300TE purchase advice - Page 5 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

BENZ-LGB · #61 05-13-2006, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinwrock

Holy Crap!!! Your son has the same interests as I do!

Automobiles and Computers!

Although, a 1988 300TE doesnt have much of an aftermarket performance following, as say a honda, there is still stuff out there to get more power. For instance, they have the mosselman twin turbo kit, and nitrous systems. But for me, being my daily driver, she is an excellent workhorse. I try to do most of the work myself, so it saves me money. My dad has been a long time Mercedes owner, from when his dad had a 220S. From that moment forward, it has been nothing but the 3 pointed star...

I trust my cars with their main guts in their stock form. I like having a wagon that handles good, especially for its size. But smart mone tells me to stay away from performance enhancers such as turbos and nitrous. I have cars that satisfy those urges. So anyways tell your son he is going to be a Benz nut!!!

And if your ever in my neck of the woods, he can come check out my computer!!! Nuthin says power like AMD 64x2, 2 gigs of memory, SLi, 4x WD raptor 10k in raid 0, and importantly an overclock that will make you shat your pants! O, and its watercooled too.

Justin, do you have a copy of Stu Ritter's W124 bible? There is a great article on how to hotrod a 300TE. Man, I'd love an AMG 300TE. Or, if I was not putting two (and in the Fall three) kids through college I'd get one of those hotrod E55 wagons.

AMD? You must be a gamer.

AMD has become the Holy Grail of gamers. Intel is falling far behind the hotrod AMD chips.

Do you use MB approved coolant for your AMD rig?

Merkey · #62 05-14-2006, 06:48 PM

Ok, she is ON THE DRIVE!
Went this morning with the Suburban and flatbed....
Money was exchanged and we now are in the MB family!
Here are a couple of pics.

Highpoints so far today:
The grin on my sons face!
The underlying condition of the car!
Watching the steering wheel telescope and the headrests go up and down!
Finding the original unused spare wheel and toolkit... a bit rusty tho!

Low points:
No A/C for sure.
No self leveling.
A few dents and scratches.
Antenna does not work.

All in all we are very happy.
An original California rustfree MB wagon with an original 64k miles with Airbag and ABS for $3000.

What do you guys think?

iwrock · #63 05-15-2006, 01:08 AM

Beautiful!!!! California cars are usually good cars, as they tend to not have climatical problems.

Few points though...

The SLS. Check the reservoir. Make sure that there is fluid in it. Mine was dry, and you could feel every little bump. Filled the reservoir, and all is good again.

The AC. I had mine fail, as it ran out of freon. I had it converted by my indy to R134A, and it blows cold again. I would reccomend a similar course of action just to see if that is indeed the problem.

My 18 Year old wagon has a few bumps and bruises, but that is normal for a car. Yours appears to be in pretty good shape for its age.

The antenna just may need to have the mast replaced. Most do at their age. The part is like $30.00 shipped (it was for the 600), so try that. It fixed mine. If its bad though, it may need a gear in the actual antena box replaced.

My baby has never left me stranded... Well, when she does decide to break, its usually at home, so it is a good thing. Your son should have an excellent time fixing her up.

Also, I noticed your in California. If you arent too far from me, I would like to come by and take a look. It seems you have found an excellent example of a wagon in its prime. ITs not even been broken in yet!!! I dont know if your wagon has a CD player for it, but if you and your son would like, I have the first stereo I ever put into my wagon. You guys can have your first adventure by putting in a new CD player, and learning the intricacies of the MB Audio system. Let me know if this is something you are interested in.

Oh yes, yours is almost the same color combo as my wagon. Mine is diamond blue, and she shines beautifully in the sun!!!

BENZ-LGB · #64 05-15-2006, 02:55 AM

Congratulations and welcome to the family.

I echo Justin's sentiments.

Regarding the antenna, make sure that the antenna switch on the dashboard is set to the correct position.

If it is set tot he correct position and the antenna won't ride upand down, it may need a little coaxing, cleaning and lubing.

With the switch in the correct position, turn on the radio and have someone GENTLY pull up on the antenna. If the antenna is imply stuck in place, it will move up a little. Then lube the mast and turn the switch off (so the mast goes back down again). Keep repeating the procedure (on-up-clean-lube-off-down) until the mast goes fully up and down by itself.

