The time has come for me to part ways with my beloved 'bahn burner Benz. I think it would make an excellent challenge car (if I had time to do such an event). It has become too much of a project car, that I don't really have time or space for anymore.
What we have here is a 1993 Mercedes Benz 400E, the little brother to the 500E. You'll be getting a 4.2 liter DOHC V8 that left the factory with 270 horses. Engine runs good and makes all those great V8 sounds we love to hear. The W124 chassis is well known as one of the best that Mercedes has made.
It should come as no surprise that a 32 year old German car will have some issues, so let's start with those...
*Electric throttle actuator is giving intermittent trouble, causing it to go into limp mode. I sent the throttle body off to a company that specializes in rebuilding them, and they told me there was nothing wrong with it. It functioned on their test bench for 2 days with no issues. My diagnostic skills have been exhausted trying to fix it, so I modified a spare throttle body I had to work (it's a mix of cable actuated and electronic control). It can be undone, if so desired.
*Clear coat is peeling off. It had a repaint done by the previous owner (a friend of mine), but it honestly doesn't look that great. It looks like it has leprosy.
*Structurally the chassis is ok, but there is rust in the rockers ( hidden by the body cladding), on the trunk lid, hole in RF door sill and RF fender lip.
*The headliner is missing from the interior. Trim pieces from interior are missing.
*Interior lights no longer function. Module went bad, and I did not fix it.
*Central locking does not work.
*Fuel gauge does not work, sending unit tests fine. Tried to repair the solder trace in the gauge cluster, and made it worse.
*Odometer stopped working 3 years ago at 278k miles. My best guess would be that the actual mileage is about 320k.
*No radio
*Drivers seat has worn through in places.
*RF Marker light mounting tabs are broken
*Moisture in trunk
*Lower tank on radiator drips when it's cold outside.
That's all the bad that I know of, now for some positives...
*Biodegradeable wiring harness was replaced in 2018 right after I got the car, so that will not be a problem.
*Goodyear Assurance all season tires have less than 3000 miles on them.
*Transmission was rebuilt 3 years ago.
*Front and Rear suspension has been gone through during the time I have owned it (since Fall of 2018). Parts were purchased from either FCP Euro or Pelican Parts.
*Newer pads and rotors, plenty of material left.
*Engine runs strong, transmission shifts firmly.
*Newer caps and rotors (theres two, one for each bank of cylinders). Plug wires were replaced in 2019.
*A/C is still cold, heat works, and both seat heaters work.
I've considered replacing the engine management system with a Megasquirt, but I really don't have time for that in my life right now. This car is OBD1, and diagnosing deep driveability faults is difficult at best for me. I think this would make a great project for the right person. I haven't put it up on Craiglist or FB Marketplace yet (trying to avoid it if I can). Asking $1500, I'm located about an hour northeast of Columbus, Ohio
https://photos.app.goo.gl/w3jCQwVgmyZsnXTQ6
