Wagon Left Me Stranded Today!
 

So for the first time ever my w124 wagon left me stranded on the side of the highway. After dumping so much time and effort into replacing the head gasket I am very disheartened.

Here is what happened: I was on the way home from my friends college when all of the sudden the car began to run TERRIBLY. The whole car would shake almost as if it were misfiring when I would touch the accelerator. I pulled off the to side of the road and the car died. I got the car to restart and it ran even worse than before only to die on me again. Following that the car refused to start.

When I turn the key to start the car the motor does turn over after about 10-15 seconds but shakes violently and dies as soon as the key leaves the starter position.

I have a feeling that this may be a dead fuel pump or bad fuel filter. Or even a clogged gas line somewhere. The car was fine on my trip to and from Philadelphia earlier in the weekend.

My TE was just dropped into the driveway by an AAA tow truck. I would appreciate any help you all could give me.

Could bad gas be the cause? I honestly have not replaced the fuel filter since I have gotten the car two years ago. I am sure the Exon gas I got on the PA Turnpike didn't help.

Thanks,
Dan

Doubt bad gas....but start with the fuel filter and see if you have fuel pressure @ the distributor by unscrewing each connector on the top slightly. Make sure each one is flowing fuel.

You can check operation of the fuel pumps by bridging pins on the fuel pump relay behind the battery, but obviously failure of the above test would tell you anyway.

Well I won't be able to touch anything until tomorrow because unfortunately the convertible is currently getting a new set of headers in the garage so I cannot put it in there. But, where are the pins on the relay? Do you happen to have a picture by any chance?

A few years ago I'd say you had a fuel line freeze. Doesn't seem to be a common problem since the addition of ethanol, but it still could happen. It's gonna be a bit warmer tomorrow; try again to start it. Maybe add some fuel line anti-freeze just for giggles.

Well a short update for tonight:
The fuel pump buzzes so it should be fine, I have not checked the fuel lines yet.
I pulled the spark plugs. They are BLACK with carbon (I am fairly certain it is not oil). Of course my dumb self was using Bosch Platinum instead of the recommended copper OEM style plugs. Also the spark plug wires are an odd light brown where they connect to the plugs. I will go to the stealership and buy new plugs/wires/fuel filter.

We will see if that sorts it out.

@Chas
I added octane boost to the gasoline, however, I will consider doing that when I replace the fuel filter tomorrow. Thanks!

Truth
 

this is more than fuel....you say the head was just done? no...this is big trouble...it's not just fuel....think about it reasonably...sorry though..damn it...this is how you learn though

Well there you go. Why are you running platinum plugs in that engine??? Run the right wires/plugs/etc....!! If they are really fouled it might be valve stem seals....have they ever been replaced?

@paw No the valve stem seals were never replaced. I wanted to do them while I had the head off the car but college got in the way, so I figured I would do them on the car when I had a break from classes.

@cliff If it is big trouble, what is it? Running the wrong plugs (too hot/too cold) and a frozen fuel line/fuel filter is the most likely cause. If the car was running fine for the 300 some miles I drove earlier the past weekend and all the sudden died it is obviously nothing related to the head gasket change. The timing chain is in tact and the motor will turn over. It just dies right away.

I was walking out the door to go to Napa & probably the Stealership to pick up parts when I figured I should check up on this thread.
Thanks guys
Dan

There is no fuel dribbling or spraying out of the injectors. I checked before installing new spark plugs and wires. I am going to replace the fuel filter I got today either tomorrow or Wednesday and see if that will solve the problem.

Get codes! When things happen "all of a sudden" it points to a failure of something, and not general wear. Remember also that your computer can adjust for certain conditions, so you may have a few minor things and one major. Your symptoms are similar to what happened to my '95 E320 when it finally turned out to need a new MAF.

When I pulled the intake apart to get at the fuel injection I took the sensor out. It was a little dirty but did not look bad. Should I just take the car to the dealership and have them get the codes? I did not get a check engine light yet.

Unless you have deep pockets suggest you have a reputable independent tech diagnose the problem.

Somewhere in the forum is information on how to build a code reader for the W124 using about $10 of radio shack parts.
Back in the day when I was troubleshooting my '95, everyone was recommending coils, plug wires & I don't know what else. It took a long time (days/weeks) before the car finally threw a MAF code. The car was driveable at speed, however; it was worst at idle.
There is a sub-forum for good indy shops if you need to throw in the towel, and one recommendation your area was:
Euro Care
1011 State St # B
Lemoyne, PA 17043
(717) 737-6776

Black sooty plugs = too much fuel or poor ignition. Check your fuel pressure regulator. Pull the vacuum hose off its nipple on the regulator and see if fuel comes out. If so, the regulator is knackered and you need a new one. If not, hook a Mityvac to the vacuum fitting on the regulator and see if it holds vacuum, like 24" or so. If it doesn't hold vacuum, bad regulator. If it holds vacuum, hook up a fuel pressure test gauge set and test the fuel pressure at the fuel rail and see how it compares to the manual spec value.

You do need to put the correct plugs back in it.

