Did my subscribers correctly diagnose my broken Mercedes?

I put put a call and my subscribers answered. In this video I'm going through my subscribers' suggestions on what could be wrong with my 1992 Mercedes-Benz W124 220CE.
As you know I've been hampered by the biodegradable wiring loom on my Mercedes C124 (W124) 220E, which has been causing all kinds of issues.
I went back to basics testing fuel, air, and spark. And whaddya know - it paid dividends.
Hopefully I can pick up some new coil packs for a fairly cheap price.
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[@colinthomas1540]

Hi Nino, surprised you didn’t test cylinder 4 too (or did you?). Would have helped to determine coil or HT leads. Great video- really enjoying them 👍🏻😎

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

I did - I just didn’t show it. Got mixed results on cylinder 4. Sometimes really strong and other times weak. I’ve ordered some HT leads and will try that first before replacing the coils 👍🏻

[@colinthomas1540]

Nice one. Fingers crossed it’s just the leads. Coil looks like it’s in a ridiculous location 🙄🙏

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Haha yeah doesn’t it just

[@robbalinski1606]

@@NotEconomicallyViable I'd go with coils before the plug wires honestly, when it very's in intensity thats a very good indicator of a bad coil. get's hot and starts to fail which also correlates with runs fine when cold for a few minutes then stops. Your fuel pressure is very good and the regulator is good also as its holding a steady pressure then slowly drops off pressure when the pumps off, so that circuits fine. Your learning definitely, your doing far better then lots of people that try and learn mechanic's! great job.

[@twin2civicgaraget2cg75]

Very good use of the spark tester, nice one!

[@johnnygandy3931]

Great job so far chap. Really enjoying your journey. New subscriber from the US. Good show!

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Thanks, Johnny 👍🏻

[@stevenfletcher8302]

Autosparks in sandiacre Nottingham make auto wiring harnesses I think that's were Mike brewer from wheeler dealers got one from. There reasonably priced.

[@GG90.]

You made a very good point about the forum posts and photobucket. I know the feels.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Yeah it’s such a shame

[@MiracleMitch]

Getting there - you're heading down the right "rabbit hole" it seems. Shame about the wiring looms - wouldn't it be great (for you) and interesting (for us) if there was someone out there who makes upgraded wiring looms who would do you a favour and team up for a custom loom video? That would be an awesome video and a great watch whilst you continue with your other project? The odd distraction video would help with your channel / real job balance perhaps? We invest in the resolution and follow you on your journey there 😁

[@grippingyarnsuk]

Try Frau Benz for parts and advice, but your process of working out the problem is great to watch .

[@guyhorner8165]

Not a car comment Nino, but heard you and the other half talking about dobies ...... have to say beautiful and intelligent dogs, used to have two many years ago.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Yeah we're looking to get one as soon as we move house. Completely agree with you - beautiful dogs

[@geezerdiamond]

Watching you balance the prongs over the pan reminded me to give you a hint when probing pins... slip a piece of heatshrink tube over the prong you're trying to probe, make it longer than the prong, then you can just push your probe into the tube and it won't wobble off while you take measurements.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Ahh yeah great idea 👍🏻

[@stekarenhd6911]

I can deffo relate to that thing about photos in old threads being unavailable, come across that sooo many times sadly

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Yeah it's such a shame

[@Maartjinski]

sorry to be a bit late on the fun, but i've been binge watching your videos since YT recently recommended your channel. When you are testing for spark with your new tester it can been seen in your video that when the metal ending of the lead touches the cillinderhead, the spark jumps between them. When that happens your tester won't show sparking going on. So maybe the coils have no issue's. But I really think that you can't judge any components as long as the wiring can't be trusted. I know it seems like a daunting task, but just replace one wire at a time, learn on YT how to take the pins out of the plugs, how to properly sodder, ect. I am absolutly positive that you can do this and not having to spend a £ 1000 on a custom loom👍💪

[@silverfox7393]

WIRING HARNESS, you need a new wiring harness, it covers the entire area under the bonnet, it will cost you around £1000 ( that was 10 years ago)from mercedes, they keep them in stock, as mercedes knows there are major problems with the wirimg disintegrating, I had a 1993 E320 and same thing happened to me after having a new head gasket, if the wiring has never been touched it will be fine, as soon as it gets moved it just turns to dust,

[@kennyW001]

All I kept thinking was buy a new wiring loom. There is a company on an old wheeler dealers episode who will build you a brand new modern one to your spec.

