1995 E300 Diesel - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 06-29-2013, 07:09 AM

I got the car back from the Indie yesterday after having the diff replaced. The old diff had a broken pin in the spider gear. It allowed the spider gears to rotate giving the rear end the chance to rotate within itself. John (my Indie) said it was a wonder it did not grenade.

So I drove it down to Anderson and back, 2 hr ea way. Although the AC blows cold air it does not seem to function correctly as far as all the internal flaps etc, directing air where they should be going, and the fans don't seem to operate correctly. There is a fairly loud rattle also which seems as if it might be AC dampers gone arwy.

The cruise does not work.

The most immediate problem is the sunroof which just seems to be floating on its pivots, allowing the front to pop up enough to catch air and roar. I am considering simply caulking it in place and unhooking the switch. Does anybody have information on how to fix sunroofs?

The car runs pretty nicely. Smooth and quiet. Not a powerhouse but it will rev up pretty high with the four valve heads.

I purchased a five speed manual setup too. It is in transit now.

There is something which is vibrating pretty badly too. I don't know if its the tires or front wheel bearings. The tires are mismatched brand X's of some kind with fair tread.

I cannot figure out how to operate the radio (or it does not work). The cd player works sort of. hit and miss.

engatwork · #2 06-29-2013, 07:37 AM

Quote:

So I drove it down to Anderson and back, 2 hr ea way. Although the AC blows cold air it does not seem to function correctly as far as all the internal flaps etc, directing air where they should be going, and the fans don't seem to operate correctly. There is a fairly loud rattle also which seems as if it might be AC dampers gone arwy.

As long as it is cold, leave it be until you are ready to pull the dash.

Quote:

The cruise does not work.

Send module to JamesDean for repair. I believe he is the one that rebuilds 'em.

Quote:

The most immediate problem is the sunroof which just seems to be floating on its pivots, allowing the front to pop up enough to catch air and roar. I am considering simply caulking it in place and unhooking the switch. Does anybody have information on how to fix sunroofs?

Straight forward job.

Quote:

There is something which is vibrating pretty badly too. I don't know if its the tires or front wheel bearings. The tires are mismatched brand X's of some kind with fair tread.

Vibration come/go or steady? Put Michelins on it.

Quote:

There is something which is vibrating pretty badly too. I don't know if its the tires or front wheel bearings. The tires are mismatched brand X's of some kind with fair tread.

LOL, good luck on the radio. You should be able to push the button to make it come on. Suggest going to aftermarket. Somewhat cumbersome to upgrade.

Once you get it sorted it will be the best car you will ever own.

TheDon · #3 06-29-2013, 08:18 AM

Tom, you're better than caulking a sunroof in place.

t walgamuth · #4 06-29-2013, 08:23 AM

Thanks Jim!

1. Can you tell me more about the sunroof, please?

2. The radio is a kenwood. These aftermarket radios have all these tiny little buttons with equally tiny labels that even a three year old could not read! It seems to be intermittent on the cd but that could be a problem with the cd itself not the radio or could be a loose connection.

Just gotta get from here to there on getting things sorted. The mechanical portions of the car seem sound now but the fancy ancillaries are the problem. I just wish it had the simple ac controls like a 240d.

Jeremy5848 · #5 06-29-2013, 10:45 AM

If you locate the factory original radio (provided the OE plugs haven't been removed) it will plug in and has legible buttons; there's even a 6-CD changer available and your car was pre-wired for it, just plug it in.

The sunroof can be a lot or work and expensive, depending on what's broken. Popping up at the front may simply be broken links in the hinge that's part of the rear pop-up feature.

If the vibration persists after you have good tires properly balanced, then you can look for other causes.

Jeremy

t walgamuth · #6 06-29-2013, 12:45 PM

Oh, thanks Jeremy! Do I have to remove the sunroof from the inside?

t walgamuth · #7 06-29-2013, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

Tom, you're better than caulking a sunroof in place.

