Hi, I am new to the forum in desperation I will find the help I need here, among experienced Mercedes enthusiasts and mechanics.

I purchased a 1990 W124 260E Sportline in August 2012, I was only 17 at the time, no having much knowledge at all on cars in GENERAL, let alone a 'Benz.

The car was not maintained well by previous owners, little did I know at the time. Engine bay looked rough from first impressions, yet hiding many more little issues. I took it for a drive before purchasing, and it was beautiful. It drove beautifully, felt like no car I had ever driven before, so smooth beyond comprehension.

After a while, the bearrings in the waterpump wore out, all of the coolant was leaking out of the drainhole within a matter of minutes, even when the car was turned off!

This car was a HUGE liability to me, so I stupidly drove it around alot. The water in the car would be boiling, and the auxilary fans were the only thing stopping it from overheating. But one day, I must've forgot to put the cap back on... so I was driving up a hill, noticed the temperature was rising rapidly, so I immediatly pulled over and turned the car off, popped the hood. The temp still rose to the red mark... very unfortunately.

Hoping the headgasket was not blown, I continued driving it. & LUCKILY it sitll functioned after that with NO cutting out. That was when i decided I had to sacrifice using it for immediate repair.

This took a LONG time, I ended up losing my license so I had no ambition to hurrily get it back on the road, with no license ... after several months of it just SITTING in a dark area, in winter. There was alot of mildew on the inside.

Eventually, Waterpump was replaced, and the Oil filter + oil. Car starts perfectly fine, runs great & then as it warms up it stalls and will not start. The temperature isn't a problem, it isn't overheating at all, & it stays at the mark specified on the dash. around 80-90c. This never happened before repairs were started on it, the only stalling problem I had was because my Bowden cable was snapped at the screw mechinism, which left alot of slag on the cable ...

I'm lead to think there is a problem with my distributor, and my friend working on it said there is something up with the tensioner, which he had to work something out to get around it and make it work still, but would anything in that region of the engine be causing this problem?

I'm poor, no job, still going to school. That's why I havn't been able to treat it aswell as a Mercedes deserves to be! Yet I still love it, it's so beautiful! & i'm not gunna let up on it. I don't have any kind of person certefied to work with a mercedes working on it, I can't afford to pay anyone for labour haha.

I have had no luck getting a new bowden cable, I ended up getting one of a different length and connecting them at the broken point.

So I am in DIRE need of some advice here.

Note it was sitting for MONTHS. 6+, before being turned on again.

So far I am lead to believe it could be my:

Distributor Cap
Fuel Distribution Issue?
Bowden Cable still broken
or Blown head gasket :///// Which is what I dont wanna hear!

It's just strange, it didn't do this when it was in poor condition! & before repairs were made.

Would there be something we put back together wrong? Or another part that would need replacing with old age?

Or damge to some parts because it was sitting for so long??? I have no idea.

I'm only 18, and inexperienced and restricted as hell when it comes to getting my car fixed ...

Trying to do all I can and research my hardest But I am having no luck


Hope someone out there can help me, starting to really need it in life and i'm in no financial position to get a new car. Already spent nearly a $1000 slowly on repairs, and that's ALOT for me :/