400 is good when the diesel fuel is of high quality. Well, I think you have no problems with this.

I've already driven about 30 thousand in almost a year. No problems.
I drive practically every day. The average consumption is 20 liters per hundred km.

The history of the creation of Gelik is as follows. (from some magazine, I don’t remember exactly)

The history of the G-Wagen is as follows. In the early 70s, the Shah of Iran decided to equip his army with SUVs. Being at that time one of the largest shareholders of Daimler-Benz, he ordered “his” company 20,000 military vehicles. The decision to develop an SUV was made in 1972. The first wooden model was ready in April 1973, and a year later a metal prototype appeared. Simple rectangular shapes, hollowed out from wooden models, turned out to be so successful that they have survived without significant changes to this day. Spar frame, solid front and rear axles, all-wheel drive transmission with a range control, folding soft top, removable door sides, windshield that drops onto the hood, spartan interior.
They decided to place production at the Steyr-Daimler-Puch joint venture in the Austrian city of Graz, which by that time already had extensive experience in developing various types of off-road vehicles. It was planned to open a separate assembly plant with a staff of about 800 people and produce an SUV for 10 years.
But on the eve of the launch of the car into production, the order was canceled by the revolutionary government of Iran that came to power. The situation is unsightly: there is a car, but the buyer has disappeared. The German Federal Border Service came to the rescue and became interested in the new product. The first production car went to the army in February 1979. And off we go: the military of Norway and Argentina liked the car, orders came from Indonesia, then from other countries in Europe and Asia. Small-scale production made it possible to fulfill special orders. For example, generals from Indonesia ordered cars without doors, but with huge scissors on the front bumper - for cutting barbed wire. Vehicles were built for foresters, fire departments, and ambulances. Gelandewagen was assembled in small batches from vehicle kits in Greece. In France, they produced a modification of the Peugeot P4 with a 70-horsepower Peugeot XD3 diesel engine (these cars are often seen on TV - they are in service with the UN).
And soon private buyers began to contact the company. And in 1983, the first “civilian” version left the factory gates - with air conditioning, comfortable seats, a 5-speed gearbox, and metallic paint. The crude military machine was brought to civil standards gradually, step by step. New engines appeared, standard equipment included locked center and cross-axle differentials, electric windows and other equipment.
Gradually, the share of civilian vehicles became equal to military orders and has now risen to 75%. But despite good demand, production rates remained modest: over 20 years, 140,000 cars were made - on average, 7,000 cars per year. Now about half of G-wagens are sold in Germany. The rest are scattered all over the world. The second market after Germany is Japan - last year... 800 cars were sold there.
Yes, yes, several hundred cars a year is already a very serious market. Most likely, Russia is also among the top ten largest buyers.
And here’s what’s curious: about 80% of all cars produced are still running, and the losses were mainly cars that died in accidents or on the battlefield

While selling my Gelendvagen, I was faced with a catastrophically low level of knowledge and experience in purchasing this type of car from potential buyers. They were not at all insane individuals, but I assure you, my dear reader, anyone, even the most worn-out Gelik, could be sold to such people. Therefore, this article is mainly devoted to how to purchase a Gelendvagen in good condition, subsequently spending as little money as possible on repairs.

But first, I’ll tell you how not to buy a Mercedes G-Class. So, as a rule, two hefty men arrive, scratch their turnips, and walk around the car with a smart look. However, some immediately admit: “we only look at the interior and body, otherwise we still don’t understand anything, let them determine it at the service center.” Some, on the contrary, pretend that everything is clear, kick the wheels, nod approvingly, but to the bewilderment (or joy) of the seller they do not even ask to start the engine, let alone ask for a ride.

There were cases from other cities where they called with the offer: “You reduce the price by 30/50/100 (depending on appetite) thousand, we’ll pick up the car tomorrow.” This can be called by both resellers and ordinary people who have limited funds. The second option is the worst: the consequences of future repairs can be very painful. Also, you shouldn’t buy a car for the entire available amount, after which you won’t even have enough for gasoline.

