I got the radio back last year, and finally found time to re-install it.    I had also seen on Instagram where anther W123 owner had installed a USB charge port meant for an E36 BMW in place of the factory fader.    My factory fader is still working, but my 240D has two switch blanks on the top console, which is the perfect spot for a charge port.   The USB charge port was quite expensive, but it looked like a really good solution so I ordered one.

To power the Becker 596, I also planned to install another Tranzit BLU Bluetooth Box.   This is the same solution I have used in my 560SEC, 300TE and 450SLC.   I’m very happy with it.   The Tranzit BLU is a small box, about the size of a deck of playing cards that provides a FM signal directly on the antenna wire.   This makes it far less susceptible to interference.  It also provides a handsfree option for calls.

Normally the Tranzit BLU is controlled by a hidden button.  However, I had the idea of using a factory sunroof switch in the other blank switch location instead.   I didn’t have a W123 sunroof switch in my box of parts, but I had one for a W116 or W107, which is good enough to test with.

The installation was pretty simple.  I use the connector for the cigarette lighter to power the USB charge port.   The spade connectors that came with the charge port were too narrow, and not quite long enough so I made some extensions.   In testing the USB charge port, I was also able to easily pull off one of its connectors, so I crimped on a new one.

Since the USB charge port is designed to be added to an E36 BMW, it has been designed to piggy back off another accessory.   Therefore, it already had power and ground connectors for the Tranzit BLU.   I used a relay to trigger the Tranzit BLU from the Becker Antenna trigger.   That relay then powers the Tranzit BLU and also triggers the power antenna.

Instead of the button that comes with the Tranzit BLU, I wired in the sunroof switch.  I used a multimeter to work out which of the four pins are activated when the switch is pressed forward.   Essentially the way the switch works, is when it is pressed, it joins power to one side of the motor, and ground to the other side.   Thus, pressing the switch the other way reverses these connections, allowing the motor to run in reverse.   I assumed for this purpose I just needed to make the connection to trigger the Tranzit BLU.  Turns out I was wrong.

I wired it all up and did a quick test of the system.   I was able to pair my phone and play music through the Becker 596.  However, the switch did not work.   I tried a few more pin options to no avail.   I had assumed that the switch was ‘dumb’ and just made a connection to trigger a press of the button.  However, it was looking like that was not the case.   I got the Tranzit BLU switch and connected that to a multimeter.   On very high resistance settings, I was able to trigger a change in resistance when pressing the button, but it wasn’t constant.    Given there appeared to be more to this button than I anticipated, I gave up and put the switch blank back in place.    The Tranzit BLU button is now on the steering column out of sight like in my other cars.

Despite the failure of using the sunroof switch to power the Tranzit BLU, I am very happy with the setup.   The correct Becker is back where it should be and I can play music through my phone and make and receive phone calls.    I am taking the 240D on its first road trip this weekend, so having music will be great.   The install is totally reversible with no factory wires cut.

The post Becker 596 Installation with bluetooth box appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The Europa 596 was the lower end radio supplied by Mercedes Australia.  It was the main radio supplied in most W123 models from 1979 to mid 1981.   It has mechanical radio presets, a cassette player and AM/FM function.   The Europa 596 does not have the ‘wunderbar’ auto seek function or the auto-reverse feature as found on the Becker Mexico cassette 374 that was installed in my 1979 Mercedes 280SE.

These radios have a black plastic face with the ‘washing machine’ style knobs.   Personally I don’t think they are nearly as elegant as the pinstripe radios.   They do it in well in a base model like a 240D that has the black plastic console.

In order to test the radio properly, and send it off to be repaired, I decided to remove it from the car.

Removal of these radios is similar to other Becker analogue radios.   The knobs pull off, allowing the face to be removed.   Unlike on the pinstripe radios, the surround stays on the radio.   Hiding behind the face are the two brackets that secure the radio to the car.

