1985 Mercedes Benz W123 230E - The Taxi

My 230E (and me!) is the subject of a feature in issue 4 of Classic Retro Modern magazine, out now.

Whilst my Kia Exceed was back in the garage having the front suspension fixed, which developed a bad knock following the incident with the skip lorry, I've been using my Mini Cooper for daily duties and on a few occasions I took the 230E out for a drive around the block.

I haven't driven the 200E much since I got it back from my mechanic (to have the clutch hydraulics fixed) but I did manage to take it out for a brief drive earlier this week. I noticed that the B-post plastic trim, specifically the seatbelt height adjustment part, was making an annoying creaking sound approx six inches from my right ear and that the unrestrained subwoofer is moving around too much in the boot.

I removed the B-post trim and applied gaffer tape to where the seatbelt adjustment part abuts the trim. I haven't been on a test drive yet (it's pouring with rain) but the trim feels more robust and a lot less creaky. Hopefully it will stay quiet.



I intended to do something about the subwoofer but as soon as I opened the boot I noticed a musty smell and an unpleasant green growth on my black leather gloves.



I removed the (aftermarket) rubber load liner, boot carpet and the nearside wing trim, which revealed that the fabric fixed to the boot floor was damp but everything else was dry.





It's too cold in the garage for the fabric to dry out by itself so I helped it out by setting up a heat gun in the boot for 20 minutes.



To get some air to the fabric, I wanted to leave the boot open for a few days but I didn't want to disconnect the battery and I couldn't figure out how to remove the boot light - I was planning on taking the bulb out so that it wouldn't drain the battery. I then discovered that the boot light can be disabled by pulling on the switch pin, which is located to the underside of the boot lid. Mercedes thought of everything.



And finally, I've suspended the boot carpet from the garage ceiling to help it dry out.



I've looked everywhere and can't find any evidence of water ingress. The damp has only occurred beneath the rubber boot liner where it sits above the fabric. I wonder whether the damp was caused by condensation or perhaps my mechanic had allowed water to enter the boot whilst he had the 200E in his yard for a couple of weeks. Time will tell.

As I'm not using the 200E as much as I did before I got my Mini Cooper and I've reached that point where I can't make any more improvements to it without spending thousands, on a full respray, for example, which isn't necessary, I briefly toyed with the idea of selling it. It's not a good idea as I would never see a return on my investment and after all the years I've had it, its become part of the family. Also, I'm not sure anyone would want to buy it anyway.

In this overdue update I have very little to report. Neither the W123 nor the W124 has developed any faults and due to a recent holiday and bad weather both have been resting in their lairs.

The W123 should not need any significant attention and I have no plans for any improvements or repairs.

A few years ago I attempted to replace the W124's leaking cam cover gasket but failed when ECP supplied me with the wrong replacement gasket. I sealed the old gasket and oil stopped leaking from the front of the cam cover but there is still a dribble at the back, which has caused oil staining on top of the gearbox bellhousing. I intend to obtain the correct replacement gasket from my local Mercedes main dealer and the job properly asap.

This summer, Covid rules permitting, I am planning on taking the W124 across Europe to Poland. My wife and (twelve year old) son would not enjoy the road trip so they would fly to Szczecin, where we would rendez vous and head to Kolobrzeg (coastal resort on the Baltic sea in Poland where I have property), spend a week there, then drive to Poznan to see my in-laws, then return to the UK a week later. In total, that's approx 2,000 miles from the UK and across France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Poland, including the journey home. I've done this trip in my W123 twice before so it should be a walk in the park for the W124.



Before I go, here is a photo taken a couple of weeks ago, with the W124 parked outside a £20M mansion in Weybridge, Surrey. It looked happy there.

I popped into Hughes of Beaconsfield this afternoon, my local Mercedes main dealer. Hughes were once synonymous with W124s, especially the twin turbo 300E that they offered in collaboration with Turbo Technics. Those were the days! Nowadays they stock just boring modern stuff. My 200E really stood out in the car park.



