benzlover190E

i recently had my 190E 2.6 wrecked, and was thinking about buy this 1984 300SD Turbodiesel. I need to know the specs and any other info before i buy. Car is beautiful, interior is kinda worn, has 278,000 miles on it. just need some info. like fuel economy, hp, top speed, torque,ect.

thanks

Hattaresguy

Maintaince records are the most important thing when buying a 20+ year old car.

Has the suspension been gone through? $1,500
What about all of the hoses, rubber parts, and radiator? $800 or so.
What about the trans? $1,500
How strong is the engine? The 617 needs the valves adjusted every 15k miles.
How are the brakes? If the calipers and soft lines are original they are do. Might as well do discs too. $500
The wheel bearings should be at least repacked if not replaced before you do any serious high speed running. $250
alts and starters die, about $200 each
Flex discs go bad and probably are due $100 each
AC is probably dead, if you want to fix it figure $500
Cruise control is probably dead, I have not fixed mine yet so I don't know the $$$. I would bet about $200.

Not to mention rust, hopefully their isn't much.

Have a ppi done by someone who knows these cars before you buy.

I do not recommend these cars to people that don't mind getting their hands dirty. They are old cars and from my experiance need to be a labor of love to keep on the road.

Fuel economy will be anywhere from low 20's to close to 30.
hp is 125; I am not sure of the torque maybe around 150 ft pounds.
Top speed should be just about 105.

A well sorted W126 is a joy to drive, it is just a bit of work getting their.

benzlover190E

what should i have done as soon as i buy it? what should i do to the diesel engine right away.

Hattaresguy

Well it depends on what kind of condition it is in. On every car I buy I will do:
All of the fluids and filters. oil, trans, rear end, coolant, PS, brake.
I would do the belts and upper radiator hose.
Adjust the valves.
I am not a 617 expert but the primer pumps seam to leak, but the new style pump is cheap under $20 I think.

A lot of these cars seem to have bad engine mounts they are cheap. If they are original they are bad.

Also recently I have been seeing 617's getting killed by oil cooler lines blowing. If the lines are original replace them. If they are leaking don't drive the car until they are changed. Only OE lines should be used about $200 for both.

If the suspension is original it will need a bunch of work, but you will need to inspect it to know for sure.

These are very simple cars to work on and parts are pretty cheap.

benzlover190E

the body is perfect, car is slow, but that is expected. it has been sitting for about 8 months. i am hoping that any problems it might have will be fixed when i get all the fluids and filters replaced. it also has 278000 miles on it, but that isn't too bad. i am kinda worried this will be a "money pit", but it is my only option. any more advice is appriciated.

braverichard

Hattaresguy has given you most of the information you need. He even went the extra mile of listing approximate prices for items that may need your attention in the short term. Thus you knew what you were getting into before you got into it.

Hattaresguy's 300SDL is the absolute money pit. I believe there's very little on his car he hasn't worked on yet. Yours I predict won't be like that. However, that depends on how much the car was neglected.

As someone more knowledgeable on the 617 though, I'd like to add to some of his comments:

-The primer pump is not that big of a deal. If it isn't leaking now, just ignore it and get the car's more essential parts up to speed in maintenance. However if you have the time and the money, you can go ahead and replace it. Mine is still on the original primer and it isn't leaking yet.

-The oil cooler lines may blow indeed. Mine has been leaking since I purchased the car 15K+ miles ago. Something like that I don't want to do myself as I have also heard horror stories of the outcomes when inexperienced people did the replacements themselves. I'd rather let the MB shop do it so that if the line blows after they perform the replacement, I will hold them responsible for killing my engine. As a result I keep a close watch on the oil pressure gauge. I advise you to do the same. If the oil pressure starts dropping whenever it shouldn't turn the engine off right away. If the oil cooler lines blow, the oil pressure should start dropping.

-There's really nothing as good as starting your car's "maintenance cycle" new once you get it. In otherwords, change all the fluids, filters, brake pads and rotors if you can afford it, drive belts, get the valves adjusted, run a can or two of diesel purge to clean the diesel injectors, replace all the hoses you can get your hands on easily, and start documenting all your work.

Good luck!!

Hattaresguy

Don't take my posts the wrong way I am not trying to scare anyone away from these cars. I just don't want anyone to get burned and I try to forwarn people about what can go wrong. (and with my car has, all of those prices come from first hand knowledge.)

They are super simple to fix and parts are pretty cheap and easy to come by. It also depends on how much you are willing to live with. Change all of the fluids and filters and take it from their. Inspect the oil cooler lines and see what you come up with.


But engine mounts are cheap (just under $20 each) and I keep reading about them failing and causing the fan belt to cut the oil cooler lines. Frankly I would change them unless they look pretty recent. Or just keep an eye on that area it doesn't happen all of a sudden.

Good luck and have fun with it!