Hello, I've recently purchased a 91 300e with 185000 miles on it . The car is clean and was well maintained with records to prove it. Having said this, there is no record of and trans or rear fluid change and there is a oil leak somewhere under the front end. I plan on steaming the engine and looking for the leak but is there anything else that I should be taking care of or looking for from a mechanical standpoint and what kind of overall milage can I expect. The only cosmetic problem is the interior wood panel on the shift console which is cracking. Thanl you!

the front upper timing chain cover. Very common leak in this model. As far as the other fluids, just change them for piece of mind.

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J.H.
'86 300E

If the leak is engine oil, check the curbside rear corner the head for an oil leak. Also check the coolant in the resevoir for oil.

The problem could be the head gasket. This is a very common problem with the M103 engines. Check the records to see if the head gasket has been replaced.

Thanks, I'll check those areas tonight. I would also like to know how or why there is oil ontop of the air filter cover and how to prevent it from reoccuring. I have a question about the service cd's which are available. Are they of good quality and provide enough info for a DIY for some projects. I realize the value of a good mechanic and would not attempt all repairs.

When you remove the splash pan, inspect the oil pan. The oil pan gasket will leak after that kind of mileage ash been logged. It will look dirty and oily as well.

Not sure for the M103, but removal of the oil pan requires jacking up the motor a bit to allow the pan to clear the crossmember that gets in the way of de-installation.

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car