hi i am thinking of buying a 560sel is there anything i should watch out for? ive been told that the 560v8 engine isnt as reliable as the rest (500,420,380,280 etc.) any info would be great.

dom

 

the 560 is just as reliable as the rest of the V8s. The 380 has single row timing chain, and is the problem one of the bunch if it has not been refitted with a double row. The 500 is solid as a rock, as is the 420. The 300 and other inline 6 is solid from what I've seen and heard but some have a knack for killing head gaskets and many of them is mostly cause the head gasket was not properly relaced after the original goes out.

The kicker with the 560 is that is not the engine as long as each cylinder has proper compression(as with any mercedes engine 560-down to the 280), but the hydromatic suspension. That system is good system and the ride difference is noticable between it and the 420 with regular suspension. If the system have been properly cared for, which is about 50 50, then it last long time and worse you'll have to worry about is a leak here and there. But many people neglect that system for years and eventually wear out the big parts and that cost a lot. They system isnt hard to maintain, keep fluid in it, change out fluid every so often and fix leaks as they happen and the hard parts last long time.

There is nothing really special outside that is unique to the 560 compared to the others (think some 500s had that system too). The 560 drinks more gas than the others but in return you get more performance. The 420 is not a slouch and is a good medium between eco and performance but it's only +1 or 2 mpg city/highway. The 300 belive it or not actually pulls that hunk of metal around, the euro one is better but US spec one, you can tell it's bogged down by the extra "US standard" equipment. Some say it borders on underpowered. If you oing for 560,420, or 300 aka post facelift W126, aim for one 1987 and after as they have more power and they have been tweaked a little more to deal with the loss of power with the cat. The 1986 wasnt a bad year but is missing a few horses from the US cat being new to those engines.

You cant go wrong with any w126 that have been maintained but if you want all bells and whistles then aim for the 560. Mine was running strong still on it's original drivetrain at 250,000 and if I knew more about that flex disk at the time it would still be going. Right, check the flex isk on all of them. If they are cracked, replace it or end up with airbag deployment and hole in the floor and a mangled driveshaft and shift connector.

 

hi you seem to know your stuff, many thanks for the info. where would i find the flex disk?? also ive been told the one i am about to look at has the rear electric seats, but was told that you car hear the motor working but they dont move, do you have any idea what the fault could be and how much it would cost????

dom

 

flex disk is a thick rubber disk that attaches the driveshaft to the transmission and the drive shaft to the differential. The rear one, driveshaft-differential, seems to last longer as the front one can get worn out faster by leaks that drip on it when car is in motion and many of the oils are not good for that rubber. Not an expensive thing to fix at all, but neglect can cause troubles, as I found out.


Now the rear seat, motor running, seat not moving. Could be the seat is out it's track or the gear needs adjusting. usually it's the cable that is at fault. sometimes they split, or slip out their protective jacket. I believe the rear seats use a worm cable driven device (A gear that rotates and push or pull a cable for adjustments). This cable is what is connected from the motor to the adjusting gear. The exact cable is called a flexible shaft.

It is not a hard job I would say about 2 hours at most, most of it spent lining the tabs ups in reinstallation, especially doing it solo.

 

wow you really do know your stuff, many thanks for the advice, i honestly believe people on forums know more than your average mechanic. your a great asset to the forum.

dom

 

thanks.