98 ML320- Bringing it back to life!
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 244
Likes: 1
From: Columbus, OH
2002 E55 AMG, 06 C55 AMG, 72 350SL
98 ML320- Bringing it back to life!
I own a shop in Columbus, OH and yesterday I picked up a 98 ML320 that was sitting in someone's backyard here in Columbus. I thought it would be cool to make a thread showing the process of bringing it back to life!
The ML has 161,000 miles on it, but has a lot of potential!
A few things I have noticed right off the bat are....
-The transmission is stuck in limp mode
-Check engine light is on (due to transmission)
-Sunroof glass is shattered
-Driver's side window is busted out
-Wheels are rusted/ugly
-Cupholders are broken
-Tailgate struts are missing/need replaced
-Paint needs an extreme buff to remove imperfections, and bring back the shine.
-Interior is a little wet from sunroof missing
-Windshield needs replaced, also no wipers
I'm sure I will find more once I start digging into things deeper. Subscribe to the thread and stay tuned. I will be uploading pictures to show the progress as we go along.
Here are of a few photos of what it looked like when I picked it up...
The ML has 161,000 miles on it, but has a lot of potential!
A few things I have noticed right off the bat are....
-The transmission is stuck in limp mode
-Check engine light is on (due to transmission)
-Sunroof glass is shattered
-Driver's side window is busted out
-Wheels are rusted/ugly
-Cupholders are broken
-Tailgate struts are missing/need replaced
-Paint needs an extreme buff to remove imperfections, and bring back the shine.
-Interior is a little wet from sunroof missing
-Windshield needs replaced, also no wipers
I'm sure I will find more once I start digging into things deeper. Subscribe to the thread and stay tuned. I will be uploading pictures to show the progress as we go along.
Here are of a few photos of what it looked like when I picked it up...
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 244
Likes: 1
From: Columbus, OH
2002 E55 AMG, 06 C55 AMG, 72 350SL
Here is the old sunroof busted out....
We removed all of the misc trim pieces, and the headliner. There were a lot of wires hidden above the headliner. They are for the dome lights, sunroof switch, vanity mirror lights etc.
Once we took the headliner out there were about 10-15 bolts holding the sunroof in. The hardest part about removing the sunroof assembly was removing the rubber hoses. There are 4 rubber hoses, 1 in each corner that connect to the sunroof to drain water. The 2 in the rear were very stubborn coming off, considering they have been connected for 15 years. We had to be careful when removing them that we did not break or crack the rubber or there would be big water leaks down the road.
Old assembly out
I will post pictures later of the headliner and what we did to it, as well as putting the new sunroof back in.
We removed all of the misc trim pieces, and the headliner. There were a lot of wires hidden above the headliner. They are for the dome lights, sunroof switch, vanity mirror lights etc.
Once we took the headliner out there were about 10-15 bolts holding the sunroof in. The hardest part about removing the sunroof assembly was removing the rubber hoses. There are 4 rubber hoses, 1 in each corner that connect to the sunroof to drain water. The 2 in the rear were very stubborn coming off, considering they have been connected for 15 years. We had to be careful when removing them that we did not break or crack the rubber or there would be big water leaks down the road.
Old assembly out
I will post pictures later of the headliner and what we did to it, as well as putting the new sunroof back in.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 244
Likes: 1
From: Columbus, OH
2002 E55 AMG, 06 C55 AMG, 72 350SL
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 244
Likes: 1
From: Columbus, OH
2002 E55 AMG, 06 C55 AMG, 72 350SL
When the headliner was in the car I thought for sure I was going to need to replace it. It was wet around the sunroof, and filthy all over. After taking it out, I let it sit overnight underneath a heater and it was dry to the touch the next morning. I got lucky, the headliner did not separate from the backing, and structurally it appeared to be in really good shape.
Here are pictures of it dirty....
I detailed the headliner before putting it back in, and now it looks BRAND NEW! Much easier to do out of the car, you don't strain your neck haha
Here are pictures of it dirty....
I detailed the headliner before putting it back in, and now it looks BRAND NEW! Much easier to do out of the car, you don't strain your neck haha
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2012
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From: Columbus, OH
2002 E55 AMG, 06 C55 AMG, 72 350SL
Old sunroof sitting next to the new one, getting ready to put it in. My interior on my ML is gray, but the donor car had a tan interior. So I had to switch over the tray that slides to cover the sunroof on the interior. It would look really goofy if I had a big tan piece in there.
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 244
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From: Columbus, OH
2002 E55 AMG, 06 C55 AMG, 72 350SL
Normally, yes, But my tech that does our in-depth diagnostics on transmissions has been busy working on other vehicles. And I didn't want to wait to get the project started. So I am getting everything else out the way, and the only thing left will be the limp mode issue.
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 244
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From: Columbus, OH
2002 E55 AMG, 06 C55 AMG, 72 350SL
Here is the sunroof completed, and working properly.
The passenger seat switch was not functioning, so I bought a new switch out of a tan vehicle. With my vehicle being gray, I had to take the switch out. If you turn the panel over, there are screws on the back holding it in. And the wiring plugs in the front middle of the seat.
Seat works perfect now!
The passenger seat switch was not functioning, so I bought a new switch out of a tan vehicle. With my vehicle being gray, I had to take the switch out. If you turn the panel over, there are screws on the back holding it in. And the wiring plugs in the front middle of the seat.
Seat works perfect now!
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 165
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From: San Diego, CA
07 S600 Designo, 03 SL500, 1959 220S
Yes, all 98's had the grey bumpers so those bumpers are painted. I'm happy to see that this w163 is being restored and being put back on the road. With all this work you're putting into it, it might be hard to let go after the winter is over.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 244
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From: Columbus, OH
2002 E55 AMG, 06 C55 AMG, 72 350SL
The windshield that was in the car had cracks stretching down the windshield from the top middle. If you ever replace your windshield in your ML with an aftermarket one, make sure it has the trim molding made to it. As some ML aftermarket windshields don't and those will leak.
Windshield out
New windshield in, and new wipers as well.
Windshield out
New windshield in, and new wipers as well.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 260
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From: New England
1990 190E 2.6, ... 1998 ML320, 2005 ML500SE
It looks like the passenger air bag had been changed. Was the ML in an accident?
I agree with getting the vehicle weather tight before working on the rest of the problems especially if it's left outside when not being worked on.
Mike
I agree with getting the vehicle weather tight before working on the rest of the problems especially if it's left outside when not being worked on.
Mike
