I have seen posts about rough idling issues with the 560 SEL and some issues with the suspension. I'm looking at a 1987 560 SEL, florida car with no rust and 143K miles, has a rough idle but other than that runs quite well. Is this a car I'm going to regret buying? Don't know if the timing chain has been replaced or not. Are the engines difficult to work on compared the the straight 6 gas or diesel models (I drive a 300D and a 240D).

Is the original fuel distributor still in? Rough idle could be anything from plugs and wires (couple hundred bucks) to a fuel distributor (couple thousand bucks). In general, the engine is easy to work on - 126 body is one of the last to be able to make that claim.

__________________
1991 560SEL (254K miles)
1980 Lincoln Mark VI - Givenchy
1979 Lincoln Mark V Collector's Series
1979 Lincoln Town Car Collector's Series
1979 Ford "Effie" Pickup (in gradual transformation to a show/street truck)
1969 Lincoln Mark III (waiting for "Overhaulin" to call)
1989 Lincoln Towncar
2001 Lexus GS300 (spousal unit's daily driver)

Owner doesn't know if the fuel ditributor has been replaced. All I know is it has a rough idle. Purchase price is $2000. The car is in immaculate condition and appears to be well taken care of however there are no service records so I don't know if the timing chain has been replaced etc. I'm fairly mechanically inclined and can do the work my self so I would be out parts cost only and probably cost for special tools etc. I don't know much about the leveling suspension system. are they troubsome? hard to maintain?

If you want the finest and safest highway car ever built, than you have found the right one. They don't get great fuel mileage (around 19-20 if kept below 90 mph) but they are a joy to drive. Check the upper chain guides and if they are white or light brown, the chain will probably be ok. If they are dark brown, replace them before restarting the engine. If one of these guides brakes, you are in for a lot of work and expense. We just did a 380SL that broke a guide, distroyed the chain, bent/broke all the valves in the left head, etc. The bill was around 4 grand and I earned every penny of it. The suspension isn't too bad to work on. Usually the accumulators (i think that is what they are called) is the most common problem and you can get them for $150 or so. There are other problems you can have but with the helpof this site, most are easly repaired.

Paul

__________________
84 500 SEL (307,xxx miles)

I've seen new fuel distributors selling up to $1,700., but hopefully that's not the issue. If the owner could have remedied the problem with only plugs and wires, I imagine that he would have done that already. Vacuum leaks also can cause rough idle - not expensive. Sounds nice for $2K. I bought mine with a rough idle - turned out to be fuel distributor but my mechanic found me a rebuilt one for about a grand - was already doing some top end work so labor wasn't anything additional - it's been fine ever since. My humble opinion - 126 is the best Mercedes ever made. If you like the car and it seems to have been well cared for (there aren't hot rods - they don't get beat up much), you should get it.

__________________
1991 560SEL (254K miles)
1980 Lincoln Mark VI - Givenchy
1979 Lincoln Mark V Collector's Series
1979 Lincoln Town Car Collector's Series
1979 Ford "Effie" Pickup (in gradual transformation to a show/street truck)
1969 Lincoln Mark III (waiting for "Overhaulin" to call)
1989 Lincoln Towncar
2001 Lexus GS300 (spousal unit's daily driver)

Is there a way to easy check the conditions of the timing chain guides while looking at the car? Didn't know if there is a cover that could easily be removed. The car is 60 miles from my house so I really can't do a whole lot other than see how it runs etc. Are these motors prone to head gasket problems?

Thanks

Are there any mercedes shops in the surrounding area where you could take it for a PPI or have a diagnosis on it?

Check this link out.

http://www.mbcoupes.com/buyersguide/buyersguide.htm

Although written for the sec (the coupe version of the SEL) 99% of what is written is applicable to the the SEL. Just one word of warning though. It was written about year 2000 so pricing is a little out of date.

is good and bad as u have all oil burners, sometimes maybe better to stick to your knittings.

if u can afford the gas then is ok, i have tried the 420 & 560, just want i pay for diesel I can easily double to triple of what I have to pay.
Dsl I can cheat/mix with some ATF , vege oil.
Benzenes have no substitution, brewing alcohol u need almost as big a distillery as Jim Beam or Jack Daniels.
Or move to Venezuela, gas is only 20c a gal!

__________________

They're pretty easy cars to work on. Rough idle could be plugs, wires or a fuelling issue. Run a compression test before you buy. They are fast, comfortable and very nice drives but they do drink fuel. 15 mpg is about normal.

__________________
With best regards

Al

Cheap because it needs work. Timing chain, rails, intake manifold reseal, and probably a front end to get you started. Unless you enjoy working on stuff, it is probably not a wise purchase.