[@waynebaldycanning]

My favourite bit of this video is when you said…I might have to wait til she gets home from work and get her to crank on it 🤣

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

😂😅

[@ranjanaluwihare1511]

Get in contact with Jack from ‘Number 27’ check out his W124 coupe called the ‘ Bismark’ he knows a great girl who specialises in mercs & 2nd hand parts too! Good luck dude.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

I’ll take a look at that - cheers bud

[@ericafiore1624]

Seen blown gaskets where when cold gasket is sealed when hot gasket leaks or sucks in air. Cause engine to die only to restart when cools down.

[@billcowap3270]

I have the same model and trouble. The exposed wiring at the front of the engine is the same as mine and I think was not used when the engine was built and just left hanging there. I’m having the same thoughts as you re replacing the engine wiring loom. Good luck!

[@strategicthinker8899]

You can repair stripped off and degraded wiring insulation with "liquid insulation". You just "paint" the stripped wires with it to insulate them from the other nearby wires. It works and lasts. I did this on my Ford Mondeo which are known to degrade their insulation. A few wires were stripped and had cracking insulation near the engine (of course) for about 2 meters or more. Painted the liquid insulation on them and from then on the car works like new. No faults due to interfering wires.

[@dps1983]

Nino , The smart vehicles have issue for cutting out when hot due to faulty crankshaft position sensor .The best bit is you won’t have any fault codes .

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

The crankshaft position sensor was replaced on this just before I bought it, so I don’t think it’s that 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@dps1983]

Nino , The next thing that I would suggest you check is the main ecu .The ecus made by Siemens suffered a bad or dead solder joints.I had the similar issue on Smart Fortwo .Engine just kept cutting out .You will not see this with bear eye so I recommend using your phone camera with focus on the main boards . Funny enough I have removed Sam unit and kept looking with bear eye .I have put it back thinking gosh I cannot see nothing wrong with it .I didn’t give up .I changed few sensors and nothing helped .So I have removed the unit yet again and this time I thought I use my mobile phone to zoom on solder joint .I just couldn’t believe that all main joints had dead solder.Have you tried diagnostics? Where about are you located ?

[@Woodney717]

Have loved watching your vids. Not sure if this motor is too old to have a catalytic converter? If so you might want to check the O2 sensor(s) as I think this will only come into play once it’s warmed up and ECU goes into closed loop

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

That's a great shout, Steven. I'll have to take a look into it!

[@bertone122]

1:20 its typical for crankshaft position sensor malfunction

[@user-rfyl4t]

Yep, had a Smart 450 Fortwo (2002), same exact symptoms, worked a charm after replaced this sensor.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

This engine had a new crankshaft position sensor fitted not long before I bought it. Surely it would have lasted a bit longer than that?

[@user-rfyl4t]

@@NotEconomicallyViable ​ I think it could be worth a try, it's not a very expensive part after all. Maybe it failed which is unlikely, but it could also be worth checking the wiring leading to it.

[@bertone122]

@@NotEconomicallyViable it depends where it was made 🙂

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Yeah good point. I have this horrible feeling that the CPS is on the back on this engine 🥴

[@paultaylor9652]

I did wonder if you were pushing your luck outside that house Nino. As other have said, get in touch with number27 Jack, I'm sure he'll give you some advice. Great video, just shows working on cars is not a simple thing.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

I’ll give him a shout bud 👍🏻 It’s definitely not easy - there’s so much to think about especially as a noob who is trying to produce a video at the same time!

[@serverdll]

hi nino, as i say in the last video the issue is from coil n1-4... if the impedance is too high the ecu cuts out pulses to the coil. your car have the "wasted spark" system that feed 1-4 and 2-3 toghether (1-4 at same time)... that's why you have spark in cyl 2 bot no in cyl 1.

[@timaustin577]

Treat yourself to some Quality Mechanics Gloves. Love the Channel, Good work :-)

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Thanks, Tim

[@user-rfyl4t]

I had a Smart 450 Fortwo (2002) a couple months ago. The car started and ran perfectly for about 5 minutes, but it cut out once the engine warmed up and it would not start again until the engine cooled back down. Sounds like similar symptoms to your car. The problem part was the crankshaft position sensor. Once replaced, the car ran with absolutely no problems, although the gearbox failed on it months later :D

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

The crankshaft position sensor was replaced just before I bought the car, so surely it’s not that?

[@michaelkivlin464]

When the guy stopped to ask how you were getting on ,you should have asked him to crank the car

[@rupert1124]

Hi, that book on Auto Electrics you recommended is excellent.I'm about half way through the book . It explains the subject very will indeed with lots of photos and diagrams and an easy to follow style of writing. Is there any update on the Mercedes - .