I’ll make a reservation right away: the type of buyer an experienced seller determines immediately upon meeting, so you need to “take” sellers not by looking smart, but by knowledge.

But let's finally skip the lyrical digression and get down to the most interesting part. So you, my dear customer, are standing next to your cherished car, and don’t know where to start.

And you need to start, of course, from home. Call the seller. Check the model and year of manufacture of the car. The technical condition of the car (of course, in the seller’s opinion, but I’ve never heard anything other than “excellent”). Maintenance frequency. In response to the answer “everything is fine, I service it all the time,” you can clarify what exactly is being serviced and how often. For example, the oil in the M104 engine changes, as a rule, once every 10,000 km; the Mobil brand is used: 5x50 in summer, 0x40 in winter. And so on. Guiding questions about replacement times and consumables can be clarified from Tables 1 and 2:

Table 1

Table 2

№	Name	Types	Replacement timing	Mercedes-Benz	Mobile	Castrol
1	Manual transmission	711.1, 711.2,		A000989260310	Mobil ATF200	Castrol TQ
2	Automatic transmission	720.1, 722.3 — 6.2, from 6.2	60,000 km	A0009899203	Mobil ATF220	Castrol TQD
3	Automatic transmission	722.6 — 8+	60,000 km	A001989210310	—	—
4	Handout		120,000 km / Once every 4 years	A0019892803 - everything except G55	Mobilube GX-A	Castrol EP - 2
5	Bridges		80,000 km / Once every 4 years	A0009892803	Mobilube HD-A	Castrol EPX - 1.1 (W460) 1.4(W463) + 1.6(W460 until 1982) 1.8 (all the rest),
6	Rotary		1 time every 2 years	A0019893451	Mobilgrease MB 2 - 1.5 - NLGI class 2	Castrol LM
7	CV joints	when replacing anther		A0009896351
8	Crosspieces		10,000 km / after the rides	A000989635111	Mobilgrease XHP222	Castrol LMX

Having calmed down about the technical condition, you can ask the seller for the VIN. Firstly, if a car (with an M104 engine, of course, miraculously) has been to the USA, find out its background using CARFAX (www.carfax.com). Secondly, get online from popular services or from an official dealer (they, by the way, use the EWA Net program) a printout of the equipment that left the factory, with unit numbers. Thirdly, using the databases, you can clarify the background of the car in Russia - how many owners there were, how many times it was in an accident, whether it was listed as “wanted for special products,” etc. But in general, I tried to leave legal issues outside the scope of this article. Perhaps they will be covered in detail in subsequent issues.

You can continue with the simplest thing - examining the appearance. At first glance, everything is quite simple. But no! It is not enough to simply inspect the car for the presence/absence of spiders or scratches. Take a closer look. The car must be inspected clean. Parts of the car that have been corroded or repainted are clearly visible in the light. Usually the hinges, windshield frame, welded joints on the rear panel, and the space under the lower moldings become rusty. If everything is in order, please clarify that the car has not been completely repainted. This in itself is not very good, since in Russia they don’t know how to paint well (or the owners skimp on painting). In principle, complete repainting can be detected by indirect signs - a change in color compared to the original paint (the paint number can be checked by VIN), underpainted internal parts or a different color under chips, traces of polishing.

Remember that even bad paint is nothing compared to the poor technical condition of the car. If the car is in good technical condition, it is better to purchase it and repaint it in a trusted workshop than to completely repaint it again in a year or two.

After inspecting the paintwork, inspect the car again on the right and left. The fact is that if a car is involved in an accident, there is an asymmetry of some of its elements. For example, the gaps between the “glasses” and the radiator grille. By the way, this is where information on road accidents comes in handy - the scene of the collision can be examined more carefully.

