Today I completed the install of the Classic Auto Sound Becker Tribute. In the first part, I removed the old Clarion, and installed the the Retrosound wiring harness. I also tested the radio and it was working fine. The new radio looks great and is a huge improvement over the Clarion CD player. Installation Step 4: Convert the Becker Tribute radio to DIN At...
I have been wanting to change the radio in the 250SE since I have owned the car. It was a basic Clarion unit that looked totally out of place. The dashboard in my car has been cut to DIN size, meaning going back to the original Becker wasn’t really an option. Unfortunately many W111’s had their dashboards cut up in the 70s...
The Mercedes-Benz E Class wagon is not particularly common. It would appear that most buyers opted for the ML/GLE model. Their loss as I believe the S211 is the far better car, unless you want to tow. This makes spare parts a bit more tricky, when those parts are not shared with the sedan. In this case, the tail light lens was broken...
A common feature of Mercedes cars from the mid 70s through the mid 2000s is the self-leveling rear suspension. This system is standard on the wagons, but was commonly specified on the higher end sedans too. Mercedes-Benz Australia was particularly keen on the system fitting it to coupes and even mid size saloons. The system ensures that even with a heavy load in the...
A few months ago I replaced the under bonnet insulation pad on my 560SEC. This job also needed doing on the 300SE. I purchased both pads at the same time, and finally got a chance to do the second one today. Note, if you’re looking for more information on forums, American sites will refer to this as a hood pad. There are youtube...
At least in Australia, by far the best month of the year to buy tyres is June. Both the tyre retailers and manufacturers offer attractive end of financial year sales. Most people don’t realize, but tread wear is not the only reason to replace tyres. As the rubber ages, it hardens. Once the tyres harden the handling, particularly in the wet is compromised....
All W126 models have an insulation pad under the bonnet to protect the paintwork and reduce engine noise. Over time, the W126 bonnet insulation degrades and starts crumbling down onto the engine. At this point most owners simply remove it. I own two W126 models with the remnants of their insulation pads. A few months ago, I purchased W126 bonnet insulation to...
Recently the E350 wagon has been playing up. It started out by occasionally losing power, then progressed to stalling. At the times this would happen, the check engine light would be illuminated. After a while the check engine light would be on around half the times the car would be driven. In order to diagnose this, I plugged in my scanner to the...
This evening I took my 450SLC for a drive up the old Pacific Highway. I wanted to check the impact of re-connecting the vacuum advance on the distributor. I had discovered the line was broken when doing some maintenance. With the advance enabled, mid throttle response seems a lot better. I do get a little pinging when cruising on the motorway, so I am...
I am currently in the USA and had a few hours to spare in Cincinnati Ohio before I headed out to the airport. When I lived in the USA, I used to go to the self service junkyards to grab bits and pieces. These junkyards are larger in the USA and they have standard price lists for parts, no matter what car you...
My 560SEC had a problem where it would emit a puff of smoke after idling. This was rather embarrassing taking off from the lights. It did give me the advantage of keeping people back who got too close. My assumption was that it was cause by old valve stem seals. As the seals get old, they get hard and allow a small amount of...
The Timing chain replacement is almost finished on the 560SEC. The new chain is installed, guides fitted and valve stem seals replaced. I stopped by the workshop to pick something up that I had left in the car and I was able to see it almost done. The photo shows the new chain in place with all new guides. They are a much...
The 560 is the ultimate M117 engine. This family of engines was introduced in 1969 with the 3.5l M116 and was followed in 1972 with the 4.5 M117. The M117 is a longer stroke version of the M116. Both engines share a SOHC design, 2 valves per cylinder and always had fuel injection. These engines evolved over time with the final iteration coming between...
Most Mercedes from the mid 50s to the late 60s had a similar set of controls for the heater. There are four horizontal levers controlling the amount of heat and the direction of the air flow. At least on the W111, the lever on the top left controls the amount of outside airflow. The top right controls the direction of the airflow. The two...
When I last used my 560SEC before Xmas, I noticed a rather large puddle of petrol underneath it. I’ve not driven the car since as it is rather dangerous to drive with such a leak. I had assumed it was probably fuel hoses. Many cars run on E10 rot their hoses. I purchased a few of the relevant hoses so I would only have...
I’ve been preparing for the next round of improvement projects for the 560SEC. The most important is the Timing Chain and Valve Stem seals. I’m not going to do this job myself and am hoping to save a little labour cost by having both the stem seals and the chain done at the same time. I had previously checked the Timing chain and...
The W126 range was in production from 1979-1991. I’ve never seen a comprehensive table of W126 differential ratios, so I have attempted to create my own. Not only did they vary between models and years, but in some cases countries too. It is possible I have missed a few more country specific ratios. Please indicate in the comments below if I have. The data...
My two biggest concerns buying this 560SEC was the potential for rust being a UK car, and the condition of the timing chain. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked underneath the 560SEC and found that it was not a rusty car. The other common W126 rust area is under the rear windscreen. This is also an issue in Australian delivered cars as it’s...
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