[@MiracleMitch]

If new leads / coils do not solve the cutting out issue, which I am not sure it will (as initially the engine was running reasonably well then cutting out suddenly without warning), there is another issue on some of these 90s models with the main relay and fuel pump relay board solders (the relays are bigger and have circuit boards in them which often develop dry or weak solders). The main relay controls voltage to the fuel pump and the injectors and is found below the change tray to the left of the steering wheel on many models (not totally sure whether the 220e is one however). When the vehicle gets older, a solder joint inside the relay gets weak, and when it is hot, it loses contact altogether. Once it cools down, contact is restored and the car will start again. Resoldering all of the connections on the circuit board attached to the main relay, may cure the issue. Alternatively source a used good or new genuine main or fuel pump relay.

[@plamenpetkov7132]

Apart of fuel pressure created by the in tank pump, there might be a pressure accumulator under the floor, retaining pressure for next start (the pump gradually raises pressure)

[@hughiemaceachern5282]

I heard it snapping then when stalled it wasn't so seems like fire

[@josephjohnstone7667]

Coils don't seem to like heat all that much! We had a car with aftermarket coils and heat would kill it. I thought these cars had rotors but that may be a different engine spec. I'd definitely replace the coils as the leads should be fine. German cars love to eat coils from experience 😂

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

That’s good to know. There were so many different engines fitted to these cars over their lifespan that it’s an absolute minefield trying to find the right information.

[@josephjohnstone7667]

@@NotEconomicallyViable Tell me about it haha. If you decide on a coil, a good second hand one or OEM is recommended. Hopefully it'll run long enough for a drive 👍

[@vspencer9764]

On my Golf of numerous faults the earth strap was broken going from the coil (new coil was £12 and earth was £1.50) to the engine block and the way to tell apparently was put your hand on the coil and if it’s hot there’s your issue. The car ran perfectly for a week till it’s next fault appeared which also gave similar issues of getting a mile or two up the road then cutting back out and that was crank position sensor that time which again was a £12 part. I’ve found that all electrical parts are £12 on the MK3 Golf lol

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

I'll have to check the ground then, thanks bud. And also, looks like I'll be buying a MK3 Golf because I can tell you now these W124 parts are not £12 😅

[@MyJon64]

I'd check there's no Ballist Risistors on the Ignition circuit! Some cars have them hidden in the wiring loom!

[@anakinskywalker4113]

You can buy an upgraded wiring loom from a company called delfi if you punch in the vin number they should be able to provided one that is a match for your car. I would junk all your existing engine wiring loom & use a delfi one. I am in Australia & have purchased wiring looms by delfi & they have worked out well for me. You could try & get in contact with Ken from Mercedessource he is in the USA which may be problematic but he knows everything there is to know about old Mercedes.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Appreciate that info mate 👍🏻👌🏻

[@michaelproust7891]

please sit down and watch Pine Hill Diagnostics, he is excellent and is not scared of old Mercedes.

[@garypreston266]

defo coils and rewired that mess is the way forward i would say 👍

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Nice one 👍🏻

[@alanbedford9989]

Hi there cheap bits first ign switch c if ign is 12 volts all time or intermittent good luck

[@lyndonwebber1389]

Fuel pressure regulator maybe 👍

[@michaeldebrou8767]

Brilliant entertainment, keep at it !

[@plamenpetkov7132]

Sparc coils could be tested alone, by pulse generator as source of triggering pulses. The coil should be powered and loaded with sparc plug. Sparc plugs are tested in baro chamber i.e. under pressure. Many build one themselves. It is an sealed enclosure with window to observe the plug. air pressure inside is gradually raised to simulate internal engine pressure.

[@chrissnow8337]

You don’t need to remove intake manifold to replace coils, they are bolted from above from memory. Bit awkward. I swapped out the coil wires and the engine loom on my old m111 engine (same but 2.0l) as preventative as the sheathing was crumbling. A chap in Italy re-built it re-using the connectors. Fitting was easy roadside diy - took an hour or two - you just need to source the right loom as yours looks wrong and perhaps connectors are wrong too? Breakers? 300 coupe on no.27 KZbin is m103 engine. Completely different (has its own problems but not wiring!). Sensors in my experience cause poor running / efficiency but not non-starting. Good luck!

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Ahhh Chris that info on being able to do them from above is just what I needed 👍🏻 Been really difficult to find that info online believe it or not. I think the loom on this car was sourced off a W124 with a different engine (or optional extras?) which is why it’s weird.