If worse comes to worse and you need a whole new antenna motor, they are cheap, about $150 (cheap being a relative term when it applies to Benzes).

The SLS suspension may be just fluid or you may need new accumulators. I recently had mine replaced by Enrique. Is not an easy job, but some DIYers here have done it. I just didn't have the time to do it myself.

She is a beaut. Your son lucked out.

again, welcome to the family.

BENZ-LGB · #65 05-15-2006, 02:59 AM

Ooops, I just saw the pics again.

The mastis up, it just won't go down, right?

Listen to the antenna motor, is the motor engaging?

The mast may need a little, gentle coaxing going down, plus lubing of the mast.

If the motor is engaging but the mast does not go down (even after coaxing and lubing) you will probably need to replace the mast. As Justin mentioned, it is cheap and easy to do.

Jim B. · #66 05-15-2006, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merkey

Ok, she is ON THE DRIVE!
Went this morning with the Suburban and flatbed....
Money was exchanged and we now are in the MB family!
Here are a couple of pics.

Highpoints so far today:
The grin on my sons face!
The underlying condition of the car!
Watching the steering wheel telescope and the headrests go up and down!
Finding the original unused spare wheel and toolkit... a bit rusty tho!

Low points:
No A/C for sure.
No self leveling.
A few dents and scratches.
Antenna does not work.

All in all we are very happy.
An original California rustfree MB wagon with an original 64k miles with Airbag and ABS for $3000.

What do you guys think?

Merkey,

I think you got a GOOD one, for that money, and about $1200 worth of great aftermarket WHEELS along with it. They look like AMG or Lorinser or something nice! Especially sweet with that color.

One little niggle, though; "An original California...wagon"....You said that there was little or no records with the car - Any California plate that reads "4YZGxxx" would have been issued in about 2003, so it's conceivable the car sold originally out of state, and been first plated here recently...unless the plates replaced damaged or stolen orig. California plates, or personalized ones at one point. A Carfax report, or MB VMI, dealer's from the Parts department, and a call for a copy of the window sticker to 1-800-FORMERCEDES will clear that up pretty quick. A moot point now though I guess.

Since you are a Brit I'm sure you will understand about the plates, and what FMBSH means....but anyhow, it's obvious, the wagon is a good one, and when it's sorted out, it's going to be a gem. They are VERY hard to find with miles that low. And those inline 3.0 litre six are BULLETPROOF engines .

And they do look awesome with Euro lights on them. I think I paid around $560 to get the Bosch ones from Capitol West in Sacramento by mail order.

Those little packages of Hirschman antenna lube, work real well. I am all out of mine though. And will need to replace my antenna now. But avoid WD40, it lubes but picks up dust too.

Congrats! I'm happy for you and your family.

BENZ-LGB · #67 05-15-2006, 04:34 AM

Jim, you must be an insomniac like me.

Merkey had a CarFax and I think it showed a complete Cal history.

For the mast lube I use a spary lubricant that I also use for my mountain bike chain. It lubes the chain and does not attract dirt.

Those wheels are real nice. They look good on a wagon.

I agree with you aobut the Euro headlights. They make a big difference on how the car looks--it retunrs the original Euro look. They can also really light up the road. If you guys join MBCA you get a 15% discount on all parts and accesories. Makes it easier to buy "toys" like Euro lights.

Jim, I really would like an SEC like yours to round out my collection.

But here is something to consider. SEC prices are pretty high and in some places getting higher (just look at the ads on THE STAR magazine).

I recently drove a brand new C320. It has the 200 hp V6 engine AND the 7 speed auto tranny. That car was a hoot to drive. Fast, nimble, rode like it was on rails.

You can probably get a dealer "demo" for a little over $30k. The car would not be as luxurious as an SEC, but it wold have a full warranty and the latest technological advances, like that 7 speed auto tranny.

It may be something worth considering...

