Wow, lots of posts since last night!

I was going to extend the steering wheel and leave it in place, but my brother in law is an MB tech and said that it was so easy and quick to get off and was so handy to have out of the way, I went ahead and pulled it. He was right. It took absolutely no time to get it off. I wish the rest of the project was that quick and easy.

I did check exhaustively for dye in the condensate drain water and looked up at the transmission tunnel from underneath as best I could with the black light. I never found the slightest trace.

I understand the concern about creaks and squeaks after R&R of dash, but I've never had these kinds of problems with MB's like I have with other cars. They seem to put alot of thought into constructing things so that noises don't occur, even after major service. I've never done a dash before, but other things like doors and such don't seem to be noisy after major service.

I don't think 500,000 miles is out of the question for a properly maintained 124 car if you have the right attitude. That is, when something breaks, you fix it instead of letting it run down and get away from you.

Jim, let us know how the 123 evap job goes. I remember being in an independent MB only shop several years back where the guy had a late 123 instrument panel apart to do an evap. He said that he would work on it a few hours until he got sick of it then go off and work on something else and come back. He made it out to be a terrible job. That said, the same guy admitted that he heavily preferred doing engine work.

Now back to my car. At this stage, I worry much more about my heater core leaking than the evaporator. The way the pipes fit in place I really hope that I didn't pinch on o-ring. I checked as best I could and the o-rings or so high there was no point in filling the radiator before buttoning up. I just don't see how coolant could get that high until I start the engine.

Yes, these cars are known for failing evaporators. When a failure rate is 15%, that is REALLY HIGH. That means that you have an 85% chance of not having the problem. So, "Do you feel lucky?..........Punk?" (For you younger readers, that's a Clint Eastwood line, I'm not calling anyone here a punk.)

Wish me luck,