79 280 Ce Advise
 

hey kids....
total deisel dude here looking at a 79 280 CE with 198 on the clock.

Prefer if it was a diesel but so far the deal looks sweet as hes willing to trade my BMW that ive been trying to say byby to for a while!
Anyway.....any advise as far as what to look for and what to expect would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

cheers

I see you're in Mesa. I'm in Phoenix. Just where is this vehicle located? I might just have to go steal oops I mean look it over for myself :)

As to what to look for. I'd say apart from the obvious fact that it's a gas motor instead of a diesel the body is identical to a 79 300CD so the only differences would be with regards to the engine. I'd want a compression check before anything else. If the motors in good shape they can last a very long time. And are great highway cruisers.

- Peter.

If the motors in good shape they can last a very long time. And are great highway cruisers.

Well my OLD 603 engine is still in my yard so I'm thinking I can have that rebuilt and put it in the CE if it croaks~

that would be sweet if it fits!

the 280 motor is generally considered to be as durable as the venerable 616 and 617 motors. in injected form. i would expect a little less life from one with a carburator. i have heard of them with 400k on them and never had the head off.

tom w

The M110's are oil users and leakers. They need guides and seals every 100K or so, which is kind of a pain because of the large heavy cam box. They leak at the front seal, and between the cam box and the head.

It is worth pulling the cam cover off and inspecting the cams for wear. They are expensive and a lot of trouble to replace.

The AC/heat controls can be a troublesome especially the earlier models with the servo.

i suspect that more diligent oil changes will mitigate the above described problems. americans are not noted for their diligence.

tom w

Agree on the AC - replace the compressor with a Sanden if you can, smaller, quieter, and somewhat more reliable. Keep the cooling system flushed, that is supposed to extend the life of the servo (so I've heard, mine is manual).

The cams wear because people don't adjust the valve clearances or replace the worn adjustment nuts when required. It's easy to do with the special tool (about $40 if i remember) (much easier than a 617 engine at least)....there's a sort of friction-fit adjustment nut that you have to replace if the torque spec drops below (i think) 20 ft-lbs but that's all in the manual. I think the valve adjustment period is 15k miles?? Check timing chain stretch as well when you have the cover off.

They do leak a bit of oil but nothing terrible, my 280SE with 140k (nothing internal replaced yet except valve cover seals) is greasy but doesn't drip. The oil filter canister on the bottom is annoying.

oh yeah. the cannister sucks.

and they are more seepers than leakers in my experience.

but mine has only about 143k on it. it is euro though so it may have more in reality.

tom w

I currently own two M110's and have previously had three. The leaks I have observed and fixed:

Cam cover
Cam cover - head
Stud for AC compressor
Front seal
Pinhole leak in front cover
Rear seal

In addition to adjustment issues, the cams have a problem with lubrication. That's why the later models had a reduced number of cam bearings - to increase the flow to the cam lobes.

But regardless of the cause, it makes sense to check the lobes as part of a PPI.