400e help
 

Just picked up my '92 400e (97K mi, all documented factory services, nearly perfect, $5500 on eBay!) in Albuquerque yesterday and drove it 400+ miles back to Phoenix. (25mpg!) **:D** I have a '90 300e that I thought was a great ride, now I am spoiled! WOW! Too bad it's for my wife!

I did notice a few minor glitches.

It idle, it seems to bounce up and down a bit, smooths out as soon as it hits 1K rpm. Just passed emissions, and tach doesn't quiver, so maybe motor mounts?

The oil pressure gauge just lays there at 0 until its at >1500 rpm. It stayed at 3 all day yesterday while running 80 in I-40. Oil level OK, changed 1K miles ago. Cause for worry? My 300e shows at least 1 even at idle.

Brakes seem to pulse slightly at low speed, mild braking. I looked at the pads while they were balancing the tires, fronts will need done relatively soon. Maybe a slightly warped rotor?

Anything specific I should watch for on this beast?

There's about a dozen different things that can cause rough idle on these cars, including motor mounts. There's an awful lot of stuff on 400E rough idle in the archives (search). Are you getting any fault codes? Building a code tester (also in the archives) is a good first step.

The oil pressure issue is almost certainly the sending unit which is located at the base of the oil filter housing. It's not too tough to replace, accessible from the bottom, and not too expensive, maybe $40.

Could be warped rotors - these cars have a history of being pretty hard on brakes.

Congratulations on your purchase/win. Souns like you ogt a bargain. I have heard that the 400e is a heck of a car. The only complaint I have heard about this car is that it can be expensive to repair, more so than say a 300e. Do you still have the ebay item number so we can see this new beauty of yours :cool: .

400e pics
 

Here is the eBay site
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4540677251&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT

I now have nearly identical white 124's, a 90 300e and the 92 400e. The 400 has noticeably more power, just feels more at ease accelerating. Awesome car!

Car looks great! Looks like the previous owner cared for her. Dash cover and sheepskin covers for the seats, nice Yokohama tires, under the hood looks real clean, built in radar detector, Kenwood cd changer, nice factory 8-hole rims....

Take a look at this thread, not trying to scare you though
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=120230

Wow, fantastic looking car! Looks like you got a steal.

What is the service history on the car? I did ALOT of research because I am thinking of buying one (for the past year). Did it have the wiring harness replaced?
I agree with the sending unit idea on the oil pressure.
Just replace the rotors when you do your front brakes next time.

Yeah 400E's are great cars!

I have one myself, a 95 though..
good power (the 944 turbo's faster :D), VERY smooth.. it's got that smooth kind of acceleration.

also.. it sounds awesome above 3000 revs/min. w/ the throttle wide open :D

let me see.. nightmares...
I've had to:

replace the evap (don't ask how much) and all the vacuum actuators while at it
replace the wiring harness
distributor caps, rotors, plugs, filters, fluids, etc. (90k mi.)
other than that it's been flawless..
i also had the engine mounts replaced.. more because I just wanted to replace them. One was already deteriorating but the other was good.

replaced the front speakers, the sound system is now awesome! Really good for stock

above all it still looks good in my opinion :)

here's mine..at a recent get together with much newer MBs
http://users.rcn.com/holsonyap/E420_Celica/IMG_1675.jpg

That scares me :grim:.

BTW The interior in your car is my favourite of all the interiors. I love the color! Love your car! On a side note, where were you when you took the picture next to the Mclaren F1?

400e records
 

I got the service records printout with the car. Looks like the tranny was replaced under warranty, as was the entire A/C. I am going up to the MB dealer tomorrow to get the most recent service history.

I understand the timing chain guides need replaced at ~150K, other than that, seems to be a pretty reliable engine. There is no oil on it anywhere, unlike my 300e.

Just found that the motor on the right rear of the drivers seat seems to be dead, causing the seat to rack when adjusted up and down. Will troubleshoot next weekend.

If you car did 25mpg, i assume ur engine runs excellent.... well....M119 is kinda bulletproof!
U may want to check the engine mount, M119 is heavy!

For the oil pressure, dont worry about it if it can hit 3 when u hit ur gas.... agree with the sending unit

You got a great deal! cong!!
Enjoy!