Thread: thinking of Buying MB 300 wagon from early 90's
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Old 05-22-2008, 04:03 PM
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jlomon jlomon is offline
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The two big issues for that engine will be the wiring harness and the engine head gasket, 1993 to 1995 for both issues. Even if the head gasket was replaced early in the car's life, it could leak again. MB did a redesign of the gasket that added extra strength to the problem area (there is an excellent article in the DIY Articles on M104 head gasket replacement written by Steve Brotherton that provides more info on this whole issue) but if your car didn't get the redesigned gasket it could leak again.

Everything I've ever read about the first generation 4Matic system says to steer clear of it - it is overly complicated, prone to problems and very expensive to fix. The second generation 4Matic, found on W210 and newer E Class cars, is much simpler and much more reliable.
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2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)
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