I ordered a new cam cover gasket, which will be ready for collection tomorrow lunchtime. Great service, as always. For added win points, the gasket only costs £12. I had £30-£40 in mind.



Having saved all that money, I stuck almost 52 litres of Tesco's finest 99 RON E5 petrol, which set me back £82. A full tank would be almost a hundred quid. Easy come easy go.

The old cam cover gasket has been leaking from the front and rear parts of the cylinder head. I managed to fix the leak along the front with sealant but despite doing the same along the rear end, the leak persisted.



The cam cover is only secured with 5 nuts and came off easily enough. Unfortunately, a breather pipe split during the process. I am not too concerned about this as the pipe had become hard and brittle and was not sealing properly around the cam cover and air filter housing ports, causing oil misting. I will pop over to Hughes later today and get a replacement.



When ECP gave me the wrong gasket, I ended up re-fitting the old one. I used a bit of sealant to give the old gasket a fighting chance of keeping the oil in, much to the disapproval of various experts (from another forum), who suggested that the squished out bits of sealant will end up blocking the oil ways. Turns out they were wrong as I have not had any issues with oil starvation / deprivation and the squished out bits of sealant were still attached to the perimeter of the cylinder head. The old sealant bits came away very easily.



The valve gear and timing chain all look good.



The new gasket went on without any problems - benefit of buying genuine MB parts!



I re-assembled the cam cover, ready to receive the new breather hose.



This photo is to remind me where I've left the two nuts that secure the air filter housing to the cam cover.



And finally, I've lifted the front of the car, to enable me to re-spray the suspension springs, which have a bit of surface corrosion, which the MoT tester picked up on last year.

WARNING: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU ATTEMPT TO DO WHAT I DID TODAY. IT WAS DANGEROUS AND POINTLESS.

I lifted the front of the W124 and supported it on axle stands, located under the front chassis rails. Nice and solid. And safe! Unfortunately, unless you want to lift the rear of a W124 by placing the jack under the differential, which I do not, there is no easy way of raising the car with a trolley jack (placed under the jacking points) because there is nowhere to put axle stands. I ended up lifting the offside rear with the standard jack borrowed from my W123 and the nearside with the W124's jack.

The nearside went up ok.



But the jack on the offside wouldn't stand vertical and the rear of the car, whilst stable, could be moved from side to side with one finger, which was far from ideal.



I decided to crack on but ensured that at no point was any part of the head, torso or legs under the car.

The rear springs were quite rusty.



I rubbed the spring down with sandpaper and gave it a squirt of black Hammerite.



I did the same on the other side and immediately put the rear wheels back on. If the jacks were to fail, at least the car wouldn't have far to drop.



The front springs were less rusty but far from pretty.



The same procedure later, the springs looked a lot better.





I was pleased with the results of my tinkering but disappointment was only around the corner. In the adjoining garage, actually. I didn't think to check the condition of the W123's springs, which I re-sprayed in the same way last year, before starting work on the W124 and I wish I did. Seems that Hammerite is not flexible enough to adhere to suspension springs for long.



It looks like I will have to repeat this process once a year, before the MoT, to keep the tester happy. Or replace the springs, which would cost ££££. I am proposing to leave the W124 jacked up for a week, to enable the Hammerite to cure, not that I am expecting much from my efforts.

A quick check under the back of the W124 revealed that all is well.



The MoT is due week after next. Wish me luck.

The 200E outside my house this morning, looking pretty, ready and waiting for its trip to London.



I only use tried and tested MoT testers. These guys are good.



Not sure if the 200E likes heights. The tester commented how clean the underside is.



And we have a clean pass. Great result.

I managed to get three oil filters for the W123 and one for the W124 from Euro Car Parts today for a grand total cost of £6.01. A good result, considering how the cost of engine oil has gone up recently.

Kind of surprised it took that long 😂