Hi Girota, brother.
I own a 1987 ex-no catalyzer euro 500SL in Japan for over 20 years and was in the same PITA situation for about 2 weeks till yesterday.
<Left: Original A0021519601(but no number on the body), Right: Purchased Bosch SR86x(but no number on the body, printed on carton box only)>
My car was parallel imported 1987 from Germany as a new car no catalyzer full powered euro, and catalyst was modified in Japan for road legal.
So it's the same arrangement as yours from exhaust manifold downpipes to center pipe, near of the bell housing.
I am the third owner of this car and wishing to be the last.
If I recall there was a first crisis on the starter motor around 2010.
But it was relatively solved easily at that time. My mechanic inspected electric contacts, took small hammer and lightly hit the cases of motor and solenoid, and relubricated on the gears.
My good old mechanic was retired long ago.
This time, I searched and bought for A0021519601 from US usually very reliable retailer AutohausAZ but arrived a wrong solenoid offset angled one, Bosch SR86x.
I searched around the whole world, including Mercedes' mother country Germany and slightly fearful Russia and even China new mother country of Bosch alternators and starters division.
After all, I swapped that guts of arrived one, as same as your way because of no other choice.
<Refurbished, front>
<Refurbished, back>
<Refurbished, side>
<Drive end shield>
<Motor casing>
<Solenoid>
What only useless information and wrong photos are appeared around the 2020 whole internet world!
I mean I can't believe that even if it ’s not just Mercedes parts, but also even the Bosch compatible product suddenly disappeared from the world.
Not only euro 107 SLs, other industrial machines in EU would have engines with this type of starter, wouldn't they.
But surprisingly, even in Germany doesn't seem to talk about replacing the assembly of this type of euro500SL's starter motor.
After the replacement, the sound of gears meshing when the engine started became apparently wrong.
Since only the pinion of the starter motor has been renewed, it may be because there is no good contact surface between the gears, but there is a lot of cheap high-frequency noise, and it is embarrassing to start the engine when somebody's around..
In order to adjust the bite depth when the pinion slides into the ring gear, putting in some washers on the mounting flange to adjust the distance, but as far as concerning the sound did not change. Young mechanic may have damaged the gear teeth during the servicing process but I can't tell it just by looking from the outside.
However, it does not seem to affect the engine starting performance. I will have to put up with it and continue riding. Or someday I might replace the flywheel ring gear A1170301012.
In this way, the mechanics changed generations, even the certified importers no longer knew the old model information, and the parts supplied by the manufacturer changed to completely different contents (side window weather strip for the soft top changed not hollow but a solid rubber bar, which is a typical example! ), repeatedly maintained and repaired based on fragmented and inaccurate information.
Quiet and profound original condition is gradually lost, and it transforms into a cheap car that is unbearable for those who know the original state.
In the last 20 years, I've actually spent as much or more money as I bought a new R107 at the time, but if the same car now goes on sale for $ 150,000, I wouldn't be able to buy it. Because if what I buy a new car now, I will buy a modern car that meets modern values instead of the R107.
For me, R107 was the one that I like its appearance first and foremost. Of course, it was also important that it was an affordable used car.
There is no new car of the same kind, so it's not easy to find a replacement candidate now.
When I can't stand this change someday, I'll die with this SL. That's how I feel these days.
Sorry for long sentence.
Thank you.
![Girota](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="96" height="96"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>){kind=avatar}
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