The Merc's wiring stops me dead in my tracks
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- The eco junk wiring harness in my Mercedes 220E (W124) has struck again - and this time I can't see a way around it.
I'm trying to replace the coils, HT leads, and spark plugs, but it's just not going to happen. I think the only sensible thing to do is replace the wiring harness before this all gets out of hand.
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You definitely need a beer after this one.
Thank you so much for that 🙏🏻 Couple of cold beers coming right up!
As retired mechanic but still involved with many classic rebuilds ,your correct in thinking wiring loom replacment ,it looks daunting but believe me if you take it step buy step and take photos as you go you will be able to do it .I admire your perseverance don't give up .great videos by the way I think it's clear that everyone is behind you on this project well done fella .all the best John....
Thanks, John - appreciate that 🙌🏻
5:22 thats the sound of a rolls royce merlin engine. Probably a spitfire
I just rewired the upper wiring loom on my w140 1994 . Couldn’t believe the car was running at all the cables were so bad. Bought all the cable and had nothing to loose. I did one wire at a time and took my time at it. Car is running perfect now and it gives you great satisfaction.
Glad there's someone here that understands the eco junk pain first-hand haha. Glad it sorted your problems 👍🏻
@@NotEconomicallyViable keep at it !!! Mercedes of this era are among the best cars ever built.
I feel your pain. You have amazing patience. I've replaced stuff with hit and miss results. 2 days to change a Fiat Punto wiper assembly. The Brand new one stopped in the upright position and I couldn't work out why. So I repaired the old one with clips and took the new one back. Bloke in Europarts said you need to reprogram the ECU. Now I don't know if that's just cobblers.
I would also suggest a new wiring loom. We have a '95 C220 that suffered the same symptoms and it all came down to the wiring loom. Managed to rewire it ourselves, one wire at a time and was up and running in less than a day!
Ahh that's good to know. I take it that fixing the loom solved a lot of the problems?
Keep your chin up Nino! It will be worth in the end.
Is this one of the vehicles MB had that great idea of making the wiring looms out of "bio-degradable" plastic? If so, I would custom build one, just have to take your time, because even any replacement from junk yards is going to be garbage.
Right decision, keep going the loom on this engine isn’t that complicated it’s just a sod to track its route, love the vids don’t lose faith.
Cheers, Rob 👍🏻
as well to get the loom done and out of the way Nino. You're just chucking money at it now and are still no further along. No harm to have new coils/plugs/HT leads etc, but the chances are if the loom is the issue and you replace that she'll fire right up. Regards from Ireland from a CLK owner. Enjoying the channel mate.
Agreed 100%. Good to have you on board bud 👍🏻
Ow mate I really feel for you. Experienced mechanics happily dismantle components to access what they actually want to reach. Took me a while to figure that one out myself so keep going!
Your waka mole analogy is spot on fella, your tenacity is admirable and the content excellent ! The merc well new loom is the correct way to go as per all the forums comments, then you will have a fighting chance 👍 Keep the faith there 😊
Cheers, Jonathan 🙌🏻
I admire your perseverance. I am so lucky that my 1999 Volvo C70 does not have this wiring issue...plenty of other things though!
It wouldn't be half as fun if these old cars were just plain sailing 😅
@@NotEconomicallyViable fully agree. It builds character! Good luck, I'll be following you.
Getting right parts for old cars is always a pain; took me 3 attempts to buy correct HT leads for my Nova and now i have two spare sets that dont fit anything I own 🤦♂️ keep going man, feel your pain and frustrations but a wiring loom swap would make great content 👏🍀
bit of a wizard needed on that wiring loom......great content
That is one of the reasons I gave up on VW's. Everything from the spark plugs to the wires to the distributor cap, each one was non-standard and didn't match up with the replacements in way of shape, length, or termination. The automatic transmission was unpredictable. The disk brakes rusted up solidly. Fuel mixture ran lean at first, then too rich and melted the catalytic converter. Even the wipers broke. One can only take so much.