The 240D is very original in that it still has the original radio, and the factory fader is still in place.   However, when I removed the radio, I noticed something rather odd.   Screwed to the back of the radio was a relay controlling the antenna.   This is rather odd, as the power for the antenna is just a trigger, and the antenna gets its power from a separate harness.   In principle, there is nothing wrong with it, but I didn’t like how it was getting the power from the hazard switch.    The power to the radio and cigarette lighter would have been a far more sensible approach.

I wondered if the antenna in the boot had been wired up to take power from this setup, so I checked the antenna in the boot.   While the antenna didn’t look factory, it was wired up as I would expect with a grey trigger wire and a power wire.    Going back to the radio, the additional relay had two blue wires going through the centre console.    One was blue/grey and the other blue/brown.     Turns out the blue/brown wire was the antenna trigger.    Not sure what the other one is for.

I decided to remove the whole setup.   While the Europa 596 was out to be serviced, I installed the trusty old Europa II I had in the 250SE for a while.   The Europa II is also a once piece unit and has basically the same connections as the 596.   It certainly wouldn’t do to drive the W123 around with no Becker.    The Europa II is what was installed in US Market 300Ds in this era (the 240 getting the Europa Mono).

The Europa II looks great in the dash, and and it’s tempting to leave it there.   However, the 596 is the original radio, and I will re-install it assuming it can be fixed.

While I was playing around with the antenna trigger, I accidently blew the fuse.  When I went to change it, the fuses were badly oxidized, so I decided to change them all.   This is something I like to do with a newly acquired Benz.

The post 240D radio troubleshooting appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The challenge is that these are intermittent problems, and so hard to diagnose.   I started by checking the basics – the fuel filter, tank and so on.  I also changed the plugs.  This had no impact.    My mechanic thought it was ignition related, so we’ve changed most of the wear components of the ignition system – points, cap, rotor, condenser, coil, suppressors and so on.   When the car is running well, its running better than ever.   But when it runs poorly, it stalls and stutters.

Based on that, I’ve got the car booked in again for another look early October.   I haven’t been driving the car much this year, as its just not very pleasant to drive when its running this way.   This is a shame, as I normally really enjoy driving the W111.

I took the car out again last week to see how things were going, and it ran quite poorly.   It stalled a couple of times and felt like it wasn’t getting enough fuel.     I’ll have to see how the visit to the mechanic in October impacts the car.   The more I drive it, the more I think its fuel injection related.

I had hoped to take it on a drive to Victoria I am doing in November.   Even if it seems fully fixed in October, due to the intermittent nature of the problem, I will probably not take it on that trip.   I’ll likely take the 560SEC instead.

While I was there, I also removed the Becker Tribute radio.   I had been having problems with this also.   The radio would just lock up and stop responding to inputs.   I took it out last year and even sent it away to Classic Auto Sound to be checked.   They kindly looked at it, and on their bench could find no fault.    I don’t know if its the car or the radio, but it stopped working for me earlier this year.

I took the radio out to do my own testing and put in one of my Beckers in its place.    Its a mid series Becker Europa II.   Its a radio that I need to have serviced anyway, so if my car is eating radios its better to try this one.    While the serial number tag has been lost, this radio would have most likely been manufactured between 1974 and 1976.    It has the newer style of speaker connectors, the larger stereo light and other features that place it in this date range of radios.    I don’t think this is the radio I will put in the car long term, but it looks great in there.    Even if the car is still running poorly, I plan to display it at the all German show later this year.

The Becker Europa II has a crack in the dial scale, but reproduction dial scales are available.    The advantage of the Europa II is that it is a one piece unit, so very easy to fit.    This era of Becker’s are DIN sized, but use their own mounting system of metal rods to hold it in place.   Those rods are often missing with second hand backers, but not hard to find.     The radio is installed in the dash without the knobs or the dial scale.    Outside the two knob shafts are the slots for the rods which are easily inserted and tightened up.     While I was there I also threw in a USB charging port.   The modern charger is very ugly in the beautiful W111 dash.

