Hello all,

I recently purchased an 87 190E 2.6 (M103 engine), which is known
for having problems with oil consumption due to valve guide and
valve guide seal wear. Mine burns a lot. I purchased the car with
140k miles and I have all of the service records. Upon buying the car, I changed all the fluids to synthetics. Here's what I have found:

Driving around town: 1qt/600-700 miles.
Driving 80mph on freeway: 1qt/300-400 miles.

Ouch. There is no visible smoke from the exhaust. There are no oil leaks (garage floor is dry). Smog test passes, but is very high in the hydrocarbon department.

I guess I should fix this, probably by replacing the valve guides and seals. I would any advice - here are some questions:

Can I be pretty sure this is a problem with the valve guides/seals?
As long as the head is off, what else should I fix?
Does anyone have good advice from experience with this?
Does anyone know of a good mercedes mechanic in the Southern California area?

All help/advice/sympathy is appreciated! Thanks so much!

John

Sounds like you've nailed the problem, though I'm no tech. Some here will probably say that your switch to synthetic probably exacerbated the problem, as switching on a high(er)-mileage car usually does just that. At the amount you're burning and with no leaks, I'd say it's time to pull the head. As to cost, I don't know (yet) - but I'd imagine $1400 - $2000 if you're not a DIY'er.

Correct me if I'm wrong, guys...

Don't pull the head before investigating further. The valve seals really were a problem with this engine, but the head does not have to be removed to replace them.

If you don't have records, find someone in SoCal thoroughly familiar with the breed, who can pull the valve cover and tell if they have been changed. I don't know if anyone can peak through the spring and tell, but I'd find out before I pulled the head.

My 300E came with complete records and the valve seals had been replaced sometime well before 88K miles. The engine now has 170K and uses so little oil that it's almost scary. So I know that it can be done.

Good luck,

------------------
Larry Bible
'84 Euro 240D, 523K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

Agree with Larry, try the seals first. Not a very invasive or expensive fix. If this doesn't improve your oil consumption, then you may be looking at rings (get the compression checked). It sounds like it's basically healthy, so go with Larry. But, you must rememember, sooner or later the guides will have to be done...

------------------
Jeff Lawrence
1987 300e
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 07-19-2000).]

how do you do the valve seals? is it a DIY'er? thanks

Well, how comfortable are you with stuff like this. You will need to remove the rocker arm stands, get a valve spring compressor, have a source of compressed air and an adapter for bringing compressed air into each cylinder to keep the valves shut. Valve springs will have to come off. Valve spring keepers will have to come off, etc, etc. If you feel you can handle this task, get a service manual and go to town..

------------------
Jeff Lawrence
1987 300e
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 07-19-2000).]

Thanks for chiming in guys - and here I thought you had to pull the head to do this stuff...

I guess I'll impose a self-exile from the tech section and continue on with the inane posts in other areas.

- the mechanically impaired guy