Now look what Dieseldiehard did! he went and bought a gasser - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dieseldiehard · #1 02-03-2015, 11:53 PM

So maybe I need a new moniker? Dieseldiehard was actually used for short time by another member in the pre-peachparts era. I pioneered it after he went his way... I am still a great fan of diesels but now have a gasser wagon to call my own, I always wanted a really clean 124 wagon and hadn't been able to find one till last month. Here's the story as it unfolds. Photos are in process.

Dieseldiehards new 1995 E320 Wagon

One of the first things I check when looking at a prospective car is the dash, like is it cracked as are so many I see?
This car was perfect in that respect, not a single crack or blemish anywhere on its dash. Then I noticed the instrument cluster, the odometer showed 129K on it and the pointers on the gauges were not faded at all, they were still the original orange color! Having repainted instrument pointers myself I know how difficult that is to make them look 100% original. This clearly was a car that never baked regularly in the sun, further confirmed by the paint, the clearcoat was in perfect shape, no flaking or oxidizing typical of a 20 year old car, and there were no parking lot dents on any of the doors, this was indeed a low mileage beauty!
There were no odors in the car, no cigarette burns or other scuff marks on the carpets anywhere! The previous owner bought the car new and there was a folder packed with receipts since day one and the original window sticker showing one option: Calif Emissions specs. I thought that strange since the car was sold in Washington State, but heck I needed to pass Calif smog check so this would be a step in the right direction.

The interior color is what I’ve heard called Mushroom, a light beige and it would pick up dirt or grease easily but it was spic and span with hardly any signs of wear, only the foam in the leading edges of the seat covers was deteriorating, something that seems to occur in Mercedes from the 90’s, like the wiring harnesses in the late 124’s which this car was no exception. The seller was having problems starting the car, he was a recent college grad and was related to the PO and had power of attorney to sell the car. I was a little hesitant to enter into that kind of deal but after he presented all the documents necessary I had little concern about that. He had been told the car needed a wiring harness and that repairs would cost over $2000 so this was my leverage point.
The car was listed on Craigslist one day before the MLK holiday. I saw the ad a couple hours after it had been listed so I called to make an appointment to see it that day after learning someone had made plans to have the car inspected the first day after the holiday.
I popped the hood and looked as close as I could underneath the car, noting it had new strut mounts and new engine mounts so I felt pretty confident the car had been well maintained but later I found this was not exactly true.
There was no rust visible anywhere, a big sigh of relief on that.

There was a very small dent on the rear just above the tail light lens and a small dent on the hood otherwise no body issues other than the rear bumper had been cracked and repaired by an amateur using some plastic bondo type of material then painted over with the wrong color paint.

The third seat was in good shape, and the sunroof worked fine. The hatchback struts were starting to lose their strength but the lid stays up after passing the half-way position so I can live with that a while, until it gets really cold that’s when you really need a set of good shocks. I fully realize that replacing those shocks on a 124 chassis is considerably harder than changing 123 shocks, being a one-man job (provided you have a 2X4 the correct length to help support the hatchback while you work - BTDT).

The antenna shaft was broken off and the motor would run for a half minute after switching on the radio (original Becker) with the codes for its alarm (also working) I heard a few stations strong enough to work their signal into the receiver and they were clear and the speakers seemed to have a lot of bass compared to my ’87 124 sedan. I won’t keep this radio anyhow as I like an external CD player (where to put one in this wagon though?).

Brake discs had only a few thousand miles on them if that, the lip on the outer edges was very small about the thickness of my thumbnail.

So a deal was made and I suggested the seller call the other party that was interested in the car and tell them it had been sold.
I arranged for a tow the next morning ($95) and had it delivered to my friend’s shop where we put it up on a lift. He noted it needed flex discs and said the front shocks looked original (later to be confirmed!) and said it needed rear suspension bushings, the ones that are pressed into the lower control sub frame, the control arms looked fine and the rear sway bar links were good at least it appeared the PO had done the easy stuff so we ordered parts including a dealer supplied key switch assy.

I found a late version Delphi engine harness on eBay for $200 (dealer list is well North of $1500) and I used Buy It Now, it arrived 2 days later and I delivered it to the shop for my friend to install while he was replacing the sparkplugs and ignition wires.

A couple days more and the car was ready for a road test. I was warned that I wouldn’t be happy with the way this wagon handles by my mechanic friend who had installed a complete sport suspension in my ’87 300D (needless to say it handles exceptionally well).

