Opinions wanted *Please*: Longevity & Pricing for a ’95 300D

[RunningTooHot]

I am looking at a 1995 E300D that has the 606 normally aspirated 6 cylinder. I am wondering about the longevity of this engine, as the car has just over 350,000 (apparently mostly highway) miles on it. If it was a 617 engine, I wouldn’t even think twice about it, but…

Here’s the kicker: the car has been serviced like clockwork by a Mercedes dealer, but ONLY according to the factory recommendations. The problem is that the factory requires oil changes every 7,500 miles, which is more than double of what I would usually want to see. (I certainly hope that the 15-40 oil that the Mercedes dealership uses is diesel rated oil!) My concerns would obviously be about bottom-end wear, i.e., bearings and cylinder wall clearances.

If anyone out there has a ’95, or any other 606 powered car, can you tell me what to expect for oil pressure at idle when the car is completely warmed up? (Assuming 15-40 oil)

Any ideas as to what a realistic price should be, considering excellent condition, but very high miles?

Thanks so much again everybody!

Glenn

[fahrgewehr2]

Unless the price was really low, like under 5K, I would avoid this car. You will hear about diesels going for a million miles and all that...but, the rest of the car will be pretty well worn. All those suspension bits, steering components, ACC, vacume hoses, transmission, etc will need to be replaced.

Now if the owner has already spent thousands rebuilding various systems, thats a different story.

Mike

[RunningTooHot]

The price is low, and the paint is supposedly all original.

Unfortunately, it is a dealer that has the car, although he has all the maintenance stamps from the MBZ dealership in the book. He said that it had a new radiator, which is what I’m concerned about – if these 606 engines overheat (for instance if the radiator neck snaps) do the heads tend to crack like on the 603 engines? Or are the 606’s comparable to the good ol’ beastly 617’s in this regard?

Hopefully things like the suspension bushings, joints, rear links, etc., are already done. I don’t know about the rest of the weak areas such as transmission or AC evaporator (if that is still an issue in the 1995 models?) I don’t know if things like the differential or axles become an issue at this mileage either. I know that I’ll be chasing after some things, but I just don’t want to buy into any major headaches such as an engine overhaul, or even an injection pump rebuild.

Hopefully, someone else with a high mileage 606 engine will see this and lend some input… (wishful thinking)

[Mark Herzig]

remember that the 124 chassis is pretty robust and the '95, being the last year of a 10 year product run, assures you that most of the 'kinks' have been worked out.

I'd get the compression checked but if that is OK, I'd go for it... I do a lot of highway traveling in mine now and I can see where 300K miles could build up quickly. Also remember that the tranny is not as stressed in cruising mode as it might be in city travel.

I would immediately put it on 3K mile oil changes as you have alluded to but would not be concerned about the factory service interval changes as long as they have been followed routinely.

[RunningTooHot]

Mark, what temperatures do you usually see when driving your 95 E300D?

Please take a look at my newer posting:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=75374

[Mark Herzig]

the running temperature was an issue for me. With cooler ambient temperatures, no concerns.. But in the summer, it could get higher that I'd like. Recently, the fuses on my auxillary fans were blown so that accouned for the running temp with the AC on in stop-n-go traffic.

I had the radiator flushed and all seems well. I'll probably re-add water wetter.

I always tell everyone that I watch the coolent temp gauge more that any other as an indicator of how the car is feeling. Compared to my other MB's, The DOHC 606 seems to run a little hotter. Its happy spot is 1/3 above the 80 mark but averages around 1/2 to 3/4 above the tic mark. When the auxillary fuses were out, it was getting dangerously high but never in the red zone.

[Chris W.]

I have a new (to me) '95 E300D with 145K, the last 5K being mine. My car runs a couple "needle widths" above 80C on the gauge normally, and in traffic on a 90F day it might reach 90C with the A/C on. My aux fans cycle properly.

At idle when the car is fully warm the oil pressure is a tad under 2 bar, using 15-40 Shell Rotella, and immediately rises as soon as it goes above idle.

The fact that your car has done 350K miles indicates the longevity of this particular 606. I don't think anyone can predict the future here, however, as you are in to some high miles. I did 300,000 miles on a turbo 4 cylinder Mazda, so almost any engine can do high miles. As others have said, check the records, get a decent PPI done. My car needed shocks/struts, motor mounts, and ball joints, which I elected to have a shop do, and that ran a cool $1000. DIY'ing would have saved about half that. If the price is right, take the plunge, I would say!

Rgds,
Chris W.