I am a Norwegian guy who has a small motel and lives a laid-back life most of the year in NorthEast Thailand, and a couple of years ago I fell in love with (and bought) what I was told was a 1989 500SE. It had some minor problems to it, but all in all it performed very nice to be an old car. After I had it for a while I started to check out about it. The car had chassis # WDB126022-12-000878 and had an V8-engine #1176522008654. From what I could find out: a German assembled left-hand drive 280SE modified into a Thai right-hand drive 500SE. However, I had the car and I wanted to correct the problems it had, most important a starting problem. When I was starting it, it cranked for about 10-15 seconds before it fired roughly, and another 20 seconds before it idled smoothly. When it was stoopped and started immideately, it fired at once and ran smoothly instantly. But if I waited 15-20 minutes before restarting, I had the same problem with cranking and rough start. I was told this was probably due to lost fuel pressure or leaky fuel-injectors. I spoke to a local mechanic (who has been working with MB here in Thailand for 12 yrs.) and he ordered and replaced the fuel-pump (Bosch #0580254910), the fuel-filter (Bosch #0450905203) and the fuel-pressure regulator (can not find any number) – all parts located under the fuel-tank on the right side. However, he did not replace a unit I don`t know what is; - the first ”tidbit” in the fuel-line after the fuel-tank (Bosch#116470516…. ).

But after this operation the car started almost without cranking and I was a ”happy camper” again.

Anyway, when I was on ”holidays” back in Norway for 3 months last summer, my wife ”blew up” this engine by overheating it. She was told by this ”mechanic” that the whole engine was crashed, - but no problem!! – he could replace it with another one, bought second-hand in Bangkok. Well, since I was in Norway, and my wife needed a car, we agreed on the phone to replace the old engine with another one(#117963120778391). I believe from a 84/85 500 SEL !!??, - or?

Anyway, later I found out that the old engine had only minor damages to it (a camshaft and some bearings) since a German friend and me took it apart.

To my great dissapointment, after this engine-swapping, I am now experiencing the same starting problems as I was before I replaced the fuel-delivery equipment on the old engine.

I definitely want to keep the car, because it looks very nice exterior/interior-wise, and I think it is a really classic MB-body. Grey metallic with Black interior, and with a spare engine!!!!

Anybody cares to have opions about how things can be solved? I guess no manuals covers this FatBastard?


”Sanuk” in Thailand.