[@willswheels283]

I was thinking along the same lines as your other subscribers, is it losing spark when it’s cutting out. Hopefully replacing the coils will sort the problem for you. I tried all the obvious with the Fiat I had that was doing the same thing as the Merc, cutting out, but mine was more frustrating as it would do it anytime, you’d pull up at a set of lights for example and then just as you were about to set off it would cut out and simply refuse to start up again for several minutes. With mine it turned out to be an ECU issue.

[@Mr.Eldric]

Cold start injector? On the old bosch k jetronics they had leakey cold start injectors. Probs not on this car but defo on the old ford v6 2.8.

[@martinsv9183]

I assume you have checked rotor and distributor cap.

Had similar issue with my 88 W124 300 CE. Engine was dying when it was reaching working temperature. I know, that i have older, M103 engine, but symtomps were similar to yours. I went almost the same route as you, but what helped in my situation, was replacement of the distributor cap and distributor finger. I know, that temperature and distribution cap doesn't make sense, but what i;ve found on some mb forums, there are some condensation issuses going on with the cap. I had cheap ignition wires. I've repleaced with ngk, got cap from beru and since then i had no issues. Also, as owner of L322 4.2 SC, i'm looking forward to range rover videos.

[@bluecoo68]

had the same issue ,replaced the fuel relay and idle control valve and has worked fine for the last 10 years

[@jamesward5721]

After years of working on cars -all sorts of cars - including some hugely fancy ones - and having owned hundreds of cars over the years.. I now just run an older Nissan as I can't be hooped fixing my own cars any more - I spend all day fixing other peoples. I want one that just works & can be totally "ignored". I'm 51, nearly 52, have worked on cars since I was 14 & I trust 1 vehicle at this stage - 1.8l petrol nissans. I have mild tolerance for older 1.9pd VAG s as well, but there it ends - and the 1.9pds is just mild tolerance. To me, everything else is finickity shyte. Including Mercs ^^, which I work on endlessly & despise. It will probably be some dopey electrical fault where a break in a wire is opening up as heat builds, causing the ECU to throw a wobbler. Then it cools & runs again, till it gets warm.,. Fix that break (after you find it) & then something else will cack itself. They do my head in tbh with their junk wiring.

[@chrishull9983]

I think you are lucky to have had very laid back neighbors - I think I would have freaked out looking at that from my front window. 😪

[@ivicahek4326]

Fix the wiring loom,look distributor cap

[@AnthonyAshcroft]

Did you look into the possibility of the issue relating to when the ecu changes between closed and open loop post startup/cold start.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

I didn’t mate. What would I be looking at exactly? What would the fix be?

[@Badger66]

Progress.... hopefully..... keep going....

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Cheers, Ian

[@lyndonwebber1389]

I’m pretty sure if fuel pressure drops it cut s spark for safety also good luck

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Thanks, Lyndon - I'll take a look into that

[@malcolmdown9170]

Could you not test the resistance of the coil packs the same way you did the coolant temp sensor but with a heat gun ?

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

No idea - this is the first time I’ve heard of it haha

[@malcolmdown9170]

@@NotEconomicallyViable if it’s breaking down because of heating up the heat gun will replicate it.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Gotcha

[@vns55]

I think you are completely off the mark bio wiring was from 94 the 124 didn't have it, I rebuilt 10 mercs w123 124 total restos , any w124 is worth £2000 a really good one is £5000+ I started building mrecs in 1980 before the internet, but nice to see someone trying to make a go of it

[@አምቼ]

I have mercedes 220.same problem so wat can I do bro

[@davidrix804]

Jump in the deepend and you will find that lucky coin,or that manual for that car✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️

[@rust_soldier]

The spring sits inside the coil pack so yes one of your coils are broken

[@dirtriderrob8390]

Mass air flow metre

[@yassoyasso7761]

Check the cam timing

[@MrFengen]

A diesel engine needs three things to start; fuel, air and compression. A petrol engine needs four things; fuel, air, compression and spark. Whenever I am dealing with stupid cars, I do the "silly" checklist; does it have... If it's missing one of these components, you know which rabbit hole to dig down into.

[@user-sm8wo3dj5z]

So did you fix it?

[@deerawselecta7709]

Does car have MAF sensor and lambda sensor ?

[@markmawson1]

Them engines have what you call a wasted spark ignition system where when cylinder 1 fires cylinder 4 will be on it's exhaust stroke and viseversa and the same with cylinders 2 and 3

[@andrewwinter3722]

have you still got this car ?

