Structural cracking would seem to be widespread on W126es, it is looking like.

Well....most of them are a minimum of 20 years old with most being much older at this point....there's no telling what 300k of environment and vibration will do to welds....I doubt MB intended for people to be driving these cars for 30-40 years and 500,000 miles.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

mine has 422k and the odo stopped working about 3 years ago

I know I have seen some fishy looking rust in that area. But rust is my SD's major problem. There is a section under the right rocker, behind the front wheel, where I can actually stick my arm up to mid bicep in a hole between the rocker and floor.. kinda hard to describe... it's got rust real bad.

I hope to sell it in the spring
I may have to rob it for parts and send it to scrap.

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08 R320 CDI current

Past
95 E420
87 300D Turbo 5spd
90 300TE
83 300SD
85 300TD
92 400E
85 190D

That looks like a spot where I was tempted to jack up the car, but decided not to because of uncertainty. Maybe some shade tree mechanics were lifting the car at that spot which led to failure.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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'81 300SD

This issue is common in Michigan salt.

Who has the most rust and still drives
Who has the most rust and still drives





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1985 300SD
1983 300D
2003 Volvo V70

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None of the cars I saw nor mine were cracked at welds. All cracked at the seam of the horn to the frame (horn is spot welded), at the vertical junction of the horn as it bends to meet the frame, or at the base where the 1/4 inch plate sits in the horn just above the mount.

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I don't know the same things that you don't know.

Shayne

85 W126 SD OM617.951
87 409D 650S OM617.913
93 E34 Touring M50B25TU
02 E46 Sport M54B30TU