OWNER nocfn

[gsxr]

Bummer! The fender liners should stay in place with the center shield removed. Make sure all the fasteners are present... IIRC there is one screw at the vertical splash panel roughly above the sway bar area, and another screw at the bumper lower edge ahead of the front tire, toward the outside. While the liner is off you have a good excuse to clean all the crud out that collects behind the tire!

 

[nocfn]

I had unfastened the liner for other reasons, and just didn't put it back with the lower fender fasteners. So the bottom leading edge caught air and caught the pavement - too late then. All better now and there wasn't much detritus back behind in the ABS area. I did carefully remove the hose from the drain to Glym it up a bit (for the ladies) and to be sure it was supple being NLA. Getting it re-installed up top was easy, getting it oriented properly is another matter.

 

[DerFuror]

Ouchie! 3 digits can do things. I've had a similar situation once or twice on the 500E. It only takes milliseconds to burn that liner away at those speeds! Since then I've completely lined my inner fender panel edges with the snap-on weather stripping that i assume many W124s come with. It's been such a long time that I don't remember if my car had any to begin with or was partially lined; and I don't know what may have been altered under previous ownership.

Regardless, I chose to completely line my panels to provide a snug fit for such circumstances & keep detritus out. By snugging up the space between the panel leading edge & the front bumper cover, the stripping definitely helps keep that leading edge from catching the wind if the encapsulation panel is off (like mine currently is). I strip the stuff out of W124s I encounter in the boneyard. Works great. Makes me feel better. I don't know about your model, but you can see formed detents on the 500E inner fender panel edges where the weatherstripping is meant to snap into. Check into yours.

 

[nocfn]

Ouchie! 3 digits can do things. I've had a similar situation once or twice on the 500E. It only takes milliseconds to burn that liner away at those speeds! Since then I've completely lined my inner fender panel edges with the snap-on weather stripping that i assume many W124s come with. It's been such a long time that I don't remember if my car had any to begin with or was partially lined; and I don't know what may have been altered under previous ownership.

Regardless, I chose to completely line my panels to provide a snug fit for such circumstances & keep detritus out. By snugging up the space between the panel leading edge & the front bumper cover, the stripping definitely helps keep that leading edge from catching the wind if the encapsulation panel is off (like mine currently is). I strip the stuff out of W124s I encounter in the boneyard. Works great. Makes me feel better. I don't know about your model, but you can see formed detents on the 500E inner fender panel edges where the weatherstripping is meant to snap into. Check into yours.

View attachment 102771

Oh yes, I have the weather stripping firmly attached. But only on the fender joins, not up on the front leading edges. I too have extra lengths, perhaps I will add some there!

 

[nocfn]

128,990

Today I replaced all of the Intake breather hoses and their connections. Also the fossilized airbox seal. When I got the car I had already replaced the larger hoses at the rear PS bank when I did other engine work. They are soft! I covered the breathers with the half-inch heat sheathing to see if that extends the life. I replaced the air filters in February of 2019, the looked like new so they were not changed but compressed air treatment, they barely had dust in them.

 

[nocfn]

129,015

Today I replaced the DS door seal. Simple job, unless you clean as you go, its a sickness. Anyway, i replaced the seal with the Eco Guard spray - she popped in very easily. Noticed some lower cladding clips were suspect so I will order some more of those.

 

[LWB250]

129,015

Simple job, unless you clean as you go, its a sickness.

No it's not. It's paying attention to detail. And who wouldn't clean an area they open up that hasn't seen light or cleaning since the car was new, most likely?

Some might refer to it as being OCD. It's why people call me the "Mercedes Martha Stewart".

Dan/MMS

 

[gerryvz]

MMS?

Have you not seen the forum’s definition of “Lowmania” — ?

OWNER - lowman (Norge) | Owners and Their Cars

Just had to post these pics from one of the last drives of the year with my 500e.Bring on spring time i say :)

www.500eboard.co

@captruff-itis is a similar affliction, though it is more related to the purpose of public showing and judging of motorcars. The goal of captruffitis is an extreme dopamine release by the winning of highly competitive concours-type competitions.

