1992-1999 S Class Wiring Harness

I wonder how many of you out there have had the wiring harness go bad on the S Class 1992-1999. Apparently it was poorly made ( according to Mercedes mechanic) and VERY expensive to replace mainly due to the labor involved. Also causes a multitude of problems beside possibly being a hazard. AL

Reply to
Al
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I had a 1994 C280 and the wiring harness had to be replaced at six years. Dealer said it was because of the smog levels in Los Angeles! What a joke!

A couple of years earlier, the cylinders misfired while driving on the freeway. The MB Roadside tech suspected the harness and mumbled something about he's seen this happen before. However, upon restarting the car, everything worked fine. I took it to the dealer service center (Rusnak Pasadena) and they could not detect anything wrong and told me to take it back if it happend again. It never misfired again.

What happened eventually was that there was no acceleration from standing still. Regular dealer (Rusnak Pasadena) couldn't figure out what was happening. I took it to another dealer across town (Keyes in Van Nuys) and they identified the problem as being caused by the harness.

Ricky

Reply to
RickyE

My 95 S320's harness self destructed earlier this year. The insulation becomes very brittle then allows the elements to corrode the copper wire making a real mess including intermittent shorts against other wires in the harness and/or engine and chassis. I have a couple of photos if you're interested. (just reply in this group).

Bob

Reply to
Bob

This is a known problem...I believe MB changed the insulation spec and that cars built after September '95 are OK. The "born on" date is on the driver's door pillar. To check the harness, peel back the wrapping at any end point of the harness so that you can see the individual conductors.

I've looked at mine ('95 S420 built in March) and can see it going bad...cracks every 1/4" or so. Anyone know if I can replace this myself ? I basically envision laying the old harness over the new one and just unplugging the old one and plugging in the new one, connector by connector. I doubt that it will be that simple in reality, but is the concept sound ? Or would I be better off mortgaging my soul to pay someone else to do it ?

Any advice is appreciated...thanks in advance.

...John

Reply to
John Martuch

I recommend tagging all matching connectors with tape or numbering or some unique system so even if you get confused you can figure out what went where...

This almost sounds like a good third party opportunity. How much does a wiring harness for one of these bad boys cost?

Marty

Reply to
Martin Joseph

Some dealer will good will it , but only if you bought the car there and it has less than 100K The harness is about $450-$600, depending on where you get it and the jub takes a good 1 to 1-1/2 hrs All plug in connectors that do not interchange, so simply lay it out over the old and start unplugging/plugging..

Reply to
AJDalton7

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