If you are concerned about fuel economy, look for a 300SDL as they are more of a fuel miser, LWB, and performance is actually decent when all systems are 'go'... significantly quicker and more refined than the old 300SD. Nothing wrong with a 420SEL either if you are not into all the ancillary stuff the 560 came with from the factory.

The M103 in the LWB W126 is a slug to drive, had I driven this one before I picked it up I never would have purchased it. Stay away from them, they belong in the smaller 124 and 201. Fuel economy is just as lame as the V8s around town as you are always into the pedal, but with far less power (vast torque difference). Why this was cursed with second gear start on top of that is beyond me... too bad MB did not offer it with a five speed like BMW did with their 7s.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

i own a 1986 560SEL with 93K miles on it.. i bought if off ebay in 2007 when it had 53K. it's a very nice car! now for the reality of ownership.

these cars are now 25 years old. mileage has nothing to do with anything in my opinion... time is the enemy. all things rubber will be in need of replacement if not already done.

if funds are short, i would think long and hard about such a project.. unless you can do a lot of work yourself, almost everything is very expensive to have done by a professional mechanic... AND finding one who knows the difference between is his ass and a mercedes is pretty difficult.

so here's the story of my car. bought it off ebay without first hand inspection... not smart. paid about $5500 if i remember.

so first thing i learn is that everytime i fill up the suspension oil reservoir it is empty again within less than 100 miles. learned that suspension pump probably is leaking oil into the crankcase.. so got a pump rebuild kit from George Murphy at Performance Products. what a bear to get the pump out but managed to do it without removing the fan or radiator or any other major part for that matter. so now the suspension pump works and the suspension finally moves up and down.. now I replaced the accumulator spheres and the suspension no longer feels like it's riding on boards.

unfortunately after only 3 months of driving the car one morning i get into it to drive away and as i'm putting in reverse i say to myself "what is that strange noise coming from the engine"? i get out and it sounds like i have a really bad valve tap but the engine is running perfectly smooth... so i turn it off and try to restart and nothing... it is totally locked. tow it to mechanic where it sits for almost a year!! he tells me it has definitely jumped time and i'll just need to do a complete chain guides and head job... i say how could the timing chain have jumped when the engine was running smooth and i turned it off.. it didn't stop itself. but i relent and say start with the chain and guides and let's see what we find... so i let him take the whole front of the engine off and guess what... not one guide is broken and not one cam shaft is out of time... but it appears the hydraulic chain tensioner doesn't hold tension so we replace that, all the guides (upper and lower) timing chain, just about everything i can see since it's already open this far... also water pump... who wouldn't at this point. but still the engine is locked... so now he's having problems from his landlord and has to clear out from his space... so i think this is a good time to find another guy.. and take it to a very reputable shop... they examine the engine initially by taking the bottom off to make sure something didn't happen to the lower.. end... tells me everything is clean and smooth as a baby's butt down there.. and says based on the condition of the engine i'd say it definitely support the low mileage on the engine... which i didn't doubt based on other evidence such as oil change stickers and notes i found in the car.

so it's now time to take the top off... and here's what i'm told... the engine locked up because the top end of the car was so carboned up that a chuch of carbon got between the piston and the head and locked the engine...

so now after spending as much as i paid for the car i have a complete top end rebuild and new chain and guides etc. so with just 60K on the clock i decided i'll just drive this baby and that's what i'm doing.. up to 93K now..

most recent work was complete front end rebuild... which i did myself... upper control arms, all tie rod ends, new center link, new steering damper, track rod mounts, etc.

traced all vacuum lines trying to find source of fast idle... pretty much replaced all the rubber parts of vacuum system... idles normal now but kinda rough... took to mechanic who "smoked" it and said needed injector seals.. so had those replaced.. .still has rough idle.. he thinks it's fuel distro based on #8 cylinder being low on fuel pressure... so that's the next problem to sort out...

do i enjoy driving it? yes love it!! but it is definitely not economical transportation... it much more a love affair than a rational and logical choice for transportation...

so that's my story..... you'll decide to either follow your heart or you mind...

owe and as for mileage, i consistently get around 18 MPG on the highway and i usually drive around 73 on the highway... i've never measured in town mileage because i don't want to know!!

__________________
R Martin
Dallas, TX (Addison)

86 560SEL, 128K

Thanks for taking the time to share that story. I'm almost in the same boat with my 1990 300SE. I bought it with just 60k on the clock. I'm at 70k now. The car looks new. However, as you also stated, it needed most rubber parts, and then some.

I've done most of the work myself and the cost has been in the thousands. Many thousands. I don't know if I'm an idiot for doing all of the work to the car that I have. I guess time will tell. I'm still not done changing everything that I want and need to change.

My thinking is that for the money that I've spent and will continue to spend, there's nothing modern that will provide the same enjoyment as my 300SE. Oh, and I don't know what my gas mileage is other than horrendous. My lead foot doesn't help either.