The post W111 poor running issues and becker update appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

My first task was setting up the control button and microphone for the Tranzit BLU.   The control button makes this a truly hands free system.  It is used to control the functions of the Tranzit BLU such as accepting calls, hanging up, skipping a track and so on.   This should be an any easy to reach, but unobtrusive spot.   I chose the underside of the steering column, just where it comes out near the underdash panels.   The microphone is used for hands free calling and I put it at the top of the drivers side A pillar – where there was an existing microphone from a long removed phone car kit.

To access this area, I had to remove the drivers side under dash panel.  These are very delicate now, so I had to take a lot of car.   I was then able to use electrical tape to bind together the wires for the button and microphone to push them through the back of the dash – firstly to the where the head unit would go, and then to the passengers side where the Tranzit BLU be.   This is a very fiddly job.

Because the car previously had a modern radio, all the speaker wires ended up behind the head unit.   For the Becker, they need to be in the passengers side foot well to join to the amplifier.   Normally, they would go through the fader unit, but I just joined them all up instead.    I wired them up in parallel as this is what the car appeared to do originally, albeit with a strange shared ground arrangement.

As far as I can tell, the original speakers were 5 Ohms.   Mine are 4 Ohms, so while not identical, quite close.  In parallel this should be 2 Ohms vs 2.5 Ohms, which I hope is ok.   The specifications for the Becker amplifier talk about it having 7W per channel with four speakers for 5W per channel with 2.  This also led me to believe parallel is the way to go.   The speaker wires and amplifier connection also needed to be pushed through the narrow spot behind the dash to the passengers side.  Anyone installing a Becker I would encourage you to do your own research here.

The hardest part of all of this pushing wires through narrow gaps was the antenna connection from the Tranzit BLU.   This goes from the passengers side to the head unit.  It has a 90 degree bend in the plug, which makes it very hard to push through small gaps.   Even using a guide wire to pull it through and a lot of tape to smooth it over, it took about 30 minutes of trying before I finally had it through and plugged into the Becker Mexico.

To install the Becker Mexico, the knobs front face is gently removed.   It is very easy to crack the faceplate.   There are two securing brackets that are normally used, but this part of my dash is quite cracked so I didn’t use them here.   Unlike the earlier cars it sits quite well.   While the face was off, I took the opportunity to clean it.

Before I properly installed the amplifier, I did another system test.   I found everything was working except for the control button for the Tranzit BLU.   I checked and it was connected properly.   The manual that came with the Tranzit BLU didn’t have any more help.   However, I found another version of the manual online which had an extended troubleshooting section.   This section covered using the dip switches on the unit to put it into ‘learning mode’ so it could ‘learn’ the value of the button.

The first time I tried this, it seemed to work, but pressing the button would disconnect Bluetooth.   I had managed to make it worse.   I was starting to worry I had damaged the button somehow pushing it through various dash gaps.   Trying the process again seemed to fix the issue and I now had a working control button.   The only slight annoyance is that each time I turn on the car or radio, I have to ‘engage’ the Tranzit BLU.   On the 560SEC and 300TE, I don’t.  I’ve emailed iSimple to find out how I change this.

Now it was time to install the guts of the system in the dash behind the glove box.   The original bracket for the amp was still there, and since I had the original amp, it snapped right in.   I used a couple of cable ties to hang the two relays off the bracket as well.   Looking at the photo, I see I forgot to bend back the tabs to hold in the speaker wires.  This needs to be done before I re-install the lower dash panel.

I put the lower dash panel back on the drivers side, but so far I have left it off the passengers side.   I want to drive the car a bit to make sure I am happy with everything first.   Those panels are so brittle, I am very careful how often I handle them.   I need to do a dry run for the June 2023 night drive, so I’ll probably take the 450SLC.

