Biggest mistake with my new build cookie cutter starter home was not to make the garage bigger. I don't imaging another 5 feet extended length and width would have cost much at all.

__________________
1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Come on that thing doesn't even have ABS. Have someone pump the brakes and crack the bleed screw. Do the longest line first so start with the right rear, than left rear, etc. Just make sure the resivor doesn't run dry.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

even with abs, bleeding brakes on a a vehicle with abs is the same as a vehicle without abs. I learned that from a lexus master techinican.

__________________
1986 300SDL, 211K,Dealership serviced its whole life
1991 190E 2.6(120k)
1983 300D(300k)
1977 300D(211k)

Yeah I always bleed brakes that way, on everything. Just don't try it if your MB has SBC.


Power bleeders don't always work well; I think their a waste unless you own a shop.

At least on the W126's power bleeders don't always generate the pressure needed to force fluid through the ABS pump. While the pedal method does.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

You can build a pressure bleeder yourself for about 25 bucks in parts. That's what I did and it works great.

I've used it on my W116 and my W126 with ABS. Takes me less than 30 minutes to do the job. What makes it take that long is jacking up the car and removing each wheel. I've found that to be easier that trying to fiddle with the bleeder screws with the wheels still on.

__________________
Joe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1980 300SD - 495k miles - 'The Ambassador'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Former Family Members
95 C280
73 280SEL
90 300D
87 300SDL (X2)
86 560SEL
84 300D
80 300SD

Never had a problem bleeding the brakes on the W126. My cousins old 3-Series BMW however is a completely different story....

__________________
1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

I've used my homemade pressure bleeder on both the W123 (w/o ABS) and the W124 (w/ABS) with excellent results. I agree with Joe that the biggest part of the job is jacking up and removing each wheel for easier access to the bleed screws. Thought I bled the W210 also but can't find it in my notes. Hmmm . . .

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

They do too, I have a Motive Products Power bleeder ($90 including MB adapter) and have done all of the W126's (mine three times so far).....the W123....AND the W124 with ABS, all with 0 issues. It works great. Dump in the fluid and go. Just make sure the little rubber button caps on the reservoir are in good/soft shape first....

I've even used it on the minivan with success.

I can't imaging bleeding brakes without one....

You have to remove the wheels on a W124 because there's not much room under them to get at the calipers....but the W126/W123 can be done by lifting the car a little and going underneath.

__________________
-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)

Oh comon'....I've done ALL of my major projects in a SINGLE stall garage! Quit whinin!

Not to be mean but.....if it has taken days to do a brake job....how long do you estimate the 603 engine swap to take? My 617 swap took me about 40-50 hours of actual work time.....I imagine a 603 would take even longer.

__________________
-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)

I just bleed them the old fashion way. Open the bleeder, press pedal down, close bleeder, release pedal,.........,..... It takes 2 people but its not hard. I don't even remove the wheel.

__________________
1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

Exactly how I did it. There is still air in the system, and it wasn't an issue before. As for how much time its been taking me? I went in 2 hours Tuesday and didn't get much done short of getting the wheels off and putting the car on the lift because the other car taking up the lift wasn't finished. Wednesday front calipers off before someone newly purchased W123 pulled up asking questions. I had to be in work by around lunch time. Today was the big work day, and I suppose I did leave for a few hours for lunch and to run an errand. I guess that means 8-10 hours of solid work for the brakes and tranny. Kind of high, but considering I had never done it before, I don't think it was that bad.

I would not even dream of doing the 603 motor swap. Helping yes, but doing it all at home, no way. Bob and Wiley do it on a weekly basis, not kidding. It makes them pretty fast at it.

Do you feel better about yourself for pointing out how you're a far superior mechanic than me, pawosd? I think I've established over enough threads that I'm somewhere between completely inept to a total idiot when it comes to wrenching, but I continue to try.

__________________
1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Nah, I don't think I'm far superior....I've made plenty of mistakes working on these cars....I just don't share those. I quietly go about fixing what I mess up......one of the biggest things I mess up is myself...physically.

I have a chipped tooth (thankfully minor) from dropping a 17mm wrench on my face. I've bled about a gallon onto the driveway through numerous cuts both severe and not severe.......hit myself in the head with a breaker bar when undoing a diff drain plug....saw some stars that time...pull some random muscle that hurts every time I go under the car.......dumped trans fluid all over myself......I've adjusted the valves on one of the 617's with two feelers (WAY out of spec) stuck together with oil, I did not know this until I put it all back together and it was running strange.............I've left my breaker bar+socket attached to the crank pulley and started the engine, thus removing said bolt........I bent a fan and ruined a water pump while putting the replacement engine into my dad's SD.........I electrocuted myself and my dad with the 300E...... ......the list goes on....no superior mechanic here!! Hopefully that makes you feel better.

__________________
-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)

I feel your pain Tyler, just look at my stupid AC thread. It really sucks to get to the point of throwing in the towel, but christ sometimes you just have to. Today I couldn't get a damn thing working. The evaporator temperature switch was a good thing to do, the other one was shot and now the compressor comes on. But, I tore out about half the center console trying to install the new CCU before I just said "forget it, I'll let someone else do it. I don't even know that this is the problem". However I went ahead and fixed my rear windshield wiper just to make myself feel better.

I eventually have to flush and bleed the brakes in my 190E. I'll probably get a power bleeder for that, I don't have the time or personnel to do it myself. Norm will have it done too when I get around to replacing his calipers.

I really wish I had a garage sometimes, but honestly I learn more and more about these cars by making mistakes and fixing them. I mean come on, remember my first night with Norm? I didn't even know where to look for the vacuum lines.

Wish you were closer, I need a helping hand!

Oh man, I can't get through anything without at least minor bodily harm. While doing my valve adjustment I noticed some bright red fluid on the outside of one of the fuel lines ... no worries, just blood! Don't even know what I skinned my knuckle on. I love dropping wrenches on my face, too. Also pretty much every time I have a tricky bolt, I manage to set myself up so that as soon as it releases, my hand goes slamming into the pavement, or something else very hard and sharp-cornered. And often when I pry something with a screwdriver, it ends with a stab wound.

Don't feel bad Tyler ... it took me forever to do my brakes. Between my weakling arms not being able to get the caliper bolts off, ordering and waiting for parts, crouching in snowdrifts, and simply trying to figure out how everything comes off, how it goes back on and making sure everything was to spec, it felt like an epic journey.
Oh yeah, and if you want another stupid-mistake story ... when I did the rear brakes, the right wheel was right near a pile of mud, so I bled the left wheel and then moved the car a bit to access it better ... got in the car, pumped the brakes a couple times and let it roll forward out of the mud. I noticed the brake pedal felt funny. Got out, walked to the back of the car ... I had forgotten to close the bleeder on the left caliper! Many shop towels met their end that day ...

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

One morning, like super early before school I got a text message. I don't really remember what happened, but I'm assuming I read it and dropped the phone on my forehead because when I was brushing my teeth I noticed a nice bruise above my left eyebrow.

I told everyone I was working on my car and dropped a wrench on my face....

Both were shameful stories =[