Michael K · #68 05-16-2006, 12:07 AM

Looks great! Hope you all enjoy it. Wish I had a cool dad like you! Your wagon should feel as solid and tank-like as your Surburban but perform as a World class German touring car. Every time I switch from the E320 wagon back to our C230 sedan, I feel like I'm driving a go-kart. If you have to do the brakes all around, I think you can do a simple install of the larger (but lighter), post 1993 parts (without additional expense over the 1988 parts). Correct me if I'm wrong, but the front and rear bumpers are the newer, post 1993 set up. If they're OEM, those are spendy parts. Does the seller still have the OEM wheels? They're 15 inch diameter by 6.5 inch width and mount 195/65 95"V" rubber. It souonds lacking, but, with the correctly rated tire, the OEM spec is such a great a blend of performance and ride quality that there's no need to super-size (and over-weight) the wheels. What makes you think the SLS is shot? Before I tore into it, I'd check it thoroughly (including the wheel set up (especially the offset) and its effect on ride quality). Great purchase!!! Enjoy.

Merkey · #69 05-16-2006, 01:10 AM

Thanks for the input guys!
Today I drove it for the first time on the road!

Here is some of the things I saw/noted....

1/ I saw the ABS light iluminate for a few seconds... I was not braking at the time... it went off again after a while and I have not seen it again in the two other trips.

2/ A/C not working...
Any simple ideas where to start looking?

3/ I put the heater on and the was a loud watery gurgling noise from behind the dash... it stopped after a min or so... is that normal?

4/ The 2 rear seat track bolts are missing from the drivers seat!!!!!

Anyone know what size they are?

4/ At lunch today I looked at the radio antenna... the mast was half up... and would not move, so I pulled off the interior side panel to check the connection... and the power block was not even on the motor! I reconnected it and the mast went down.... now it wont come back up!

Ideas?

5/ I looked in the engine bay, looking for anything that could be a problem.... I noticed on the pass side of the engine there is a 3/4" tube that starts right behind the altanator and is connected to a selenoid close to the battery... That tube is cracked/perished below where it passes thru the bracket behind the altenator... but I cannot see if the crack is the tube or a insulating sleeve.
Any ideas?

iwrock · #70 05-16-2006, 01:16 AM

I get that gurgling noise in the morning after a hard drive.... Its just the heater core expanding, contracting and filling with coolant to heat ya up!

iwrock · #71 05-16-2006, 01:17 AM

The ABS could have just been doing a self check. My light illuminated once when I was driving, but after a restart all was back to normal. I took it into the mechanic, and he looked everything over, and gave me an OK!...

BENZ-LGB · #72 05-16-2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merkey

Thanks for the input guys!
Today I drove it for the first time on the road!

Here is some of the things I saw/noted....

1/ I saw the ABS light iluminate for a few seconds... I was not braking at the time... it went off again after a while and I have not seen it again in the two other trips.

2/ A/C not working...
Any simple ideas where to start looking?

3/ I put the heater on and the was a loud watery gurgling noise from behind the dash... it stopped after a min or so... is that normal?

4/ The 2 rear seat track bolts are missing from the drivers seat!!!!!

Anyone know what size they are?

4/ At lunch today I looked at the radio antenna... the mast was half up... and would not move, so I pulled off the interior side panel to check the connection... and the power block was not even on the motor! I reconnected it and the mast went down.... now it wont come back up!

Ideas?

5/ I looked in the engine bay, looking for anything that could be a problem.... I noticed on the pass side of the engine there is a 3/4" tube that starts right behind the altanator and is connected to a selenoid close to the battery... That tube is cracked/perished below where it passes thru the bracket behind the altenator... but I cannot see if the crack is the tube or a insulating sleeve.
Any ideas?

Having fun with the wagon I see..

1. ABS light can be just a self-check as Justin said. Or it could be that the ABS sensors are going bad. I am still on the road, but when I get home I'll check Stu ritter's book and see what if anything it says about it.

2. What is the A/C not doing? Not cooling at all? Cooling a little? Nothing works at all? It could be that the system needs a refill. A/C has to be used on a regular basis, as you know the system has lubricants (I think in the Freon itself) and if you don;t run the system regularly Freon may leak out.

3. Gurgling is normal, as Justin explained. There is a fix for it (do a search of the forums here for info on it). Back on the days when my daughter drove the 300TE and before she graduated to the C320 sports Wagon, I offered to have the gurgling fixed. She declined, she said ti made the car sound like a "person" or a baby gurgling and she liked the sound, so I left it as it was. Kids are weird.