Argh, I felt the pain when you found out that you have the wrong HT leads. For old benzes you must always check what parts fit your vehicle by the VIN number. Parts store catalogs are wrong very often. I imagine it is due to what you said in a previous video - they made so many variations for different markets over the years. I have a few online clones of Mercedes EPC bookmarked, but I think youtube won't let me post the links. If you need help with that, feel free to reach out. Keep going, man!
edit: you can also measure the resistance in the old leads to see if it is equal over all four.
I gave the parts store my registration and they confirmed they would fit - very irritating! I can still see the links you post even if they don't show up. If you could post the EPC links that'd be amazing. Or maybe DM me on Instagram if you have it. Would be very handy!
Interesting video!
I agree about the 'engineer employed by every car manufacturer, who's sole job it is to ensure every model has at least one completely inaccessible bolt!'
That statement is so true, having just replaced the EGR valve on my Focus 2.0 duratec engine, only 2 bolts holding it on but one is so hard to get at.⚠️😲🤔😊
Haha the pain is real!
@@NotEconomicallyViable Even when you remove the airbox and it's intake hose, throttle body and pull the coolant hose off the thermostat housing to even find the EGR valve, you still need the fingers of an orangutan, an extra hand and a very short socket with a universal joint adapter and small extention plus ultra low profile ratchet to even have half a chance at getting to the bolt lurking by the thermostat housing.....
After much swearing, grunting and torn knuckles you might manage enough wiggle room to crack the bolt off then turn by slow turn back it out 1/500th of a turn each ratchet stroke! I honestly think taking the engine out and dealing with the EGR would probably take less time!
😂😂😂😂
Been there with a big problem! Just had to have a break, a think, abit of planning and went for it! You will get there!🙂
Coming at it again with a fresh mind does wonders!
Keep going, when you have the time and space to do it properly with another loom Nino and the weather might be cooler.
Don't give up. Do the loom
I’m no Mercedes expert but my r53 mini is doing what you described and spoke to a specialist he said it’s very common it’s the Crank Position sensor it gets lazy then eventually fails.
Yeah lots of people have said it's probably that. I'll replace it once I have the car parked up properly and can get it up on axle stands because I have to get at the CPS from underneath
just cut the damaged wiring off back to a good section and run new wire to the coil. that is a proper repair, that might end up fixing your problem so when you do get the new harness you know your good to go after.
Nice to have an update on the Merc.
Just sell this lemon Nino!
It's not worth the hassle.
The real deal is the 300 24V straight six and the E500 V8 anyways.
Try to get a straight six at least.
They're awesome..
Also would be nice to have an update on the RS6 ..
That car is cool, sounds awesome.
I know what you mean about it being hot… I spent a long time stationed in California and deploying to the Middle East, where I got used to dry heat. Now I live in Oklahoma where, not only is it really hot every summer, but the average humidity in the summer is around 65% ish. I can’t wait to move to the desert somewhere. As an aside, should you ever decide to move somewhere that is substantially hotter than the UK, move in the winter and it will be easier getting used to the heat.
The problem with the heat in this country is that absolutely nobody has A/C in their homes, so there's just no escaping it. Get really hot outside and then go and sit in a house that's designed to keep you warm in the winter 😅
yes best to replace the loom 1st before going on with it. the fifth HT lead its for a coil to distributor knowing as a "king lead". one trick we used to do was to spray some water on the HT leads to see if theres a leek (leek- is when the spark come out of the HT lead causing a short) you see a spark jumping out of the HT lead to ground. that one way to tell if the HT lead is good. sometime theres a white powder in the HT lead and that where theres leek.
Ahh that's good to know, cheers bud 👍🏻
He who dares, wins!! Or in this case... he who replaces the wiring loom wins!! Good luck mate!
Haha cheers Ian
You need to find someone with a large garage you can use.
Put car in their,lift engine and gearbox out then set about doing the wiring.will give you better access to all the engine sensors.
Just one footnote,A friend of mine had a w124 estate.
Did a gearbox and rear crank seal change and managed to refit the flywheel in the wrong position even though it's dowelled and wondered why it wouldn't run.
Destroyed the dowel but once flywheel was in the correct position it ran ok.
I spent hours working on that awful car fixing his cockups.He tried replacing wiring and got connection wrong in multi pin plugs which confused the ECU.
