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OWNER Tirag (E60 AMG Limited)
- Thread starter Tirag
- Start date
All common issues with regard to the broken timing chain guides getting into the oilpan and then getting taken into the oil pump screen, restricting oil flow. Too bad, but fixable. Sounds like your mechanics have all of this under control and are doing the right things. It is refreshing to see competent mechanics working on these cars! I wish we had more of them over here in the US.
The piston rings should be find-able as either NOS parts or new manufactured. It's likely that someone is still making rings of good quality in the proper size. As the @gsxr suggested, I'd check with Mahle in Stuttgart directly to see if they are selling the appropriately sized rings. There are also NOS parts dealers around Germany, and it's highly likely that an original NOS set can be sourced with some searching.
I would also check with Bernhard in Germany, who is an expert in these cars. He may either have a set of rings, or know immediately where to get the proper ones. Folks here on the forum can provide contact information for Bernhard. I believe he is in the Baden Baden area?
The piston rings should be find-able as either NOS parts or new manufactured. It's likely that someone is still making rings of good quality in the proper size. As the @gsxr suggested, I'd check with Mahle in Stuttgart directly to see if they are selling the appropriately sized rings. There are also NOS parts dealers around Germany, and it's highly likely that an original NOS set can be sourced with some searching.
I would also check with Bernhard in Germany, who is an expert in these cars. He may either have a set of rings, or know immediately where to get the proper ones. Folks here on the forum can provide contact information for Bernhard. I believe he is in the Baden Baden area?
I have all the service documents from Japan. I can't tell if they're real though. The car actually ran fine. But since I don't want to sell it, I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't have any problems in the future. That's why I'm now having everything checked and, if possible, replacing the wearing parts. It won't get any better with the spare parts in the future. So it's better to do everything possible now.
Yes, common issues they told me and yes, they are competent. They are specialists in the old Benzes and have done many 500E/E500. As we all know the bigest problem are some missing parts.
Which Bernhard do you mean?
I´ve sent you his Visit Card.
![[500Eboard] Unbenannt.jpg](/forums/data/attachments/163/163711-d4d6fb564c185c794cfecf52dcfbaf60.jpg?hash=1Nb7VkwYXH)
@Kridre, thank you very much for the referral to Nagengast. I contacted them about fixing the leaking E60 AMG rear shocks I bought a few months ago (not having been told by the seller that they were leaking
) and Nagengast responded that they can. Cost is $110 per damper and shipping to the U.S. is quoted at $140.Their shop looks really professional, but Intrax in the Netherlands told me a while ago that these type of dampers can't be repaired/resealed, so I'm quite skeptical that Nagengast will be able to provide a long term fix.
I'll give it a try anyway, as the dampers are not usable today, so I got nothing to lose if they remain unusable after this try.
Time for an update
I am lucky. My car is rust free. I know that's almost impossible with an W124, but mine really only had a few very small rust spots on the underbody. Nothing had to be welded. The corrosion was in an early stage that’s why the spots could easily be removed.
Therafter the entire underbody was cleaned and sealed. My goal is to drive the car as often as possible. With this kind of underbody preservation I should not have any problems with rust for the next few years.
I'm not installing the original shocks for the time being. I'm currently in conversation with someone who might be able to revise it. To complete the project, I had 500E shock installed. As soon as the original AMG shocks are revised, I will exchange them again.
The car is completely original except for the EZL. Unfortunately I don't have one for a 6.0 liter. There is an EZL from a 500 SL installed. That was probably exchanged at some point in Japan.
So, if anyone has an original EZL from a 6.0 liter I'd be interested.
I am lucky. My car is rust free. I know that's almost impossible with an W124, but mine really only had a few very small rust spots on the underbody. Nothing had to be welded. The corrosion was in an early stage that’s why the spots could easily be removed.
Therafter the entire underbody was cleaned and sealed. My goal is to drive the car as often as possible. With this kind of underbody preservation I should not have any problems with rust for the next few years.
I'm not installing the original shocks for the time being. I'm currently in conversation with someone who might be able to revise it. To complete the project, I had 500E shock installed. As soon as the original AMG shocks are revised, I will exchange them again.
The car is completely original except for the EZL. Unfortunately I don't have one for a 6.0 liter. There is an EZL from a 500 SL installed. That was probably exchanged at some point in Japan.
So, if anyone has an original EZL from a 6.0 liter I'd be interested.
The 6.0L EZL was made by Bosch, and Bosch EZL's had a very high failure rate. Most Bosch have been replaced by Siemens, and only Siemens were available new for the past decade or two. There was never a Siemens version of the 6.0L EZL. The engine will run normally with a 5.0L EZL. I've never seen any details about how the 6.0L EZL ignition maps were different.The car is completely original except for the EZL. Unfortunately I dont have one for a 6.0 liter. There is an EZL from a 500 SL installed. That was probably exchanged at some point in Japan.
