So I was out riding bicycles with my 9 year old. When he says "hey dad, there is an old Mercedes behind my friend Ryder's barn." I spoke to Ryder's dad and he explained the car was his father's and that it has been sitting for 8 or 9 years. I looked it over and saw it has quite a few bumps and bruises, but I'm crazy and when I see abandoned cars I think they are like puppies that need a good home. So Ross contacted his dad and they agreed to sell me the car for $750. Mice and rats live/lived in the engine bay and ate some of the wiring. But it's doesn't matter because this car still has the "biodegradable" harness. In fact I think that is why it was parked. Aaron Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
So yesterday we drove down to Ross's place and drug the Mercedes to it's new home. We washed the exterior and found more dents than previously thought. We threw away the gross floor mats and vacuumed the carpet. The interior cleaned up pretty well. My neighbor loaned me a deep cycle battery from his bass boat to test some of the electrical stuff out. Here is the list of problems and potential solutions so far: Engine harness eaten/disintegrating: found used updated Dephi harness for $400 on ebay Top won't retract - probably related to DS window problem. If windows won't move, neither will the top. Driver's side window will not move - need to check fuses in trunk, check for power at switch, disassemble door and inspect motor. Driver's side power seat doesn't move - Both bumpers need to be repainted, but I think the other body dents are pretty easy for a PDR guy. Snake living in the chassis. I saw him reach down for a second last night, then go back up into the underside of the car. It has a white belly. Probably a ****ing copperhead too. I'm hopinh he finds a new home as I am not sure how to get rid of him. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Interior still looks pretty decent. I'm sure you're in for some bucks getting it up to speed, especially with the electronics. Budget 2k for the top seals and switch issues right off the bat. Guarantee you the seals are leaking. Have them all pulled and refurbed rather than hunt down the "bad ones" you'll thank yourself later. Good luck! Does it still run?
i have an r129 SL600 myself, great cars. I also had to fix the wiring harness in mine (degraded)...4k to replace them all! (bought the car for 7 lol) good luck with the restoration, go to BenzWorld for help with these they have great resources. Victor at restoreyourmercedes also does great work for these old Benzes
I have seen people use gasoline fumes to flush out snakes in bushes. Maybe an pan of gasoline under the car overnight would send the little critter crawling away. No doubt he was there for the mice so if they go away maybe he won't come back. The top may be more troublesome though. Once the actuators start to go it is like playing whack-a-mole.
I'd say for $750 you got a great deal. Hopefully the CIS system won't give you any issues from sitting for so long. Looking forward to seeing you bring it back on the road.
Thanks for the votes of confidence. I turned the motor over with a rachet and a socket on the front crank pulley. It was not seized. Last night I decided to see if the starter was locked up. I turned the key and the car started right up! It runs like it has a bad MAF sensor or an air leak, but that's too be expected when you see the condition of the wiring harness. I also pulled apart the driver's door to find the power window problem. The gear inside the motor was basically rusted solid. I tried to WD40 it, but it would not come back to life. I ordered a used motor assembly off ebay for $71 shipped. Image Unavailable, Please Login
The fact that it runs makes it worth $750 and then some! Congrats on your barn find. Good Luck on your snake problem..... lol I'd suggest draining and flushing the fuel tank, replace the filter, and add new fuel before running the engine too long, too many unknowns in that tank that may make for bigger problems later. Speaking of problems , the hydro roof cyl are infamous for leaking, and as mentioned above, when one goes, they all seem to go shortly thereafter. So, open the top manually and leave it open or budget for some $$$$ for parts / rebuild kit / etc! We have an ex-mb tech on staff , if there is anything we can do to help with your project, shoot me an e-mail! ( Including a through cleaning, deionize , etc ! ) Steve [email protected]
Thanks Steve. And You called that right. I managed to trick the top controller into thinking the DS window was already down (by manually lowering it with the motor removed) and started to initiate the top retraction process. It unlatched both front and rear a few times, and then stopped. Then fluid came pouring out of the DS sun visor. Confirm leaky top cylinders. I pulled the offending latch cylinder and disassembled it. The seals are completely degraded. For now we will operate the top manually until we verify the condition of the other mechanical stuff. Aaron
Hey I called first! You can get them all refurbed with teflon seals for about 500 dollars, or buy the kits and DIY. Do them all. They're probably leaking by the rear wheel wells as well. You'll probably have a bad or loose top switch in there somewhere as well. I'm still trying to fix mine as we speak. It's 90 percent there, just needs an adjusted or replaced switch. I've been doing it manually all summer. Sounds like your top module is most likely still good which is a plus.
I am interested to see how changing the wiring harness goes. You see SL600 for sale often and they are cheap. Not as cheap as this nearly-free 500 of course, but cheap. If changing it doesn't turn out to be the giant PITA I have read it is, who knows maybe put a $6k V12 in the garage as a project for me too.
Good news. My neighbor mentioned spotting a snake in their yard on Monday. This is only the second snake they have seen in two years, so there is a very good chance that was my snake. Still, that first trip under the car is going to be scary. Everyone is right about the leaks. There are twelve hydraulic cylinders and I think all 12 are leaking. Several puddles have formed under the car after trying to lower the top. The seals are old, soft and crumbly, so when one lets go it's a real gusher. A google search found a company in Germany that sells seals, not o-rings, real seals. With the weak euro the total cost was about $125 shipped.I still need to order the approved fluid. SL R129 | Hydraulikzylinder Dichtsätze (Verdeck) | Produkte für Mercedes | MJ Produkte Shop - Technische PKW Lösungen I bought some other stuff for it too: left front turn signal turn signal bulb socket PS seat switch seat controller DS window motor and a 3500mg industrial ozone air purifier Total spent so far $1574 I wish I had joined benzworld sooner. Those guys have figured out the W140 V8 harness works just fine in the SL. That would have saved me about $200 on the harness. Aaron Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm betting the top malfunction is related to all the dirt dobber nests I have found in this thing. I found one on a switch that should tell the top controller that the top is down. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It runs!! I got the newer engine harness over the weekend and installed it today (took about 1.5 hours). I put in ten gallons of fresh gas to dilute the old gas. But as some of you predicted the old gas and general crude clogged up the fuel system. I got a new filter ($12) but she wouldn't restart after installing the new filter. I went to remove the fuel pumps for testing when an internet search revealed they are identical pumps run in series. Well the second pump is still working fine. I drained off the bottom 3 gallons of gross gas and put it all back together with one working fuel pump. It started right up. I cleaned up most of my mess and went for a drive around the block. It's fast for a 4000lb car. Like stock 328 fast. It's quiet and rides like a cloud. Pretty pimp ride for $1722 spent so far. This weeks goals: fix the DS power window get rid of the non-stop seat belt chiming Aaron
The bad harness years are 1993-1995. I got one dated 2000 off ebay. It also had a delphi tag on it. It was in like new condition and install was pretty easy. Aaron
It's getting better. The AC actually works. The heater valve solenoid was stuck in the on position. I removed it (one electrical clip and four phillips screws) and basically beat it on the garage floor a few times and it freed up. Now the heater turns off and the AC blows cold. Aaron
Damn this is awesome. Keen to follow this. For $750 and scouting ebay for parts this will be a good buy.