So I brought home another stray...-Page 2| Grassroots Motorsports forum |

Jeff SuperDork
10/19/12 9:40 a.m.

benzbaronDaryn Dork
10/19/12 12:22 p.m.

Thank the environmentalist for the biodegradable wiring. From what I hear Volvo started the trend and stopped it, then mercedes started building with it. On my 1978 I've never seen any wires with crumbling insulations, but my car wasn't held mercy to the whims of the damn environmentalist and probably uses PCBs and all the other chemical goodies.

Lugnut Dork
10/19/12 12:51 p.m.

Next thing you know they'll be taking the lead out of our gas and the enamels out of our paints and the shine out of our pixels! Pinko commie environmentalists!

dculberson SuperDork
10/19/12 1:41 p.m.

Yeah, I hate it when people try to make things better!

Travis_K SuperDork
10/19/12 1:58 p.m.

cutter67 wrote:
Travis_K wrote: I think the wiring harness problems started in 92 with the w140, the w126 is safe. Very important, check under the brake master cylinder for leaves, the resistor for the blower motor is in there and if you run the blower without cleaning the leaves out it will start a fire.
no its 1991 and up but some 1990's came thru with it. the insulation is suppose to be bio-degradable the problem is it started degrading way too soon. how i found out about this is i sold a 92 500SL to a lady 4 years ago. the car was perfect with 27k miles on it and a month after i sold it to her a major engine fire. its easy to check for.

Can you find any mention of that happening to a w126? I haven't ever seen any mention of it. Most of the complaints I have heard about are about R129, W140 and W124 cars. There are still tons of W140s on the road where I live, I have seen one or two burned ones in the junkyard though, that may have been what happened to them.

belteshazzar UltraDork
10/19/12 2:47 p.m.

dculberson wrote: Yeah, I hate it when people try to make things better!

i dont' feel like this is a good example, though.

16vCorey PowerDork
10/19/12 3:14 p.m.

Travis_K wrote:
cutter67 wrote:
Travis_K wrote: I think the wiring harness problems started in 92 with the w140, the w126 is safe. Very important, check under the brake master cylinder for leaves, the resistor for the blower motor is in there and if you run the blower without cleaning the leaves out it will start a fire.
no its 1991 and up but some 1990's came thru with it. the insulation is suppose to be bio-degradable the problem is it started degrading way too soon. how i found out about this is i sold a 92 500SL to a lady 4 years ago. the car was perfect with 27k miles on it and a month after i sold it to her a major engine fire. its easy to check for.
Can you find any mention of that happening to a w126? I haven't ever seen any mention of it. Most of the complaints I have heard about are about R129, W140 and W124 cars. There are still tons of W140s on the road where I live, I have seen one or two burned ones in the junkyard though, that may have been what happened to them.

My dad's old W140 had it bad. It drove perfectly for two or three years with zero problems, until one day it just randomly died. It did that a couple times until I found the issue. The cam sensor wires didn't have any insulation on them and would occasionally touch. I put heat shrink on them and sold it immediately, and cheap.

Curmudgeon MegaDork
10/19/12 3:22 p.m.

cwh wrote: Just for giggles, I did a CL search here for Mercedes, 100 to 2000. I was amazed at what popped up. Some really sweet looking cars, up to '99 or so. Cheaper than Camrys.

That's because they are (not putting too fine a point on it) expensive junk. The cracking wiring thing is but one of the issues they have. Price a heater core or A/C evaporator replacement, maybe the defroster vacuum actuator. Not the part, the labor to replace it. Maybe check the price of the electronic throttle actuator. If it's CIS, price a fuel dizzy. Interior trim panels in sun areas have the texture and life expectancy of a potato chip.

Camrys sell higher because they last longer and are much cheaper to repair.

fast_eddie_72 UltraDork
10/19/12 4:00 p.m.

I didn't even know I wanted one of these.

benzbaronDaryn Dork
10/19/12 6:30 p.m.

If you are broke you figure ways to repair parts and buy used stuff. Many of the parts for my car are easily servicable so even if the new part is expensive you can just take yours apart, service it and save money. If you don't want to work on the car yourself of course it will be expensive to be repaired. Join benzworld and hit up the W126 forum, the cheap costs and 3rd and 4th owners are turning a lot of these into parts cars, so if you find out a part is $$$$ just sit and wait for one to come up and buy it cheap.

chandlerGTi HalfDork
10/19/12 7:01 p.m.

I've not heard of the wiring issue on a W126 and I've owned three 91 models. 140/129 are infamous for it.

The W126 is the perfect cruiser, big enough for you family and luggage. Still fast(ish) and comfortable. My wife hated the AMG. She thought everyone was looking at us lol.

plance1 Dork
10/19/12 9:39 p.m.

RossD wrote:
plance1 wrote: How are the pixels?
Are you singlehandedly trying to start your own meme where you ask about the pixels whenever you're jealous about someone's car purchase?

Yes.... I think, but let me google "meme" and find out what that means first so I can be sure....

plance1 Dork
10/19/12 9:41 p.m.

Jeff wrote: <img src="" />

I love you man

SyntheticBlinkerFluid UltraDork
10/19/12 10:43 p.m.

plance1 wrote:
Jeff wrote: <img src="" />
I love you man

I added one of my own to the meme's thread, this one should be added too.

WhiteLX Reader
10/20/12 1:40 a.m.

I've got one of those too, although it's a coupe. Still has a bit of work to do, but I recently took it for it's first drive longer than a trip around block in 5 years. Feels good to get it back on the road.

benzbaronDaryn Dork
10/20/12 3:13 a.m.

Flat face aero 1 are sweeet!

What year is the SEC?

StatusPerformance New Reader
10/20/12 8:58 a.m.

Nice merc, oh wait the SEC just stole the show. But seriously, that would be a unique build I wouldn't mind doing myself in the near future.

Curmudgeon MegaDork
10/20/12 10:37 a.m.

The W140 ETA (electronic throttle actuator) is a damn pricey piece new, like north of $2500 US (depending on the exact number of the one you need to replace). There's a company called BBA Reman out of Britain that used to repair some of them, but due to lowered demand a lot of them are no longer serviced. There's a place in North Carolina, also begins with a 'B', that rebuilds instrument clusters, control units throttle bodies etc and I sent two or three to them. Got them back with a 'sorry, not repairable' note.

WhiteLX Reader
10/20/12 6:58 p.m.

benzbaronDaryn wrote: Flat face aero 1 are sweeet! What year is the SEC?

I had some of the AMG monoblock replicas on it while the Aero Is were being refinished/repaired. The Aeros really make these cars. Didn't help the monoblocks were et35 instead of et11.

It's an 89 560 SEC. Has 125K. Eibach springs with SLS rear suspension. The front has 2 nub spacer on the passenger side and 3 nub on the driver side. I think I am going to try the 1 nub spacers to lower it a little more and adjust the SLS to even it out.