but I'll be getting a spare anyway soon to have on the shelf. A very thin cellophane was also applied over the paste as the factory did. Some of the new paste squeezed out at the edges but at least I know it’s got 100% contact now

 

[nocfn]

Very good. Heat dissipation is critical extender of life. Have done the same thing to
My C126

 

[r44raven]

Really interested to read your post about re-doing the thermal paste under your EZL.

Is this something all us E500E owners should be doing? It seems from the pics you submitted that the original paste substantially deteriorates over time.

Are there any other electrical items that would benefit from the same treatment?

 

[JC220]

Hi Raven,


As far as I am aware this is the only item that has Thermal Paste applied. The pic below shows pretty well how little contact the original hardened paste now had with the inner fender. (10% contact?)



If the EZL cannot dissipate the heat into the fender steel then it is much more likely to pop / fail. It happened on the w124 200 of mine years ago – the car cut out whilst towing a trailer of gravel! Car & trailer needed towed home. When I took the blown EZL off it’s paste was hard as rock – EZL fried.


This is the new paste I ordered- it’s cheap insurance for your EZL!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thermal-C...Large-Syringe-For-CPU-Processor-/310869657923


Yes I think everyone should consider this a preventative maintenance - nice easy 20 minute job also. Try to find some really thin cellophane plastic to cover over the back of the new paste. I cut a bit off B&Q Coving wrapping – it was perfect . I’ll be doing my 300E-24’s EZL this week also another tube of paste is on it’s way.

 

[nocfn]

For you USA locals, Radio Shack has it if your town still has one, amazon etc.

 

[gsxr]

Make sure to buy a large enough tube. It will take roughly 7-10g of paste when evenly spread across the back. A lot of the tubes for sale are aimed at the computer CPU market which use very small amounts, and the tubes are small as well. More info is in the Wiki here.

 

[JC220]

Parts!! At long last all of the stuff is here for the water pump replacement





I still might have to also renew the fan bracket assembly but I will try the Waterpump first to cure the annoying & sudden squeal from the belt when cold. I figured I would renew the coolant hoses & clamps as a 'whilst I'm in there' type deal. I did also request a new MB lower rad hose with this order but they forgot to add it - I'll get it next order.

 

[JC220]

A small item for the 500E turned up today These are hard to come by now except used on German Ebay. Needs a coat of paint to make it perfect but I think it's a cool thing to have in the boot! Not to mention useful for that V8's thirst if I get caught short

 

[lowman]

awesome..i have been thinking about getting one too..and i reckon its the same item i watched on ebay.
lovely stuff

 

[JC220]

awesome..i have been thinking about getting one too..and i reckon its the same item i watched on ebay.
lovely stuff

Thanks Norge! Yes these darn things sell like hot cakes I must have bid on 6 others before I eventually won this one. I intend to try & get a couple more also for my other 2x w124’s. I'll get the original paint Pro matched at a local paint supplier and buy enough to do a few cans

 

[r44raven]

Now listen, JC220, don't get too greedy!

Be happy with one, and give us other guys a chance!