1995 Mercedes Benz E320

I OWN A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ E320 WAGON. PURCHASED IN FEB 2003 WITH 5300 MILES ON ODOMETER. THE HFM ENGINE WIRING HARNESS HAD TO BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY AFTER TRIP TO DEALERSHIP FOR EXCESSIVE FUEL CONSUMPTION/HEAVY SULFUR ODOR. MERCEDES BENZ WEB CHATROOMS (MBWORLD.ORG, BENZWORLD.ORG, MERCEDESSHOP.COM) DETAIL LITERALLY SEVERAL DOZEN CASES OF DEFECTIVE WIRING HARNESSES WHICH REQUIRED REPLACEMENT FOR W124 CARS WITH M104 ENGINES OF MODEL YEARS 1992 TO 1995. THESE WIRING HARNESSES WERE APARENTLY MADE WITH WIRES WHOSE INSULATION IS PRONE TO EXCESSIVE DEGREDATION WITH HEAT AND TIME. THE LOSS OF INSULATION EVENTUALLY LEADS TO SHORT-CIRCUITING OF THE WIRES AND A HOST OF DRIVEABILITY ISSUES. REPLACEMENT OF MY HARNESS FIXED MY PROBLEM. THIS PART IS APPARENTLY UNIVERSALLY DEFECTIVE FROM THE FACTORY, AND AS SUCH I BELIEVE THAT A RECALL OF THE DEFECTIVE ITEM IS IN ORDER. *AK

ENGINE STALLED MULTIPLE TIMES IN TRAFFIC. REPLACEMENT OF ENGINE WIRING HARNESS SOLVED THE PROBLEM. INSULATION ON THE INDIVIDUAL WIRES IN THE ORIGINAL ENGINE WIRING HARNESS ASSEMBLY HAS SERIOUSLY DECAYED TO THE POINT THAT IT IS FLAKING LEAVING BARE EXPOSED COPPER WIRE WITHIN THE ASSEMBLY. THE BARE WIRES WITHIN THE ASSEMBLY CONCEIVABLY MADE SPURIOUS ELECTRICAL CONTACT CAUSING THE ENGINE STALLS.I AVIDLY PARTICIPATE IN MERCEDES AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICAL CHAT ROOMS. THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM (DECAY OF ENGINE WIRING HARNESS INSULATION) IS RUMORED TO BE CONFINED TO THE MERCEDES 1993-1995 MODELS WITH M104 ENGINES. THIS WOULD INCLUDE MODELS C280, 300E (3.2L AND 2.8L ENGINE), E320, S320. WITHIN THESE MODELS, THE PROBLEM APPEARS WIDESPREAD. IT IS RUMORED THAT MERCEDES WAS TRYING TO FORMULATE AN ECO-FRIENDLY INSULATION THAT WOULD DEGRADE IN THE LANDFILL. THOUGH IT WAS A NOBLE EFFORT, THE WIRING UNFORTUNATELY DECAYED BEFORE ITS TIME WAS DUE, LEAVING A THREE YEAR PRODUCTION OF E320 MODELS WITH WIRING THAT IS UNSAFE AND PRONE TO CAUSE STALLING. I HAVE THE OLD WIRING FROM MY VEHICLE AND I CAN PROVIDE DIGITAL IMAGES OF THIS WIRING ILLUSTRATING THE PROBLEM IN DETAIL UPON REQUEST. I BELIEVE THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS OF ALL AFFECTED MERCEDES VEHICLES SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO RECALL BECAUSE IT IS NOT A PART OF A CAR THAT IS NORMALLY EXPECTED TO FAIL, AND IT HAS A PROFOUND EFFECT ON SAFETY AND EMISSIONS. THE REFERENCES BELOW CONTAIN DOCUMENTED COMPLAINTS OF MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE ABOVEMENTIONED PROBLEM. REFERENCES:HTTP://WWW.MERCEDESSHOP.COM/SHOPFORUM HTTP://WWW.BENZWORLD.ORG/FORUMS HTTP://FORUMS.MBWORLD.ORG/FORUMS *AK

PRODUCT:MERCEDES 1995 E320 SEDAN PROBLEM: THE ENGINE'S WIRING HARNESS HAS ITS INSULATION MADE OF PVC. PVC CANNOT AND HAS NOT TOLERATED THE HEAT AND VIBRATION DEVELOPED WITHIN THIS VEHICLE'S ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IT, THE PVC INSULATION, HAS BECOME SO BRITTLE IT IS LITERALLY CHIPPING APART AT EVERY VITAL SENSOR AND/OR DEVICE- INCLUDING FUEL DELIVERY COMPONENTS! THIS HAS ME EXTREMELY CONCERNED SINCE I'M STARTING TO GET CHECK ENGINE SIGNALS TO THE DASH DISPLAY NOW. I CALLED MERCEDES' 800 NUMBER AND THEY ARE ACTING IGNORANT ABOUT THIS ISSUE SINCE I'M NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER. *JB

I OWN A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ E320 STATION WAGON THAT HAS 76,000 MILES ON IT AS OF 2/6/03. DURING A 75,000 MILE SERVICE, THE DEALER DISCOVERED THAT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WIRING HARNESS WAS DECOMPOSING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SHORTLY AFTERWARD THE "CHECK ENGINE " TROUBLE LIGHT BEGAN TO COME ON REPEATEDLY. THE ENTIRE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALERS SERVICE TECHNICIAN MADE A COMMENT ON MY PAPERWORK THAT THE HARNESS HAD FRAYED THROUGH IN ONE AREA AND WAS SHORTING OUT IN A VALVE COVER. THIS TYPE OF DEFECTIVE PRODUCT CONSTITUTES A CLASS 1 SAFETY ISSUE. VIA THE INTERNET, I DISCOVERED THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS TYPE CAR FROM 1994 TO 1996 HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR DECOMPOSING WIRING HARNESSES. THIS SITUATION SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY A GENERAL RECALL AND MERCEDES BENZ OF NORTH AMERICA SHOULD REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE WIRING HARNESSES.