I was hoping i'd create a thread describing my adventure after all is done, but it takes longer than i planned and hurts more than i expected

1995 E320 ASR 130k Miles in great overall condition, expect that the lady just drove the car and kept it in the garage.

This is what i have now
- Bad tires
- Fixed with 'new' 18in AMG Monoblock II and Pirelli tires
-Stock Suspension (nothing has been replaced since new)
- Fixed with a complete suspension kit front and rear, new shocks and Springs. Sits about 2in Lower now and drives smooth like a cloud
- Poor Audio sound and crackling speaker
- Fixed with a new Alpine Head Unit and all new Kicker speakers in the car

My biggest concern ...
- Engine Hesitation, misfires and lack of power when warmed up. ASR light comes on when i start the car and idles high + rough acceleration. Need to re restart the car to get the ASR light off and be able to drive it, but still accelerates very roughly and misfires.

Completed Steps to Fix
- New Wiring Harness by PO last Year
- Replaced the ETA with a used unit with 60k miles (still suspecting it's bad)
"New" used ETA did not change a thing, in fact i think it's even worse now. Ordered the rebuild service from BBA-reman and waiting to have my original one rebuilt
- Replaced Spark plugs
- Replaced Fuel Pressure regulator
- Reconditioned the injectors and bench tested (i can offer this service to others if interested)
- Replaced all 3 coils from a salvaged car with 70k miles


Next to do
- BBA Throttle Body rebuild
- E-Gas Module swapped from a different car


What else i suspect...
Air Mass Sensor
Camshaft Position/Reference Mark Sensor
Crankshaft Position Sensor; Rear, EZL Sender
Overload Protection Relay
Oxygen Sensor; OE Version; Four Wire; Heated


What am i missing and what is definitely NOT a problem from the parts i suspect are bad ?

like people - put monoblocks and 18'' before dealing with misfire and other potential issues.

I see your point, but the original wheels were useless and I did need some wheels to drive the car.
Before purchasing the wheels, i bought the ETA, Spark Plugs, Ignition Coils, Fuel Pressure Regulator, Front Control Arms both complete, Bilstein shocks and new springs, tie rods and center drag link, all the bushings. Plus everything suspension related in the rear, except the subframe mounts AND made sure i had good wiring harness. Fixed other minor interior glitches as well.

I get your sarcasm, but it's not the right place
By the way, i bought the car last week and spend 3k on parts not related to AMG monoblocks. Still have about 2k in my budget to make this car feel like a Mercedes.


If anyone has something constructive to comment, please let me know your ideas.
Ordered the E-Gas module from ebay just now and i'll see how that helps the situation.
Drove all day with misfires and hesitation but No check engine light or ASR, just feels like i don't have a coil pack working right. Idles great though.
Tried to pull some codes, but the CEL is off so i can't get anything from the LED, plus, i doubt the diagnosis will shed any light on y issues.. i just have to keep swapping components until it cures the problem.
Saw anziani, i think with similar issues and I've read most of his threads, just seems like he hasn't found a solution either

i was going to say the same thing.... you spend all that money on 18 inch ghetto... and you don't get new coils

The people here are diy'ers .... not ghetto monkeys...

\

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

Thanks Arthur for your suggestions

I actually may need the Homemade code reader if the rebuilt ETA doesn't help
So here's the link to the DIY reader
Benzworld.org - Mercedes-Benz Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Homemade diagnostic code reader for MY90-95

And here's the link to Arthur's DTC List
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/107630-e320-16-pin-dtc-charts-inc-pin-8-pin-14-a.html

Haters gonna hate ..
anyway, here's my issue, not the 'getto' authentic Monoblock II Aero
Original 1994 ETA .. wires fried..
Received the prepaid shipping label from BBA and will send it out tomorrow

It almost sounds like the Voltage regulator needs replaced. That is what makes various dash lights flicker & can lead to rough running. You can check to see if alternator is charging battery at 14 volts. If not, it is the voltage regulator at under $30 and a 15 minute fix.

Checked the Alternator, runs @~14V and doesn't spike with REVs..
I don't have flickering lights though, just the misfires.. and it does IDLE perfectly, that's what tells me that the rest of the system is in order.
After i flushed the injectors they added about 10 cc/min to the flow rate.
New Spark Plugs and the clean (but fried) ETA makes the idle very clean and smooth.
It only starts cursing after ~1800 rpm so i have to give it full throttle, but once i stop at the light, it's like a dream.
I believe the misfires caused the engine to rattle too much for too long and the engine mounts and transmission mounts are probably shot at this point.