The next stage is the salon. For many, he is the most important thing, and this is understandable. Sometimes you get into one of these and you understand: the car is “yours.” Or not. But in general, how well-maintained it is can be judged by the owner’s general attitude towards the car. If the interior is dirty, with traces of cigarette butts, food, etc. — most likely, you won’t get anything good from the car itself.

Ask to open the hood. Here, rather, the situation is the opposite. Washing the engine compartment of cars of this year is not the best idea. But if everything is washed and shiny, the owner most likely gave it a special wash before selling it. Find out how often and with what he washes the engine. If he just wipes it with ordinary means, respect and respect to him.

Check the engine oil in the engine and, accordingly, the working fluid in the automatic transmission. The engine oil is measured to be “cold”, the automatic transmission is measured to be “warm”, for which you need to drive at least a couple of kilometers and then move the lever to the “N” position. The fluid level on both dipsticks should be between the marks, and remember - overfilling is worse than underfilling. Remove the dipstick, wipe it dry, and insert and remove again. Smell it and apply it to a clean part of your hand. Apply between fingers and rub well - there should be no particles to the touch. Also, the liquid should not emit smoke and be moderately dark (depending on the service life of the material). Check other fluids in the engine compartment area - level of antifreeze, brake fluid, locking fluid. All tanks have appropriate levels.

Sit in the passenger compartment and turn the ignition key to the right position so that the indicator lights come on. They should all light up, and the airbag status indicator (SRS) lamp should go out after a while. Watch this carefully, craftsmen are very fond of switching light bulbs in places in order to mislead the buyer. The rear window heating indicator is turned on separately using a button on the center panel.

Start the engine. Go to the hood, listen to him, put your hand. Ask a friend or owner, while holding the car on the brake, move the automatic transmission knob to position “D”. Notice for yourself whether there are vibrations. At the same time, move the wires leading to the motor. There shouldn't be any changes. If they are observed, perhaps this is another “weak point” of such an engine - low-current wires leading to the ignition coils.

Get back into the car, turn off and start the engine again. When “cold” the speed should rise to about 1100 units. on the tachometer, then carefully descend to the 800s. The arrow should not tremble and “float”. In the automatic transmission position “D”, the needle drops to 600 rpm, and also does not tremble. With the brake pressed, carefully press the accelerator pedal to 1500 rpm. With a working automatic transmission, the car should not slip! Release the accelerator pedal. If there is free space in front, release the brake pedal. The car should start moving without any additional action. It would be nice at this moment to detect the absence of slipping in the automatic transmission, but I’m afraid that without the appropriate experience this will be impossible. Move the automatic transmission lever back to the “P” position and ask the seller for a ride.

Carefully monitor the dynamics of acceleration, sound, and the tachometer needle shaking. Let me note again that there should be no shaking of the needles, howling, or knocking when changing gears. The car accelerates smoothly, a little strained (the inline-six takes its toll). On a free stretch of road, ask to demonstrate the operation of the tempomat (“cruise control”). Ask to press kick-down. With a delay of about a second, the car will begin to accelerate sharply. There should be no slipping, and the automatic transmission limiter should not operate. The transfer case handle should not shake; only a slight vibration may be felt if you place your palm on it. This is important!

Check the transfer case handle and locks by driving onto a country road. The automatic transmission is placed in the “N” position, the transfer case lever in the “N” position, then “G”. Make sure to switch the automatic transmission selector to the lower positions and move it back to “D” or “3”. Immediately turn on the locks in the sequence “I-II-III”, they are indicated by numbers (the first one is in the middle). The yellow indicator lamps opposite them should light up, but this does not mean that the interlocks have been activated! Drive away and turn the steering wheel. Locks are not activated immediately. It is better to demonstrate their work by asking the owner himself. Three red indicator lights are on to ensure that this system is operating properly.

After disabling the locks, check the operation of the rotary “fists”. Lower the front windows (at the same time checking the operation of the power windows), turn the steering wheel to the extreme left position and drive about a meter, then do the same with the extreme right position. There should be no crackling or crunching. If there is, get ready for a bulkhead.