At least in the small test drive, I am really happy with the result.   Granted sound quality isn’t quite as good going through an FM transmitter, but its good enough and the Becker fits so well into the dash of the car.   So far the only thing I have noticed is that the ‘Stereo’ light on the Becker has stopped working for some reason.   It worked during testing, although at one point it stopped working and them seemed ok again.

The post 450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 4 – Final installation appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

Last year I started to source the right radios for the cars I owned.   I originally planned to start with my 450SLC, but its taken me a bit longer to sort out the radio for the car.    Based on that, I started on my 560SEC and then moved to my 300TE.    I’ve been pretty happy with these installs, so now it was time to look at the 450SLC again.

The car was originally sold with a Becker Mexico Cassette.  I still have the original manual pack in the car.   The original radio was an ‘M’ series radio.     The separate amplifier was still there, but the Becker was long gone.    I’ve been trying to work out the Becker serial numbers, and while there is some conflicting information out there, I understand that means the radio was built late 1975 to early 1976.   This seems plausible for my car given it was complianced 5/77 and delivered 7/77.   The radios were installed in Australia, not Germany, so they would have been purchased in batches and installed in cars when needed.

It took me a while, but in the end I found a couple of appropriate radios.   Even better they were both ‘M’ series radios, so they should be almost identical to the one originally fitted to the car.   I built a test rig and was pleasantly surprised.   Both radios worked.   I was able to tune FM stations successfully.   I don’t own any cassettes so I could not test this.   However, the ‘wunderbar’ autotune feature did not.   This is a mechanical automatic tuning function and a differentiator from a high end Becker radio like the Mexico and a more mid level radio like the Europa.

Luckily a friend in the MBCNSW came to the rescue and was able to help me get the radios repaired.   My focus was to make sure AM/FM and the ‘wunderbar’ were all working properly.   I don’t own cassettes anymore so I wasn’t really concerned with the Cassette function.

When the radios came back, I was really happy with their operation.   The ‘wunderbar’ is such a great feature.

Next step was to test how I was going to get music and calls from my phone into the radio.   My default choice was the iSimple Tranzit BLU HF FM injector.   I’ve used this successfully on my 560SEC and 300TE.   As well as the FM injector option, it also has the possibility of an AUX in connection.

The Becker radios without cassette, such as the period Europa II or Grand Prix have an AUX in port.   This is supposed to be used by the external tape deck.   Obviously a Mexico Cassette doesn’t need an external tape deck.   There is another port on the back of the Mexico which I understand is used for the German traffic adaptor.   This is mono only, as the Traffic input would not require stereo.   I purchased a mono input adaptor (normally used for the earlier mono Europa and Grand Prix), and while I could get audio through it, I wasn’t very happy with the sound.  I think I’ll use the FM injector as before.

Finally there was the the question of output.   The Becker radio outputs 2x7W at 4Ohms.   My working assumption was that with four modern speakers, it would be better to use a modern amplifier.   This is trivial with the Mexico Cassette, as it already uses a separate amplifier.  There are ready made adaptors on the market that accept the Becker amplifier plug and turn it into RCA outputs.   I tried one and it worked really well with a powered computer speaker on the Bench.    I have another one of the small Alpine amplifiers I used for the 560SEC install I can use here if needed.

Before installing any of this in the car, I have been doing extensive testing on the bench.  Much easier than once the radio is in the car.  During most of this testing I held the assumption I would use the external amplifier.  After hearing a Europa II Stereo without the amplifier in a friend’s W108, I’m not so sure.

In any case, the Becker Mexico Cassette is ready to install.   Now to speakers.

The post 450SLC Becker Mexico Cassette install part 1 – Preparing the radio appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The Mexico Cassette was always standard on the 450 models, but optional on other cars in the early 70s.   At least by the introduction of the W123, it would become standard across the range.   While today it seems like a simple device, it was a very high end radio in its day.   Not only the integrated Cassette player, but the ‘wunderbar’ auto tune mechanism were not commonly found on cheaper radios.

