[ch.1953]

Mafia Don,

Thanks for you post. It's all a bit over my head - although, I don't understand the animosity that I sometimes see in posts to Stryker! I mean, I'm sure he can change a tyre? Comrade, is that really the best way to put it?

You see, I speak from experience of having dealt with Stryker off line, and he helped me buy a wonderful W140 over long distances telling me what to look at sending pics back and forth. I learned so much. Naturally, I'm grateful - and he was right.

So forgive me, but I feel obliged to speak up for him, as in all his dealings with me he has been a perfect gentleman and a friend, and bloody helpful techincally. And I don't like to see us cursing out or laughing at our fellow Forum members.

How about this:- would you be satisfied with replacing hogwash, with something like "I'm not sure that's exactly right" That's the sort of thing the British say when they think its crap!

All the best, & respectfully!

 

[MafiaDON]

lol..

I hear u Rich.. Nah, no animosity comrade..

its just irritating when a person repeats the same incorrect information, and can misguide other members and guests into believing his misconception is correct. This discussion has been closed multiple times, yet he feels the need to "copy and paste" those same pics and incorrect info..

I got no beef with Stryker, i was only joking about the tyre, im sure he can do at least that lol..

We all comrades at the end of the day

I like the pics of his cars that Stryker uploads, besides that I have not learned a single thing form his comments on this forum.

Guess you could say we from opposite ends of W140 ownership.. He can afford to drop thousands at the stealership to fix every minor problem and not have to get his hands dirty.. I cant, so I have no choice but to do almost everything myself, obviously our views will be completely different in that case.

All in respect though..

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

Awww, Don, you're going to hurt my feelings....

I've changed the wiring harnesses on my 1995 coupe and the 1992 sedan. I guess I didn't have to.

Gee, why would I do that??

That's all. Proceed at your own risk.

And btw, I know how to change a wheel and turn a wrench. But that's what I have people for, people who are better at it than I am. Thanks for your concern.

And Thank you, Rich. But as Forrest Gump says, 'Stupid does as stupid is.'

 

[Brett San Diego]

I would find this discussion so much more useful if anyone, just one person, would please post a full explanation of just what the "body" wiring harness is. Exactly where does it run? What does it connect to? Just how far into the body does this particular harness reach? Stryker's point is poignant that there is degradation of wires beyond those contained in the harness for the fuel injectors, but the constant use of the phrase "body harness" without detailing its extent is less than helpful. Myarmar is trending in that direction. So, who will be the first to post a wiring diagram or EPC parts diagram or anything more useful than a pic of spaghetti hanging out of an engine compartment. I'd like to be taught the nodes where this "body harness" of the earlier cars terminates.

Stryker, it should be easy to prove your point if you've got the old "body harness." Post pics of every inch of it and let's see the degradation. Obviously there is interest in seeing this.

Brett

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

My cars have two wiring harnesses: the upper harness (or engine harness) and the lower harness (referred to as the body harness) and they serve the components that suit their nomenclature: the engine harness is the one the runs over the top of the engine, runs along the channel above the V12's air plenum.

Meanwhile, the body harness ties together all the systems in the car, including the computers (mouse coffins), running along the lower portions of the engine through the passenger side of the interior to pick up the ABS and tranny sensors.

The spaghetti shown in the photos I provided share the extensive elements involved. I think there are close to 50 different connections on the body harness, each one tied to a sensor or body component, many of which are in the engine compartment, but not all.

It took us about 5-hours just to disconnect the old body harness in my 1992. It took another 7-hours to install the new one. I took a shot of the old harness on the floor of the shop once it was taken out of the car. In fact, I saved it because you never know if a connector might be needed.

 

[kordell]

Not this horse crap again :surrender:

The "body harness" does not deteriorate like the engine harness, I have never heard of that happening..

The upper engine harness, lower engine harness and the wires in the electric mirrors are the only ones that go bad..

