Right, so i was driving normally, car worked fine, suddenly stuttered and stalled.. took a while to start, i had to pump the gas pedal some.. eventually made it to a parking lot, got it towed to my house by aaa.

car takes forever to start, sometimes misfires, but the engine shakes and rattles like hell, like its running too lean.. and the idle hovers around 800 - 1000, and drops to 500, starts stuttering, and dies. (sometimes the emergency lights worked, sometimes they'd kind of freeze up)

the eha/air intake seemed to be shaking so much, it became loose, and when i looked, the eta was grimey! as well as a vacuum plug somewhere.. which i took apart.. and stuck back in.. (while i was working for aaa)

300ce - YouTube

theres a video of the noise/issues the car makes..

anyways i stayed up all night trying to see other symptoms
so the car won't start without gas being pumped, and is very hard..

the brake also turned very hard for some reason, mind you it was working fine earlier today, but it seems especially rock hard when the car stalls. the car drops rpms down to about 500 when in gear or so, and the stuttering stops and engine seems to run better when gas is pressed, and stuttering stops pretty much at about 4000 rpm..
but when i turn the wheel, powersteering makes a screechy sound when i hit one end, and car will stutter to 500, and die.

so i took my air filter cover thingy off.. off..

looks like eta.. its filthy.. is it easy to take off? easy to clean?

that would be my maf i think? or whatever connects to the eta.. the inside of it.. looked filthy and greasy... or oily.. is it supposed to be oily??


my mechanic (Mr.Mb) broke the clip..



well i never opened the compartment where the spark wires go..


coils packs look old, ignition wires are beru, but their old too..
but hey it was fun and i'm learning how my car works..

thats the only spark plug i could pull out (towards the front)


where the spark plug was oil and grimes everywhere on this car!


took a quick look under the car, (dont have jacks)

it leaks!

so some of you might have remembered i made a post in desperation, and my wire was wrapped in pvc tape, and you all recommended me a new harness.. removed all the pvc crap...
what the hell was this guy thinking..
WHAT WAS I THINKING BUYING THIS CAR?!?!!? :crybaby2:


i think the wires would have been fine if it wasn't for that rat though (infamous rat who killed a benz)

the wires along the harness looked like that, as did most of the wiring in the bay which is pretty good..
i cut his stupid weird repair job on the harness, since i was thinking of doing a cleaner soldering job as a temporary repair, as the harness is still in good shape..

well thanks guys.. yeah i know i screwed up again.... :|

Its real easy to get car fever. Best to take an honest speaking buddy with you.

__________________
1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

hello,


i read some of your earlier posts in which you mentioned that you had H20 in your power steering system, and when i watched your youtube video , it seemed like the noise was loudest when the camera was near the power steering pump. maybe the pump is shot? you can make sure , by dropping the auxiliary belt and running the car without it (for 10-20sec) to verify whether or not the noise is coming from the pump?

i assume you plan on fixing the car up yourself, and that is why you are on the forum.

the first thing you should do is build the code reader, so you can pull codes and post them on the forum, it will make diagnosing your problem a lot easier.
let us know if you need help finding the link for building the code reader?

my opinion is that a digital volt meter is a must have tool as well. you should also pick up a fuel pressure gauge and vacuum gauge if you can.

with a few simple/cheap tools and a little patience , i'm pretty sure you should be able to get the CE up and running again.

i read some of your earlier posts in which you mentioned that you had H20 in your power steering system, and when i watched your youtube video , it seemed like the noise was loudest when the camera was near the power steering pump. maybe the pump is shot? you can make sure , by dropping the auxiliary belt and running the car without it (for 10-20sec) to verify whether or not the noise is coming from the pump?

i assume you plan on fixing the car up yourself, and that is why you are on the forum.

the first thing you should do is build the code reader, so you can pull codes and post them on the forum, it will make diagnosing your problem a lot easier.
let us know if you need help finding the link for building the code reader?

my opinion is that a digital volt meter is a must have tool as well. you should also pick up a fuel pressure gauge and vacuum gauge if you can.

with a few simple/cheap tools and a little patience , i'm pretty sure you should be able to get the CE up and running again.[/QUOTE]


whoops forgot to post more updates on this forum, gf was over so just hung out..


the notes about the h20 in the ps system disgregard, it was from my older 1987 300E, which is now wrecked, and sitting in the garage.. but honestly the 300e was much better than the 300CE, as it was in better condition -__-


the recent posts are about a 1993 300CE


and i know i have vacuum leaks for sure, but it seems to be the rubber grommets more than the hoses..



you guys were right, thats the wire totally fried.. by the abs pump

i tried putting in gas, injector cleaner, took off the maf from the eta, and cleaned it with throttle body cleaner

i jumped the fuel pump relay, and i hear a hissing sound from the rear, to the front of the engine..

made the code reader already, it gave me codes 5,10,17,19,25,27.. i asked other forums and people, they said its the harness.

seems to leak oil like hell too.. as i looked under today.. it has own little puddle already, not oil spots.. anyways.. weirdest thing, the car was cold, started right up/faster even without the jumped fuel pump relays..

check engine light was off!?!? even though i don't have a smog pump? it goes on and off, but i read codes again
the only ones that come out is 19,25

code 19 - Injectors circuit open or circuit short emission control module adaptation in engine
control module at limit

code 25 - Knock sensors or engine control module faulty


only thing i've been putting in is premium.. who knows what the p.o did.. :|

also it appears to maybe be the PS pump that kills the engine? when i turn the steering wheel, it makes a screeching sound and dies.. need to get a empty cardboard box and see if its leaking engine oil, or ps oil.. or both.. although their about the same color..

the rough running, im pretty sure its the usual maf/eta/harness/need tuneup issues.