 

[nocfn]

Dan @LWB250 the other day my wife asked if I needed anything from the store, I said Q-tips for the garage.... I feel ya!

 

[gerryvz]

Dan @LWB250 the other day my wife asked if I needed anything from the store, I said Q-tips for the garage.... I feel ya!

I got a bit pack of Q-tips some years back for my garage, when I lived in Texas. You can see them in this photo, taken yesterday:

Funny thing is, that Laura was out in the garage recently and saw them, and impulsively asked me if I'd snagged them from the master bathroom. I told her "no, they're mine for the garage shop" and she said (looking closer at the package) "Yeah, you're right, they're the old-school Q-tips with the better design that they used to make. And they've updated the packaging since that one."

I find them invaluable for lightly oiling hoses and small places, as well as removing dirt and grime from places that need it.

 

[LWB250]

I use these for firearm cleaning and they just naturally gravitated to the garage. They're a little more expensive than QTips but I like the wooden stick part better.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VVXK5CK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dan

 

[gerryvz]

COVID swabs?

 

[nocfn]

I had about 20 of those long swabs but ran out. Had a fist full of generic swabs but your link prompted the next order 100.

 

[LWB250]

I had about 20 of those long swabs but ran out. Had a fist full of generic swabs but your link prompted the next order 100.

Sorry. They're amazingly handy, and I like the wooden part because even when you're done with the swab (or not) the wooden part makes a nice tool to pick away at stuff without risking damage to most surfaces.

The problem was is that I kept forgetting to put them back, and when I came back from shooting sporting clays I had to go out to the garage to retrieve them. I finally broke down and bought several packages and have some in multiple locations.

Dan

 

[nocfn]

Damnit!!! I will tell you this made me nervous in 100F heat working to get to this:



Had ice cubes cold since I owned her, yesterday zilch! Pulled codes, reset the BM and the fuses, but no joy. Clutch on the ac would turn easily with two finger but not engage. I cleaned both switch contacts and jumped them still no joy, save to fans. Pressures were a bit high but I wasn't trusting my gauges. ** I left out that I pulled all codes and cleared them, there was nothing and the pin 8 BM was a non issue as well **. Finally, I got an old beach towel and a long phillips, gave the high pressure shrader valve 3 bursts, enough to get the flow going! Added new freon and drove for 30 mins. Hope it works out, I added 12 oz of refrigerant with sealing agents.

**** NEXT DAY FOLLOWUP: All is well, no issues. Engagement of clutch was instant, good flow in the site glass and really cold in the car WHEW!! ****

 

[nocfn]

124.036

129,050

Piddly things get me. Today I corrected the DS lower cladding clips. Initially it was just one clip but there were enough ratchet T spikes used instead of facrory, I just changed them all. I may just obtain new and paint them as the trailing edge was successfully epoxied to hold the clips, so I could live with it but it may well be replaced

 

[luckymike]

Are you saying you'll buy new DS cladding? If so, adsitco.com may have new old stock for you. You have to call and ask, though. I worked with Joe.

My passenger side door cladding got damaged. Adsit had a bunch of new old stock pieces in various colors, even my Smoke Silver. I think it was about $100.

Oh. This is regarding my SEC. Not sure which of your cars you're doing the cladding on.

 

[nocfn]

Ahh I made edits to reflect the chassis. This is on the W124.036, and I may obtain the cladding piece since the trailing edge was epoxied to join the clips. It is solid, but should it come off again I want to be prepared - and I have found that the skirts and cladding take a lot of road abuse and will need repainting.

As for the C126, I have a spare set of cladding to repaint 199 to match the body if I ever get around to doing so. All of this was planned prior to the E500 acquisition. I do have a set of AMG skirts to install if my friend ever ships them to me . Perhaps it is then they will be painted 199 with the skirts to be monochromatic.

