'96 E 320 questions

[c_ron]

I'm a first time MB owner with a couple of questions about my low mileage '96. Firstly, the prior owner was the proverbial "little old lady": I bought the car 7 months ago with the odometer reading just under 50k. After a thorough cleaning inside and out, it now easily rates >8.5/10. And IMO it's styling is timeless. I've now taken several long driving trips, so am pretty familiar with the vehicle, and just had the 60k servicing done last week (59.2k).

After sitting for several hours (certainly overnight) the first transmission (not 4Matic) shift in D (2nd to 3rd ??) doesn't occur until the tach reads 3200rpm. This may occur a second time, after the first stop, on cold mornings, then it shifts at lower rpms. The transmission service had no impact on this phenomenon. Is this just an idiosyncrasy of this transmission?

I switched from driving a lithe 3200 lb. Nissan Maxima to this 3700 lb. E320 and find that the E 320 drives (ie steers) 'heavily'. Is this, again, normal for this model with Michelin 215/55 16's, or might a change of front shocks or tires make a difference?

I'll appreciate feedback from others, especially others familiar with the '96 E 320 (I-6).

Thanks,

Ron

[benzfan]

The shift delay is to allow the cats to heat up more quickly and is normal for all models when cold.
The steering heaviness you feel is probably related to the width of your front tires compared to your old Nissan. Your car also has a recirculating ball type of steering which gives you less feedback than a rack and pinion type of system. Just make sure your fluid is up to the correct level in the resevoir.

[Ali Al-Chalabi]

Welcome to the forum!

Transmission shifts are delayed when the car is started from cold in order to reduce help the catalytic converter reach operating temperature sooner. This is done to help reduce cold start emmissions and is perfectly normal. I forget the exact amount of time that it is supposed to resume normal shifting after a cold start but I believe its about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.

Car will feel "heavier" in steering than a lot of other vehicles. The steering system is designed so that there is acutal road feel in the car. I would personally not trade the steering feel for anything else. You have good tires on the car if they are Micehlin. Shocks have no bearing on how heavy the steering feels.

[Ali Al-Chalabi]

Ah, beat me to it while I was typing.

Just one small correction tot he above post, the W210 has rack and pinion steering, NOT recirculating ball.

[c_ron]

Thanks to both for your responses.
BTW, what is 'W210'?

[ccmbduong]

I currently have both 96' E320 MB and '97 Maxima, so I know what you are talking about. Your E320 is normal, just enjoy it. Let's hope that we do not have a head gasket problem as mentioned by some members

[benzfan]

Originally Posted by Ali Al-Chalabi

Ah, beat me to it while I was typing.

Just one small correction tot he above post, the W210 has rack and pinion steering, NOT recirculating ball.

Oops, mea culpa.

Great car, I bought mine new in '96 .. tranny wait till to shift till cat is warm is normal - the shifts go to lower RPM as soon as engine temp goes up to certain point (not sure what it is).

Watch out for the head gasket leak problem .. I had one installed by Mercedes .. they didn't want to do it .. but I knew a lot about the 104 engines and they had a hard time arguing with me once I contacted the MBUSA (formerly MBNA) rep in Montvale, NJ. Basic problem is that head and block are long ... they deform under heat at different rates and MB used a cheap gasket element for the run of the mill 104 engines. MB used a muich better gasket and controlled the flatness tolerances much better on the AMG 3.6 LIter engines found in the terrific C-36.

I never had any problems with an AMG 3.6L that I rebuilt and shoe-horned into a black market 190E 16V .... but, my first gasket in the E320 went at 36k miles .. now at 52k miles I need another gasket! The symptom is oil smell and light smoke coming from rear of engine after a long drive ... the leaks are typically more like weaping rather than leaking and tend to happen more with lighter weight oils like the synthetics I use ... I am going to watch the leak .. but I don't think I'll change another gasket unless it gets bad ... I regularly drive to Miami from Sarasota FL and there is weaping, but very very little oil consumption.

Best of luck with the E320 ...

[c_ron]

I had been made aware of the leaking head gasket problem with the '96 E 320 (sorry, I'm not conversant with engine #'s, etc.) prior to buying this car. I verified that it had already been replaced ($1200 proposition, apparently) prior to making my offer.

One further observation: I employ cruise control when at freeway speeds and with my prior vehicles have always exceeded EPA mileage estimates by 3 to 5 mpg. Not so with the E 320, at least prior to 60k servicing, which included new plugs: 25 mpg hwy is IT (73 - 75 mph) and 20 around town. The prior owner had apparently been using middle grade gas for her (very) limited town driving. I'm using premium per the owner's manual.

Thoughts?

[California Beach]

Originally Posted by c_ron

I had been made aware of the leaking head gasket problem with the '96 E 320 (sorry, I'm not conversant with engine #'s, etc.) prior to buying this car. I verified that it had already been replaced ($1200 proposition, apparently) prior to making my offer.

One further observation: I employ cruise control when at freeway speeds and with my prior vehicles have always exceeded EPA mileage estimates by 3 to 5 mpg. Not so with the E 320, at least prior to 60k servicing, which included new plugs: 25 mpg hwy is IT (73 - 75 mph) and 20 around town. The prior owner had apparently been using middle grade gas for her (very) limited town driving. I'm using premium per the owner's manual.

Thoughts?

I think the MPG that you wrote is pretty accurate.
I have been keeping track of my mileage and noticed that on long highway trips I do get around 25MPG and for combination of city/highway I get the 19 - 20 MPG.
Stick to the Premium gas, you don't want problems with your fuel system.


Also, I haven't had the gasket problem that some have had. I have 157K miles on my Odometer.

[Gilly]

BTW, what is 'W210'?

That's the internal version code MB gave this particular chassis. In effect, it's the E Class MB made from 1996 thru 2003, the ones with the oval headlights like yours. Other cars made in this time period were for example the 202 chassis, which was the C Class, the 129, which was the SL, the 140 which was the big S Class. The W is normally found on the sedans as a prefix, may or may not be used in "light" MB techno-convo. Lot's of lingo to pick up on when you delve into this stuff, don't b afraid to ask if you don't understand.
You may be able to use the search option and find a list of these model numbers.
Gilly