1994 G-wagon impressions over 7 years.

Not sure if this is the right place for this posting but heres my introduction...(cough)

Hello everyone! I have just had a good browse around this forum and just want to say well done for getting it going and for all the good posts. There now follows a rather long story of mine which I hope you’ll find interesting :)

I have a 1994 G350 Turbo Diesel with 135,000 km.

Likes: strength, longevity, durability, refined to drive, distinctive, almost unchanged external appearance, seems to keep its value like no other car (from 3 years on)!

Dislikes: short travel suspension, and aerodynamics/ fuel consumption/ low top speed!

After 7 years of owning my G350 I would say that my biggest complaint is the lack of suspension travel at the front. The ride height has been checked and there is the usual? 5 cm clearance between the axle and the bump stops but it is annoying to bottom out in large potholes. This certainly does not happen in my 1985 Range Rover (which has the most comfortable ride of all the 4x4s I have driven). It is possible that part of the G350 suspension is no longer up to spec but this car seems to have always had this characteristic so it does not seem to have deteriorated to this position. Anybody else noticed this? Driving one of the G-Center’s 463s it felt exactly the same and no G technician who has driven my car has remarked on this aspect.

So I am thinking of putting on another after-market suspension. The G-Center in Holland (who looked after my car for several years) use German-made H&R springs that seem to be a better-engineered package. Anybody else have experience with these springs?

After owning a Tdi Discovery, which averaged 30 mpg, I still find the low 20s I get in the G350 rather painful. I like looking at the utilitarian, brick-like styling but don’t like paying for it with a low 90 mph top speed and fuel guzzling (I also had a Land Rover 90 and a 110, which averaged high 20s mpg). To improve engine efficiency and power I have looked into fitting an intercooler (one of the reasons the Land Rover Tdi is so efficient). However, I have recently gone off this idea in light of the reported cylinder head weaknesses.

As an ex-Land Rover factory engineer I have long been interested in G-wagons. In 1997 my wife’s job took us for 3 years from London to West Africa and this was therefore the perfect justification to buy one. Diesel vehicles have many advantages in Africa so I cast around for a second-hand left-hand drive 463 model with a big engine. I found a perfect 3-year old G 350 for sale near Frankfurt at a MB dealer who specialized in G-wagons. Indeed, the salesman told me he was on the committee of one of the big G-wagon clubs, just back from one of their fabulous trips to Iceland or Namibia.

The car was a trade-in against a new one and it was immaculate. The only sign that it was pre-owned was the speedo reading of 70,000 km and some marks in the headlining above the load bay. Not a single stone chip. If the front had been repainted there was certainly no sign of it.

However, the salesman informed me that it had had a new engine fitted at 60,000 km and went on to explain that the original had lost coolant and overheated after the mechanic at another dealership had not correctly tightened a hose following a routine coolant change. I was told that the dealer had admitted liability and paid for a new short engine.

Of course, now I see that these 603 engines have somewhat of a bad reputation (for a MB diesel), the main problem being head gasket failure caused by cylinder head overheating. As I understand it:
[1] MB picked up on this weakness and in the first instance mandated the use of special Type 30 coolant additive and re-emphasized the need for regular changes, and,
[2] as this did not do enough to stop the rate of failures, MB issued a revised cylinder head. One can easily tell which head is fitted: the early ones are marked with a number which ends with 20 01, the revised ones end with 20 02.

The salesman gave me a good price (around 50% depreciation on new list price?) and he had a bunch of “Africa” stuff fitted at cost.
[1] +40mm ORC springs,
[2] Old Man Emu shocks,
[3] Raised air intake/ snorkel,
[4] Four extra Warn driving lights,
[5] BF Goodrich Mud Terrain 285/85 R16 on MB steel wheels,
[6] Sand ladders, high-lift jack, recovery straps, tyre repair kit,
[7] Vögele roof rack with sand ladder mounts,
[8] Box of spares.

Although I liked the +40 lift and those tyres, (there was 29.5 cm clearance under the rear differential) I found the springs/shocks far too stiff even when fully loaded and the suspension travel was also too limited, striking the bump stops far too often. When I left Africa, I had the original suspension and wheels re-fitted. In fact, I have removed all the above items now that they are not needed. I registered the car in the UK in 2001 just before the SVA rules to import cars became much more difficult. It still has its original km/h-only speedo. Since then the car has been to Jordan and I am now stationed in Estonia. (The drive up from Amman was nice.)