After driving the wagon a few blocks I completely agreed with the aforementioned prediction - it was indeed a terrible driver, soft and bouncy in the front and mushy in the rear. Looking at the new strut mounts I could only wonder who in their right mind would install new mounts without putting in new struts at the same time?

The gas chambers in the rear were probably shot too, they were also original but fortunately the rear hydraulic shocks were not leaking! Another parts order was placed so it lived on the lift another couple of days and that gave me an opportunity to examine the undercarriage more closely and I discovered a hole in the exhaust pipe between mufflers. I had never looked closely at the muffler system on a 124 wagon before, it’s a weird thing - a huge U-shaped circuit with the rear muffler running sideways across the back, unlike the 123 wagons that had the muffler and resonator in a straight line. Needless to say another parts order was placed.
The rear vacuum lock was not working but all the doors locked properly so I stopped by the dealer and bought a vac element and put that on the list of things to do.
I was starting to feel a little less confident that I had made a good purchase but then I recalled the 124 wagons I had looked at previously. I had been looking for a 124 wagon for over a year and saw 5 or 6 that seemed promising only to quickly decide to pass on them and let some fool have them. One was so ugly I wouldn’t be seen in it, another had so many bad suspension parts it was flat out dangerous to drive on the freeway the day I took it for a road test. One had the springs cut down to lower the car (seller referred to a pimp look) and one tire showed steel belts at least 2 inches long where all the rubber had been eroded from contact with the inner fender or something, sheesh! Only one 94-95 wagon I saw was in really fine + condition, the engine wiring harness had been replaced in it and the owner had kept up with everything even though it was well beyond 200K on the odometer but they were asking $8000, it was black and I hate black cars so that was a deal breaker. So with those in mind I felt this car was worth putting some effort, time and money into.

An oil change, trans service and replaced diff lube and its ready to go to the DMV for title transfer so I prepared all the documents and headed out but less than 5 minutes into the trip a check engine light came on. Oh well, back to get a code readout and it showed a MAF failure. Reluctantly ordered a Bosch MAF and my pocketbook was starting to feel deflated.
A fellow diesel friend said I should have stuck with a diesel car, but its too late I am already on the dark side now.. Well, the MAF arrived Friday before the weekend, I slapped it in and we reset the code everything looked fine so Saturday I headed out on a trip of a couple hundred miles to see a friend up in the wine country. Well, guess what? Crap, I get another check engine light! Then the following day the CE light is out so I guess I am going to have to invest in a code reader, I never needed one before.

Well, I am pleased to say this wagon runs like a top! The cruise control works fine, AC and heat works fine and the car handles great (thanks to all the new suspension parts I just had installed!) and the engine has plenty of power (I'll probably install a radar detector in it before long).

I found no little issues other than the WS wiper spray pump isn’t working. I disconnected the antenna motor so that’s not an issue because I intend to put an aftermarket radio in it eventually. I have a stack of Hirschman antennas I’ve collected over the years but I recently scrapped the one with the cell fone black tip mast in it which is what this car uses, oh well, this is a minor issue and I am more concerned now about passing the smog check.

Back to editing pictures. DDH

leathermang · #2 02-04-2015, 09:18 AM

That long a post and I do not recall seeing the price you paid for it....
How are we supposed to express our expert opinions on your judgement without the selling price ?

mike-81-240d · #3 02-04-2015, 03:42 PM

We're going to need pics to offset the long post.

I'm also looking for a 94-95 E320T

They're almost all toilets..

I'd like a emerald green one I think.

winmutt · #4 02-04-2015, 03:57 PM

I've picked up a 95 E320 wagon (for wife) and 94 E320 cabriolet in last 6 months. 91 300d is still DD for now. 87 300d has been languishing due to problems with left rear suspension/axle/toomuch power problems. Wife seems pretty happy with her 95. Can't wait for spring to popup so I can cruise in the cab.

What did you end up paying for the wagon? Mine had a new HG and valve job, trans from sunvalley and wiring harness all done within last 100k. 270k on the clock, paid $2800 for it.

