Hi All,

I just purchased a 1992 190E 2.6 w/187,000 miles for $4000. First of all the the car runs very smooth. But I have noticed a few things in the week that I've been driving the vehicle:

1. Oil pressure gauge drops only when car is in idle.
2. There is slight valve knocking (if I floor the gas pedal).
3. consumes about a liter of oil every 2-3 weeks.

Is this normal for a car of this age or should I be concerned about any of these?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
-D

This is quite normal when the engine is at operating temperature. As long as it is still above the "1" mark things are fine.

2. There is slight valve knocking (if I floor the gas pedal).

Are you sure it is valve knock? I would expect a pinging noise if you are using regular gas. These cars require minimum 91 octane fuel.

Thanks for the feedback. Well actually, the needle lingers around the 1 mark, sometimes slightly below it.

Valve knocking: Honestly, I'm not even sure what valve knocking sounds like, I think I've heard the term used before but I can't say for sure that it's what I hear in my vehicle. To me it sounds like rattling. I've heard a similar sound in my previous vehicle (Honda civic) when it got close to 180,000 miles. When I added a few liters of oil in my 190E, the sound wasn't as loud.

I'd like to add something to my earlier question about low oil pressure:

If the needle drops all the way down below the 1 mark, what needs to be done to fix that problem? I have noticed it does actually drop all the way down to 0 once the vehicle has been running for a a few minutes and it's warmed up.

Thanks,
-D