Abrupt acceleration in W124
 

Has anyone experience of this particular problem. I have a 1994 W124 E280. When waiting to set off from stationary, with the transmission in drive, it is very difficult to gently accelerate away. The set off is quite abrupt. This problem is noticeable more when leaving from a friends house where he has a sloping gravel drive. When reversing up the drive it is almost impossible not to send gravel spraying everywhere, because the wheels spin too quickly, again because I cannot accelerate gently enough. The transmission is very smooth when driving normally, with no problems whatsoever. It is just the setting off from stationary that causes this problem.

I have the same problem. Some have said that is the way they are built. If you find any fixes, let me know. Ed

yes, i seem to have this problem too, as do many 500E owners I'm sure. ;)

Dave

AMG 300TE 6.0

http://photos.yahoo.com/dshimano

while i don't normally have this problem, the slightest rain will cause me to easily spin my wheels at takeoff, even though my dunlop sp5's are supposed to be good in the rain...

That 2.8L engine has tremendous torque (it's all in the variable valve timing.....!) -- my brother and I test drove one, and it was fabulously fast -- but along with that will have to come a great respect for light foot on the gas, I think.

You may just need to practice very gentle takeoffs -- and have the traction control checked out, too, if you have it, it is supposed to reduce this problem. If I remember correctly, these cars have "remote" throttles -- a servo driven throttle valve. Problems there may cause you to put your foot down further than you think you are.

Peter

When I first obtained my w124, I had problems modulating my accelerator as well. I have a manual, so the results were somewhat different (stalling, or too much clutch slipping).

In my case the solution was to thoroughly clean and lubricate all of the throttle linkage bits, including all of the balljoints, and plastic wheels, etc. I used brake cleaner and white lithium spray grease. No problems a year later.

Based upon past posts, I would say this is a common problem.

Hope that is your problem as well, since it's an easy fix.

Thanks for all your comments. It's reassuring to note that there are other owners out there with the same problem. I'll try stripping down and cleaning the throttle linkage and let you know if this works. Thanks again :)

after i had my head gasket done, the throttle was sticking. i cleaned it and applied ATF - took care of the problem...

csnow

Quick question: Have you found that the white lithium spray grease survives the underhood temps well?

It's been known to happen... :D

Haasman,
No problems with the lithium grease for this application.
The temp is not really that high, particularly on the intake side.

I would speculate you could us any grease, but the spray is convenient, and the lithium grease seems to make less of a mess and attract less dirt. It is also kind to any rubber parts that might get covered. I'm sure you could also use a thin motor oil such as the ATF others have suggested, but I doubt it would stay put as long.
I have had really good luck with lithium grease for throttle linkages on many cars over many years.

I had the same problem on my 87 300e, I was told to replace the fuel distributor. After I did that it was fine.
Good Luck,
JIm

Don't forget to have the throttle linkage lubed. This is part of normal maintenance. I recall it being a 15,000 mile interview.

Good luck

After rereading these post, I used a spray lubricant and saturated everything in the throttle linkage I could get to. The 104 engine makes reaching some of the points very difficult to lube without removing the intake manifold. The end result so far has been a big improvement. Ed