Engine very red....Any cleaners/detergent oil?
 

Replaced the valve cover gasket today...so first look at the engine.
Engine runs smooth though...so I'm not worried about it. Just curious.

This coloration indicates a lack of oil changes throughout the life, right?

I heard running diesel oil through the system might help because it has more detergents or something...

Any thoughts or advice on anything I could/should run through this engine based on its visual appearance?

http://www.ps2cho.net/downloads/phot...E_valveoff.jpg

Have you been losing Tranny fluid?:eek:

Have you changed the oil yourself in this car last oil change?

I've heard of people going to places like jiffy lube, and they get the new guy to change the oil and he loads it with trans fluid.

I am yet to change the oil...but I haven't driven more than 10 miles in it yet...
It's definitely not tranny fluid...

Car did have a jiffy lube sticker on it...:eek:

Gonna run 1/3 a can of seafoam through it then change the oil this weekend. Hopefully it passes the smog test so I can get to drive and work on it (I am limited as its gotta be parked in my complex til I get the tags...can't risk no spaces and getting a ticket on the street)

I would not run seafoam through it just yet. If it cleans the engine too quickly, you could block up some of the small oil passages. Instead use Mobil 1 and let it try to clear that off. I think that color is due to the engine running hot. How does it look on the temp gauge?

Change the M1 every 3~4000 miles until the parts are clean and shiny...

BTW, that is a nice looking wagon.
Good luck!

It looks a little redder than usuall, but they all get that tinge to some degree. Lack of oil changes usually creates black sludge buildup.

When looking inside my M103 through the filler cap with a flashlight....its the same color as my diesel....just a normal metal color. No red to speak of....

I have done a lot of valve adjustments on various makes of cars over the past 45 years and have never seen a red valve train. Wonder if one of the "designer" oils (with red color pigment) was used for some time in this engine?

I too would bet on a "special oil" of some sort.

Like I said the engine lacks a little power...but sounds great at idle.



Thanks! My wagons M103 looks much nicer than this one ;)

I also noticed the inside of the valve cover is disintegrating...so I gotta get a better one from the Junkyard...don't want any of that crap going into the engine...

I've never understood the point of the 2.6 M103.....why did they even bother producing an engine only slightly smaller? Was it less or more expensive new than a standard 3.0? Is it even any more fuel efficient? Any advantages at all?

Its a 260E, its going to feel less powerful and slower than the TE.

As for the red, maybe dye?

The 2.6 was used in the 190 series as an upgrade from the 4 cyl. engine and carried over to the 124 as the base engine. They also offered a 2.8 as well as the 3.0 and 3.2 in the U.S. 124s. The 2.6 does not have much low end torque, especially in hot weather with the A/C on but is adequate and gave decent gas mileage. At first, because of pollution controls, the 3.2 did not deliver as good MPG but that improved by the '94/95 models. There is a significant difference between the HP of the 2.6 vs the 3.2 - 158 vs 217, IIRC. In general, I think the 2.6 is easier to work on and a little simpler. The bottom end is bullet proof with only valve guides and seals needing attention sometime after 125K miles. Often just replacing the seals will reduce the oil consumption. Head gasket leaks are common to all the versions of the 6 cyl. engines. Some will leak early on while some will never develop a leak. The leak is usually oil into the coolant (and on the outside of the engine in the rear, right corner), rarely coolant into the oil.

http://www.ps2cho.net/downloads/phot...E_valveoff.jpg[/quote]

Your valve train looks clean..no sludge build up.
Maybe the previous owner was using something like Royal Purple synthetic ?

a coworker who i just showed the picture to thinks its causes by water. Like a headgasket or cracked head perhaps.