4. I think that the antenna motor may be shot and that is why the previous owners disconnected it from the power line. Did you check the antenna switch on the dashboard to make sure that it is in the correct position? The mast may be "crudded up" inside and if it is, the motor won't try to raise it to save itself from burning up. some people use dirt-attracting lubricants to clean and lubricate the mast and after a while the mast gets really gunked up inside. Jimb mentioned cleaning pads by Hirschmann, those work great. You can buy them from Performance Products or yu can use what I use, any bike chain lubricant, designed for mountian bikes ought to work fine.

5. Can you take a picture of the tube? MB likes to make product changes, even during the same production run, and looking at a pic may help identify the hose. Is it a rubber hose, lke a vacuum hose or is it an electrical wire?

6. Simple test for the SLS. Park the car on level ground. have you, or your son (the heavier of the two) sit on the cargo area. Then start the car -- the rear of the wagon should level itself up. If it won't level up, then your rear gas "balls" may need replacement (or as Justin mentioned, the fluid level may be low).

7. Regarding those missing bolts, can you take a pic and then I will check in my wagon, I wasn't sure from your description what bolts you were talking about.

Like Mike mentioned, the 300TE is a fun car to drive and it is very capable at doing a lot of different things.

but...those Suburbans are fun too. I am now on a road trip...So. Calif. to Santa Fe and back, via I-40. I am driving my wife's YukonXL. I have to say that out on the open road, for a long distance haul, nothing feels as good as a big US SUV. (I have not yet driven the new GL -- that looks like a great SUV). The Yukon is load to the hilt and the rear won't even sag for a fraction of an inch. I hate driving ghe Yukon in city traffic, but out on the open road give me a big Yukon....and a Willie Nelson CD.

Michael K · #73 05-16-2006, 08:58 PM

My very unqualified opinions. The ABS light is either a wheel sensor or the OVP relay. I don't know how to diagnose between the two. AC system... charge the AC system with oil freon with UV dye in it. See if it holds the charge and if not, from where it leaks. I think everyting but replacing the evaporator is manageable. I would presonally replace evey fuse in the vehicle. They may look OK but they're prone to fail without visible signs. Dealer's parts department is the place for those. If you call the Dealer's parts department and tell him the screws you want, he should have them for about $1 each. The dealer can pull up on computer an illustration of every single part that makes up that car. Even if you don't buy parts from the dealer, the information and advice the dealer can provide will be invaluable to you. Just stick with the parts guys and stay away from the "service adviser." Clean and lube the heck out of the antenna. If it's moving at all, it seems like it's working. After that, you're looking at new parts. Are you keeping the OEM stereo? No clue about the heater thing. Check out startekinfo.com. Not sure if it goes back to the M103, but if not Mercedes publishes hard copy manuals for the 124 chassis and 103 motor. I bet you could get them at the library. Very helpful. Sign up for a day and print what you need. If you computer son figures out a way to hack in, please let me know. A new tube and the necessary hardware to connect it shoud be cheap at the dealer. If you find a better place to get OEM little parts like that, please let me know. Enjoy.

Merkey · #74 05-17-2006, 12:38 AM

Yeah!
We got the tags, so the boy drove it today for the first time and was very happy! He says it is smooth and quiet... I agree!

Filled it full with premium Tecron... $57....

It says only 91..... is that all it will run on?
Assuming it is running OK, what does everyone get in the way of gas milage?

A/C not blowing cold, so I will get that looked at soon, but is there a fuse I can check?

The gurgle will not bother me so much, and the ABS light has stayed off, so I guess it was a diagnostic.

The pipe I was looking at is a fuel pipe I think cos I traced it... it come up into the engine bay as a metal pipe, changes to a rubber pipe and goes under the oilpan and from there I cant see it... but the cracked area is just a sleeve so I will ignore that for a while.

The antenna is still stuck down... the switch and radio have been jiggled and the motor is silent.

Of most interest was todays drive in 80deg Orange county... the car has run pretty well up til today.... I say pretty well cos I "sensed" a tremor from the motor that you should not have on a straight six.
Anyway, today it did not stall, but it let me know that it is not happy with temps above 85.
I was sitting at a junction and the motor did its "miss".
Kinda difficult to describe, but it was like for an instant, the motor missed a complete cycle of ignition or fuel... or it had a momentary brain fart!
Its very noticable... shakes the whole car.