 

[nocfn]

Ahh I made edits to reflect the chassis. This is on the W124.036, and I may obtain the cladding piece since the trailing edge was epoxied to join the clips. It is solid, but should it come off again I want to be prepared - and I have found that the skirts and cladding take a lot of road abuse and will need repainting.

As for the C126, I have a spare set of cladding to repaint 199 to match the body if I ever get around to doing so. All of this was planned prior to the E500 acquisition. I do have a set of AMG skirts to install if my friend ever ships them to me . Perhaps it is then they will be painted 199 with the skirts to be monochromatic.

Ahh I made edits to reflect the chassis. This is on the W124.036, and I may obtain the cladding piece since the trailing edge was epoxied to join the clips. It is solid, but should it come off again I want to be prepared - and I have found that the skirts and cladding take a lot of road abuse and will need repainting.

As for the C126, I have a spare set of cladding to repaint 199 to match the body if I ever get around to doing so. All of this was planned prior to the E500 acquisition. I do have a set of AMG skirts to install if my friend ever ships them to me . Perhaps it is then they will be painted 199 with the skirts to be monochromatic.

 

[nocfn]

Nice ass...

 

[gerryvz]

I found a lot of @nocfn house pine needles in the windshield of my E500, but cleaned it out. Those Kingwood trees drop a lot of needles !!

 

[nocfn]

Fortunately, when she is out she sits under an elm. I have two soaring pines, but they are
In the front of the house - I hate pine needles!

 

[nocfn]

124.036

129,267

I have not opened my sunroof since I got the car painted a few years ago around my new ownership. I noticed the other day that things didn't seem to open effortlessly. I suspected the issue at hand and was able to correct it by luck. In any event, I was able to retract the roof and remove the sliding panel. The tube was broken on one end and the unit had twisted.




I replaced the tube with a new one from my parts stock. I made height adjustments to the back right corner and adjusted the closure arm for the air deflector and also adjusted the defector to sit higher when the roof is open. Both the deflector and the arms were new installs when I bought the car and painted it..

 

[TerryA]

Fortunately, when she is out she sits under an elm. I have two soaring pines, but they are
In the front of the house - I hate pine needles!

Louis,

When I first moved in to my home in 1978 I had a huge pine tree next to the driveway. It was about 40’ tall. It did provide nice shade until one day in the first year we had a thunderstorm (Yeah in SoCal).

Anyway, after the storm when I went out in the front yard, Everything was covered in brown pine needles at least 1”to 2” deep. The lawn, driveway, cars and 1/4 of the roof. What a mess.

A week later I and my son cut it down. I climbed a high as I could into the tree and tied a nylon rope as high as I could reach and backed down about 10’ and proceeded to fire up a chain saw and start cutting. (In retrospect quite a stupid move) Anyway I had the kid on the other end of the rope on the ground and directed him to pull the top towards the street.

Anyway, It worked and I didn’t get killed by the tree top hitting me. It took about a week to make firewood out of it but it was gone and so was the mess.

So glad I did this before I got nuts and bought our 1st Mercedes the 1957 190SL. I don’t think I could live with pine needles and cones constantly falling on my Benzes.

Another boring story to read.

lol

 

[nocfn]

Understand this Terry. Tree business is relatively cheap here for hire. Healthy trees stay healthy and strong with proper trimming. My neighbor sadly has let her crepe myrtle grow over 100 feet, with roughly 40% of the canopy hanging over my pool in dimensions of 23x37 foot area. These trees flower enough for 10 rose parade floats. These fall into my pool, stain my decking and the pollen powder is mustard colored ink when met with water. I offered 500 to cut the tree to a proper height in the spring. At the urging of my wife to be neighborly, this is my forum to grouse!

 

[LWB250]

Next door neighbor has three large palms that are right on the property line and hang over the screen cage of my lanai/pool. When the palm fronds age out, they droop/drop down and potentially damage the screen. I mentioned this to Bubba, the neighbor, and got a grunt.

So when they started drooping I took my tree saw and just notched them enough to make them fall parallel to the trunk and away from my screen. After doing that a few times he called a tree guy and had them trimmed.

I'll repeat the process the next time they get close to my screen.

