Attention W124 E300 Diesel owners

Bolide

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Attention W124 E300 Diesel owners!

I think every E300 Diesel I've sold in the last 18-24 months has needed:

* new engine mounts
* new balljoints

If you own an E300 Diesel please replace the balljoints asap, assuming you've not had them done in the last five years, and please also budget to replace the engine mounts

Balljoints are "mission-critical" and new engine mounts make the car a lot nicer to drive & save wear & tear on the front prop doughnut


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
 

Number_Cruncher

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I second the advice about W124 balljoints.

Owing to the way the joint is loaded by the coil spring AND owing to the way these ball joints tend to fail by becoming tight rather than loose many garages and MOT stations fail to detect a problem, even when they are in quite a dangerous condition.

The consequences of balljoint failure, at a minimum includes the cost of recovering the vehicle to somewhere it can be worked on, because it can't be driven or even towed in that state. Saving this recovery fee alone will go a long way towards paying for new joints to be fitted at the time and place of your choosing - not the car's!
 

wireman

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If you do the engine mounts don't buy the cheapo ones from GSF, they are not anywhere near the mark having much poorer vibration isolation than the genuine parts.
 

roadhog

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Good point, I've replaced my engine mounts and the ball joints but never thought to do the gearbox mount. Now added to my to-do list. :)
 

mb300d

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Are the o/s and n/s mounts exactly the same part on a 95 e300d estate?
 

jibcl500

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If you do the engine mounts don't buy the cheapo ones from GSF, they are not anywhere near the mark having much poorer vibration isolation than the genuine parts.

Not just mounts but anything from GSF or Eurocar parts, sorry but I dont rate them and the only reason they sell mercedes parts is because they didnt meet mercedes specs!!!! And lets face it any company happy to sell mickey mouse air flow meters at £50 isnt worth dealing with.

jib
 

mb300d

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Not just mounts but anything from GSF or Eurocar parts, sorry but I dont rate them and the only reason they sell mercedes parts is because they didnt meet mercedes specs!!!! And lets face it any company happy to sell mickey mouse air flow meters at £50 isnt worth dealing with.

jib

I tend to agree with you on most things but there are exceptions - such as ATE brakes at ECP and Fuchs oil at GSF. A lot of the "made in Germany" stuff to make you think it is OE std is inferior.
 

mb300d

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Pls can you point me to the gearbox mount - where is it exactly? IS it oil filled as well?
 

The Crooner

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Its fastened to a cross member at the rear of the gear box.

I removed the cross member as access was easier.

Its a substantial rubber/metal component, butr not ouil filled as far as I could see.

If you have the right tools changing all three mounts is easy DIY
 

television

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B24015000128.0386.gif


B24015000011.0718.gif
 

Tashman

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Would this advise also apply to W123 diesels or is it just 124's that have all the problems?
 

television

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Would this advise also apply to W123 diesels or is it just 124's that have all the problems?

The 123 uses solid engine mounts, so may not be any problem if the are not deformed.
B24105000004.0051.gif


B24105000007.0051.gif


The bottom swivels are replaceable and easy to change
B33015000001.0051.gif
 

Number_Cruncher

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1995 W124 E300D TE
W123 lower ball joints are easy to change with the special tools. Without them, they're a royal PITA - much more difficult than W124 ball joints.
 

television

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W123 lower ball joints are easy to change with the special tools. Without them, they're a royal PITA - much more difficult than W124 ball joints.

Do the 123 swivels give the same problems,, like fill with rust making play hard to detect
 

Number_Cruncher

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The ones I've changed (~ a handful) have been because of play in the joint - although I wouldn't rule out other ways they can fail. I would be interested to hear from those who've done hundreds! :)

Despite the joint itself looking remarkably similar to a W124 joint, they are loaded in a completely different way - the W124 ball joint is in tension, whereas, a W123 ball joint is loaded in compression.

The detail which you can't see on the Russian parts catalogue is that whereas the W124 joint is a force fit in the wishbone, and the stub/taper is held by the hub, the W123 joint is a force fit in the back of the hub**, and the taper stub of the joint is what bolts into the lower arm.

** This force fit is in a bit of a recess at the back of the hub, and to press the new joint in, you need a very long sculpted adaptor to allow a direct push on the new part. It can be done using more basic workshop tools, but, it's not fun.
 
OP
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Bolide

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  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #17
Would this advise also apply to W123 diesels or is it just 124's that have all the problems?

W124s don't have "all the problems". What they have are age-related problems - and they're all at that age

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
 
S

steve--o

Guest
ive just done mi 190d,engine mounts,got mercedes genuine mounts for 65 quid each,from mo local merc dealer,and its like driving a new car.:)

the old ones had pushed in on them selfs lowering the engine. :shock:

also as already seid the bad engin mounts took out the drive coupling & vibration coupling :(

Steve :cool:
 
A

AGOG

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R129 Ball joints the same as W124 ?

W124s don't have "all the problems". What they have are age-related problems - and they're all at that age

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

I wonder would this apply also to the R129 roadster, SL320 ? Does it have the same suss as the W124 ? I have a creaking sound coming fronm the front end but bizzarely only after using the car for 20 mins or so :confused:
 

chrissymac

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Mercedes Benz E Class 3.0 (1999)
I have a Mercedes Benz E Class 3.0 (1999) Estate.
I think I need to change the ball joints but can't find any information on this type. Some threads say they are Welded!
The lower arm is pressed steel and hollow where the ball joint is attached. Is this bolted on and undone via accessing the back of the joint from inside the wishbone?
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I need the car for my job.

Thanks,

Chris
 

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