Not a ton of progress today but figured out the AC compressor/tensioner bracket issue. In order for the AC compressor to work with the MAS relay, it must have the RPM sensor on the back. Most of the cars with the modern tensioner design have a AC compressor with no RPM sensor because Mercedes got rid of the MAS relay. The AC bracket on those cars will not fit any of the compressors with the RPM sensor. I found that the 1995 E320 W124 had the MAS relay (though it had been already done away with on other M104 cars) but also the updated tensioner design. Not sure why they redesigned the bracket for a single model year instead of updating the wiring harness to what the other cars already had. You also need the AC compressor from a 1993-1995 E320. Thankfully the has the same manifold as a M103 compressor so no AC line modifications are required. Some people may wonder why I'd go through the trouble and expense to put in the updated tensioner but I hate the old design plus my AC compressor was on the way out anyway. Here's a picture of the bracket and my new compressor:
I had already degreased the other bracket that won't work, I'll get this one cleaned up tomorrow probably.
The main reason I didn't get much done today was we were working on getting a 2001 Chevy Malibu back together so my friend can get his spare car back. Thaty so I can borrow it so I can take the Sportline out service and get the drivetrain out. The headsgaskets on that 3.1 had failed so my friend tried to convince the owners to take it to the junkyard but they insisted on him working on it. We had gone to the parts yard mainly to pull a new fuel line for it, but grabbing that AC bracket was secondary. We put in the new line, fought getting the intake manifold back on, then tried starting it and it ran like crap. We tried everything we could think of, still ran poorly. We're doing a leak down test on it tomorrow but we think it has a compression leak. Those old GMs are so poorly designed compared to our Mercedes, I know changing the belt on the M103 is a pain (but better with the updated tensioner!) But on this POS is worse, you have to remove the passenger side motor mount to replace the belt. My friend works as a technician at a GM dealer and tells me he would never buy a pre-recession GM product that isn't a truck or a Saturn. He says that though GMs are more reliable now, he isn't sure the build quality has really gotten that much better since then as he's worked on new cars missing bolts or things like exhaust brackets that were never connected up. Moral of the story is don't buy or work on crappy cars if you don't have to because they limit the time you have to work on cars you actually want to work on.