The Becker Mexico Cassette is two piece radio with a 2x7W amplifier.  At least in Australia, it was superseded by the Becker Mexico Cassette 374 model.

Becker Mexico Cassette 370 Buttons

1. On-off switch, volume control
2. Pilot lamp
3. Tone control knob
4. Wave-band push buttons
5. Automatic push button
6. Sensitivity control
7. Manual tuning knob
8. Cartridge pit of radio
9. Fast winding of tape
10. Fast rewinding of tape
11. Ejector button

Radio Reception

Switch on radio:

The radio is switched on by turning the left-hand rotary knob (1) to the right.   Then the green operational pilot lamp (2) flashes up.  The desired sound volume is regulated by turning the same rotary knob (1) further to the right.

Tone:

By means of the left-land lever (3) the tone can be regulated according to personal requirements.

Station Tuning:

The station tuning can be done in two different ways.   The radio “Mexico-Cassette” offers the possibility to tune in a station either automatically by means of the station finder, or by hand.

Automatic Station Tuning:

After having switched on the radio, the desired wave band is chosen by depressing the corresponding push button (4).

The letters on the push buttons indicate M = medium wave, U = ultrashort wave.  When the automatic push button (5) is depressed, the dial pointer runs along the dial from left to right and stops when it reaches a station worth receiving.   Depress the automatic push button again, and the pointer will run to the next available station.   After the pointer has reached the end of the dial, it will jump back to the left, resuming station finding by moving along the dial.   The number of the stations to be tuned in automatically can be fixed by the sensitivity control (6), a three-state switch.  The different switch positions indicate:

1. Sensitive, i.e. pointer stops at many stations, also at faint-ones,
2. Medium, i.e. pointer stops at powerful and semi-powerful stations,
3. Insensitive, i.e. pointer stops at powerful stations only.

Manual station tuning:

After having determined the desired wave band by depressing a wave-band push button (4), the station can be turned in manually by turning the manual tuning knob (7).

Tape Reproduction

Playing of Cassettes:

Insert cassette, with full tape at right-hand side, into cartridge pit of radio and press until touch.   While cassette is inserted, change over from radio reception to tape operation takes place automatically.

Both volume and tone are regulated in the same way as for radio reception, by turning volume control knob (1) and tone control knob (3).

When tape reproduction is completed at one side of the cassette, the cassette is ejected from the cartridge pit the moment the end of the tape is reached.  At the same time the tuning unit automatically changes over to radio reception.   For playing the other side of the tape, the cassette is turned round and reinserted into the cartridge pit of the radio.

Ejection of cassette by hand operation:

If tape reproduction is to be interrupted before tape is finished, ejector button (11) must be pressed.   This will change over the tuning unit to radio reception whilst the cassette is ejected from the cartridge pit.

Fast winding and rewinding of tape:

By pressing the fast winding button (9) or the fast rewinding button (10) the tape is quickly wound or rewound, so to permit the selection of other music.   A short pressing of the antagonistic button stops the winding operation.

We recommend:

use on trade mark cassettes C60 and C90.   If it should be the case that once the tape entangles rewind the tape loop into the cassette by turning one of the two spools with a suitable object (pencil).

Care and maintenance:

Under normal conditions the radio unit requires no special maintenance.  From time to time the head should be cleaned with the aid of a cleaning cassette, because after any longer period of operation deposits are bound to settle there.   After approx. 1,000 operating hours the unit should be inspected by and expert and cleaned thoroughly.

Connection of supplementary apparatus:

The “Mexico-Cassette” car radio provides for the connection of an automatic antenna or a short wave adaptor as supplementary apparatus.

The post Becker Mexico Cassette 370 Operation Instructions appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

To complete the install of the Becker 1402, my first step was to tidy up the wiring.    This was primarily using cable ties and electrical tape to create separate harnesses – i.e. for power, for speakers etc.    I also attached the relay to the power harness so it would not get stuck or jammed when the radio came in and out.

