I am a Norwegian guy who has a small motel and lives a laid-back life most of the year in NorthEast Thailand, and a couple of years ago I fell in love with (and bought) what I was told was a 1989 500SE. It had some minor problems to it, but all in all it performed very nice to be an old car. After I had it for a while I started to check out about it. The car had chassis # WDB126022-12-000878 and had an V8-engine #1176522008654. From what I could find out: a German assembled left-hand drive 280SE modified into a Thai right-hand drive 500SE. However, I had the car and I wanted to correct the problems it had, most important a starting problem. When I was starting it, it cranked for about 10-15 seconds before it fired roughly, and another 20 seconds before it idled smoothly. When it was stoopped and started immideately, it fired at once and ran smoothly instantly. But if I waited 15-20 minutes before restarting, I had the same problem with cranking and rough start. I was told this was probably due to lost fuel pressure or leaky fuel-injectors. I spoke to a local mechanic (who has been working with MB here in Thailand for 12 yrs.) and he ordered and replaced the fuel-pump (Bosch #0580254910), the fuel-filter (Bosch #0450905203) and the fuel-pressure regulator (can not find any number) – all parts located under the fuel-tank on the right side. However, he did not replace a unit I don`t know what is; - the first ”tidbit” in the fuel-line after the fuel-tank (Bosch#116470516…. ). But after this operation the car started almost without cranking and I was a ”happy camper” again. Anyway, when I was on ”holidays” back in Norway for 3 months last summer, my wife ”blew up” this engine by overheating it. She was told by this ”mechanic” that the whole engine was crashed, - but no problem!! – he could replace it with another one, bought second-hand in Bangkok. Well, since I was in Norway, and my wife needed a car, we agreed on the phone to replace the old engine with another one(#117963120778391). I believe from a 84/85 500 SEL !!??, - or? Anyway, later I found out that the old engine had only minor damages to it (a camshaft and some bearings) since a German friend and me took it apart. To my great dissapointment, after this engine-swapping, I am now experiencing the same starting problems as I was before I replaced the fuel-delivery equipment on the old engine. I definitely want to keep the car, because it looks very nice exterior/interior-wise, and I think it is a really classic MB-body. Grey metallic with Black interior, and with a spare engine!!!! Anybody cares to have opions about how things can be solved? I guess no manuals covers this FatBastard? ”Sanuk” in Thailand.

The part they did not replace could be the problem. That's the accumulator, it makes the fuel pressure even. If it fails, it can cause a loss of fuel pressure when the car sits for too long, which sounds like what may be going on. I assume the weather is warm there. in cold weather, the incorrect ie platinum sparkplugs can cause symptoms similar to this also. Another thought would be one or several leaky fuel injectors or possibly bad injector seals. If the idle speed seems wrong, it could also be cracked/leaking idle air hoses under the intake runners. How much of the original 9previous) engine needed to be swapped over to the present motor?
Give the fact it's starting the same way, I too would tend to think of a chassis-mounted component though, like the accumulator.
Did you have the radiator cleaned and checked out to make sure this wasn't the source of the overheating?

Gilly

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1. I just got one advice not to do is : take it to Mercedes-Benz Center Chiangmai I think it’s off the super highway by the bus station.

2. When we were assigned there about 7 years ago I had bad experience with them first there were to many kids (cheap labor) running around, their definition of toque is tight or tighter. They do have western mechanics there but they only let them work on newer and top model cars for their rich customers. When you do take your car in they do more then you ask for and charge you for it! At least in the west you get a call to let you know it’s dangerous and or come take a look. I do most of my own work so I would like to know what’s going on before it’s done.

Thai GI sends…

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Mr. GillyBenzTech:
Thanks a lot for your opinion.. Does the Bosch part#116 470 516 fit into being a fuel-accumulator? This part is the first in line from the tank, before the pump and it`s approx. measures are 80mm in diameter and 40mm in length. The single fuel hose from the tank goes into to it on one side, - on the other side the fuel hose splits into two (one to the pump and one to this part I can`t find the number on – but certainly looks like a fuel pressure regulator). I have been looking at photos and parts# (on your Online Catalog) of accumulator for 117 963-engines, - it does not at all look like the one you say is my accumulator.

What is the routing and parts involved in my fuel-system (from tank, delivery, injection and return to tank)? Can I find schematic graphics on this site or somewhere else on the net?

Yes, it is hot out here – mostly around 30-35 Celcius in the daytime, but the car has an excellent A/C and doesn`t seem to bother about the heat. It has actually two cooling fans, second one thermostat-driven in front of the radiator hooked up to the A/C-system. When the car was overheating, it was something that caused this fan to break down (I was not here at the time, but I was told afterwards). When the mechanic replaced the engine, he had all components in the cooling-system cleaned and checked out. Now no problems with that.

The ”new” engine has only the A/C compressor and the starter from the old one. But since ”This Is Thailand” – (long stories to explain…), I do not know what kind of parts they have ”put” on the new engine, but it looks to fit. One example in the fuel-line has a part#0438140 – located in front of the engine and attached to the vacuum- and electrical system.

I presume that my fuel-pump is still good, but if I should order new accumulator, filter and pressure-regulator, - what kind of ”matching numbers” do you think I should look for? Is there parts I can clean or repair? Again, thanks a lot.

Mr. Thai GI:
I agree a lot with your views. Like I say earlier in this post: This Is Thailand .... I wonder if people in this forum could imagine how many (and exclusive) MBs you`ll find over here - and so many incompetent people to service them. To find the real mechanics I would think only Bangkok would be a place to go. I have been at the MB-dealer in Khon Kaen (a city with about 2-3 mill. people) - but they could simply not do anything except charge me for that.

jaypee