DIY questions on '97 E300D - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

VW1300 · #1 06-16-2012, 12:08 AM

OK - regular readers will recall that I have my eye on a '97 E300D with 187K miles. Drove the car today - starts quick, drives great, and overall seems like a nice car.

PPI was done by Eurocar Werk here in Houston, who knows MBs. Mechanic agreed car seems to not have been abused and engine/trans seem strong. He reported no troubling OBDII codes. Big issues he saw:

1. Front end needs control arm bushings, lower ball joints, shocks all around.
2. Serpentine belt looks so-so as does tensioner
3. Small leak on a gasket on the injector pump (?)
4. Flex discs need replacing

I can do shocks. I can probably do ball joints. How hard are the serpentine belt and tensioner to replace? Stickies shows belt replacement pictorial for M104 - is that similar enough? Can a non-expert mechanic like me do it? And how hard is it to replace and re-tension the tensioner? If I can DIY this stuff I don't mind having an indy take care of that IP leak.

I don't mind having to do these things - fact is my W123 is facing the same suspension issues, and my own belts are getting old. It does seem like the car is worth it in the sense the basics - engine, body, trans - have plenty of life in them.

Having said all that, Texas diesel W210 prices seem to be inflated

- a lot of people here drive a lot so nice diesels are in heavy demand - same goes for VW diesels too though.

Thanks,

Jeremy5848 · #2 06-16-2012, 12:16 AM

You can do the serpentine belt and tensioner yourself -- not a big job, might require buying a couple of wrenches depending on your existing tool set. Procedures should be available on the forum or just ask.

Flex disk requires removing the exhaust for access. A dirty job lying under the car, I let my mechanic do the work on his lift.

Shocks are easy. Motor mounts are OK?

Jeremy

VW1300 · #3 06-16-2012, 12:24 AM

Motor mounts OK. Agreed about flex discs. If I had to guess about PO, he fixed things as they broke but probably didn't feel like paying for a new front end and belts etc. Wear on car seems to be commensurate with mileage.

Jeremy5848 · #4 06-16-2012, 12:52 AM

Do some research on the 5-speed transmission. The first year had some problems, I don't know the details. I would assume they would have been sorted out by now.

VW1300 · #5 06-17-2012, 12:21 AM

Took the plunge and picked up the '97! Thanks to all who weighed in with advice. See attached photo.

Drove it home today - some first things to do are changing filters and shocks, also serpentine belt.

Question - while I'm there, how do I know if my tensioner pulley and bearing are any good? Or if my tensioner itself needs to be replaced?

I see on the sticky the fan shroud unclips for access. Does the radiator need to come out too if I'm replacing tensioner parts?

Thanks,

Jeremy5848 · #6 06-17-2012, 01:05 PM

The shroud and fan come out together; you don't have to pull the radiator. The tensioner may make noise and the belt will wear on the edge(s) if the tensioner is not aligned perfectly (due to bearing wear/damage). Some people claim to be able to determine just by looking that the tensioner is bent but I have never been able to do that. If the belt is not wearing out prematurely the tensioner may be OK. The parts costs add up; don't replace unnecessarily.

Jeremy