Check and if not recently done, replace OVP (overvoltage protection relay, $60).

Bummer about the wiring harness- you are not alone with this problem thanks to Mercedes Benz.

Belt noise could be failing or needs adjusting belt tensioner. The PS pump does not kill 104 engines by itself- the belt would break first.

Oil is leaking head gasket or front engine seal, also a common 104 engine issue.

So, now you know two of the three critical issues with your car- biodegradable wiring harness & head gasket failure. I hope you never have problems with the 3rd problem- leaking evaporator.

hello again,

have you checked out the 3 links i sent you in your other thread. they will help you figure out whether or not your wiring harness has been replaced or not? there should be 2 different dates on the harness :
"ZD on the Tag is Zeichnungsdatum = Design date"
"FD on the tag is Fertigungsdatum = Manufacturing date"

i am not 100% sure but if the FD date is between 91-96 then that means the harness will have the biodegradable wire insulation, which is bad news.


if your wiring harness FD date is 91-96 then it will probably need to be replaced or rebuilt. i think a forum member by the name of "victor300E" rebuilds harnesses, so you might want to PM him if you dont feel comfortable rebuilding it yourself.

if it is newer, then the PO's rat story might be true and you might be able to get by by repairing just the damaged insulation.


your last pic is a separate harness, more info here:

PeachPartsWiki: Starter & Alternator Harness Replacement

the lower harness/starter alternator harness(it also includes the oil pressure sensor wires, which i believe are the ones with the cracked insulation) . so if it charges and starts , dont worry about the lower harness for now.

ds190, first thing i did was the ovp, i had ovp problems with my 87 300e, and it doesn't have that, random turning off when gas is pressed or abs lights, its revs fine, and won't die until the steering wheel is turned..

well the P O had receipts for a head gasket job, and it turns out cylinder #5 was actually re machined and everything..
the only reason i bought the car was because i thought the harness was in decent shape, and he had a receipt for the head gasket...

but i think oil is leaking from the seal, rear, and the head gasket actually

i screwed up though, he knew his cars somewhat, and cut the harness in a place where it was cool, where it doesn't crack.. and i bought it :/

is the harness by the brake booster, for the ETA?

not to mention his receipts were about 8 - 10 years old, and he probably floored the car all day, as i told him "you drive it, and show me" as a last drive thing..

harness seems to have original 93 date on it btw

and the lower harness is probably fried as well..

and evap core/vacuum pods are gone..

so i have even more than the major repairs to do.. ps pump, etc..

tranny seems to slip and flare, (k1 bands) need to be done, but i might as well do the reverse b2 bands as well.

*sigh* im trying to get it running, maybe get rid of it.. but i need to get at least $1800 to break even, as i did get it to pass smog and all that...

there was a 93 ce sportline for 2500.. i should have gotten that :|

"a cheap mercedes is the most expensive" - i suffered through that 3x.. well my 87 300e was actually decent, c280 i spent maybe 2-3k.. but this.. nightmare.

and thanks timmy, but im pretty certain the lower one might be fried too, as it was sitting in the sun for a while.. and also the my oil pressure sensor is probably fried.

i suffered 3x, so on the 4th i must get a good one

I'm handy with a soldering iron. My 190E had lots of mucked wiring under the hood. I soldered new lengths of wire to existing wiring on the car and made new connections to the correct wires, covered the splices with heat-shrink, and recovered the harness with a thick dose of vinyl electricians tape. It's working just fine, now.

__________________
My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

Electrical issues:

Further diagnosis is a waste of time, until the bad wire harnesses are replaced.

There are too many circuits screwed up by the bad wires.

.

timmy i will post the dates, as i have time.. and its a harness by delphi.. thought it meant its a replacement.. i know it has a 1993, but i forgot the other side..

perhaps the rats chewed up the harness, and the ETA harness was never changed? as only that side deteriorated?

Holmesuser01 - hmm.. thats interesting.. what gauge wire did you use, and what solder? i'm still a beginner, but its just soldering.. i can always lay down new wire..

whunter - mind you the car was running fine a couple days ago..

I compared the wire on the car to the wire I have on hand. I used hi-temperature insulation wire. I used heavier wire than whats on the car in every case to make the repairs. I use rosin core solder and heat shrink tubing. My soldering iron is rated 40 watts.

I've been soldering for about 35 years. I did TV service for a living for years.

__________________
My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

This is what you are fighting.
MB Wiring Harness Failure

.

flux needed or no?

i work in a computer repair shop/install cctvs for now.. so i was considering pulling out the wiring harness and doing it myself.. although i'm a very big noob for diy..

and im still awaiting replies from people who rebuild harness..

i called mr.mb (whom.. i probably will not go to anymore for more than fluid changes cause i don't want the mess in my house) he says "no i remember your car, it was fine you just need a tuneup, and a transmission job!

No, the rosin in the solder acts as the flux.

__________________
My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

wanna make some money?

i'd rather get it done by someone whos good with soldering, as mine isn't that great.