From there, it was trial fitting the radio to make sure everything still worked.    Unlike modern radios with a DIN frame, the Becker just slides in.  I also took the time to make sure the USB charging ports worked – something I had not done on the 560SEC install and regretted.

Once I had the radio in, it was apparent that the wood trim needs to be installed first.   I therefore removed the radio to complete this task.   As an added benefit, I was hoping to improve the alignment of the wood trim while I was there.   I had noticed the small ‘feet’ in the upper switch frame were not flush with the console.   As one of the mounting points on my car was broken, it took a bit of moving around, but eventually I had it aligned properly.

It didn’t seem to help much as the wood trim is still not all that well aligned.    I’m not 100% sure why – possibly because this wood trim is not original to the car, or possibly due to various radio and other work on the car something is misaligned.

The wood trim is quite easy to install.  It hooks onto the top, then the combination of a pair of screws above the radio, and some large but thin nuts around the A/C control knobs hold it in place.  A large socket with a knurled thumbscrew was a good way of making sure I didn’t overtighten.

At this point I also verified that the hazard lights were still working.     From there it was re-installing the radio and testing it to make sure all the connections were good.    They were.

Next was re-installation of the ashtray assembly.   This is held in with two screws.  The main issue here is making sure the wiring harness for the cigarette lighter is sitting properly so the ashtray can still open and close.   Like with the 560SEC, I situated the control button for the iSimple Tranzit BLU on the side of the console, as well as the mic for the handsfree kit.  It has worked quite well on the 560SEC.

The radio is now in and working and I really like he way it looks in the dash.  I have handsfree calling, as well as music control from my phone. I personally think there is a lot to be said about using a period correct radio in a classic car. Sure, it won’t sound as good as a modern radio, but it fits so well in the dash, and they work really well. They are part of that simplicity that classic cars have which is lost in moderns. I can operate all functions I need without taking my eyes of the road. Few modern cars can say that.

The post W124 Becker radio install – part 3 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

This morning I looked up the wiring colours for the Sony online.   The wiring in the car has been ‘modified’ by various radio installers over the years, so starting with the Sony wires was a good place to start.   As outlined the operation instructions, the Becker 1402 wiring harness has four wires going into the custom plug.  These are:  Ground, Switched Power, Illumination & Constant power.

Before I wired in the Becker harness, I also needed to provide some connections for other accessories.    I wanted to add in USB charging ports and the iTranzit BLU FM injector.    As the Becker will use a lot less power than the modern Sony, I wasn’t too worried about the power draw.   My new setup should use less power overall than the old one.   I’m already charging my phone from the cigarette lighter which comes off the same circuit.

I planned to let the Becker 1402’s antenna trigger turn on the iTranzit BLU, using a relay.   This is the same setup I used on the 560EC.   The iTranzit BLU uses very little power, but I didn’t want to chance overloading it.   Thus, the antenna trigger is connected to a rely, which in turn turns on the power for both the iTranzit BLU and the power antenna.

From the ground wire, I needed connections for the Becker, the iTranzit BLU, the relay and the USB ports.   For the Switched power, I needed a wire for the Becker and one for the USB charging ports.   The illumination just went into the Becker, but the Constant power was needed for both the Becker and the relay.      As I wired the Becker connectors in, I just added a few additional wires for these other accessories.

There was a very handy spot in front of the shift lever assembly that was a good fit for the iTranzit BLU.   This was close enough to the Becker 1402 for the antenna connections, and out of the way.   At least on the W126, this is where a control box for the airbag goes, should the car be so equipped.   It’s probably the same on the W124.    I was able to push its wires up behind the ashtray.   The control button will go out the side of the centre console, as will the handsfree microphone.   The relay that powers it will just be taped to the back of the Becker.

To get the USB plugs out a small gap between the carpet and the centre console, I taped them to a now removed mobile phone connector, so I could pull them through.    As mentioned above, this just wired into switched power, as I didn’t want a small current draw when the car was not being used.