If you can look under the bottom of the car, take a look. If not, don't be too upset. Let the car service do it. Just make sure there is no grass or leaves on the suspension, lumps of dirt, and the integrity of the sills. It would be nice if there were no “off-road” accessories. Choosing a vehicle that has been used extensively off-road should definitely not be at the top of your list.

If you do manage to look under the bottom yourself, including at a car service center, make sure that the springs are intact and that there are no broken wires or brake system pipes. Of course, there should be no leaks on the engine pan and automatic transmission. This is also very important, because the weak point of such an engine is the possibility of overheating, so there should be no leaks, and the cooling and ventilation system should work like clockwork. The bolts on the pallets must be intact, without torn splines or welded pieces of metal. The VIN number, by the way, is on the frame (visible on the right front wheel turned to the left) and should be clearly legible. The condition of the cardans cannot be checked visually, but I would like to warn against one common mistake. Of course, there should not be copious pieces of grease on the cardan, axles and frame. On the one hand, this, of course, is the fact that the owner has “syringed” the cardan at least once in his life. On the other hand, excessive “squirting”, when lubricant comes out of the joints of the cardan parts, shortens its service life.

At this point, we’ll finish our independent inspection of the car, entrusting the rest to the service technicians. Be sure to change all consumables, and it is very advisable that the owner does not do this himself before selling (this should be a warning). Indeed, in this case, foreign particles in liquids, if present, are quite easily detected. Be sure to change the engine oil, fluids in the automatic transmission, transfer case, axles, and “syringe” the cardan shafts; fortunately, unlike the current new ones, they still have grease fittings. Check the lubrication in the steering knuckles. Replacing fluids in the engine and automatic transmission, of course, also means replacing the corresponding filters.

It is possible to conduct your own mini-examination at a car service center. This is where a printout of the unit numbers of the specific vehicle that left the factory comes in handy (see above). We already know the location of the number on the frame; there is also a plate attached to the central air intake in the engine compartment. These models do not have nameplates on the door pillars. The location of engine numbers differs for each model, therefore a corresponding table is attached.

Table 3

Mercedes-Benz engines	Engine number location
M 102	Bottom left on the cylinder block behind the power steering bracket
M 104	On the right side of the cylinder block behind the generator
M 110	On the right side of the cylinder block behind the distributor
M 111
M 271
M 117	On the left side of the flywheel housing tide
M 119	On the left on the tide of the flywheel housing or in front in the camber of the cylinders
M 120	On the right side of the cylinder block behind the starter
M 112	On the right side of the cylinder block on the automatic transmission flange
M 272	On the right side of the cylinder block on the automatic transmission flange
M 113	On the right side of the cylinder block on the automatic transmission flange
M 137	On the right side of the cylinder block on the automatic transmission flange
M 275	On the right side of the cylinder block on the automatic transmission flange
OM 606	Left front on cylinder block
OM 616	On the left on the block closer to the checkpoint
OM 611
OM 612	On the left side of the block above the left engine mount
OM 613	On the left side of the block above the left engine mount
OM 646	On the left side of the block above the left engine mount
OM 647	On the left side of the block above the left engine mount
OM 628	On the right side of the cylinder block on the automatic transmission flange

In addition, it is advisable to check the automatic transmission number with the original one, but you can also ask a car service to do this.

Based on the results of the inspection, reasonable bargaining is possible. Below is a table based on the results of which you can “fight” with the seller for the final price. Or refuse the purchase altogether.

Table 4

Indicative table of repair costs for individual units

Item no.	Name of the breakdown	Price of materials, rub.*	Price of work, rub.**	Amount, rub.
1	M104 engine overhaul	48000	25000	73000
2	Overhaul of automatic transmission 722.3	53000	28000	81000
3	Full body painting (+ assembly/disassembly)	51000	32000	83000
4	Transfer case repair	56000	12000	68000
5	Replacing the intermediate cardan	43000	6000	49000
6	Replacing the front/rear driveshaft	56000	8000	64000
7	Bulkhead CV joints	23400	12000	35400
8	Replacing the electric scythe	33000	10000	43000
9	Replacing the cooling radiator	21000	4500	25500

* When ordering, original materials or non-original analogues from Mercedes-Benz supply companies were used.

