Just got a E300 Diesel 1996 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

radunegru · #1 05-05-2007, 08:00 AM

After a lot of time with my w124 300e 2.8 I decided to flip to diesel.
I am very excited.
I will post more pictures a soon I will bring the car home.
What is that I need to do immediately?
Can you give me some advise or just point me to some relevant posts that will help me catch up on thinks? It is my first diesel.

So these are the details: 1996 E300 Diesel 75K one owner, silver on gray interior, MB tex, heated seats, winter package, headlights washers. Car is in amazing condition.
Payed $11000.
What do you think it is too much ?...tell me the truth before my wife will find out.
My 300E 1993 is up for sale. $2500 delivered within 200 miles

nhdoc · #2 05-05-2007, 08:19 AM

That's a very fair price for the car as you have described it...it is getting very hard to find them with under 100K miles and with proper care you will get 200K more out of it if not more than that.

The N/A version is slower than the turbo (from '98-99) but if you found a turbo with 75K miles on it in the same condition it would cost you at least $5K more.

Just have the front spring perches checked for rust/detachment...there are plenty of threads about that issue with the W210 chassis...everything else that goes wrong is minor in comparison.

aklim · #3 05-05-2007, 08:43 AM

What is the condition of the glow plugs? One of mine was stuck at 55K and it took a head R&R to get it out. I would try take the GPs out and anti-seize the threads

JimmyL · #4 05-05-2007, 11:12 AM

Sounds like you got a good deal on a nice car.
Those have absolutely my favorite MB front end. Love the raked oval lights and just the whole front end presentation.
However, why did they put the rear end of a Taurus on these cars????
With only 75K on that car, you should be able to have it for a good long time, if you like keeping them like that.

radunegru · #5 05-05-2007, 11:13 AM

how can I check the condition of the glow plugs?
I remember that on one of the posts someone was complaining about how difficult is to replace them. Is my model the same?

TMAllison · #6 05-05-2007, 11:15 AM

For the mileage I also think you paid a fair price.

Read up on 606 GP's, there are two schools of thought here. Test fate and periodically remove operating GP's and dont test fate until one fails. You'll have to decide for yourself which is appropriate for you.

Some common problems with your version of the 606 are sticky EGR and Resonance flaps, leaky fuel line o-rings, and a bad K40 relay (think OVP) among others. Mostly they are simple repairs.

aklim · #7 05-05-2007, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMAllison

Read up on 606 GP's, there are two schools of thought here. Test fate and periodically remove operating GP's and dont test fate until one fails. You'll have to decide for yourself which is appropriate for you.

Some common problems with your version of the 606 are sticky EGR and Resonance flaps, leaky fuel line o-rings, and a bad K40 relay (think OVP) among others. Mostly they are simple repairs.

I am thinking that once it is done with anti-seize, you can leave it alone for at least 2 years before you "refresh" it. At least if one or two are stuck now, you have a choice of what to do. So, along that line, if you have 2 stuck now and you free up four and anti-seize them, you know that when the time comes you have 4 you can count on to come out. Now, if you leave it alone till you need to take them out, that four good ones might become 4 stuck ones.

I think the sticky EGR is because it gets crankcase fumes into the turbo and all the way past the EGR which blows out exhaust into the engine. So, I would think that a mod to shove the crankcase vent into the exhaust directly will keep it moving smoothly.

nhdoc · #8 05-05-2007, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

I am thinking that once it is done with anti-seize, you can leave it alone for at least 2 years before you "refresh" it. At least if one or two are stuck now, you have a choice of what to do. So, along that line, if you have 2 stuck now and you free up four and anti-seize them, you know that when the time comes you have 4 you can count on to come out. Now, if you leave it alone till you need to take them out, that four good ones might become 4 stuck ones.

I think the problem is that in order to determine one is stuck you will basically break it trying to remove it, then you're screwed and have to resort to the head removal to get the broken one out...it's nearly impossible to determine if a GP is stuck and will break or if it is just hard to remove until you've already broken it off...

I play the odds...so let's say for the sake of argument one of my GP's is seized and will break when I try to remove it. If, today, I decide to remove them all to check them I will encounter this and will pay $1500 to have the head R&Rd to get it out. If, on the other hand I wait until a GP fails, then I have a one in 6 chance that the one that failed is the one that's seized...still good odds that I won't be facing the head job. In fact, I'd have to have 3 fail before my odds are even...that could be 3-4 more years of carefree driving. In that time I might have checked them twice more and still had another seized one.

