w140 wiring replacement details

[CSchmidt]

Folks,

I was wandering the car sites last nite and came upon a 93 300SD, 115K for a very good price and it was near where I live. I've been wanting to drive a W140 so I went to look at it. In general it is in very nice shape and drove well. I only had time for a brief look and drive. Enough to continue my interest .... but

Of the "classic" 3 W140 faults I observed:

- engine ran very well. I will ask for the detailed records and will contact the dealer that serviced it.
- ac was cold, so hopefully the evaporator is solid for now
- all electrical things worked, but I looked at the main under hood engine harness - assuming it is the group of wires contained in the black corrugated plastic wire holder. Most of the wires had cracks showing bare wire, obviously a problem waiting to happen. Also interestingly enough, this black corrugated covering was not continuous, but had many sections to it. Not sure if this is normal, but may be a sign of someone looking for a problem.

I searched and read the forums. This thread below, although talking about a gas car seemed to imply the harness was about $500 and could be a DIY job for a day:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=59934&highlight=w140+wiring

Would that imply that same for diesel ( time and cost)?

Is that one group of wires in the black corrugated covering the sum of all that would need replacing?

I am also exploring a PPI with a good local indy to see what else might be lurking.

Thanks,
Chuck

[nhodges]

I Paid $172.80 and replaced mine (94 S 350) in a couple of hours. It is a straight forward DIY. Look at the holding clips and order all new ones when you order the harness. You will surely break some of them as they are brittle from the heat.