Stryker, everytime some one make sthe effort to rebuild their harness and do a great job about it, you get so upset that you post those same tired ass pictures.. dude you are seriously bored... why dont you go take a ride one of your dealership maintained flagships and shut the f#%$ up. :surrender:

Mafia don you always striked me as an all around nice guy ,dont let that change ,i always had the feeling of u as happy go lucky type of guy, i can personally say your wrong how i see it is that stryker was just say bassically good job but the body harness is even a bigger challenge ,an he right!! my body harness was f-cked i have prove i done have the closes shots of it but i do have some an in the end i brought a new one check it out! MAFIA don this is my body harness an the guy who use to own my car changed the injector harness stamped on the harness 2004 an my car arrived in canada in 2005 so the only thing wrong with it was the body harness which quite obvious he gave up when finding out the body harness was kaput!!!

 

[ch.1953]

All I can say now that I have found rats eating my W126 wiring, surely I should be thankful I don't have a W140 with wiring harnesses out here in the boonies....

Thanks for all your constructive comments Mafia Don, Brett, Stryker and all... - as for us V12 aspirationalists, this will all be more good education to steady us on our way when we finally buy a M120 coupe for under 5k!!! and rebuild her...

Kordell - way to go man, so it is true, gold is at the end of the rainbow....?

Tell us more from the great cold North - which I hear is not so cold right now...

 

[deanyel]

I'd say those pictures could also be used as evidence that the harnesses don't fail. It's a bear of a harness but that one looks to be in pretty good condition. The problems I've heard of in the past have been limited to 600s and only certain areas of the engine compartment, readily repaired on the car.

Stryker has used the fact that someone told him to replace the harness on his 600 as evidence that they are destined to fail on all 140s - 320s, 420s, 500s and 600s. That's spreading misinformation and it degrades the integrity of the forum.

 

[kordell]

Mafia don you always striked me as an all around nice guy ,dont let that change ,i always had the feeling of u as happy go lucky type of guy, i can personally say your wrong how i see it is that stryker was just say bassically good job but the body harness is even a bigger challenge ,an he right!! my body harness was f-cked i have prove i done have the closes shots of it but i do have some an in the end i brought a new one check it out! MAFIA don this is my body harness an the guy who use to own my car changed the injector harness stamped on the harness 2004 an my car arrived in canada in 2005 so the only thing wrong with it was the body harness which quite obvious he gave up when finding out the body harness was kaput!!!

I'd say those pictures could also be used as evidence that the harnesses don't fail. It's a bear of a harness but that one looks to be in pretty good condition.

ARE U BLIND MAN !!!!

 

[kordell]

AND THE REST OF THE HARNESS IS NOT FAR BEHIND FALLING APART PUTTIN IN IT IF YOU REPAIR THE AREAS THAT HAVE FAILED AN WAITING A YEAR TO PULL IT OUT AGAIN TO THIS TIME THROUGH OUT IS NOT WORTH THE LABOUR NOR TIME !!!!

 

[aboynton]

I'd say those pictures could also be used as evidence that the harnesses don't fail. It's a bear of a harness but that one looks to be in pretty good condition.

ARE U BLIND MAN !!!!

Kordell,

Ok, I have never worked on an M120 harness and I am having problems interpreting your pictures. The MAF connection is part of the body harness in 600s and, due to location, will fail. Sounds like everyone agrees on this point. Fair enough. I believe someone mentioned a repair kit for the affected areas so that one doesn't have to disassemble half of their car in the process.

Can you tell me if your body harness is only toasted in those areas, or throughout the entire harness? It appears that much of this harness is in good shape other than a few areas.

A picture is worth a thousand words and I feel that the matter of total body harness failure could be laid to rest if you could provide photographic evidence of catastrophic failure throughout.

 

[kordell]

Kordell,

Ok, I have never worked on an M120 harness and I am having problems interpreting your pictures. The MAF connection is part of the body harness in 600s and, due to location, will fail. Sounds like everyone agrees on this point. Fair enough. I believe someone mentioned a repair kit for the affected areas so that one doesn't have to disassemble half of their car in the process.

Can you tell me if your body harness is only toasted in those areas, or throughout the entire harness? It appears that much of this harness is in good shape other than a few areas.

A picture is worth a thousand words and I feel that the matter of total body harness failure could be laid to rest if you could provide photographic evidence of catastrophic failure throughout.

the wire harness is crumbling in certain area but if you where to c the rest close up its a matter of time for the rest that why you c guy redoing the whole thing the parts that crumble first are probably closer to a hotter part of the engine but keep in mind under the hood the whole entire area hot period im gonna make a video on my old harness believe me its a matter of time for the rest to go cause really at the end of the day its all made out of soy bean so which means the rest well fail soon than later ,,video coming soon give me a week.