I just got my "Anti Vibration Kit" from ********AZ
Engine Mounts, transmission Mounts, guibos and center support bearing. I just need to fix the ignition system before i replace the mounts

I want to publicly apologize for my comments. I should be part of the solution , not the problem

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

Given the misfiring, the coils/wires/boots come to mind as possible problem areas.

Were they 'thought" good, or "known" good?

I had the misfiring and hesitation on my wife's 95 E320 wagon, and finally swapped out the coils from my parts car. Cured the problem. Interesting thing was, the parts car ran fine on the wagon's coils......

Jim

__________________
14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Coils are tricky, I agree. I have a total of 6 coils and will probably get 3 more this weekend (they are almost free) so i'll have a few to play with,

At this point the obvious problem is the fried ETA and i'll have to fix that before any troubleshooting (I'm dropping it off at UPS and it should take about 10 days to get it back)
Speaking of BBA rebuild service, i've seen a few guys around the forums that got back defective units and had to go through the hassle of swapping other parts, just to realize BBA did not perform a bench test before sending it out. I may be able to find some links to back it up, but i really hope i get a fully working unit back.
I have a second ETA from an ASR car with 60k miles that is fried as well and 3 units from non-ASR models. BBA or someone else will probably have to fix them all and i'll list them in the classifieds.

My other concern is that the fried ETA may have burned my E-Gas module, so i ordered an extra one yesterday, just in case. I'll probably open my EGAS and do a visual inspection of the board at least, may be get my soldering gun on those old connections

Here is an interesting question to follow:

What's your budget for the W124 ?

IMHO anything over 6-8K for THE PERFECT car is an overkill, if the car is not a time-capsule or have special features ( 3.6, Manual, convertible, EUROs, etc).

I saw at this forum discussion about it.

That's where my sarcasm is coming from.

Here in Canada we have a free medicine, no free market conditions ( oligopoly) and huge tax bills, which makes this hobby 30-50% more expensive. I was able to put on the road 3 W124 cars and drove it without major repairs.
All of them - total cost of ownership ( excludes gas and insurance) was below CDN 9K for 3 years / 80 K km.

PS - what's E-Gas is used for.

Regards

7.5k $ (including the price of the car) and i'm almost there. But i really think I will have a car that looks and drives like i want it. In that price range i don't think i can find a better car.
I do the labor myself and buy parts smart - most of the times in bulk to recover the costs on resale
I was almost ready to buy a GS300 which is a solid car, but not as attractive as the W124 imho

bragging ..
Rebuilt Transmission with Warranty - last year
New Wiring Harness - last Year
New Head Gasket - last year
Complete suspension overhall - last week
Complete Steering overahaul (except the gearbox) - last week
Reconditioned Fuel System including servicing the injectors (except flushing the tank) - last week
Rebuilding ETA with Lifetime Warranty - on it's way to BBA
New Spark Plugs - last week and HT Wires - next week
Good AMG Monoblocks - best rims IMHO for the W124/W140 and good fresh Prielli tires - last week
New Audio System (nothing crazy, sounds like a good Stock System)
Coolant Flush - yesterday

TO DO aka Wish List
- Body detail with machine Buffing
- Headliner
- Front Bumper and Rear Impact strip
- Fix the Rear Headrest tilt (just need time, have the parts)
- Probably replace the Steering Wheel to match the condition of the rest of the car
- Engine Mounts - have parts/need time
- Transmission Mount - have parts/need time
- Guibo aka Flex Disk - have parts/need time
- Center Support Bearing - have parts/need time
- Break System Flush

After i'm done with the above list I will create a new budget for the next season and I'll probably go around the car and note ALL the issues that i see and refresh the above list.
The more i get familiar with cars, the more anal i become when it comes to things that don't work, or look, as they should.

Everything that has been done to this car was done by myself alone, except alignment, transmission rebuild and Wiring Harness
- one man job for those with DIY-er comments

E-Gas is what controls the ETA, Cruise Control and i believe has something to do with how the ASR functions.. this is for the 94-95 models.
Before the update, they used the CC/ICS module to control the idle speed and cruise control... this one is rebuild-able. The E-GAS is not (from what BBA told me)

I appreciate it..

'getto' couldn't get out of my mind yesterday
I was about to cancel the ETA rebuild and get myself some mud flaps and led lights