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Old 03-27-2008, 01:51 PM
Coming back from burnout
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: in the Pacific Northwest
Posts: 2,274
Whats going on in the W124 (aluminum head) world these days? I once owned one...

Whats going on in the W124 (with the problematic aluminum head) world these days?

I once owned one.an 87 300D..it was a really nice car and could do a 100 mph for hours on end without even breaking a sweat. I replaced those problematic control arm bushings, what a nasty job...I used to take it up and down the turnnpike in NJ at 6 am at a buck and the state troopers never said much because the trucks did 100 also. But it had that problematic aluminum head that made me nervous.

So I sold that and decided to stay with the 2 W123's I woned which I felt had better reliability and longevity and I know I made the right choice. The W124 was a D%%& expensive car to maintain and the parts were a ton and they didnt have a thousand clones like the W123 sitting in yards nationwide ready to throw their parts to you...

Any updates on the W124 world? Are they dying away or running strong? I dont se many 300D W124 87 to 90 Diesels on the road --let me restate --in the last year I have never seen ANY

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Old 03-27-2008, 01:56 PM
babymog's Avatar
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northeast Indiana
Posts: 10,765
They're running strong, I have 2, no head problems on original #14 heads with a combined mileage over 450,000miles (knocking on wood).

I hear about how terrible they are, but only a couple of people have ever posted that they had cracked heads (same head on the SD/SDL 603 in the '80s). I guess you have to give up the ability to run without engine coolant if you want an aluminum cross-flow head LOL!

There really weren't a lot sold in comparison to the 123 diesels, most Mercedes sold in the mid-'80s to early '90s were gas, and they didn't even offer a diesel 124 or 201 for part of that (no '86, '88, '89 300D for example) due to the soft diesel market in the US.
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Old 03-27-2008, 02:47 PM
Craig
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I see them around fairly often, last month I was working at a power plant in VA and my parking space was right next to one (he was blood donor of the month or something). I see a few of them around denver too.
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Old 03-27-2008, 05:40 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Bellevue WA
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Wait a couple weeks and you will see mine

My 87 300D with new (4 years-less than 30Km) factory crate engine with a #20 head suffered either a failed head gasket or a cracked head. Pressure testing the cooling system resulted in a hydrolock. It is at the dealer being repaired under the warranty that came with the engine. The reason I went with the factory engine was the long 4year 50Km warranty that came with it-at a price. This engine has never overheated but from the time that it was installed I noticed a wisp of greyish-white smoke. Interestingly, even the dealer sends the heads out to be pressure tested and milled.
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Old 03-27-2008, 06:19 PM
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Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 2,220
Never mind W124 diesels. I never see 124's at all, period end. And I used to see them around all the time.

The only Benzes I see regularly are the 300SDL's the older 300SD's, a few 560SEC's, and a handful of 240/300D's. That's all I ever see these days. Almost all Benzes around here are either W126 or W211's (maybe a few 210's). The W126 is definitely the most common.

The W124's are bloody Hell to work on. But they perform impressively when done right.

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