For what it's worth, I have an arborist that checks my trees annually. Not cheap, but he knows exactly what to do and when, and as a result I have a beautiful shade canopy in my front yard.

Dan

 

[TerryA]

Understand this Terry. Tree business is relatively cheap here for hire. Healthy trees stay healthy and strong with proper trimming. My neighbor sadly has let her crepe myrtle grow over 100 feet, with roughly 40% of the canopy hanging over my pool in dimensions of 23x37 foot area. These trees flower enough for 10 rose parade floats. These fall into my pool, stain my decking and the pollen powder is mustard colored ink when met with water. I offered 500 to cut the tree to a proper height in the spring. At the urging of my wife to be neighborly, this is my forum to grouse!

@ Louis, That's mighty white of you. I had a neighbor in my old hood that just wacked off half of his neighbor's tree one day. They were still fighting about it when I moved away.

@Dan, You think the way I do but I have solved my problems with the neighbors. I have my own palm tree that falls in my pool. I can't get it trimmed because of my wife. About twice a year it grows date clumps and they end up making a mess around the pool. BUT my wife does not want a trimmer in the yard. I can't fight city hall.

BTW, I'm out of Likes again. This is starting to really piss me off!

lol

 

[nocfn]

WOW I just saw my 1991 coupe in the MBCA national newsletter. Pretty cool. I was bummed the E500 didn't make it over the one posted, but it ain't easy being Green!

MBCA CARS | Mercedes-Benz Club of America

www.mbca.org

 

[TerryA]

WOW I just saw my 1991 coupe in the MBCA national newsletter. Pretty cool. I was bummed the E500 didn't make it over the one posted, but it ain't easy being Green!

MBCA CARS | Mercedes-Benz Club of America

www.mbca.org

Congrats Louis,

You did yourself proud.

PS; How did this happen?

 

[nocfn]

@TerryA local club sent out email looking for virtual car show pics for national and the Star. So I sent up two Hi Res pics. I think the pic I used for the E500 was high res but in twilight with filtered sun thru the trees so it didn't really fit with the other pics. This was submitted in February, and a lot of life has happened since then, I forgot about it.

 

[nocfn]

124.036

129,277

Installed the Ntrepid sourced nickel plated lugs to replace my tumbled lugs that were leaving rust residue in my EVO II wheel holes.



I have not driven a few heat cycles yet, but I did torque them to 110 Nm and I removed one to see if there was any removal of the plating and there was none. I will report back after I drive it a bit.

 

[nocfn]

Met up with member ALDEDMON and his slick Red over Black pre-facelift 500E on 19” monoblocks and a rear spoiler. I bought a set of facelift mushroom visors, shared my body and paint guy to him. Then a stranger drove up and knew what to ask: are those 500e’s? Must say it was cool to have signal red and malachite green next to each other. Damnit we should have got pics!! Anyway the stranger wanted the painter contact info as he loved ithe depth of the color, a nice compliment.

 

[gsxr]

WHAT! No photos? Two of the rarest colors next to each other?

 

[nocfn]

I know, not worthy but I think we will meet up again pretty soon.

 

[cascade]

WHAT! No photos? Two of the rarest colors next to each other?

I know, not worthy but I think we will meet up again pretty soon.

 

[nocfn]

Basic mx here 124.036

129,359

Following GVZ lead, I went ahead and ordered new temp sensors for the E500 and replaced the OE from factory. I had no records so this made sense to update them as these were all 93 and 94 date codes.

008-542-32-17-84
008-542-45-17
005-542-10-17
And the washers 007603-014100 (3)



After a 30 minute drive with full fan with AC, and stop and go city traffic I am impressed. Here is a pic while stopped.




And here are the 26 year old parts replaced.

 

[luckymike]

View attachment 107841

Cascade?!

 

[TerryA]

Cascade?!

