Here's what to do if the air conditioning isn't working on your W124 Mercedes. Vacuum pods direct airflow through the HVAC system Not having A/C caused much frustration for me with the brutal heat of Texas summer. The a/c system on these cars is complex and requires a little bit of study to...

It is probably safe to say that most of us spend a good deal of our time looking after and caring for our cars. We do the typical maintenance checks, such as maintaining our tire pressure, changing our oil with a quality filter, keeping our paint tip-top with frequent cleanings and good quality...

Over a period of time during the 60s and 70s, the electrical generator in most cars was replaced with what is called an alternator. So called because of the alternating current which it generates, the alternator was a great advancement in charging system technology because it's design makes it...

One of the things most often found in forums and online communities of car enthusiasts is a discussion on horsepower and torque, and their relationships to one another. There is quite a lot of misinformation that travels the circuit, and when posed as fact, that misinformation can be very...

Engine efficiency is a very broad concept, and a very large component of the physical discipline known as thermodynamics. For all engines, there is a calculable maximum efficiency. Since the laws of thermodynamics prohibit 100% efficient machines, we do know how good of an efficiency we can come...

  A closeup of the idler arm as installed- passenger tie rod to the left, and drag link to the right.   Before the mid 1990's (including the W123, W124, W126, and W201), Mercedes-Benz generally used a steering set up that is more typical on commercial trucks and tractors than on fine luxury...

For me, the most important styling aspect of any car is the interior. As a kid, I would sit up late researching car interiors, looking over photographs and browsing the internet in search of "The perfect interior." Several cars ended up on my list of "Cars I'd like to own when I'm a grown-up"....

Since the 1970's, it's been hard to find a car that didn't have at least one set of brake calipers. Though the calipers have changed a lot over the years, the job they do has not. Caliper maintenance is a very important part of maintaining the brake system on your car, thought it is often...

Shortly after purchasing my W124 E-class, I went to work replacing the entire front suspension. Rust damage had gotten the better of most of the iron bits on the underbody. Also, the front, due to the stressed ball-joint design, was of special importance for me to address. After taking care of...

In last week's article, I discussed a very unfortunate situation in which the shaft bearing of the water pump on my M103 Mercedes engine disintegrated and was ejected through the front of the pump housing. After removing the belt and inspecting the pulley, it was clear that the only course of...