The anti-seize is not a guarantee they won't seize again, so you could actually have to R&R the head twice in the same time as I would have been able to drive with a 50/50 chance of ever having to do it. In fact, the problem is the plugs are underdesigned and too weak. They don't seize as much as just get really hard to remove...so hard they break during the extraction processs.

TMAllison · #9 05-05-2007, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

I am thinking that once it is done with anti-seize, you can leave it alone for at least 2 years before you "refresh" it. At least if one or two are stuck now, you have a choice of what to do. So, along that line, if you have 2 stuck now and you free up four and anti-seize them, you know that when the time comes you have 4 you can count on to come out. Now, if you leave it alone till you need to take them out, that four good ones might become 4 stuck ones.

The problem with removing working GP's for no other reason than to "test" whether or not they have seized, is that the "tester" becomes the cause of the failure when one is snapped off while performing the "test".

My set has been in for 3 years and 100k miles. They were removed then because 1 had failed and 2 had very low resistance. They came out w/o difficulty and w/o having been anti-seized last time. I wasn't aware of the issue at that tiem as the car was new to me. Was lucky....When and if I am "required" to remove another "failed" GP I will more than likely only remove the failed one and will probably use anti-seize when re-installing it, although I am not certain the anti-seize really helps. The others would be left alone until they fail.

My .02

Again radunegru, you'll have to decide for yourself whether to test fate or leave well enough alone. Teh point of my original post was for you to educate yourself first, before blindly jumping in and performing that job strickly on a PM basis thinking that it is recommeded by MB. It isn't.

BioPOWER · #10 05-05-2007, 01:46 PM

I'm envious of your heated seats and Xenon headlamps

I never have cared for the smoke silver, though.

The first thing I'd do is check the glowplugs and clear fuel lines, the work on getting yourself acquainted with whatever niggles your car may have. IMHO, I'd check for bad glowplugs at the relay (without removing them), and if there aren't any bad, just leave them in. At 155k miles I removed my ORIGNAL glowplugs and only encountered one which stuck; it sheared the nut off the end. I'm planning to get it out this summer.

radunegru · #11 05-05-2007, 02:04 PM

How about going a the dealer and have them replaced. If they will brake it they will have to fix it.
Also I have other questions to ask.
Is this car having a history of evaporator problem?
Where can I purchase the repair manuals (I meant CD's )
Also how about the steering, I heard that is creating big problems comparing with W124.

Thanks all of you guys for your warm welcome and great feedback.

nhdoc · #12 05-05-2007, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radunegru

How about going a the dealer and have them replaced. If they will brake it they will have to fix it.

Hahaha...that's funny...yeah, they will fix it...for $2500. Don't think that if the GP breaks off when the dealer tries to remove it they will remove the head for free just cause they're nice guys. They will claim that on a 11 year old car the risk YOU take is that if a part breaks when it is being removed YOU'LL pay the cost to make it right...

#13 05-05-2007, 07:03 PM

Welcome to the real world, throw all your micrometers, fiddle about gauges, strobes and all that other poncy stuff away and buy a big hammer and a sturdy screwdriver.

I have a '94 W124 with the OM606 engine (God bless it.)
I bought it with just over 100k. If you like messing and getting dirty do the easy stuff such as both fuel filters (O ring with the inline filter has to be bought extra) check that the fuel return hoses on the injectors are not weeping, if they are they will be brittle and a swine to get off but they will need replacing. A dental pick and patience is a handy tool here.
The intake manifold has to come off for this one so check for too much crud build up on the inside. Also check that the flaps are working freely (crank it up with the manifold off and rev her up you will see the flaps opening and shutting, sounds good as well

)
Engine mounts are often overlooked but easily replaced - plus I always change all the fuses when I buy a used car but that's just me.
Apparently the 606 has an issue with timing chain stretch which I am told can be held in check if you use good quality oil and a genuine MB filter at services. It would be worth having a look at the chain tensioner for wear as well.
Apart from all that scaremongering the OM 606 is a cracking engine and will outlast that chassis if serviced frequently.
Preventive maintenance or repairs, flip a coin

Have fun
Adrian