So, if anyone has an original EZL from a 6.0 liter Id be interested.
What part number EZL is currently installed?
Wow! That undercarriage looks terrific! I hope your statement “I want to drive as much as possible” does not include driving in the winter season on snow/salted roads. If you want to keep it that way please don’t.Time for an update
I am lucky. My car is rust free. I know thats almost impossible with an W124, but mine really only had a few very small rust spots on the underbody. Nothing had to be welded. The corrosion was in an early stage that’s why the spots could easily be removed.
Therafter the entire underbody was cleaned and sealed. My goal is to drive the car as often as possible. With this kind of underbody preservation I should not have any problems with rust for the next few years.
View attachment 164721View attachment 164722View attachment 164723View attachment 164724View attachment 164725View attachment 164726View attachment 164727View attachment 164728
Im not installing the original shocks for the time being. Im currently in conversation with someone who might be able to revise it. To complete the project, I had 500E shock installed. As soon as the original AMG shocks are revised, I will exchange them again.
The car is completely original except for the EZL. Unfortunately I dont have one for a 6.0 liter. There is an EZL from a 500 SL installed. That was probably exchanged at some point in Japan.
So, if anyone has an original EZL from a 6.0 liter Id be interested.
lol
Currently this EZL ist installedThe 6.0L EZL was made by Bosch, and Bosch EZL's had a very high failure rate. Most Bosch have been replaced by Siemens, and only Siemens were available new for the past decade or two. There was never a Siemens version of the 6.0L EZL. The engine will run normally with a 5.0L EZL. I've never seen any details about how the 6.0L EZL ignition maps were different.
What part number EZL is currently installed?
I'll drive it in winter, but not when the roads are salted. I don't know if the W124 is fun to drive on snow. There are definitely better cars out there to have fun in the snow.Wow! That undercarriage looks terrific! I hope your statement “I want to drive as much as possible” does not include driving in the winter season on snow/salted roads. If you want to keep it that way please don’t.
lol
That is a 4.2L EZL... while I don't know the difference in ignition maps, I'd swap it out for a 5.0L EZL. There's a fellow in Germany who had some NOS 5.0L units, click here, looks like 2 left.
The W124 is pretty good in snow, with proper snow tires installed. ASR works very well. Of course a vehicle with 4WD/AWD is always preferred on slippery roads...Ill drive it in winter, but not when the roads are salted. I dont know if the W124 is fun to drive on snow. There are definitely better cars out there to have fun in the snow.
Sweet E60.
Im in the middle of my ex 500Es rear chassis and suspension repair and Nagengast did both rear hydro struts as well as front shocks. They even managed to save the 9. and MB stickers so the hydro struts look stunning and are leak free with new lower bushings.
Im in the middle of my ex 500Es rear chassis and suspension repair and Nagengast did both rear hydro struts as well as front shocks. They even managed to save the 9. and MB stickers so the hydro struts look stunning and are leak free with new lower bushings.
Do you have any photos of the new lower bushings? I wasn't aware of any source for the OEM-type spherical bearings.
Ah, it might be a rubber bushing like @TimL ended up with when he got his SLS shox rebuilt overseas. Pics would be great!
I ended up not using the Nagengast shocks as Steve was concerned about the cheapo type of bushing they put in and the noises that might very soon after install emanate from these. So I got a fancy set of door stoppers now
Tim, weren't you going to source the lower bushings from OEM Sachs units, or something along those lines?I ended up not using the Nagengast shocks as Steve was concerned about the cheapo type of bushing they put in and the noises that might very soon after install emanate from these. So I got a fancy set of door stoppers now
OE are NLA, but there are still some Sachs out there (last I checked) with the identical spherical bearing.
Hi guys. I attached pics of the lower bushing of the SLS shock. The bushing is all rubber with a steel insert inside. Can not tell much about how it rides as the car is in bits now but it doesnt look cheap. It looks functional and as there are no better aftermarket solutions for this problem known to menkind it must do for now.
Attachments
Thanks for the photos! That bushing looks similar to what TimL had.
I wonder if they also replaced the foam stop buffer, but you'd have to remove the clamp on the dust boot to inspect... see pictures at post #3 here.
I wonder if they also replaced the foam stop buffer, but you'd have to remove the clamp on the dust boot to inspect... see pictures at post #3 here.
Thanks kubasz for the update.
My shocks are still with a specialist in Switzerland. He used to optimize chassis for old racing cars. The problem is he is retired and has no longer an own workshop. He only works when he has the time and feels like. Now I do not know when he has the time to look at my shocks. I do not know yet whether he can repair it or not. In the meantime, I installed new original E500 dampers.