 

[donkshophorse]

thanks for the feedback, lots of replies while i slept this end! i have checked visible areas of the lower/body/other wiring harness and see no cause for concern at this time but i accept this may already have changed in some areas I cannot see. All i can say is the bits I can get to on my motor seem ok and i did move them around a bit to see if the hairline cracks I noticed on the upper hanress were being a bit shy in showing themselves down below - no problems... yet? this is one of my regular maintenance checks on the motor. i bought it as a project car and it has supplied me with a few projects but at the end of the day it is an unusual and powerful motor and needs a bit of tlc, it is now nearly 20years old after all. i just love working on it though, it is a bit special and that is why we all love the W140 models i guess.

happy days!

 

[kordell]

if anyone knew where to get fiber glass hood made with small cowl or vents to distribute some of the heat out of the engine bay this would help us all for the future cause HEAT KILLS!!!

 

[g0oil]

if anyone knew where to get fiber glass hood made with small cowl or vents to distribute some of the heat out of the engine bay this would help us all for the future cause HEAT KILLS PEROID!!!

What's a peroid? If heat kills peroids, then I think the peroids should be saved

 

[MafiaDON]

What's a peroid? If heat kills peroids, then I think the peroids should be saved

lol

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

Deanyel: Whisky Tango Foxtrot!

I informed the Forum of my experiences, my direct experiences.

We all know that the harnesses from 1996 on don't have the dreaded soybean paste insulation, so those 140's don't have harness problems. And I would never advocate replacing harnesses just for the heck of it; if there are problems that appear as 'gremlins' or issues you can't quite figure out, you better take a look at your harnesses. You reading this, Don?? Learn something from your buddy who's been there, done that.

You could lose your engine due to a harness problem. I would guess the default if the harness does not carry the message from the CPU's in the mouse coffin is to enrich fuel mixture to the engine. This problem caused the original engine in my 1992 to blow, scoring the cylinder walls due to 'cylinder wash'.

You got all that?? You guys who don't know enough to do (or pay for someone else to do) should read this as a warning to just check what you have. This only applies to MY 1991-1995 w140's and other Mercedes of the era, although I have heard some early production 1996's may also have the wiring harness fiasco.

Ignore what I tell you? Sure, go ahead. Only your engine is at stake.

 

[Brett San Diego]

Look here's the deal. If anyone wants to really educate anyone on this matter, you will take detailed close-up pictures of many sections of the wiring harness in areas with and without crumbling insulation. You will annotate the pictures noting the locations where those portions of the wiring harness lie in the car so that we can learn the exact portions where insulation damage occurs, and then maybe we all can learn and draw some conclusions from it.

If we're not worth your time to do that then so be it, but give a consideration to the many, many forum members who have taken the time to provide detailed information in this manner and give you the knowledge to do the things you are able to do to your car. It's just a fundamental quid pro quo attitude that keeps forums like this active and useful to the community. Without it, why bother.

Kordell,

I appreciate the attempt, but the pics just don't show any detail. I see wires stripped of the wrapping and haphazardly strewn about, some looking kinked due to mishandling during the process, but I can't actually make out any failed insulation in the pics.

Brett

 

[kordell]

I will have the video made to tomorrow comrades


so another way of explaining if the doctors say your friends is infected with chicken poxs are you still gonna have sex with them or even touch there hand ,NO cause its contagious right there is no section of the body you can touch with out catching the poxs , well same thing different pile if mercedes (the doctor) say the harnesses are defected with soybean(poxs) an that the harnesses well crumble apart ,well this would mean the whole harness is made out of soybean an well crumble ,cuting out section is not the full sollution but its a RISKY MOVE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH CAUSE YOU DONT KNOW AFTER REINSTALLING IT WHEN THE HARNESS WELL CONTINUE TO CRUMBLE SENDINg FALSE signals to cpu an like Stryker says causing flooding an even starting a fire ,this is a mercedes not a science project if this dont make sence these ppl shouldnt even own a license.

video coming soon

 

[Stryker-1999 S600]

Thank you, Kordell.

Let us hope we are not preaching to an unappreciative group of people who only know how to berate those who are trying to help them.

Makes me wonder, just who are the poseurs in this group?