The final straw was the aftermarket immobiliser went belly up so I walked away from it and he had to get an alarm company to sort it out.
That sounds like a complete nightmare. And I'm just sitting here wondering how you install a flywheel incorrectly when it's dowelled 🧐 Not even I have managed to mess that one up 😅
@@NotEconomicallyViable unfortunately he thought he was the dogs doo das when it came to working on cars but he was rather far from it.
The dowel was flattened by the time he had tightened up the bolts.
It was a 6 cylinder engine and strangely enough a couple of cylinders would fire.
I'm not a car expert so won't give you any technical advice, but love the videos and think you should keep going. I would love to be driving round in a classic like that 🙂
Cheers, Elliott 👍🏻 There's no way I'm not getting this car back on the road!
I had similar problems with my E320, not being electrically minded it worried my to replace the entire engine bay harness, I did it and can now say it’s easy, you can’t make a mistake all sockets are different if you let the harness sit in its natural run all will be well. Bar the injection connections just let the wire come and rest in line with its mating injection without pulling and you will be ok.
Buy a harness with a up to date manufactured date, take your time, clean as you go, do this soon or you might take out the engine management system.
Dave
Thanks for that, David. Will give it a go and see what happens 🤞🏼
check over voltage relay, known to get intermittent on these, passenger side bulkhead under the bonnet has a fuse in it, will turn fuel off if not working correctly
okay just relised this video was last year! and noticed the next video you mention OVR! lol I'm a prat for not checking before commenting
Fair play for perseverance, I'd heard about this biodegradable wiring looms and thought it an urban myth.. unfortunately not, what were Merc thinking??? Thankfully my W201 dodged this bullet.. I hope
It's such a weird little blip in Merc history - everything else they made in this era is renowned for being bullet-proof! Was just checking your W201 out. Love those cars. I drove one from London to Ibiza and back in 2008. Didn't miss a beat!
Temp' related fault that is consistent is probably going to be the cam position sensor. Easy to get to, front of engine just behind the thermostat housing. Test by spraying with freezer spray or compressed air can when the engine has stopped running.
Thanks for that, Deano. Is the CPS definitely on the front of the engine? I've seen a few people online say it's right near the starter on the rear of the engine on these...
Was a shame the coil leads being wrong, typical online sales, .. You can't beat walking into the shop with the old ones and comparing! .... As for the weather we have here, most people don't understand that out 30c or going to be 42c this weekend, is not the same heat they get, ... Our heat is hot and stuffy, totally different! ... So tell them to stick that in their pipe and smoke it! lol
What's most annoying about it was I gave them my reg and they assured me they were correct 🤦♂️
@@NotEconomicallyViable Maybe because your Merc is on the change over year, sometimes happens that you need a late version when the book says early version, ... Just a wild stab in the dark!
I have replaced a full C208 loom in the past (2001 CLK 230 Kompressor). Did it with engine and gearbox in and it took a couple of hours. Still think you may have a fuel pump relay / main relay board solder joint issue. If so car might start and run with the existing flakey loom perhaps (before you replace it)?
That's good to know. I'll probably try (briefly) one more time to get it going once it's parked up properly in my space. Who knows - might be my lucky day!
Said before mate that wiring is all perished Nightmare but keep the Faith it will be worth it
👍🏻
If you have a second camera you should shoot a timelapse of the whole wire loom replacement. I think that would be entertaining to see all the work involved but quite quickly. looking forward to your next video!
Not a bad shout 👍🏻
I would also see if this had a engine replacement if those are the correct Ht leads must have been a distributor run motor originally
Sounds like a spitfire
I had forgotten the Germans were doing crappy things with cars that far back, thought it was a more recent thing.
I saw an episode of wheeler dealers, a company made them a loom, mocked up on a board, it wasn't cheap though, £1k and that's going back a bit as well.
Looking back on it I can't believe the idea actually made it out into the real world. Wasn't a very Mercedes thing to do 🧐
Spitfire,
The video shot was too quick for me to tell on my crappy old iPhone if it was a MKI, V or MKIX as these were the most common variants although there were 24 marks and lots of sub variants.
