1995 E-class wiring harness
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From: SF
07 E63 06 CLK55 Cab 03 P-car C4S
1995 E-class wiring harness
hi all,
need an urgent question as an offer could be pending on this.
i'm looking at a 1995 E320 cab with 78k miles that's been serviced by MB dealer its entire life.
what are the chances that the wiring harness has never been done in the past 12 yrs? is it possible that it's still the original? if so, do i need to budget $1500 for future repairs?
thx.
need an urgent question as an offer could be pending on this.
i'm looking at a 1995 E320 cab with 78k miles that's been serviced by MB dealer its entire life.
what are the chances that the wiring harness has never been done in the past 12 yrs? is it possible that it's still the original? if so, do i need to budget $1500 for future repairs?
thx.
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From: Houston, Texas
Dora the Explorer
You'll be able to tell if the harness was done or not. Just find a chunk of it where the wires are not wrapped together and see if the insulation is falling off or not.
Falling off in sad, crumbly pieces = bad harness
Not falling off in sad, crumbly pieces = good harness
Really, if it hasn't been replaced, it will be obvious. This is what it looks like when it's gone bad:
Falling off in sad, crumbly pieces = bad harness
Not falling off in sad, crumbly pieces = good harness
Really, if it hasn't been replaced, it will be obvious. This is what it looks like when it's gone bad:
Last edited by mgw_300e; Jan 16, 2007 at 05:35 PM.
Thread Starter
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From: SF
07 E63 06 CLK55 Cab 03 P-car C4S
i need to go see the car again.
the MB dealer says there's no record of wiring harness ever being done.
given the car's been serviced there for the past 12 yrs, i would have thought the dealer would catch it. the current owner's spent $7k the past 2 yrs including shocks, repairing many little misc. items etc....
IF this needed to be done, any idea how much it should be?
i saw a another guy's receipt for $1010 for parts alone - is that correct?
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From: Houston, Texas
Dora the Explorer
I've heard of that harness costing $1k from the dealer and anywhere from $500-$1000 elsewhere. I've also heard of people rewiring their own harness using their old connectors at a cost of $50. The job itself is VERY easy, well - simple at least.
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1994 White an Grey E320 "Shado"
You'll be able to tell if the harness was done or not. Just find a chunk of it where the wires are not wrapped together and see if the insulation is falling off or not.
Falling off in sad, crumbly pieces = bad harness
Not falling off in sad, crumbly pieces = good harness
Really, if it hasn't been replaced, it will be obvious. This is what it looks like when it's gone bad:
Falling off in sad, crumbly pieces = bad harness
Not falling off in sad, crumbly pieces = good harness
Really, if it hasn't been replaced, it will be obvious. This is what it looks like when it's gone bad:
To add to this...If you have a car that has no history of the wiring harness being replaced and the car is shutting down on you, be wary of the harness also.
This was what I was experinceing and it was the harness. Outer coating was in good condition but inside the wires were bare, causing the shutdown.
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is a German Tank
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From: Houston, Texas
Dora the Explorer
And don't forget the lower harness - it has the wires for the starter, oil pressure sender, and oil level (?) sender. That's what I was showing in the pic I posted. The good news is, the lower harness cost me a whopping $185 (including labor) to have it fixed.
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yea, thats the one I told you I found brand spanking new at the junk yard for 20 bux.
He saved me $2500!
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From: SF
07 E63 06 CLK55 Cab 03 P-car C4S
just confirmed with the MB dealers that the wiring harness has never been done over the past 11 yrs. just came back from a different MB dealer and confirmed that it still looks fine. apparently, the wiring harness is not necessarily a problem, particular for CA cars. crossing my fingers.
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just confirmed with the MB dealers that the wiring harness has never been done over the past 11 yrs. just came back from a different MB dealer and confirmed that it still looks fine. apparently, the wiring harness is not necessarily a problem, particular for CA cars. crossing my fingers.
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From: Beverly Hills, CA
03' CL55 AMG
I am finally having mine replaced with 170K miles on it some time in January
Already did the head gasket and ignition coils, it was running beautifully until about a month ago now the harness is starting to get worse and worse
Already did the head gasket and ignition coils, it was running beautifully until about a month ago now the harness is starting to get worse and worse
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From: Texas
1966 250SE Cab, 1985 500SE Euro, 1985 190e 2.3-16 AMG, 1986 300E LeMons Car
Time, more than mileage, is the issue. Most of them need to be replaced by now - you'll have to inspect to see if yours was done.
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1994 White an Grey E320 "Shado"
You dont want to be tooling down the highway and feel your engine die..or worse an engine fire occur.
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From: Washington, the State
1993 300CE Sportline
harness: now or later
I'm approaching the 90,000 mark and I agree that it will have to be done, should I wait or do it at the scheduled service? Well, I'm budgeting to have it done at the next service, would rather get it out of the way than have to deal w/ misfires, or worse. I bought the car with the expense in mind. It is just a drag to have to drop a $1,000 or so dollars into the harness/labor. Oh well. I'm sure glad I enjoy the car!
kurt
1993 300 CE Sportline
Originally Posted by POS
Time, more than mileage, is the issue. Most of them need to be replaced by now - you'll have to inspect to see if yours was done.
Agreed. Remember the wiring Harness was made out of BIODEGRADABLE material. The outside may look good but the inside may be rotten. you will have to check it.
You dont want to be tooling down the highway and feel your engine die..or worse an engine fire occur.
kurt
1993 300 CE Sportline
Originally Posted by POS
Time, more than mileage, is the issue. Most of them need to be replaced by now - you'll have to inspect to see if yours was done.
Agreed. Remember the wiring Harness was made out of BIODEGRADABLE material. The outside may look good but the inside may be rotten. you will have to check it.
You dont want to be tooling down the highway and feel your engine die..or worse an engine fire occur.
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From: Beverly Hills, CA
03' CL55 AMG
You can usually tell by just driving the car as well, although these symptoms can be caused by a few smaller things it is usually the harness or ignition coils
- Idle fluctuates
- There is a loss of drive power while cruising (you can feel the engine pull back every once in a while)
Also check for oil leaks as this can be the head gasket which, if it is leaking can cause problems with other parts such as the radiator if not addressed quickly
The last price i heard on the wire harness was around $1200, it was around $1100 about a year ago but apparently has gone up in price, most likely because of the amount of W124's hitting that mile mark for replacement?
The wire harness is fairly simple to replace once you haver the part so dont get screwed by high labor costs
But regardless if it is a 95 E320 coupe, hard top or even a cab it is worth the money even if you need to replace a few things, they are fairly rare cars in the us especially with such low miles
- Idle fluctuates
- There is a loss of drive power while cruising (you can feel the engine pull back every once in a while)
Also check for oil leaks as this can be the head gasket which, if it is leaking can cause problems with other parts such as the radiator if not addressed quickly
The last price i heard on the wire harness was around $1200, it was around $1100 about a year ago but apparently has gone up in price, most likely because of the amount of W124's hitting that mile mark for replacement?
The wire harness is fairly simple to replace once you haver the part so dont get screwed by high labor costs
But regardless if it is a 95 E320 coupe, hard top or even a cab it is worth the money even if you need to replace a few things, they are fairly rare cars in the us especially with such low miles
Last edited by CharlestonN; Jan 20, 2007 at 11:14 PM.
