My 93 300E 3.2 liter is 3 hours away (Orlando FLorida)

It got stuck there with a cracked radiator "connection" to the upper hose..

My son was driving and had AAA tow to what seems to be a reputable repair shop for older diesel MBs....so after replacing with anew radiator and hose...I got

called and was told it failed a gas test ....the thermostat was also stuck.

and need new head gasket...Costs 500 for radiator and total bill with head work will be between 3300 -3700 ....This I would still do the repairs however here is my question......

Prior to all of this the A/C was working and would blow cold but there is a definite leak where the cold would last less than 1 week after a full charge.

The shop says they cannot test for a leak because they can't run the engine long enough to test for a leak and where it is coming from w/o risking damaging the lower engine parts as well....

Any suggestions for safely testing for the A/C leak under these conditions prior to the head repairs? This is a nice 93 with approx 115,000miles on it,

and I can stomach the 3,700 tab but not knowing if there's another $1,500 right behind it is giving me questions about what to do overall.

The radiator is repaired and the head work has not started yet.


Thanks,
AA


...

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'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

Way to much money for the headgaket in my opinion....the head of the 104 will not need new seals or guides.......just pressure check and resurface ....

the best thing you can do is fix the car by your self, or find a mechanic-friend to do the work for you ....3700+1500 are more than the car is worth in the market..you can buy a new one for that money.......unfortunately, the ac (EVAP) repair job is harder than the head-gasket job, and will cost around the same........

If i were you, I would fix it my self (I never did any engine work before doing the headgasket on my current car-same engine as yours).....it is easy with the right tools and research, but time consuming

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1993 300E, 2.8 M104 .....

HI Latief,

Appreciate the advice. 3300-3700 was the shops estimate for the head and the radiator together. The radiator work w as $500.

From what you are saying this is too high. The interior and exterior are in nice condition and this is still worth the 4K vs spending the same 4K on a "new" 300E and not knowing it's history.

Do you have a guesstimate what the cost should be on this engine work?

And my question is if there is a possible way to diagnose the unknown cause of my freon leak PRIOR to them re-doing the headgasket?

Thanks again,


Austin

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

Behr radiator or Nissens are $150-180. remove clips holding radiator in place, loosen transmission cooler lines, install radiator and fill with coolant.no need for a Mercedes radiator. This you SHOULD do yourself at least and save some money..you have a couple of thousand posts here so i am sure you know your way around these cars

Headgasket: 800 for parts including a graf water pump. labor around $1000ish; head resurface and machine shop is about 200-300 ... 2500 tops. No need for valve seals and guides on the 104 engine unless overheated and neglected for a long time.....mine did not need anything at 180,000miles !!!!

AC repair: I am not very experienced in that area but you could put some dye in it yourself. if no visible leaks then most likely evaporator core inside dash....easy job, except dash removal is the big deal....i think it is a 10-12 hour job at a Mercedes shop. This in fact is the biggest and most expensive job on these cars (aside from transmission rebuild)

whatever you do, make sure you take it to a Mercedes specialized shop. regular mechanics will have a hard time getting timing correct and sealing front cover correctly...

edit: AC.....Not sure how to diagnose leak unless engine is running. but most likly it is the evaporator...it is not a matter of if - but when they fail...faulty design

good luck

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1993 300E, 2.8 M104 .....

You are kind of in a poor situation. You cannot fully know if the evaporator is leaking or not until you can use dye in the system. It is highly likely that is where it is...So at a shop, expect about $2500....

I would honestly sell or use the car as parts and purchase a new car.
I mean...BEST CASE SCENARIO: $3700. Worst case, and frankly more likely: over $5000.

I wouldn't want to gamble that....Just IMO. Just find a nice example of a W124 for under $4000. You can find something really nice for that price.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
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