Well, another update: I replaced the fuel filter and simultaneously tested the fuel pump. The pump sprayed petrol everywhere so no problems there. The filter that was on there was almost entirely blocked up...
It still refuses to start. I checked the Fuel Pressure Regulator and no gasoline spilled out when I removed the vacuum hose. I do not have a vacuum to test it though. When I pulled the plugs after trying cranking the car they appeared to be wet with gasoline.
@Hirnbeiss I do not believe MAF failure would cause a problem like this. I very may well be wrong however.
I am out of ideas as to what could be the issue. I have read that OVP failure causes problems but I do not think that it would be this serious. I am very close to just taking it to my local Indie. As much as I (and my wallet) hate the thought of it.
If any one else has ideas please let me know.

Well you eliminated a few things and you definitely did not waste your time or money. It sounds to me like there is no spark. I have read that one thing that causes no-starts on these cars is the crankshaft position sensor. It can go bad without setting a code to the computer so you will not get the Check Engine light for this every time. You could go ahead and replace the sensor, and they all eventually go bad, so it's not like you are throwing good money after bad. it is located in the back of the engine, on top of the bell housing of the transmission. It can be difficult to remove since it has been in there for 18 years or whatever. But that still might not be the problem.

Oh yeah you can get a Mityvac vacuum pump from AutoZone on their free tool loaner program.

Unless someone else here has another idea it might be best to take it to the indy, unless you have the time and the mental capital to mess with it and can afford to leave it parked until you can get to it. A No-Spark situation will eventually yield to patient logical troubleshooting (you) OR to someone who knows, by past experience, the things to look for on these cars (the indy).

Either way, please do report back here what you find so we can all benefit. Thanks!

Well I most definitely am getting a spark. I pulled one of the plugs and left it in the wire. Quite a nasty shock haha. I will be sure to wear rubber gloves next time.
I pulled three spark plugs and each was soaked in petrol?

How many miles are on your car anyway? Does it have a check engine light?

I have a little over 133 thousand miles on the car. I have owned it since 105 thousand miles.
Never had a check engine light, ever. Also every light does work because they all light up at start up.

Even with the new fuel filter the engine cannot start. I got it to idle this morning for under a second and it then died.

You're at the mileage where things fail. At this stage you probably want to get a good diagnosis scan so that you aren't replacing things unnecessarily. I don't think you can rule out MAF, CPS, coils/plug wires/boots yet. 124 also had wiring harness problems, but I think that would give you more strange behavior at this point.

Well seeing as there is a massive snowstorm heading for my area I do not think I will be able to have the car scanned until next week. The car will simply need to be towed wherever it is getting looked at because it obviously isn't moving anywhere under its own power.
Until then this thread is going to have to go on hold.
Thanks guys for all your help.
Dan

The harness is definitely a place I would stop and investigate! Do a search on it and see if there are others who have had this happen .... :confused:

I just acquired a beautiful '95 E320 wagon with 75K miles and I know from what I was told by a pre-purchase inspection by an independent MB dealership that the harness is showing some breaks and cracking and will need to be replaced for certain down the road. I'd seriously look into it my friend... ;)

Try a new rotor and retest . the brown ring around the plugs is a indication of leakage , normally a thorough clean of the leads and the end caps suffices ,but with age the inside rubber at the connector end becomes conductive , symptoms
black plugs and a shaky idle , sluggish take off from idle .
mak

I just looked up the '91 and see that it is rotor/distributor and Jetronic (or similar), not the HFM and rotorless ignition of the '95. I think I would throw a rotor (like MAK suggests), distributor cap, and even a coil at it since they're comparatively cheap.

I just replaced the rotor and distributor cap when I did the head gasket in the car. The car was somewhat sluggish on my trip to Philly, but it was loaded with 5 people and their luggage.

Lots of junk rotor and caps on the market. What brand did you use??

Duralast. Not Bosch. I should probably pull the cap and rotor and check it? They felt pretty solid when I installed them.
Like I said i am getting a spark; I shocked myself pretty badly last night checking if I did have a spark.

I haven't had a vehicle that needed a distributor cap in several years, but I can recall using Wells parts on a VW and Toyota that were in most of the auto parts stores and having lots of problems.

Good chance it is the Crankshaft Position Sensor
 

Once you thaw/dig out I would replace the crankshaft position sensor. As I experienced with my 91 300TE a year ago with a bad CPS you can still have spark albeit mistimed spark. After replacing the rotor and coil and even subbing in a known good EZL the car had spark but wouldn't start. It would occasionally backfire through the intake manifold when cranking which told me the spark timing was incorrect. After replacing the CPS the car started and ran properly. 19 years on this part is a long time. Mark

When I get the two feet of snow off my car I will pull the distributor cap and take a peek at that. I do not think it has anything to do with that however.
I will call up the Merc dealer by my place and see if they have a crankshaft position sensor. It's not like its a waste if it is not the source of the problem, its bound to fail at some point.

Let it snow!
 

Anyone fancy a W124 hearse?

I think digging out the wagon is going to be a little bit more of a challenge than expected!

I would like to revive this old thread and say that as it turns out, now that there is no snow and I can actually work on the car, that the rotor broke into pieces.

This is the last time I buy any replacement parts that aren't suggested by the manufacturer. The brand new "Duralast" parts are junk and I do not plan on purchasing them again.

No doubt you are ecstatic over all the money you saved by not taking it to the dealer or indy.

That and the money that could have been thrown into parts I don't actually need.

I have a 95 w124 and the only times mine ever acted like this was once from bad gas, which worked itself out in a few minutes, and another time when I needed to replace the plugs and coils. It was astonishing how badly the car shook when they started failing! I changed them out and it was back to the good old, "is the car on?" silence.