I think I met the guy in the black shirt at a GTG in Eltoro, CA Whooters parking lot. It’s been a quite few years ago

 

[nocfn]

124,498

Today I replaced my upper and lower fan shroud, with all flaps firmly attached. I used M6 stainless bolts with washers and flange nuts. I used slightly longer than needed to add rubber end caps. This will keep the finger tight nuts secure without running off or rusting. No pics, you hall have seen these before. As I write, I will include the condition of my fan clutch bolt by a reputable local shop prior to my ownership. Might be hard to tell But the hex head appears a bit rounded off on the inside.

 

[gsxr]

If you replace the fan clutch bolt, remember not to order a new one based on the EPC part number. Your clutch is aftermarket and will require a shorter bolt.

 

[gerryvz]

The bolts that you get from MB today, for the stock fan clutch, are not Allen bolts. They are Torx, if I remember correctly. If you want one, I have a brand new one from MB somewhere. I tend to try to hoard the original cad-plated MB fan clutch bolts when I find them in .034s.

 

[gsxr]

Ugh, did they change the M119 fan clutch bolt to Torx? That happened with the OM60x bolts... idiots!!!

 

[gerryvz]

Ugh, did they change the M119 fan clutch bolt to Torx? That happened with the OM60x bolts... idiots!!!

Some years ago (I was still living in Texas).

I may be wrong on this substitution -- it could still be Allen. I need to double check it. I do know FOR SURE that the bolts you get from MB are nowhere NEAR as nice as the originals, which is why I try to snag the originals when I find them.

 

[gsxr]

Yeah, the new stuff is gray coated, not shiny gold plated. When they change from hex to torx, that's a dealbreaker for the fan clutch.

 

[nocfn]

No plans to change it out.

 

[gerryvz]

I changed mine out years ago because mine started getting rounded the same way. It happens. Get a new one and change it out. If you strip it, then the next time you need to remove it, the radiator will need to come out, at a minimum. Sorry to see/hear that Hans und Franz messed up your existing bolt.

 

[nocfn]

Do you have a PN for the shorter bolt. IIRC it is about 2" and stock is around 2.5". It is an 8mm correct?

 

[gerryvz]

It is on GSXR's site, and also on the forum in various threads where ACM fan clutches are discussed. You just get it at your local Home Depot or Lowe's, or you can get from MB.

 

[nocfn]

124.036

129,510

I had replaced caps/rotors/insulators back when I redid the chain rails, oilers, gaskets, valve covers and associated bits.

About 6 months ago, I purchased Beru caps and rotors and today I replaced the Bosch units with the Beru - which are much more robust construction IMO than the Bosch. My insulators were dry, but the rotors and the caps appeared to be pretty beat up. I did not have moisture per se, but did have some oily residue at the bottom slots of the caps themselves. Behind the insulators, there was no real oil accumulation or trail of cam seal leakage. So the slots did their job, and I suspect the Beru units may fare better in the arresting of the "short drive" sputters that have been happening ever once in a while over the past 4-5 months.

***. Edit. *** I forgot to mention that I had retrofitted the existing rotor bolts to 4mm, so I transferred them over to the Beru Rotors. ***

I will buy another set of Beru caps/rotors for the shelf to hopefully replace what is installed in several years

 

[nocfn]

124.036

129,510

Over the past several days I have been working to rejuvenate my coolant system. I drained the radiator and the DS block drain. Had to remove that drain plug completely, using a zip tie to invade the recessed drain. As soon as I pushed up, the flood gate opened. I removed the crossover pipe to gain access since my hands are too big to reach and grip the new plug from parts stock. I surely did not want to strip this part at all!

Moved on today to the Tstat removal and the 90 hose, the upper housing to replace the short hose at the intake. I found that the PO shop at some point used liquid gasket on the upper housing. It also appears as though some citric flush treatment was used. I found some scant crystals that became very soluble when wet in my hand. I wiped it all down, and will proceed with the install. I have all the hoses save the upper hose - mb unit on the way as well as a tstat housing if not able to spic and span the current hardware. All bolts and housings are soaking in simple green extreme for the night. I have all the gaskets and such, along with honch approved Tstat. I should be complete this weekend. It has been a while since this has been done. Here are some pics: