95 C220 W202 pre-purchase advice -needs wiring harness - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

James L · #1 08-23-2012, 03:45 PM

Hello

Did the search on this forum and read the few germain harness post but.

I need advice from the experts here, locally there is a 1995 C220 for sale for $750 or make me an offer;

it is at a shop and will need to be towed (jer-dan about 70 miles to home), car was there for check engine light; tech chased down what he thought was egr, throttle body, mass air, ect.. to no avail, he now is sure it needs a new wiring harness- 10 hour job he said. the owner does not want to mess with it and told me to just make him an offer or he is goin got donate it. Car otherwise is in nice shape; body, seats, a/c, transmision, no leaks or drips., new tires. 180K miles, sagging headliner.

What worries me;

1) were to buy the harness, mb discontinued, i have seen some on ebay $500-$750, there is one on this site $98 but does not have enough wires, used in conjunction with fuel harness?

2) car is odb 1, and no real way of knowing for sure as with odb 11.

3) 10 hour job seems too long

Pass or Go, if go how much?

thanks for the advice
James

Pili380SL · #2 08-23-2012, 04:04 PM

Unless it's drastically different from a C280, it's certainly not a 10 hour job. 2 or 2½ hour job max. I think the harness I purchased about 6 years ago was about $500. If the car's pretty clean, probably worth it.

James L · #3 08-23-2012, 07:42 PM

Thanks Phili

I saw a youtube video on this exact car today, he is soldering the wires salvaged from a junk car into the existing wires, and checking while checking resistance with a multimeter for correct pin location.

why cant the wires just be re-wrapped with some new itype insulation?

complete harness is going to be hard to find

still debating, ima gonna have to rent a JerDan or uhaul car trailer to get it home.

Pili380SL · #4 08-24-2012, 06:55 AM

I'm really surprised that the harness is discontinued. Is your dealer parts person pretty sharp? I'm surprised because everything I've ordered for my '95 coupe or the wife's C280 has been available, and the engine harness is a pretty popular item. It's tricky without the VIN but I'm coming up with A202 540 38 32 as a part number for the '95 C220 harness. I can check with my dealer if you want. I've seen a lot of people have luck rebuilding the harness, and if you're real handy it's an option. The wiring does need replaced; re-insulating the original wires I don't believe is feasible.

James L · #5 08-24-2012, 11:05 AM

thanks for the part number Phili, i will research.

btw the car has 220,000 miles instead of 180,000

still considering, have till middle of next week to decide

James L · #6 08-24-2012, 04:15 PM

here is a gently used Delpi upgrade $499 with that same part number you gave, i see why its not a repair but a complete replace! lol..loooks complex with allot of sleeves and conduits.

Mercedes Benz 94 95 C220 2.2L W202 - DELPHI 2002 - updated Engine Wiring Harness | eBay

new on ebay and other sites $749

they aslo talk about a separate transmission harness $98-$110
and some fuel sending unit harness

are these needed too?; good pics

Pili380SL · #7 08-25-2012, 05:58 PM

On our car, only the engine harness was bad. I don't remember hearing of anybody replacing the harness to the safety neutral switch on the trans. Those are good pictures and that harness looks good. You've verified that the insulation is cracked on the car you're looking at? Beware of other people's diagnosis.