Maybe....

engatwork · #8 06-29-2013, 01:34 PM

Startekinfo w124 manual should provide all the info you need to repair it. Just plan on taking your time. The best way to keep an old sunroof in good nick is to not open it.

Jeremy5848 · #9 06-29-2013, 03:06 PM

The sunroof repair instructions always start with "open the sunroof." If that is possible, with the sunroof open about half way, you can pop off and remove the inside liner (working from inside the car), making the mechanism visible. You should then be able to see whatever has broken.

If the sunroof does not open at all except for the flopping, it is a lot more work to disassemble. There are a couple of threads on the subject in this forum, primarily written for the 1987 300D but applicable to the later models also. I have not had experience removing a broken sunroof.

Jeremy

KarTek · #10 06-29-2013, 03:41 PM

Cruise and AC dampers run amok sounds like a vacuum problem.

JamesDean · #11 06-29-2013, 03:49 PM

Cruise is all electrical, no vacuum involved. I actually just repaired two units for a pair of 95 E300 Diesels. Tom, drop me a PM or Email if you're interested.

My 300D too has sunroof problems (doesn't tilt) and eventually I'll have to tear into it.

Also here is thee Star TekInfo manual referred to by Jim earlier:
Untitled Document

Jeremy5848 · #12 06-29-2013, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarTek

Cruise and AC dampers run amok sounds like a vacuum problem.

A/C flaps, yes, probably pods with ruptured diaphragms. Some are accessible to R&R, others require pulling the dash. Testing is fairly easy with a Mityvac.

Cruise no, vacuum is not used in that year/model. Most likely the electronic "amplifier" has died (under the dash, driver's side). Rebuilt units are available from a forum member or a used amplifier, which sometimes even work, can be purchased from the usual on-line sources.

I shopped around and found one for my '95 for less than $50 -- maybe I was lucky. Later part numbers tend to be more reliable. The original was probably an 014-family part number; the 016- and later numbers are better, apparently the manufacturer (VDO?) gradually learned to make the things more reliable.

The later cruise amplifier has a plug-in "personality module" that must go with the car and be swapped into any newly-purchased amplifier. The "modules" adjust the amplifier for a particular car's gearing; the amplifiers are all the same -- except that later numbers are better. Early amplifiers do not have that plug-in and are made for one specific model.

Jeremy

t walgamuth · #13 06-29-2013, 04:09 PM

The sunroof does open and close, fortunately.

Thanks for the leads on directions!

KarTek · #14 06-29-2013, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy5848

A/C flaps, yes, probably pods with ruptured diaphragms. Some are accessible to R&R, others require pulling the dash. Testing is fairly easy with a Mityvac.

Cruise no, vacuum is not used in that year/model. Most likely the electronic "amplifier" has died (under the dash, driver's side). Rebuilt units are available from a forum member or a used amplifier, which sometimes even work, can be purchased from the usual on-line sources.

I shopped around and found one for my '95 for less than $50 -- maybe I was lucky. Later part numbers tend to be more reliable. The original was probably an 014-family part number; the 016- and later numbers are better, apparently the manufacturer (VDO?) gradually learned to make the things more reliable.

The later cruise amplifier has a plug-in "personality module" that must go with the car and be swapped into any newly-purchased amplifier. The "modules" adjust the amplifier for a particular car's gearing; the amplifiers are all the same -- except that later numbers are better. Early amplifiers do not have that plug-in and are made for one specific model.

Jeremy

Thanks, I was assuming vacuum controlled cruise. Always good to learn something new...

Jeremy5848 · #15 06-29-2013, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

The sunroof does open and close, fortunately.

Thanks for the leads on directions!

The liner (inner ceiling panel) of the sunroof is attached to the upper (metal) part of the sunroof with several (four? six?) plastic tabs. Once you unpop the tabs you can remove the panel. I learned to do that when I replaced the headliner in my '95 E300. With the panel out of the way you can see the mechanical linkage better.

See this thread for lots of good pictures.

Jeremy