The easiest way to tell if it’s a later merlin is it will have a radiator intake under both wings and a longer nose for the two stage supercharger then you also get Griffin variants which have a deeper note.
Lots of the rebuilds these days don’t go for the clipped wing variety which is a shame as it gives it a better roll rate under 10000 feet and helps if your getting chased by a FW190 over the channel front.
I’m more of a Hurricane man myself though as the real greats like Ginger Lacey flew those during the Battle of Britain and it’s Britain’s unsung hero and I always prefer the underdog that’s why I buy crappy 25 year old cars that no one else likes lol.
Open the bonnet up at night and start the car as if the leads are bad you should see some sparks in the dark if they’re knackered.
I knew at least one of you would be a plane guy 👍🏻👍🏻 Agreed on the underdog comment - that's what all my cars are lol
We've all been there. Your keeping it real this is what 95% of us home mechanics go through trying to keep our cars on the road. Do you dream of an air conditioned garage with a lift. 🤞. Keep this level of content going and one day................................................👍👍
Haha one day, Mel, one day 👍🏻
Yep..
A New loom...
You got some headaches coming..Lol..
I'm trying not to think about it too much 😅
I think your next purchase should be a 12 volt soldering iron ,solder ,wire and shrink wrap that should keep you amused for a while .
Haha and a set of wire strippers. Will keep me entertained for days.
@@NotEconomicallyViable Oh yes of course a set of wire strippers .You should open the bonnet of that Mercedes with the engine running when it’s dark it would be interesting to see which wires are shorting by the sparking .
Change loom happy days save you a lot of myther
I don’t know how big a job it will be
But you might need to take the engine out to replace all the loom and get to all the difficult areas bolts etc
Now if you can’t buy a new non bio grade loom then you might have to make your own not as scary as it looks like i previously mentioned
Certainly don’t rush it
If you indeed intend to keep the car then it will be a wonderful feeling to know you shouldn’t have to worry about the electrical issues associated with wiring and at least your knowledge will be up there
Forget the forums for now they will have you going in circles and spending money that you might not necessarily need to spend on parts you might not need
You have removed two engines this will be a much bigger job as it will entail a gear box removal as well but don’t be afraid to get help to do this
Good luck
Thanks for the encouragement, Simon. As mad as it sounds - I think I'm going to have a go at making the loom myself. Wiring is a dark art to me at the minute, and I can't think of a better way of learning about it than to just jump straight into the deep end!
@@NotEconomicallyViable their are some good videos on you tube that show you how to make one
Also some wheeler dealers programs with Ant showed him making a new loom
It’s pretty straight forward to be honest
You can get a lot of the connectors and clips off line
Practice soldering on some spare wire honestly it’s easy
You will need a lot of colour wire but it’s a lot cheaper than buying looms
And it’s not that bad to wrap them up with fabric cord once you have done them
Good luck
just talk with mkb-tec guys. they have yt channel as well. send them your loom, get the new ones, put it on. you are good to go. thats what im gonna do with mine.
Ahh yeah I came across those guys the other day. Looks like they do good work!
Yes 30 year old dirty wiring thats been butchered many times before is definitely going to take some patients!
Plane flying over, was most likely a Spitfire. The RR merlin engine has a unique sound!
It definitely had a Spitfire profile, that sound is amazing!
not finished the vid yet but you just opened your pack of leads and you appear to have leads for the old Coil to Distributor, then 4 x Distributor to spark plugs
Ahh that's what it is then! Nice one. Buying parts for this car can be a bit hit-and-miss!
The engine wire harness was built with bio degradable insulation with a life span of 15 years. There is no alternative to replacing the harness.
That's my big worry. Looks like I'm going to have to learn all about wiring next
Yep - you are stuck until you can move that beast to your parking space. So the Audi needs its MOT and the repairs from those pretty quick.
The wiring is not going to be 1) fun 2) cheap and it might not solve all your issues. If it were me I’d kick the Merc down the road and focus on an easier and more financially rewarding flip. I have been in that spot with flip cars several times. It isn’t an easy decision but likely the smart one.
however these challenging / not financially rewarding cars do provide the audience with quality entertainment(like the mini).