[@Stop..carry-on]

Photo bucket got greedy, uploading to photo-bucket was free with ads then they changed to a subscription type service which people didn’t want or sign up for

[@billcowap3270]

Me again. Have a look at MKB TEC who show the same engine

[@pitcj]

Crankshaft position sensor.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Had so many people suggest the CPS that I've just ordered one 👍🏻

[@eddiewipple8016]

I think the fuel pump is weak

[@hughiemaceachern5282]

Does seem like coil

[@eddiewipple8016]

I think you got a bad cold

[@stevejelly3161]

Hi Nino !!!.... i noticed a few things !!! ... I thought by the gauge that "something" gave a direct instruction to cut the "+" feed to the fuel pump ??? . (if the fuel pump was warn the guage would slowly sink after a few minutes as the ball bearing slow up) . (so if a wire was "over-ridden" to the fuel pump i thought the "something" could be outwitted ??? . Back then .... the whole electrical system "sistered" to the "OBD2" scan tool ...... where the AA guy or mechanic would plug it into the yellow multiplug and the car would inform the scan tool where the problem was ??? . Hope this helps ??? ... I know they are driving all over the world and yours won't go !!!... it's annoying !!! . (and google has taken all information down) . GOOD LUCK

[@ivicahek4326]

Firing order is 1342

[@vic234able]

Crank shaft position sensor maybe 🤔

[@nickrichardson1317]

All these wiring and dodgy electronics stem from out-of-date components. To combat these problems which plague cars built in the last 30 years, I have deliberately bought a 1982 Saab 99 with no ECU and 100% basic electrics. It has wind-up windows too. Saab 99 use heavy gauge steel in their construction. The idea being that it won’t fail as frequently as cars with old ecu’s or dodgy wiring. Also at 40 years old, I pay no road tax. Good luck with your electronic problems. I’d take it to a local Mercedes Specialist as they will know the engine & what problems it will have. It can save money by seeking help from knowledgeable people. I’d also buy a Haynes Workshop Manual for this car & read it to save time, just to see where u need to look at items. I have had cars from the 1930’s for very basic engineering and electrics. The older cars are simple to fix. These later electronic cars with needing a plug-in to an ecu reader are outside most people’s skills to fix. Once you get the Mercedes going, sell it & buy a simple 40 year old car.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Thanks for that, Nick. It's a bit unfortunate with this Merc as this 'biodegradable wiring' was only introduced on this '92 model until '95. The earlier versions of the W124 don't suffer the same fate and are renowned for their durability (multiple million-mile-plus versions in Germany that were used as taxis). I'm confident that when I get this wiring sorted out the old girl will be singing again. Also, part of the fun for me is that I'm learning car mechanics from scratch, so these issues actually help me learn. Bit of a different situation to others, I suppose.

[@oscargranstrom9731]

Ovp relay

[@tedrichardson8577]

Stick a v8 in 😜😄

[@garrypritchard1658]

If thats not diesel the motor sounds fucked anyway 😢😢

[@alanbedford9989]

That's a coil breaking down

[@eddiewipple8016]

I think you got a bad fuel pump

[@Matthew-m6c2p]

Its your starting motor is on its way out you need to get a new starting motor from Halfords that's why your car does not want to re start

[@jonsharman6853]

OH get you, EXTRA virgin olive oil and aspells ORGANIC cyder vinegar, someone’s doing alright for themselves….

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

You should see my cutlery - only the finest that Ikea provides 😅

[@bernardhendrikovergang5430]

do i have to pay to subscribe ?

[@ronrichardson3103]

I'd say scrap it. .

[@chriscornish8991]

Don't want to be negative, but can't help be feel that you're well out of your depth with this one. Good luck though.

[@davywatt9367]

Crank sensor

[@greggroome2791]

💪💪🙏🙏👌👌👏👏🇮🇪🇮🇪👍👍

[@Aspie_Geek_UK]

I know this is a couple of months old now, but if you still haven't diagnosed it talk to Alex at Legit Street Cars KZbin channel, he's a qualified Mercedes Master Technician and will likely be able to give you advice.

[@garethbird4259]

Just rip it all out and stick a V8 in there lol 😆

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Trust me - I’ve thought about that lol. But these cars are famous for having an engine bay way too narrow for a V8. If you research what they had to do to create the E500 it’s rather extensive! Been thinking about shoving in a BMW N54 though 😉

[@kevinjackson7340]

If each plug has it`s own coil and one goes down, it would only cause a misfire on one plug.

[@NotEconomicallyViable]

Two plugs each share one coil. It has a wasted spark ignition system 👍🏻

[@michaeldebrou8767]

Brilliant entertainment, keep at it!