** Prices used from one of the companies from St. Petersburg

Good luck to you, my dear friend!

Engine M104 Advantages and disadvantages

Engine M104 There were two replenishments: volume 2.8 and 3.2 (in-line six). It was installed on the following cars: W140, W202, W210, W463. This Mercedes engine has proven itself to be one of the most reliable engines, but like all engines it has its design flaws, which we will talk about now.

M104 series engines have good dynamic characteristics:

2.8 (197 hp)

Torque: 270 N/m

Acceleration to 100 km/h: 9 sec

Fuel consumption in the city: 13-14 liters

3.2 (220 hp)

A car with this engine has good dynamics of less than 8 seconds to 100 and a torque of 315 N/m.

Acceleration to 100 was written for the Mercedes W124; for other cars it will be different.

M104 problems

In general, the engines of this series are very reliable and have a good service life; you only need to change the oil and oil filter every now and then and use only high-quality oil.

The first thing that these motors are susceptible to is overheating. This mainly happens when the viscous coupling of the fan is faulty, and this also happens due to a design feature - all in-line sixes are prone to overheating.

It can also overheat due to a clogged radiator, so if it is clogged, it is better to clean it.

The second disease of the M104 is oil leaks due to the cylinder head gasket; it begins to leak somewhere around 100 thousand km. Due to the use of low-quality oil, the nozzles that supply oil may become clogged; they are provided in the Mercedes M104 to avoid overheating of the pistons.

If the injector is clogged, piston scuffing may occur, a sign of this may be engine knocking, but then it’s too late since you’re in for a major overhaul, wouldn’t it be easier to change the oil while you’re at it than to pay 40-50 thousand rubles for engine repairs, or maybe more? .

And so we have already discussed M104 technical specifications and its main faults, we will now briefly discuss the shortcomings and what you need to pay attention to before purchasing.

1) Viscous coupling malfunction. After purchase, play it safe and replace the viscous coupling.

2) Clogged radiator. Clean the radiator

3) Unsealing the engine in case of a worn cylinder head gasket. Replace the gasket.

4) Before purchasing, pay attention to the sound of the engine; there should be no knocking and it should not rattle; if this happens, it has serious malfunctions.

Thank you for your time, I hope you learned at least something useful for yourself in the article, look forward to other reviews about German cars and engines.

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Photo report on repair of engine harness M104 Gelenvangen G320

Greetings everyone. I have long wanted to update the topic on repairing one of the most common engine harnesses for the 104 engine, due to the fact that some of the previously used methods and materials have lost their relevance.

So, this time a Gelendvagen in a 463 body with an M104 engine came to replace the wiring. The wiring had been repaired before, but had certain deficiencies that needed to be addressed. Among them:
1. A 3-pin temperature sensor connector that has fallen in half (a consequence of an unreliable method of opening the connector);
2. The cable to the crankshaft sensor was not woven into the engine wiring, but came separately from the harness;


3. Broken chips on the ignition coils.

No further significant crime was observed. It would have been possible to confine ourselves to eliminating the listed shortcomings, but still the owner asked to make a new harness. Let's get started.

We call the wiring and draw up an electrical diagram. I note that in the original Gelendvagen the motor wiring was laid without a plastic box directly on the engine. In general, this is not very good, since in this case the motor harness experiences more heat than when it lies in the guide box. Therefore, I will make a new tourniquet in it).

