W123 bearings / stood for 10 yrs / London mechanic

[shadowandspace]

I have recently bought a nice old 1985 W123 280TE that had been stood up for 10 years. It seems in good condition, factory wax oiled underneath and well looked after. It stood SORN after falling out of favour as a 2nd car, 110k. Amazingly it was running and passed MOT but I have done the usual distributor cap, new leads, battery, filters, plugs, rotar arm, full service etc to get it going. I did this using a competent local mechanic.

There was some clanking noise as the wheels turn only when reversing and I got it up on the ramp and noticed that the wheels, when turned, are making the noise from the half shafts, in particular on the left hand side at the back.

Also despite changing brake pads and discs and master and fluid, I am getting fade on the brakes after the car has been going for a while - and the ABS light is on.

So..

1. Half shafts - is it a case of changing the bearings, and can this be done with a competent local mechanic or best with a specialist? Can anyone advise on a decent reasonably priced London mechanic for W123s?
2. Brakes - is it a case of draining them again or could the ABS light being on could have something to do with it.
3. Is there anything else I should pay attention for with a car that has stood up for so long?

Any help or advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[syncropaddy]

Before you do anything else, I feel you should fit new brake calipers and flexi hoses all around. I would have thought it unusual for CV joints to be worn at 110,000 miles particularly on a W123.

 

[shadowandspace]

Thanks Andrew, much appreciated.

If the noise is coming from the bearings at the wheel connection when it is turning, do you not think there is a problem there?

Any advice would be very welcome, thanks.

L

 

[television]

The ABS lamp is probably the fuse on the OVP relay or the relay, it could improve idle too.

Re the brakes fading I suspect that you have a piston sicking and they are partially on, do the brakes feel hot or smell after a short run

 

[dieselman]

Try driving it for a bit and see if the noise goes away as a slightly rusty bearing case will come back to life.

 

[stwat]

Re-pack the CV joints with grease.

 

[The mallard]

Has the ABS light come on since the MOT? and since you worked on the brakes.

If it was on before it should not have passed the MOT

 

[Gary Hanson]

I couldn't swear to it, but I had a w123 a few years ago and seem to remember it only has one ABS sensor on the back, and it's mounted on the diff. First thing I'd do with regard to the ABS is take off the front wheels and check if there's any dirt or rust on the sensors and / or reluctor rings. Clean the reluctor rings with a wire brush, and check them to see if there is any obvious damage or cracks. Clean the sensors with blu tack or plasticine, or paint them with copydex glue, wait for it to dry then peel it off. It should take any rust powder or metal particles with it.

Half shafts can have new bearings fitted to them. The last car I had which had them, I took the half shaft off, went to a main dealer, bought a new bearing, and gave the service department £10 to fit it.

If you're only getting a noise when reversing, what about the handbrake shoes, or part of the handbrake mechanism inside ? When I took the rear disks off my 123 to replace them, the lining material from the handbrake shoes fell off onto the floor. Looking back, it's lucky nothing got jammed up in there.

 

[shadowandspace]

Thanks for all your kind help. I will work through the advice and see if I can resolve the problems.

Yes the ABS was on before it was MOT'd. They mentioned they could still pass it, but next year not.

Lastly can anyone recommend a London - preferably East London - mechanic to work on my W123?

 

[Bolide]

Automerc in Wood Green would be good for a W123

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[shadowandspace]

Thanks for the advice. Can I also add that my brakes are fine and responsive when I set off and only start to fade it seems after a stint on the motorway or not using them. They start off fine, normally for 25 mins or so but after I need to put my foot right to the floor to activate them.

 

[Tashman]

arr that means one of the calipers is dragging - it starts to get to hot and causes that brake to fade - you have to press right down, or pump it to get any breaking - try fitting an exchange caliper.

 

[shadowandspace]

Fuel gauge not working

I wonder if anyone knows about the fuel gauge. My gauge was stuck at empty when I bought the car, and has now moved to being stuck at one third full, despite filling the tank up. Is this an easy or difficult one to solve? Thanks L

 

[television]

The fuel gauge is dirty through standing,,pop some injection cleaner in the tank and see if the problem goes away

 

[shadowandspace]

So I took the car to the garage and they confirmed that all the Callipers require replacing (All brakes are seized – advise new brake callipers required front and rear) a very very expensive task. The brakes are fine for long periods but then I experience fade. Would anyone recommend a relative novice attempting to repair them with a kit or 2nd hand ones? No one will advise on he risk of driving the car. Any advice?