1989 190D that sat for NINE YEARS

[shertex]

My best friend (who, by the way, is responsible for infecting me with the MB diesel bug some 13 years ago), has for many, many years been in search of a black on tan 1989 190D. He has a sentimental attachment to that exact car because it's the Benz he had when his sons were young children....got totaled by a deer and for all these years he's been looking for a replacement.

Well one popped up on CL near me the other day. I made an inquiry, and before you know it we're on a three way call and my friend is buying the car on the basis of five pics and a 30 minute conversation.

Though apparently the car runs well (it's been driven for several hundred miles) and is in decent cosmetic condition, it sat garaged for nine years. It's being delivered to me....I will do the things I can do, perhaps send it over to my mechanic for a few other things, and then it will be all set to go to its new home in PA.

Other than a new battery and an oil change, nothing has been done. My plan is to change the oil again, change all fluids and filters, and put new tires on the car. Does anything else jump to mind that I ought to attend to?

My friend recognizes that he will need to put some money into the car over the next year...that's not an issue. Just want to make sure I give him as much of a head start as I can.

[sloride]

Does the 190 have the flex disc and support bearing on the d/s?

[jay_bob]

Definitely get up under this vehicle and inspect every bit of rubber front to rear.

Ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar bushings, motor mounts, flex disks, trans mount and everything on the rear subframe.

Fuel lines and brake hoses. Definitely replace the brake hoses and flush the brake fluid. Double check the calipers are not frozen and the parking brake is not stuck either.

I would also replace the serpentine belt on principle, it has been sitting in one position for 9 years and no doubt has stress cracks especially where it goes backwards around the tensioner.

Edit: I would also replace the coolant tank, there is a silica gel pack in there that has probably gone stale.

[mannys9130]

Make sure no bacteria has taken up residence in the fuel tank. I'd nuke it with Startron on principle.

[Skid Row Joe]

In, for the developing 190D car story.......

[jt20]

inspect:

ovp
front strut mounts
air filter
underneath the valve cover - push down on compensators
rear diff fluid
belt tensioner arm/ wheel -(is the belt hanging off?)

[babymog]

Originally Posted by jay_bob

Edit: I would also replace the coolant tank, there is a silica gel pack in there that has probably gone stale.

Not to worry, not on an '89, just good new G05 coolant and water goes in there.

[Jarod]

Would this have turbo drain seals and crankcase separator drain orings like a 617?

Ive had 2 cars suddenly (within 2 months of eachother) start pouring oil from the turbo drain to the point it leaked more oil per mile than used fuel.

[shertex]

Originally Posted by Jarod

Would this have turbo drain seals and crankcase separator drain orings like a 617?

Ive had 2 cars suddenly (within 2 months of eachother) start pouring oil from the turbo drain to the point it leaked more oil per mile than used fuel.

No turbo on this car...so one less thing to worry about.

[Mxfrank]

- I would replace all the rubber vacuum connectors, T's and four way connectors under the hood. It's a good bet that some of them are shot, and tracking down problems one at a time is time consuming and frustrating.

- blow out the sunroof vents and the cowl area vents

- check the perforated drain plugs in the trunk. There are three...one on each quarter panel, and one under the spare. You'll have to remove the plastic trunk lining to see them.

- Check to see if there's at least a quarter inch of space between the swaybar and the oil pan. When the motor mounts soften, a 2.5 engine will settle onto the swaybar.

- Check the boots on the tie rod ends. If they're torn the likely reason is interference with the wheel weights. Replace the ends and use stick-on weights inside the rims.

- Change the brake fluid.

- Inspect rear axle boots, replace as needed.

- Remove battery, flush battery tray with lots of water (make sure you have the radio code if applicable)

- Power steering filter.

[chasinthesun]

My personal experience with the old 190d models are from the yrs 1984 to yr 1988 ,most performed well but some noticable problems were as follows.Single belt uses a belt tensioner ,these can be replaced and need to be examined before any long trips.Leaking injector pump seals ,instead of metal these models use rubber and will leak with age ,requires speciel socket for removal of line at injection pump,the job can be done as a DIY but again study well in advance before opening up this can of worms.The rearend suspention is majorally different and has around 18 connections to look for when replacing parts other than half shafts.Drive shafts and connections will make noise if old ,to inspect youll need to have it on a lift and in nuetral ,good time to also check play in the yolk at rearend .If it starts up ,very little blow by and shifts well I would say you have in your future just the regular service to tackle, happy motoring and enjoy this little gem.I treated all my 190ds to a reg once a year trannie fluid and filter change as well ,the trannies are just as robust as the diesel MB motors as long as you show it some love.This is true with all 80s diesel models.

[shertex]

Now sitting in my driveway...looks OK all things considered....now let the fun begin. Looking forward to spending my friend's money!