In the same way we weave a branch onto the coils and nozzles. The circuit of coils contains a heat-resistant cable RKGM 1x1.5 in silicon organic insulation in a fiberglass braid. It is these branches that are subject to maximum temperature effects, since they pass under the spark plug well cover that covers the ignition coils. The branches of the injectors, as well as other sensors and actuators, are made with colored automotive wire PGVA 1x0.75. The wire is not heat-resistant, it holds temperatures up to 75 degrees, but where it is laid, the heat is not as strong as in the case of coils. I note that all positive circuits are implemented with red wire.

When the branches are woven and the structure of the bundle is formed, it should be finally fixed using TESA fabric insulating tape, which was used in the original, or heat shrink tube. Each method has its pros and cons. When the tourniquet is rewound with fabric tape, it breathes; if moisture gets on it, it will dry out fairly quickly and this will not lead to an oxidation process. On the other hand, if such a harness is installed on a snotty engine, after oil and dirt get in, the wiring will constantly get dirty. Heat-shrink tubing does not have such a disadvantage. I choose it, and with a plank I only strengthen the places where the cord branches.

We figure out how the 1st branch will fit into the box. We leave it, then we’ll come back and add branches to the ignition coils, there are some nuances there.

The same needs to be done with the second branch, which goes to the throttle valve, flow meter, DTOZH, knock sensors, phase sensor and crankshaft sensor. Unlike 124 and 202 bodies, the Gelendvagen throttle valve has a different design - it uses a standard oval 8-pin connector (female), but it is located directly on the throttle body and has only 6 contacts. Therefore, 6 PGVA wires of 1x0.5 sq. mm are laid on the inductor circuit. The phase sensor is made on the Hall effect (and not inductive as on 124 and 202), therefore, instead of a shielded cable, 3 ordinary PGVA wires 1x0.75 sq. mm are connected to it, one of which is +12V power supply. To restore the knock sensor circuits, we use a shielded RG58C/U cable with a stranded central core and high-density polyethylene insulation.

The cable for the crankshaft sensor with connector A 129 540 22 81 was purchased new by the car owner, which, despite the high cost (~1500 rubles), is the most reliable option among the other two possible ones. The first option is to remove this cable with a connector from the 1993 wiring (but the cable may be stiff), the second is to take a new RG58C/U cable and solder the cap connector on it, followed by gluing.

The figure below shows the procedure for installing the terminal on the starter solenoid relay. After crimping and desoldering, the terminal should be washed with a solvent to remove flux residues and varnished. Then, to increase mechanical strength and provide additional protection from external influences, the connection is closed with heat shrink tubing.

This is just a bunch of connectors cut off and thoroughly washed using Dosya washing concentrate from an old cable.

Removing the contacts of the injector connectors, camshaft sensor, knock sensor and control unit block is carried out using a specialized ejector from Tyco Electronics.

The car owner also took care of purchasing new connectors for the ignition coils along with the wire included. Alas, the cross-section of the wire supplied to the connector is only 0.75 square meters, which is clearly not enough for coils; in addition, the insulation of the wire used is PVC. Therefore, only chips will be useful.

Before assembling the injector connectors, DD, DF and control unit blocks, you should assemble the necessary equipment - AMP contacts and silicone injector seals. To achieve the required connection strength, these contacts are crimped with a clipper and soldered.

Of particular interest is the cutting of shielded cable for knock sensors for wiring contacts of the specified type. The technology is as follows: about 4 cm of insulation is removed from the cable, and the braid is placed in thin heat shrink. Then, a heat-shrinkable tube of larger cross-section is put on the place where the central core and braid are separated. After assembling the connector, a tube is also placed on the cable and connector, followed by shrinkage.

Now we return back to the formation of the ignition coil branch, the production of which was postponed at the beginning of the article. The photo shows 4 supply wires - 3 thin with a cross-section of 1.5 squares and one thick with a cross-section of 6 squares. Thin wires are control minuses from the control unit, thick wire is a common plus for powering the three coils. Its cutting is carried out as follows - the edge of about 5 cm is trimmed, onto which three wires with a cross-section of 1.5 square are wound on both sides. Next, the branching point of the positive chain is soldered, varnished and protected with a tube.