chipgovols/all,
I need to dig out my old post on this subject, but in the interest of getting the word out NOW, let me add it here- All 500E W124 owners - change the heater hoses at the back of the block! There are 2 that are prone to failure, and at the very least will ruin your day (mine blew on-track at Lime Rock and not only caused me to spin but slicked the track for folks like Jims500E-glad no one else went off-track
). At most, if you don't notice the temperature spike you could blow your engine.
If one of these hoses blows, there's almost no chance you're gonna be able to do a field expedient repair-both hoses have "t" junctions and are therefore special order-type pieces.
Be advised mi amigos!