One of the things that had been bugging me about my 560SEC was the missing W126 antenna grommet. Over time, they perish and instead of replacing it, the previous owner had used household sealant. This is an odd bodge as the part is inexpensive and easy to fit. The household sealant was making the SEC look like a real jalopy, and while that might...
The W126 was the first Mercedes to feature plastic cladding. I’m not sure this is the best feature of the W126, but it started a trend that would continue for many years. The W126 cladding is attached to the car with a series of clips and consists of eight peices (four on each side) along the line of the bumper bars. The cladding...
Once I got the air conditioning working on the 560SEC it was apparent the auxiliary fan was not working. As can be seen in the wiring diagram below, the W126 SEC auxiliary fan can be triggered either by high coolant temperature or by refrigerant pressure. The diagram is for 1986-1990. In 1990, the W126 went to a dual fan setup. The fan can...
When purchased, my 560SEC did not have working climate control. Not only did the A/C not work, but the heater had a mind of its own, occasionally bursting in to life and turning on full heat. Curiously for a car that has been in Australia since the early 2000s, the car had not been converted to R134A. My first step was to see if...
I discovered at the MBCNSW Dyno day that my 560SEC was running dangerously lean. Lean enough to cause damage to the engine. While I was in the USA for work, I went to the Mid Florida Auto show. I met Pierre Hedary there (who runs an independent Mercedes workshop), who suggested that I should start by testing my fuel pressures and that he had...
The MBCNSW held a tech day at a dyno equipped performance shop today. I was keen to attend as I wanted to understand how much power my ECE 560SEC is making. Geting dyno time independently can be expensive, but through the club day it was very affordable. The tech day was held at SR Performance at Wolli Creek. On the Dyno, the following cars...
It was just announced that the NSW 60 day logbook ‘trial’ has been made permanent. This is great news as its a really good system. The two minor drawbacks – the amount of paperwork and the size of the plates. The plates are tiny and really ugly. They are so small that they don’t line up with the mounting holes of nearly any car. ...
One of the things I noticed when I first changed the oil on my 560SEC was the dent in the lower oil pan. Presumably it hit a curb or rock at some point. It was also leaking. the dent was likely too small to interfere with the oil pump, or oil pickup but I wanted to be sure. The M117 lower oil pan...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
My 560SEC came with a set of Simmons wheels. These wheels are not to my taste and were too wide for the car. The wheels had been mounted with spacers which I do not like. On Thursday, I secured a great set of 15×7 Mercedes wheels which I fitted to the 450SLC. This meant that the ASA Type 8 wheels I had on...
My 560SEC came with a set of aftermarket wheels from Simmons. The Simmons wheels are a locally made wheel, and this set are two piece 16″ variants. They are shod with 245mm tyres so the fronts rub on sweeping corners and the backs on higher speed bumps. I prefer a more stock look so the plan is to remove and sell the...
Today I continued working on the 560SEC. I gave the car a quick wash to get a better sense of the condition of the paint. Overall it is pretty good for its age, with the usual minor chips and scrapes here and there. The worst is a small amount of damage on the passengers side in front of the door (behind the plastic lower...
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