Here is what I see..... hot (85ish)and at idle is am sitting about 700/800rpm. LGB says his is lower than that, when it misses, the revs drop about 150rpm then recover... it then runs smooth for 10/15 secs or so and repeats... its not consistant, but does not do this when cold.
The economy gauge is sitting about midway between the left stop and the start of the red section.
I did notice that it is very sluggish on pulling away, but really revs sweet after 2500rpm. You can feel it miss a little sometimes between 1000 and 1500rpm.
I looked around the motor and all I could see looked good.
The PO had spent time and money on it... I will delve in more at the weekend!

BENZ-LGB · #75 05-17-2006, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merkey

Yeah!
We got the tags, so the boy drove it today for the first time and was very happy! He says it is smooth and quiet... I agree!

Filled it full with premium Tecron... $57....

It says only 91..... is that all it will run on?
Assuming it is running OK, what does everyone get in the way of gas milage?

A/C not blowing cold, so I will get that looked at soon, but is there a fuse I can check?

The gurgle will not bother me so much, and the ABS light has stayed off, so I guess it was a diagnostic.

The pipe I was looking at is a fuel pipe I think cos I traced it... it come up into the engine bay as a metal pipe, changes to a rubber pipe and goes under the oilpan and from there I cant see it... but the cracked area is just a sleeve so I will ignore that for a while.

The antenna is still stuck down... the switch and radio have been jiggled and the motor is silent.

Of most interest was todays drive in 80deg Orange county... the car has run pretty well up til today.... I say pretty well cos I "sensed" a tremor from the motor that you should not have on a straight six.
Anyway, today it did not stall, but it let me know that it is not happy with temps above 85.
I was sitting at a junction and the motor did its "miss".
Kinda difficult to describe, but it was like for an instant, the motor missed a complete cycle of ignition or fuel... or it had a momentary brain fart!
Its very noticable... shakes the whole car.

Here is what I see..... hot (85ish)and at idle is am sitting about 700/800rpm. LGB says his is lower than that, when it misses, the revs drop about 150rpm then recover... it then runs smooth for 10/15 secs or so and repeats... its not consistant, but does not do this when cold.
The economy gauge is sitting about midway between the left stop and the start of the red section.
I did notice that it is very sluggish on pulling away, but really revs sweet after 2500rpm. You can feel it miss a little sometimes between 1000 and 1500rpm.
I looked around the motor and all I could see looked good.
The PO had spent time and money on it... I will delve in more at the weekend!

Merkey, the gas economy in these cars are not great (for a 6 cylinder car). I can average 20 mpg if I drive judiciously. And yes you do have to use 91 octane. Otherwise the engine will ping because this engine does not have any way to retard timing (and avoid pinging). I know it hurts to pay that much for gas, but this is one recommendation that should really be taken seriously. BTW, I just returned from a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. There I paid $3.10/gallon for premium. Last year it was $2.39/gallon for premium. Someone is getting the big, old shaft. But I digress....

The stutter that you are experiencing, taken together with the economy needle in the middle position, may indicate some sort of vacuum leak. Even though the car has low miles, given its chronological age it is very possible that many of the rubber vacuum hoses will have harden, become brittle and cracked--creating the condition that you describe.

Except for the occassional "cutting out" or stall, my 300TE idles buttery smooth. But I have replaced (eitehr myself or the mechanic) many of the vacuum hoses. So I would look there. I would also lok at the Idle control Valve (ICV) and the two rubber hoses leading to and away from it (be real careful here though, one rubber hose leading to the ICV is easy to replace, the other, leading away from it, can be a real pain to replace and it may even involve removing the fuel distributor to do so, so be careful when you start wiggling and yanking things).

Anyway, you may also check into doing a "minor" tune-up. You can replace the spark plugs, spark plug wires, rotor, distributor cap and air filter. These are easy DIY projects that you can use to teach your son about cars and engines. I have taught my son how to replace plugs (including how to gap a plug), plug wires, etc. Next time the car needs a minor tune-up, he will do it. Anyhow, as soon as he gets his driver's license (in a couple of years) he wil "inherit" the 300TE, so he might as well to work on it now.

Anyway, try checking for a vacuum leak and do a minor tune-up, and see if it cures the "stutter." Your car should idle fairly smooth, regardless of outside temperature.

Enjoy!