I can see exactly where the leak is. its coming from the driver side metal pipe connector which appears accessible from the driver side. My question is do I still need to remove the entire dash to take off the pipe and also is there a gasket or something in there that needs to be replaced?

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1990 190E 3.0L

The little aluminum pipe is expensive from MB.

There is a little nylon divot thing that keeps the pipe from moving where it goes thru the firewall. Remove that, and loosen the connection to the molded hose under the leaf screen.

The alum. pipe has an O ring on the end where it mates to the heater core.

If you are getting alot of water, MAYBE the O ring is bad, but in my case, the plastic side of the core was cracked.

You will need to get the right O rings, and if it was mine, I'd do both sides.

All the best of luck to you on this. I will shed tears for you if you wind up doing the core yourself, as I know what you will be going through. It's such fun.

The best part for my job was getting to undo what others had done WRONG in there. They had tangled up the vacuum lines, and all the wires connecting to the speedometer, and back to the heater box.

When I got it done, everything fit right.

Be very careful when disconnecting the pipes, and have something there to catch the water, as there is a good bit of antifreeze in the core.

MB says to disconnect the heater water connection at the back of the engine near the oil filter, allow it to drain out into a bucket under the engine, and use an air hose (like we all have this option) to blow the antifreeze out of the core.

I cut the top off of a gallon milk jug, and held it in place until the water stopped flowing.

I really doubt that your O rings are causing this, but I have been wrong before.

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My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

looking at your photos makes me want to vomit. :-( This will indeed be a task, but I will test the o-ring first to see what the deal is with that. If I don't get any water after that, hallelujah! If I do, then God have mercy on my soul.

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1990 190E 3.0L

Just so you will know... There is a happy ending here.

I left a switch sticking out of the center console because I was going to replace it later.... I did it a day or two later.

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My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

+1, it's your heater core! Both sides of the heater core are plastic, they do crack. Most likely the crack is near the pipe, that's why you think the o-ring have failed.

Coolant flows from the engine's driver side into the heater core & out to the aux water pump. So if you want to bypass the "LEAKING" heater core, you either have to install a ball valve on the engine's driver side too or run a hose from there to the aux water pump.

I did mine 5 years ago. Yes, looks pretty scary...but actually not too bad, just time consuming.

Like Holmesuser01 said, you have to remove that metal bracket & nylon divot, before the pipe can be loosen (see pic#2).

Pic#3 shows the pipe on the right side attached to the heater core, notice the sides are "PLASTIC".

Pic#4 shows the pipe removed from the heater core, pipe inserts into core ~1/2". Also shows the evaporator (after the heater box is removed) on the other side of the fire wall. NOTE: Evaporator can only be removed from the engine bay.

Pic#5 shows the heater box removed, you have to take apart the heater box to replace the heater core.

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85' 190E w/collector plates

Cypress, Good pictures. I know these views!!!

And when you take the heater box apart, be aware of the locations for all of those little clips that hold the heater case together, and make sure they are all put back correctly.

Label where the vacuum lines go on the heater box, too. Will save time, later.

I took the trouble to clean the inside of the heater box thoroughly, though I didnt take any pictures of it. Removed smoke and general filth that flowed through the system over the years.

It's worth the extra work.

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My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

If you do decide to replace the heater core, replace the rotted foam seals on the heater box as well. Also the vacuum pods should be replaced at this time, otherwise you'll regret it later.

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85' 190E w/collector plates

I didnt replace the foam. I DID replace the vac motor on the top of the heater box, and the one on the left side above the instrument cluster.

Should-a replaced the foam. The only foam I replaced came with the new core.

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My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

Cypress, I love that blue interior! It looks awesome! As far as the heater core goes, I will probably get after it on friday....I will check the o-rings first, hopefully that is the problem. Does any one have a part number for the vacuum pods or can I rebuild it by replacing the damaged or worn components?

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1990 190E 3.0L

I paid $117 each for the two I replaced on my '84.

And yes, I second that blue interior. Sharp!

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My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

I have done it on my W124, so its very similar. Photos look gruesome...but everything is actually a lot easier than it looks. Most of the wire mess you see you don't even touch. The biggest thing you can do is either video, or take GREAT notes and LABEL everything, Maybe label it including a step # so you know when putting it back together which stuff you do.

Everything is very straight forward, just time consuming that's all.

I would say the HARDEST part of the entire removal is prying the old heater box from the firewall -- its stuck with age and you need a helper to pry from the engine bay side while you help it from the inside.

As previously said, do the evaporator, heater core and ALL vacuum pods.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

Thanks guys, I love that blue interior too..it's pretty rare on the W201s.

I reaaalllllly took my time. I worked on it a few hrs each day for a whole week. I wiped & clean every part, took out the front seats, power washed the removable carpets & shampooed the rest.

The vacuum pods aren't that expensive, ~$50 each.

The evaporator are different on the W201s, they can only be removed from the engine bay. I overhauled my A/C too, replaced every part. From the engine bay, you have to remove the blower motor & blower motor housing to get to the evaporator. I vacuumed, scrubbed & hosed down the area after I removed the evaporator....now I get FRESH air blowing into the car.

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85' 190E w/collector plates

Does anyone have any idea what it might cost to get it done on the line??

Did you get your vacuum motors from the dealer? I did. I have a feeling that they got me good.

It's amazing what you will find in there. Did you find the drain in front of the blower assembly (looking towards the interior) full of crud? It's amazing how much better it smells now.

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My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.

Not sure what you are asking there....

No, not from the dealer, got them from the place in Arizona.

Had a LOT of dust (that's why the vacuum, didn't want dust to fly all over the engine bay), a bit of mold & mildew (I sprayed disinfectant & scrubbed).

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85' 190E w/collector plates