1994 E300 Diesel estate auto

[adrianr]

Hello everyone.

Just acquired a 1994 Red E300 Diesel estate automatic.

The e300 Diesel has cream M tex interior and is in good nick for its age. Only done 82000 miles when I got her - and has covered about 17000 miles since 2006. I put another 500 miles on it in the first 4 days.

The previous owner cleaned out the intake (hateful EGR gunk), and had a new engine bay wiring loom made and fitted. All fluids (including the auto box) and filters changed. New tyres. new o rings on the fuel lines. new glow plugs.

Am now working my way through things.
In no particular order:
Washed twice, clay barred, washed a third time followed by a couple of coats of resin polish.
The car needs some front springs (sits low at the front). Ordered Sachs springs this morning and a spring compressor tool for the W124.
Working on the light rust inside the rear estate part windows (under the rubbers)
Small rust bubble near the back number plate, the front right edge of the windscreen and the front edge of the nearside front wing. These are all small patches that I’ll work through.
I will change the diff oil.
fitted a new poly belt
spent a few hours freeing off the sunroof - works fine now
spent several hours freeing off the seized back seat folding mechanics that were rusted solid.
new rad cap
new wipers
lubed all locks and hinges
lubed the wiper mechanism, which was getting stiff and a bit jumpy.
fitted new car mats and a rubber boot liner
looking for a new top hose for the rad (Mercedes no longer have them), the edge has gone soft because of the diesel leak.
I have new coolant to put in once I get a new top hose.
oils filters and fuel filters on the shelf ready to use
new thermostat is on the way
temp displays only intermittently
the warning lamp indicating a bulb out is illuminated - yet all bulbs are working
fixed the vanity mirrors lights on drivers side

there was a diesel leak from the top of the injection pump. I replaced the rubber seals and copper washers yesterday. that is an interesting job, especially when one of the springs decides to hide on an undertray for a few hours)
set the tickover a bit higher.
n/s/r passenger window does not work - ill strip that and see what it needs to fix it.
i have some diesel purge to run through the pump and injectors.
exhaust is a bit boomy - the rear box has been removed and a straight pipe replaces it.

I had not driven a W124 before. what a comfy car to cover miles in. I am surprised how well the non turbo engine pulls.It’s not fast by any stretch of the imagination but it moves long nicely.

These pics are the original advert pics.

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome

 

[V6Matty]

Welcome, what a lovely find you have there, good luck with all the work

 

[adrianr]

Hello and welcome

Thank you.

 

[adrianr]

Welcome, what a lovely find you have there, good luck with all the work

Thank you.

 

[00slk]

Hello and welcome

That looks to have been a well kept car, and now it will continue
I had a W124, only let me down once. Keep an eye on the fuel gauge just under 1/4 means AA call out

 

[adrianr]

Hello and welcome

That looks to have been a well kept car, and now it will continue
I had a W124, only let me down once. Keep an eye on the fuel gauge just under 1/4 means AA call out

Thank you. I will keep an eye on that. when I collected it the reserve light was on so hopefully we are ok but well worth noting. thank you.

 

[00slk]

Thank you. I will keep an eye on that. when I collected it the reserve light was on so hopefully we are ok but well worth noting. thank you.

When I first got mine it had just under 1/2 tank and I ran it till approximately just under 1/4 reserve light wasn't on then the car died on my way to work one morning.
When the AA arrived first thing he said, 'has it run out of petrol? No I said got 1/4 tank. After he wriggled the car and heard nothing splashing in the tank he put 5litres in, and hey-presto

 

[A.J.]

Hi Adrian and welcome to the forum

 

[adrianr]

Hi Adrian and welcome to the forum

Thank you.

 

[adrianr]

When I first got mine it had just under 1/2 tank and I ran it till approximately just under 1/4 reserve light wasn't on then the car died on my way to work one morning.
When the AA arrived first thing he said, 'has it run out of petrol? No I said got 1/4 tank. After he wriggled the car and heard nothing splashing in the tank he put 5litres in, and hey-presto

Well, that is irksome!

 

[adrianr]

Took the n/s/r door car off and noticed one of the power wires was removed and taped up. took out the motor and regulator and tested with 12v. Motor ran fine but the wire regulator was noisy so maybe that's why the power feed had been removed. In any case, I have sourced a suitable part from a breaker.

I have also found a replacement used radiator top hose, and ordered a bottle of touch-up paint.

The new mats are in, as is the boot liner, and I cut up one of the old grey floor mats from the back and this now lives under the armrest. Had to have black mats - light colour and me would not last more than a few days.

 

[adrianr]

Noticed some Laquer coming away on the lower edge (above the plastic panel) on the n/s/r door. sorted that.

 

[adrianr]

Lubed the hinges - bonnet and latch, door locks and hinges, boot lock and hinges.

Pulled apart all the throttle and ancillary ball joints and applied some red rubber grease.

 

[mioba]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the W124.
My biggest MB regret was consigning mine to scrap as rust has got the better of it afternearly 25 years of ownership from brand new.
W124 were the last of the true mercedes.
I am a tad envious at the lovely example.
Id be inclined to get a back box fitted.

 

[adrianr]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the W124.
My biggest MB regret was consigning mine to scrap as rust has got the better of it afternearly 25 years of ownership from brand new.
W124 were the last of the true mercedes.
I am a tad envious at the lovely example.
Id be inclined to get a back box fitted.

Thank you. quarter of a century ownership speaks volumes about what you thought of the car. Am thinking about a back box for the car. it is noisy as it stands.

 

[adrianr]

New spare key blank arrived a few days back. There is a good man on the local Saturday market who has the kit to cut the key. So now I have a working spare key.

 

[adrianr]

Want to work out why the lamp fail light is on - will explore that tomorrow.
Also, the external temp display has flickered on and off a few times - mainly off though.

 

[adrianr]

Applied some old black magic I had on all the black trims. It is set off nicely by the red paintwork.

 

[adrianr]

Serviced the fuse box - cleaned any corrosion, cleaned fuse tips with a small brass brush, put a touch of silicone dielectric grease on ends and refit making sure the correct fuse is in the correct position and seated securely. Ordered some spare fuses for good measure.

Given the age of the car, I thought the corrosion was minimal.