PARSHOOT1 · #5 02-04-2015, 06:30 PM

....need to meet somewhere in Oregon and swap gasser stories........

dieseldiehard · #6 02-04-2015, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

That long a post and I do not recall seeing the price you paid for it....
How are we supposed to express our expert opinions on your judgement without the selling price ?

just to keep you guessing I suppose

$3200 car
$95 for a tow
$2250 Bosch MAF, front struts, gas spheres, one window regulator, new vac element in hatchback, sway bar bushings parts and labor
I have a few other items that escape me, spark plugs, ign wires, bulbs, filter, small stuff.
Only thing it really needs now is a inside door opener, already found one.
Future: cosmetics, a new bumper filler + paint.

dieseldiehard · #7 02-04-2015, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike-81-240d

We're going to need pics to offset the long post.

I'm also looking for a 94-95 E320T

They're almost all toilets..

I'd like a emerald green one I think.

Emerald green seems to be a scarce color. If I see one I'll post it here, now that I have my wagon!

this is the second smoked silver I've owned, I like it much better than the bright silver so common on the W210's around here.
pictures attached

dieseldiehard · #8 02-04-2015, 08:59 PM

forgot to include $200 for Delphi engine harness AND (how can I forget?!) something North of $750 for new mufflers.
Picture below shows why.
If I think too long I might remember something else, so for now I guess I am into it a little over $6000. Not including a combination switch I have to order.
I believe the PO installed a combi-sw that doesn't have the high beam flasher - I had that problem with another car, seems there are differences in the wiring between sedan and wagons that makes that function come out on different pins for some reason, would like to know what the German engineers did that for.

jake12tech · #9 02-04-2015, 09:50 PM

Everybody is buying gassers.. What's up with that?

dieseldiehard · #10 02-04-2015, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseldiehard

The antenna shaft was broken off and the motor would run for a half minute ....
(cut)
I found no little issues other than the WS wiper spray pump isn’t working. I disconnected the antenna motor so that’s not an issue because I intend to put an aftermarket radio in it eventually.

Found the toothed antenna mast I bought several years ago for another project that I never used it for. Installed it after I removed the cover with the antenna motor in place in the car and ran the mast leader back up in reverse manually to push out the remnants of the old leader. Got that fixed and now have a radio that works and it sounds OK, better bass than I expected but nothing like the Bose in my '99

And the spray nozzles were plugged up, the pump is working fine. Freed up the R side but no luck on the L, the most important one. Will give it another try before looking for a replacement.
For once, I am running out of things to fix!
just the drivers door latch...... but knowing its a Mercedes like Murphy's law, just wait a while....

leathermang · #11 02-04-2015, 10:44 PM

Looks like a good deal.... and a pretty car....almost as good looking as the 123 wagons...

biopete · #12 02-04-2015, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseldiehard

forgot to include $200 for Delphi engine harness AND (how can I forget?!) something North of $750 for new mufflers.
Picture below shows why.
If I think too long I might remember something else, so for now I guess I am into it a little over $6000. Not including a combination switch I have to order.
I believe the PO installed a combi-sw that doesn't have the high beam flasher - I had that problem with another car, seems there are differences in the wiring between sedan and wagons that makes that function come out on different pins for some reason, would like to know what the German engineers did that for.

You do not get into the cwc! And are probably banned for life. Ha. Nice ride though.

biopete · #13 02-05-2015, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jake12tech

Everybody is buying gassers.. What's up with that?

Right. 2$ gas maybe sparking it. I want an Sl r107 from 70s or 80s. That's going to be my gasser.

jake12tech · #14 02-05-2015, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biopete

Right. 2$ gas maybe sparking it. I want an Sl r107 from 70s or 80s. That's going to be my gasser.

That's my hunch as well. I kind of admit, with gas prices being this cheap, it'd be a nice time to pick up an E55 AMG that I've always wanted while gas prices are this cheap.

otto huber · #15 02-05-2015, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jake12tech

Everybody is buying gassers.. What's up with that?

It used to be easy to find an old diesel parts car on CL for $400 or stop by the junkyard and find what you need to keep your diesel going, but those days are gone. A mid '80's diesel that is in excellent condition costs a lot more than it used to because it's now considered a collectible.

You can still find very nice examples of mid '90's W124 cars out here in CA for $2500 and there is a wealth of information for DIYers on forums such as this one for those who want to take on the challenge of trouble shooting a Bosch jetronic fuel system. I see at least 8 or 9 W124s whenever I go to the junkyard. I've been tempted to get a 300E or 190E project car, but I'd rather just put my time and money into maintaining my 300SD to be the strong DD that it is.

If I had to get a gasser as a DD, the E320 wagon would be on the top of my list.