We drove some extreme off-road trips in the West Africa region and I am pleased to report that the car never once got stuck. I guess I am one of those rare and foolish persons who are prepared to force their immaculate G-wagon through thorn bush thickets and bush-fire flame fronts! At least half of the scratches have polished out.

The dry climates have certainly helped further preserve the underbody and, as the car has only seen 3 European winters to date, several MOT testers and the like have made positive comments on the surprisingly good condition of the underside. However this is likely to deteriorate here in Tallinn as the winters are long and hard and much salt is used on the roads.

Mechanical issues:

Overall the car has been reliable. The few times it has temporarily stranded me have been due to 3rd party actions – the Thatcham alarm installation required for UK insurance cover failed a couple of times immobilizing the car. :roll:

This year I was caught in freak low temperatures of –22 deg C in the Romanian mountains with a tank of non-winterised diesel. This led to the car breaking down several times in the space of a couple of hours due to the fuel gelling in the system. Fortunately, the residual heat of the engine was enough to get re-started after several minutes by the side of the deserted road. :shock:

Other failures, starting with most annoying:
[1] Airbag light - Every 6 months or so the Airbag SRS light comes on – this first happened after a couple of years driving in Africa. It was diagnosed as an intermittent loss of electrical connection in the “4 gold rings” connector in the steering column, a failure exacerbated by the dry and dusty conditions. This item was replaced. Then the light reappeared after several months. Then we cleaned the carbon brushes in the steering wheel. Same again. The warning light has always appeared after a few months. The fault code always indicates temporary loss of connection. It has been impossible to replicate in workshop. Now I simply check the code and reset the light.

[2] Rear crankshaft oil seal leaking – expensive to fix!
[3] Warped front discs – caused perhaps during fast lane cruising down Alpine autostradas in stop-start holiday traffic! Replaced, also now using Green Stuff pads.
[4] A/c condenser cracked – perhaps due to after-market stiff suspension springs? Replaced FOC by Mercedes! Thanks.
[5] A/c function & rev counter failed – eventually traced to very slightly loose electrical connection in fuse box made when the after-market spotlights were wired in.
[6] Battery failure; +45 deg C heat is not a good ambient for wet plate batteries. Replaced with Optima Yellow Top, 4 years ago. Excellent. Started first time after 6 months storage.
[7] Water pump – leaking after long storage period, typical water pump killer.
[8] Friction bands in auto box needed adjusting – sounded like a clutch slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear
[9] Rear load space cover bracket fell off – the brackets are simply pop-riveted into the trim. The rivets have pulled out of their holes.
[10] A/c condenser fan not working – this I discovered only when I got the car out to Africa. I removed the fan and took off the motor cover to find excessive salt ingress causing corrosion. Cleaned it all up and it has worked OK for the last 5 years.
[11] Door switch
[12] Flasher relay
[13] Headlight leveling system – the connectors are split and leaking at headlamp end, not fixed (yet),
[14] Glow plugs – a couple failed, I replaced all.
[15] Broken turbo mount bracket – this has now happened twice, must be a reason!?!
[16] Radiator – I have had a new one fitted as part of preventative maintenance.
[17] Escutcheon, Tailgate door, inside handle surround keeps falling off.

I also have had a K&N air filter since I came back from Africa on advice of the G-Center. They fitted it as a cheaper long-term option than the paper element! I’m not really convinced by K&N filters although I have used them for over 10 years!

Outstanding issues:
[1] fuel injection pump rebuild. For a long time now I have suffered a small but irritating problem, which has been narrowed down by an experienced diesel engineer to a probable small broken spring in the fuel injection pump. This manifests itself in the following way: when you give a short dab on the throttle (press and release it quickly) the engine revs rise and fall as expected but then rise and fall again in diminishing volume, perhaps 3 times in quick succession. Can be very annoying in a traffic queue or when parking as you have to be quick on the brake to stop the car! (Car has automatic gearbox, of course). It feels like the throttle return spring is too weak and bouncing off its stop when released suddenly. Can anybody comment on this?

[2] rusty wheel bolts – is there a solution for this that does not involve buying a new set?

So all in all this is a car that I am happy with almost anywhere in the world and I look forward to the next 10+ years with it. :)

Car spec: 463.321 with the 603.972 engine, 4-sp auto, long-wheel base, station wagon, fully loaded but with (heated) fabric seats (which I prefer) and no electric windows in the back (which I wish it had!).

Thanks for reading and I look forward to any feedback, regards,
Mark