I was now ready to do my first power on test.   Before I started with the speaker wires, I plugged in the factory Becker plugs that were still floating around in behind the radio.   As expected, they did nothing and are no longer in use.   On the other hand I had no other issues with my wiring.   The Becker 1402 powered up as it should.   It accepted the security code.   The relay trigged both the antenna and the iTranzit BLU.   The illumination worked as it should.

After this test I cut off the now disconnected Becker speaker plugs, as I wanted to use them for the radio.   Since the Becker is a 2x25W radio, I needed to splice both left speakers together and both right speakers together.   I don’t plan to re-wire the fader.   This is the same setup I used when installing the Becker in a friend’s 450SE recently.     Essentially the left front positive is joined up to the left rear positive,  and the left front negative to the left rear negative.   The same goes for the right side.

Before I did this, I first checked the speaker wires were correct.   This can be done with an AA battery.   Simply hold the positive wire to the top, and the negative wire to the bottom, and the speaker should make some static.   Its a quick and simple way to check the speaker wires are as you thought.   Its only 1.5 volts, so the wires can be held on by hand.    All four speakers worked, including the front left that hadn’t been working before.   Probably a connection issue to the Sony.

Once I had the speaker wires connected properly, it was time to plug them into the back of the Becker 1402 and test the sound.   It sounded great.  Perhaps some confirmation bias, but much better than the more modern Sony.   Both AM and FM worked well.   On the other hand, the iTranzit BLU wasn’t playing music as I thought it should.   On closer examination of its manual, the status light was blinking three times.   This means its connected, but needs resetting.   Holding the action button down for six seconds took care of that.   Soon I had Sherbet’s Howzat playing through the speakers of the 300TE!

This was a good place to stop.   Everything seemed to be working quite well.   My task next time is to tidy up the wiring and actually put the Becker 1402 into the dash where it belongs. This is covered in part 3.

The post W124 Becker radio install – part 2 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

My car was first sold with a Becker Grand Prix 1402.   The operating instructions is still in the owner manual kit.    This is the same Becker I installed in my 1987 560SEC.   I’ve been really happy with the setup in that car.    My plan was to install something similar in the 300TE, but without the external amplifier.   The speakers in the 300TE are quite small and I don’t think the additional amplifier is necessary.   I will be using the Bluetooth FM injector, just like on the 560SEC.

The first step was to find a W124 Becker radio.   I have been keeping an eye out since I bought the car.   In the end I found a radio that had been purchased by a friend in the Mercedes Club for his W126.  In the end he preferred something a bit more modern, but still with a classic look.   As that radio was surplus to requirements, I purchased it for my 300TE.    He had the radio refurbished a few years ago, so it tested fine.

For a W124 Becker radio install, a set of the plugs for the rear of the radio is also required.   Luckily, I managed to secure a set from the parts car in Las Vegas last year.

My next step was to remove the old Sony from the car.  The previous owner had left the DIN tools for the radio, so I was able to get it removed fairly easily.  On removing the old radio, I was quite shocked to see a set of plugs for a subwoofer in the back of the Sony.   I was very confident that there wasn’t a subwoofer installed in the car, let alone a working subwoofer.

It wasn’t clear where those cables went.   before I went any further, I needed to trace them and see.   I didn’t want to leave a rats nest of old cables in the car, if I could avoid it.    I first removed the ashtray and the centre console wood.   They didn’t disappear into there.   They seemed to go to the left, so I started pulling up the carpets on the passengers side of the car.   Sure enough, I found the cables cut off in the passengers side foot well.

I guess a previous owner had a subwoofer installed at some point.   The installer of the Sony Xplod just didn’t bother to trace the cables, and just plugged them into the back of it.   I’ve now removed them.   I also saw the remains of an early 2000s phone charger in the centre console, so will need to trace that and remove it too.

