Well, my blower finally quit on me, of course away from home and super-hot day, had to drive home without A/C. I've been jiggling the ignition switch to get the blower to come on, most of last summer and all of this one, and had a new ignition (electrical part) switch, since last year, but gave up installation after hours of trying to get the %$^&* tumbler out with several allen keys, pieces of wire, paper clips, whatever.

I just happened last week to have bought a $3.00 allen key set to get a particular size for a tool I have, so I tried the smallest one, a .050" key. Perfect fit, even though the manual specifies a piece of wire 1.25mm thick (.05" = 1.27mm).
There are dozens of threads about the removal procedure, so I just wanted to add a couple of tips:

- The manual I have doesn't say how to remove that huge steel airduct tube behind the knee bolster panel, and I haven't seen a post on this either. This was another thing that stopped me before. I had better sense or whatever this time, and found it comes out only after you remove the cover panel, then the 'L' bracket holding the left lower dash corner in place. There are 2 10mm nuts on the left side, gotten at from below, and 1 13mm bolt accessible through the dash opening after the instrument cluster is out, which also secures the tubular brace to the steering column. No need to remove this bolt, just loosen and pull the steel tube down. Pic shows the nasty bracket holes/slots at each end. It's a bear to get back in though.

- The little releasing pin that you need to depress, after the ignition lock main body collar thing has been loosened, to withdraw the assembly, isn't visible until the column has been dropped about 1 1/2". This is not the locking bolt pin at the end of the tube, the 'big' one that locks the wheel, just the 1/8" diameter retaining pin. It's at about the 4 o'clock position, right down where the plastic cover ends.

- As others have noted, no need to remove the steering wheel, but the knee panel and steel duct MUST come off to lower the column. I thought I'd read where someone said it wasn't necessary to remove this lower panel, but it couldn't have been for a W126 with this stupid steel duct.

To wrap this up, after all was done, the blower still didn't come on! So I changed the fuse, and now it works! I know the switch was bad, as jiggling a little to the left (counter-clockwise) gave it power. And, I cannot see any break in the fuse metal. Must be a Mercedes thing......

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1986 560SL
2002 Toyota Camry
1993 Lexus

I am trying to do this with a w124 1988 260e

Are there no screws on the back of the ignition switch... does it just hold in by the pins.

I don't have a tumbler problem, I can turn the key to position 1...but when it seems when i do that, I can't get the switch to put out from the back.

i had the same jiggle issue... but now the jiggling doesn't work... just for grins, i will replace the strip fuse this afternoon... my existing strip fuse is heavy metal that is bent to fit.

the replacements i have seem to be a thinner strip that will fit nicely between the screws.

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1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


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IF your 260E switch is the same design as mine, the electrical part of the switch assembly is held to the back of the main body with 3 straight-slot screws. With the instrument cluster out, you can use a mirror to see them. I tried for 1/2 hour to use a stubby flat blade screwdriver to get them out, to avoid having to remove the main body attached to the steering column, but no way.....The key in position 1 should align the internal plastic 'T' shaped piece so the plug can be pulled off the electrical part, the part referred to above attached with the 3 screws. This is so the thief can't pull the plug and hot-wire the car without a key to turn the ignition to position 1.
The fuse I replaced wasn't a strip fuse, like for the blower motor. It was a standard ceramic fuse in the fusebox, probably wired to a relay for the blower...of course, your car may be fused differently.

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1986 560SL
2002 Toyota Camry
1993 Lexus

thanks don...

as much as I searched, I could not find that answer..

and i couldn't seem to find the procedure on the CD manual

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1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


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i decided to replace the strip fuse first.... there looked to be a little of corrosion..

well... you guess it..

i still do have to replace the ignition switch.... but this was the problem all along... oh well...

everyone always says...check the strip fuse first.... i don't know why i didnt'

other strip fuse seemed to be fine.... but i replaced it...since i had two spares.

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

thanks for posting this 3 years ago Don, It had just the info I needed to get that duct out of my way. Also thanks for letting me know I don't need to remove the steering wheel.

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

I just completed this on an 1991 300SE. I tried everything to get the collar to release from the tumbler but no luck. My key was in the correct position but no method proved positive. I ended up unscrewing and unbolting the metal duct enough to force the column down far enough to get to the pin and depress it to allow the ignition to pop out. I took it out through the dash cluster hole since the metal duct was in the way. I had to cut the collar off with a grinder the get the tumbler out. I noticed a piece of metal at the bottom that may have jammed the pawl to release the collar using the "wire tool". I am driving it with a screw driver until I get a tumbler a new keys at the dealership. I did ask for an estimate on replacing the tumbler 150.00 if they could get it out using a "tool" on 400.00 plus if they had to remove the ignition. I'm glad I stuck with it.

All I need now is front and rear glass, quoted 350.00 for new windshield and removal and install of rear glass from my parts car. I swapped the mid muffler and rear muffler off the same parts car. The front end is eating tires so I will have an alignment done to see if I have to replace the dreaded ball joints. My plan is to remove the steering stuff and the tie rods if need be. I replaced them on the parts car last year before the head gasket failed. I paid 300.00 for this one and I hope to get it drivable on a 1000.00 budget. I paid 200.00 for the other one and put 500.00 in it and got 13,000 mi before it "gave up the ghost.", plus it's giving back as a parts car.

I love these cars even though they can be a bit of work to keep on the road.