@@mtfulemming yep - and perhaps Ninos ultimate goal of flipping cars to buy an Aston Martin has changed. I have flipped a few more cars than Nino - just passing along some advice. My last set of flips got me a super low miles late model 2006 build Mini Cooper S R53 slicktop basically free from flipping the previous three R53’s. Prior to that I lost my Arse on a Porsche 944 that sold for half of what I ended up needing to put into it to sell it. I had a few cheaper “get out points” along that 944 journey and didn’t take them. Lost $7,500 US and took a multi year break from car flipping.
When I started this channel the goal was as you said - to flip as many cars as possible and end up with an Aston Martin. I set a big, bold goal in order to keep it interesting for myself and hopefully the viewers. However, once I actually got started it very quickly became apparent that my utter lack of skills, knowledge, and experience was going to hamper my efforts to quickly get cars out the door, and hence, make a profit.
Starting with the Mini refurb I formed an instant emotional attachment to the car haha. That's what made me go way overboard fixing it up. I just wanted to do a great job and get it back on the road. At the same time, the viewers that were coming to my channel quickly made it clear that they're not all that bothered about 'the flip' but are more interested in the entertainment and watching me solve problems. So my focus - and the content - changed.
I'm now all about maximal learning, which seems to be equating to a better story and more entertainment, as mtfulemming mentions. I've lost money on all the cars so far, but this UA-cam thing is weird - I'm getting paid to do this now, so it doesn't really matter. I get to save these cars from salvage, entertain you lot in the process, and can still afford my rent. Happy days!
@@NotEconomicallyViable Cool. I missed to change in focus. You may get that Aston Martin yet. Unless you spend all that money on Cat trees and toys.
😂 😂 she is used to the good life, so looks like the Aston will have to wait a bit longer!
.
👍👍👍yeah, get it on your drive and start stripping components off...you’ll soon get there...thanks...
.
Those 4 cylinder engines are much harder to work on than the 6 cylinder models.
Oh really? I'd have thought the six-cylinder taking up more room in the bay would make them a bit harder...
It's a second world war British fighter Spitfire.
Crank shaft sensor
only one thing to say, cold beers not warm,
Ha yep 🍻
thought it was Jason statham
😂😂
Haha I'll take that 😅
C63 swap???👀
Seeing as I'm following you, I know that you have feelings for this Merc, but isn't this about to get unnessecerily complicated? Wouldn't it be easier with something from the great English car heritage? Austin, Morris, Vauxhall, Hillman, Daimler, Triumph, MG, Lotus etc. You have already shown your interest for Jaguars, so why not ditch these kraut machines? I mean, who would really like to se a well spoken Englishman tinkering with Audis and Mercs, when he could be helping to keep the great british motor tradition alive and on the road? And if you're wondering, I'm an anglophile Norwegian...
I know the UK is different to where I am in Australia where 29c is barely breaking sweat.
If you want heat try 40c summer days working in an mechanics workshop with very little A/C. So I still find it amusing how you start moaning & groaning when it’s in the mid 20s. Us Australians only start complaining when it gets above 40 or so.
Oh my word. Right that's it - never complaining again haha 😅 🥵
@@NotEconomicallyViable I’m only pulling you along. I would be complaining too if I wasn’t used to such temperatures.
Haha you ever been to the UK? One day it's snowing and the next day it's tropical 😂 What part of Australia you in for temps like that?
@@NotEconomicallyViable yes I’ve been to the UK a number of times. I love coming to London & the surrounding areas. I’m in Melbourne Australia where it’s very very hot in summer and quite cold in winter.
Right now it is winter & my workshop Is very cold sometimes it’s only 4c-5c above zero in the mornings.
Who gives a fuck
why on earth would you put bio degradable electrical components to a car. complete madness. surprised a brilliant manafacturer like Merc does this.
The crazy thing about it is everyone knows these cars are over engineered and built like tanks, apart from that one component. Such a strange decision.
Be careful loads of shit makes like Lexmark ,lucus, fae and fake or shit Bosch and other brands sensors on eb#*
Mercedes great car ,electrics absolutely terrible from bitter experience.
Yep, you know haha
Bosh are no good it's a name sold off
Yeah right: " Bosh is no good" but Bosch is awesome 😉