As a last resort, maybe I will try Nagengast. As TimL said earlier, as the dampers are not usable in this condition, I got nothing to lose if they remain unusable after this try.
My shocks are still with a specialist in Switzerland. He used to optimize chassis for old racing cars. The problem is he is retired and has no longer an own workshop. He only works when he has the time and feels like. Now I do not know when he has the time to look at my shocks. I do not know yet whether he can repair it or not. In the meantime, I installed new original E500 dampers.
As a last resort, maybe I will try Nagengast. As TimL said earlier, as the dampers are not usable in this condition, I got nothing to lose if they remain unusable after this try.
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Actually, my headlights are full Euro units, not USA/DOT lamps with Euro lenses on them. My headlights have full and working "city" lamps on both sides, as well as the vacuum units in the rear (not connected). Bosch US/DOT headlight buckets would not have had either of these features.Gerry, your pics are of USA/DOT E500 lights made by Bosch. The 036 Euro lights were only made by Hella, and the North American DOT lights were only made by Bosch for all years). No idea why. Looks like you have 036 Hella Euro lenses on 036 Bosch buckets/housings, which is an acceptable / functionally-correct mix.
The only way I could see you being correct, would be if the COMPLETE guts + externals of a Euro lamp were somehow implanted into a US/DOT Bosch housing. I don't recall that being the case when I purchased them. I recall purchasing them in Europe, as new units, and bringing them back to the US, so I doubt if the US/DOT units would have been broadly available in Europe for a transplant (and why would someone have done this, anyway?).
I purchased both headlights NEW in boxes somewhere around 2004.
City lights:
Main headlamps:
Headlamps + driving lamps:
Gerry, post #38 showed Bosch labels on the reflectors, and Bosch plastic covers. Maybe the photos got mixed up.
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I understand that. But how could US-spec E500 buckets have city lights or vacuum pods on the rear side, as well as Euro plugs?
Do those Bosch part numbers match US-spec Bosch part numbers?
USA-spec buckets would not have city lights nor a functional vacuum actuator. However, Euro 036 lights would only have Hella parts, part numbers, and labels. So, I'm at a loss to explain why those old photos show a Bosch decal.
I believe so, but I'd have to double-check against some USA facelift headlight assemblies...
beautiful E60! A dream car to own.Hi everyone.
Since I've been reading this forum for a while, I'll introduce myself now. I'm Robert and I'm from Switzerland. I bought my W124 E60 Limited last year and I'm currently in the process of completely restoring it. My goal is to make it perfect again. If I had known how difficult it is to restore it to technically perfection, I would never have started the project.The supply of spare parts for such an E60 is simply catastrophic.
Now I just hope that I, resp. my mechanics, can find the missing parts and that the car will soon be back on the road again.
Greetings,
Robert
Any update on the engine and what parts/gaskets are being replaced?At the moment it is not a dream car. It's not running yet but I hope soon.
I am sorry for the late reply. The engine is completely overhauled. All seals, gaskets and wearing parts were replaced. The engine has been reinstalled but is not yet running 100% smoothly. Some small work still needs to be done. I will come back in more details as soon as everything is finischet.
Will it be ready for say.. an event in Suisse this summer?
If the car is finished and the timing is right - of course. The car is currently with my mechanic in Germany. If I can arrange it in time an the car is ready, I would also use it to get to an event in Germany. I can't wait to get it running and driving again.
Thanks for the update! Good to hear it's running & driving again. What is not 100% smooth? Were you able to source new/correct piston rings?
Yes, my technicians were able to find new piston rings somewhere. Mechanically everything is fine but engine is not running well on all cylinders yet. It's probably due to the electronics. All control units were sent to a specialist. All parts were checked and overhauled. Something probably went wrong with them during the overhaul process. In any case, all the electronics will be rechecked again. I hope the problem will be solved soon.
If you are interested Lets keep in touch, I want to start a 1990s Concours class at a famous Concours in Switzerland.If the car is finished and the timing is right - of course. The car is currently with my mechanic in Germany. If I can arrange it in time an the car is ready, I would also use it to get to an event in Germany. I can't wait to get it running and driving again.
Also, if someone has a rare 1990s Sports or luxury cars they are welcome to register, we need 5-6 cars to to start a competition class.
I will send you a PM
The control units could be fine, and there might be a different issue. For example - have they confirmed the injectors are good (tested / cleaned)? Have they confirmed ignition voltage is normal on all 8 cylinders by viewing live data from Star Diagnostics? Etc.
The injectors have been cleaned and tested. They should be good. Thanks for the other tips. I will pass them on to my mechanics. I'll definitely keep you updated but I think it will be a while before the car will be ready.
