So I am in a pickle. Trunk is locked and battery is dead locked inside. I have come to the belief that only jumping it can open the trunk. I have a 1994 e420 and I am restoring it, but I have little experience and no owners manual. How to jump? I have searched for hours for terminals and internet holds little info on this car. Y’all are my last hope. We all know how getting stuck like this feels and help would be amazing. Thanks.
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Jumping e420
- Thread starter E420restoproject
- Start date
Uh.. you don't have a single key available? That's going to be a roadblock on your restoration journey.
If you get can inside the car, there is a primary battery terminal above the front passenger footwell, this is where the main battery cable connects. You can access the other side of the terminal under the hood behind the CAN module box, but it may be easier to access from the passenger footwell.
Click here for a generic W124 owner's manual PDF file. It's not E420-specific but most of the same information applies.
Welcome to the forum!
If you get can inside the car, there is a primary battery terminal above the front passenger footwell, this is where the main battery cable connects. You can access the other side of the terminal under the hood behind the CAN module box, but it may be easier to access from the passenger footwell.
Click here for a generic W124 owner's manual PDF file. It's not E420-specific but most of the same information applies.
Welcome to the forum!
Key turns (is master key I verified) but locks at 3:00 anti theft
Problem is under footwell I don’t know what I’m looking exactly for. The Bosch systems and airbag controller are down there but don’t see a place to jump. I’ve been thinking of using alternator to jump. By the way I have full access to interior with key just trunk is locked may be bad lock
by the way thanks for a speedy reply
Are you pushing in and turning the trunk key counter-clockwise while lifting the lid with your other hand? You should be able to mechanically open the trunk even with a dead battery. If the key has a square head it should fit all locks but the round-head vallet key will not open the trunk.
Has square head, pushing in while friend pulls trunk up. Key fits everything else on car and seems to fit lock but turns smoothly until the 3:00 position
The trunk key will only rotate 90° in either direction. Turn CCW to unlock. Sometimes the trunk lid seal sticks and you must pull up VERY hard on the trunk lid to open it. Could be that the trunk is actually unlocked, but the seal is stuck. From the owner's manual linked above - you have read this, right?
See diagram below.
Attaching jumper cables or a booster box at the alternator will allow you to connect 12V, but as noted previously, if the trunk lid seal is stuck... getting power won't help. And, space is tight behind the alternator, I'm not sure there is room.
It is very possible that it’s stuck. I acquired the car after sitting for years. All the door mechanisms work as shown in the manual but the trunk will only go clockwise and only about 90 degrees. Manual says turn anti clockwise but it won’t after force was applied. Several days in a row I have wd40 the lock but still like this.
Thanks, we will try all of this. We really appreciate all your help.
It was so stuck we had two guys fight but we got it open
Thanks so much
I'm looking to find a specific part of my intakes online for sale, but it seems like only full assemblies are for sale. Does anyone know where to source the yellow foam sound dampeners that are about halfway along either intake? Mine have degraded to the point where they could be putting debris in the system. Thanks
Also I was wondering if anyone knew of a DIY Haynes type repair manual for this car.
Haynes manual 3253 covers the '85 to '93 124 Series but it will only be of limited use:
Edit - it does actually cover 4 cylinder petrol engines in Chapter 2A.
I'm not sure what yellow foam pieces you are referring to. Can you post a photo? Do you mean the tubes between the headlight enclosure and the airbox?
The Haynes manual is the only one I know of, and as
The factory service manual is 100% the best thing available. Click here if you haven't seen it yet. For most any job you need to do, search this forum for additional info. If you can't find it here, take your chances out in the wild on YouTube or BenzWorld.
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I forgot, the following covers the E420 and E500E:
Mercedes-Benz E Class Owner's Bible 198..., Ritter, Stu 9780837602301 | eBay UK
Author:Ritter, Stu. Publisher:Bentley (Robert) Inc.,US. Book Binding:Paperback / softback. Book Condition:GOOD. Year Published:2002. World of Books USA was founded in 2005. Number of Pages:352. We want your experience with World of Books to be enjoyable and problem free.
www.ebay.co.uk
OOOPS. I was reading a JC220 post before this and my coffee hadn't kicked in yet...
That 124 "bible" is not a repair manual, it's a general information / reference guide to the 124 chassis, and has a plethora of technical errors. It's a nice amateur guide but useless for actual repair work. Some of the information may be outed today, 20 years later.
The tubes are between the air box and the headlight enclosure may have once been black but is very worn and turned yellow. The manual is extremely useful, thanks so much
Ah, those tubes are affectionately known as "Zoom Tubes". The original foam style has been NLA for years. There is a low-cost alternative tube which is plastic. See the note at the bottom of this post for the part number.
Thanks, we will most likely order those, and we really appreciate the service manual.
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