After that, I got to looking at how the Xplod was wired in.   There is little trace of the old Becker plugs for the radio, but there are some remains of the speaker cables.   They were not connected to anything, so I don’t think they are in use anymore.   The connectors will be quite useful to me regardless.    For my W124 Becker install, I needed to verify the purpose of each wire in the back of the Sony.   The Sony manual didn’t include any information on that, just useless info about not scratching your CDs.

I’ll do some research on the internet to get the wiring info for the Sony, so I can wire in the Becker plug next.     While I was there, I also wanted to swap out the hazard light switch.   It was jammed in the off position and didn’t work at all.   I removed the upper wood trim to get to those switches.    To remove it, there were two small screws at the bottom, above the radio.   Then the two large knobs hold it on.

From there, the frame around the switches can be removed with a Philips head screwdriver.    Once that frame is removed, the switches just pull off.   I had a spare hazard light switch in my box of Mercedes switches, so I was able to quickly swap it over, and successfully test it’s operation.

In the next step of my W124 Becker radio install, I want to sort out the plugs for the Becker radio – i.e. the speaker plugs and the power plug.    That will allow me to test the radio in the car.   Then I can install the FM injector.   I’m taking the car on a short road trip at the end of the month, so my goal is to get it done before then.

Continued in part 2.

The post W124 Becker radio install – part 1 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

The car was quite original except for the broken 90s cassette player. Being a 1979 model, it would have come with a Becker Mexico cassette with a black front panel and the large knobs. The S-Class and the 280CE all got the Mexico, whereas the lower specification models had to settle for the Europa cassette. The big difference is the Mexico cassette has an external amplifier and the ‘wunderbar’ auto tune feature.

A wrecker in Bendigo had one of these radios, which was promptly purchased. Even though the Beckers with the black front panel are not as desirable as the pinstripe models, they are actually harder to find. They were only fitted to cars for a couple of years in Australia.

Our task for the evening was to test and install the radio. I already had a test rig set up from my Becker radio testing. These radios are very simple to set up. There is a switched power feed, ground and left/right speakers. There is also a cable between the remote amplifier and the radio.

We were quickly able to establish that the radio worked! It was able to tune FM correctly, volume, treble/bass all working correctly. The stereo light would come on when a station is strong, as it is supposed to. Surprisingly, all the bulbs worked. On the downside, the ‘wunderbar’ auto tune feature was no longer working, we could not test the cassette function as I don’t own one, the actual stereo decal in front of the bulb was missing, and we couldn’t test AM as it never seems to work inside the warehouse.

That was enough to install the radio in the car for now. The ‘wunderbar’ is a nice to have feature, so it could be repaired at another time.

Next step was to have a look at the car, to see how badly the previous installer had hacked up the wiring. I was also wondering if the original amplifier was still there. A lot of times, installers would just cut the wire and leave the old amplifier in place.

Turns out the bracket for the amplifier on the passengers side of the car was still there, but all traces of it and its wiring were gone. The installer had been rather lazy and just wired the 90s radio into the original speaker wiring. They had even left the fader in place. Both left channels were spliced into the left channel for the car, and same with the right. It was all held to together with electrical tape, so it was pretty simple to entirely remove the old radio wiring. I then used an AA battery to check if I could get sound out of each channel. I got static from both front speakers, and the left rear. Its possible a connection has come undone at the back for the right rear. Fader still worked.

I had some proper Becker connectors from my parts car, so I was able to re-attach Becker connectors to these original speaker wires. A quick test before putting it in the car was that the sound was pretty good. Even with the power antenna down, FM reception was decent.

On install, the speaker wires were not quite long enough to allow the amplifier to go back in its bracket. That could be a future improvement to add some more speaker wire. By this time it was almost 11pm. For now the amplifier was able to slot in under the glovebox and out of site. I also couldn’t see a trigger wire for the antenna in the back. Another improvement would be to trace where that is and see if the power antenna is still working.

With only a couple of hours work, the car now has a working Becker Mexico Cassette, similar to the one that it left the factory with.

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