is this a good deal? 190e 2.6

[benhogan]

1992 Mercede

it's a gasser. is there anything I need to know about this 2.6 engine?
he says he just had the heater core replaced for $400. I guess it is a good sign that he gets things repaired and not letting it go.

let me know what you guys think. I will probably buy I today if you guys will let me know what to check on the motor.

[lorainfurniture]

The 2.6 is basically a m103 3.0.

I wonder how easily accessible the heater core is on the 201 to be able to change it with $400. On the w124 it requires dash removal.

[benhogan]

Originally Posted by lorainfurniture

The 2.6 is basically a m103 3.0.

.

so is this a good thing? is this the motor that eats head gaskets?

for $1500 I think I can roll the dice.

[lorainfurniture]

Head gasket is a once every 150k ordeal. Not hard to do either. It was one of the very first things I did on my car when I bought it all those years ago.

As long as the engine runs smooth, with no hesitation it should be fine.

Check for mixing in the coolant, and in the oil fill.
Check how long it takes to engage in reverse. More than a couple seconds means the trans is tired. Mine has been getting progressively worse for the last 3 years so bear in mind that it's not imminent failure

[benhogan]

Originally Posted by lorainfurniture

Head gasket is a once every 150k ordeal. Not hard to do either. It was one of the very first things I did on my car when I bought it all those years ago.

As long as the engine runs smooth, with no hesitation it should be fine.

Check for mixing in the coolant, and in the oil fill.
Check how long it takes to engage in reverse. More than a couple seconds means the trans is tired. Mine has been getting progressively worse for the last 3 years so bear in mind that it's not imminent failure

more details...he says it needs a 'freeze plug'? what is that? he said when he puts antifreeze in, it leaks out from somewhere in the engine. is that a bad sign?

[benhogan]

I decided to take a pass on the car. a coolant leak is not something I want to deal with right now.

[lorainfurniture]

Maybe someone can chime in on whether it could be a hg. Could be water pump, or many other things. I would bet more on something else than a freeze plug.

Did you see where the leak was at roughly?

[richard28]

Freeze plug is not necessarily a big deal. Had it done on my son's '88 300ce for about $150.

[Walkenvol]

I'd suspect the coolant is leaking from the head gasket before a freeze plug. If it is a freeze plug, then no big deal. If its the HG, then you'll have that out of the way also.

What's become of your '87 2.5dt?

[dynalow]

I had a 1991 190E 2.6. Bought it used from my best friend, who maintained it faithfully. I never had any coolant leaks, but the fan clutch went on it iirc.

Owning a 1988 300CE with the M103.983 Mercedes-Benz W124 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for the past 12 years, I've had my share of coolant issues, from the radiator seam splitting in the center of the radiator to water pump failure to a leaking expansion tank.
The HG was replaced on mine when I bought it. Oil weeping out the rear of the block. No water leaking at that time. The W124 radiator neck was made of plastic at one time and was prone to splitting Mine never did. I don't know if this was fixed before 92. I did experience some leaking before the water pump failed.
A year later another small leak started before the radiator seam split was discovered.

So, it could be leaking from anywhere. The HG being the culprit would be down on my list a little. Shouldn't be hard to locate an external leak.

The 190e 6cyl shares a lot of parts with a 300e. My CE has a 190e fuel distributor in it that a dealer swapped out for testing.....12 years ago.

I have always used MB (red) coolant. Never anything else.

[liquiddog]

Just FYI ... the heater core is an ordeal and one you'd start Friday night to plan on finishing it Sunday, and does require dash removal. But, I personally found it less challenging than either the front wishbone replacement or water pump replacement. The water pump replacement turned into "oh you touched that 25 year old coolant thingie or belt tensioner guess you'll have to replace everything and spend a week on it waiting for parts" type of job. The front control arms were a frozen-nut-get-out-the-angle-grinder adventure that I still did in less than 20 hours.