1990 300SE (W126) For Sale: Bad Water Pump

[NTL1991]

Hello, I am currently looking at a 1990 300SE with a bad water pump that has 103,000 miles on it. The gray interior is absolutely pristine (!!!! Can't stress this enough !!!) and the exterior is light blue with no rust anywhere. The only exterior flaw is the passenger's side top of hood near the windshield where it is bent up slightly. The price is $2000. Is it worth it to get the water pump and have it installed. Would it be cheaper if I bought the water pump myself and had a shop install it?

Thanks,
Nick

[Jim B.]

Well, as long as you have an understanding with the shop that if YOU furnished the shop with the part, and it failed, that they would not in any way be on the hook for that.

Many shops, (the owners of shops here might explain this better) don't always like to install customer-supplied parts for this reason, and think that they should source the parts themselves, and receive a fair markup for their installation, on the parts, too.

I am a traditionalist and tend to go along with this. It's been debated here before (many views) but to me, it's like taking your own food and meat to ssome restaurant and asking them to cook it (to save you money), the idea of it makes me uneasy.

That said, what is the estimate you have for parts and labor on a shop you like for this job? Do you have it? IF, say for example, it is $500, is that $500
reflected in the selling price - or would it be reasonable to hammer the guy on the price some more? What about the damage to the hood - a new one is expensive - I think they are aluminum, could it be fixed w/o repainting?


I like the idea of the 300SE a lot. If you like a big W126 sedan, and don't need blazing performance but want all the benefits of one of the last years of them made (more equipment, like an airbag, ABS, mildly updated stying and interior seat patterns, etc. and the best economy of a gas engine, it makes a lot of sense.)

They are like the best kept secret of this series, the SE has the sexy close coupled sedan body look, and handles well and is not that tough to park.
They are better on gas than the 560 but the proce to get in is not sky high like with the diesels.

Then to the car itself:

Does it have records, and check out OK per the buyers guide on www.mbcoupes.com ?

If everything works, it checks out, you like how it runs out, the PPI is OK, then I would buy it.

If you do, and do the water pump, you might also put in new coolant, belts and hoses at the same time. Might even be time to change the coolant anyhow. All this stuff will need to be disconnected to get to the water pump anyway, and just for fun, get an estimate of what it all might cost, either if you DIY (parts only) or what it would run if a good shop did it all at a reasonable price...

I mention it because by 100k yoou might need a new radiator if this is the original one, after 17 years, and the originals had unreinforced upper hose necks, that crumbled, so if you got a new radiator, the new ones by either Beher or Nissens come WITHOUT this flaw.

I'd fix all that stuff myself, then NO cooling problems to worry about.

The Transmissions and 177 hp inline six motor on these good looking cars make them a tempting deal for safe, comfortable, reliable, durable and pretty inexpensive running costs for a truly quality, luxury built and well engineered car that is beautiful to behold.

All I would add is a set of Euro lights to it and you would be golden.

You might take that figure into account when you figure on the price.
Also, even maybe a new radiator, too, as doing all that would cost something AFTER you bought it, so think about that repair figure too, when you think of price.

The only caveat would be this: Find out WHY the car is being sold with a unrepaired water pump; is this a red flag that the car was undermaintained and the owner can't afford to put proper maintenance into it? OTHER things might have been derferred or neglected too. You need to know. Check the records, talk to the mechanic, but find out.

good luck

[brewtoo]

Exactly what is wrong with the water pump?

[xtreme barton]

they are a pain to change ..expect at least a few hours to do so .. if you have the tools id say go for it .. your looking roughly at 150.00 for new pump .. id buy it if i had the opportunity ..just do a good inspection .. do a compression check if possible .. and stop by in the morning one day and fire it up till it warms up ..make sure it idles and sounds good..

[unkl300d]

That is a good car. BUT like the others said, make sure you know how long the water pump was out and if it was overheating. The engine may not like that.
Check the trans fluid for color and smell. The milage is low IF it has been serviced well. It probably burns some oil. That is common at that milage, in general. Mine does. No big deal.

$1600 would be OK since it has body work to do. The general used price is about $4000-4500 or less.

[ejsharp]

Make sure engine starts. Bad pump can cause head gasket to blow. Check to see if oil is in the coolant. I would take it to a shop before purchase or bring mechanic to the vehicle.

[Hit Man X]

Why would the owner not spend a few hundred to fix it to make the car worth $1000-1500 more? $2k is overpriced for a car with issues. My 300SEL was $1k and needed an A/C comp to drive. I took it off the road to rebuild the top end (oil leaks, old rubber was rotted out, etc) and it's a great cruiser.

I've never understood this and that always is a huge red flag for me on vehicles... seems to me there could be else wrong.



If it DOES indeed check out okay, I'd swap a belt while I'm in there, belt tensioner, tensioner shock, maybe a fan clutch, ATF cooler lines, radiator if it's old, inspect the PS pump (they tend to leak with age), the engine switches (aux fan, gauge, CIS sender), and the ignition bits (cap, rotor, plugs, wires) as they're probably due at this point. Same for the rubber under there, I can assure you it's hard and brittle at this point.

This goes along with all the regular services... trans, diff, oil, fuel filter, etc.

Sounds like more than you wanted to hear, but if that stuff is original it's time to be replaced and if you're already in there the time is perfect. It's 18-19 years old now...

[Ferdman]

Nick, have a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) performed by a knowledgeable MB-trained tech who knows that vintage car and works on them regularly. He/she will quickly evaluate the true condition/value of the car and what needs immediate attention to make it right ... well worth the $100 (give or take) for the PPI. Otherwise, you're taking the risk of buying a "money pit".

[wbain5280]

I did my 300SE water pump and it really wasn't that bad. It's time consuming and I did it over two days of leisurly work in my driveway in January when it was 35 out.

Make sure you use some grease to keep the O-ring in the pump groove and get a new hose from the pump to the head. Get a new O-ring for the water heater pipe as well. Unbolt the PS pump and move it to the side.

[Ferdman]

Nick, from reading your profile I doubt you have extensive experience working on cars since you don't own one. Older MB automobiles can be very expensive to maintain properly unless you do the work yourself. Before making a huge mistake be sure to have a PPI done. Remember there's nothing more expensive than a cheap MB automobile which has not had routine preventive maintenance done. Check if there are maintenance records for this 1990 300SE and have the tech review those when he/she does the PPI so he/she can make a comprehensive assessment.

[NTL1991]

Thanks for all of the replies! I do appreciate it. I am going to keep on looking around (There's also a 90 or 91 420SEL for $4800 in the neighborhood, but I think the price is a bit high) and maybe inspect the 300SE further, but I really don't want to rush anything; I have all the time in the world. I believe the water pump has a leak, but I can't be sure as to the condition of everything because I just took a quick once over of the car. The car is being sold at a local auto shop; I bring my Blazer and S10 there to be worked on and I haven't had any problems since. The owner seems like a good guy. That being said, though, I will have to find out more about the condition of the engine and if there is any kind of damage from overheating.

Thanks Again,
Nick

[Ferdman]

Nick, if you do purchase a MB take it to a MB-trained tech for service rather than your local tech who works on any/all types of cars. Experience and knowledge are key when servicing MB vehicles.

[Hit Man X]

Just know, the pump isn't a huge issue to replace. With the plethora of information that's online and with the FSM, even the largest newbie to the MB cars could do this.

We're more concerned on the rest of the auto... why the mechanic got it, the obvious price issue, etc, etc.