Hi All -

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all the Mercedes-philes out there.

I am fortunate to be on holiday until January the 5th. I am unfortunate enough to be replacing the evaporator and vacuum elements in my 1987 124 wagon during my holiday.

Just started working on it today. Things started off pretty good - about 90 minutes to pull the dash, console, instrument panel, underdash covers, etc. Then I was ready to work on the heater box. I removed the four nuts which secure it to the firewall, as indicated in the manual. I found a fifth underneath the box, just ahead of the SRS accelerometer. (A fifth nut, not a bottle of scotch, OK?) Plus a couple more small, 8mm nuts which appear to hold the box to the firewall (in the metal strip at the top, front of the assembly).

Problem is, the thing just won't budge. I mean, it is really stuck in there. I have grabbed it with both hands and pulled with everything I have - and it just laughed at me. Didn't budge a millimeter. Any suggestions on how to proceed?

It looks like the box is sealed to the firewall (around the opening from the blower fan - remember it's under the hood while the box is inside the car) with some sealant goop. Any chance this stuff is securing the box in place? If so, how do I free it up? This car has spent 17 summers sitting through Dallas heat, so everything has had a nice, long time to cure.

Anyways, rather than get frustrated, I knocked off for lunch and went to look at motorcycles to make myself feel better. Any suggestions on how to pull that box from the car are greatly appreciated.

- JimY