I just purchased a 1990 300E that appears to be in great condition. However, the car is missing the owners manual and the person I purchased the car from does not have any service records. It is my understating from visiting this forum that those are clear signs to run as fast as I can in the opposite direction.... I wished I had known before. That said, here are my questions...
1) There are two reservoirs in the engine compartment on the passenger side, towards the front, the first larger than the second. What fluids are contained therein? The first has a clear redish color, the second a brownish color. I believe the second is the coolant resevoir based on the cap style but becasue the label is in German, I'm unsure. I ask this because the fluid appears to be very low in what I believe to be the coolant reservoir.
2) I notice a leak around the front passenger tire... could this possibly be an oil leak? It's not of a water like quality that I image would be the cause of the airconditioner.
3) Every 30 seconds like clock work I can faintly hear a hissing/rattling noise around the vents/stearing wheel. Is it because of the vacuum I've heard so much about? If not, is this an area of concern?
4) Unrelated to the above question, I hear a hissing noise around the tailpipe of the car. From what I've read in this forum, it's probably the fuel pump. Is that correct? What is the average cost to get that replaced?
5) Out of curiosity, what are the causes of red discoloration on the lower half of of the engine? Should this be of great concern?
6) Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the E class CD/owners manual without going through the dealership.
As you can tell by the wording of some of my questions, I'm not car savvy. Any help/feedback that anyone can provide would be GREATLY appreciated.
I'm very new too, so we can learn together as we go. However, i may be able to field some of these questions for ya.
1) There are two reservoirs in the engine compartment on the passenger side...
The front one is your window washer and you are correct about the back one being your radiator as per the silver cap. I think it would be safe to say you should flush out the front one and refill with a safe washer fluid. Perhaps MB has one...wouldn't dought it. The radiator...well, that's a different story. I thing a good back flush from a MB tech or the Stealership may be in order. MB sells gallons of antifreeze for $15 or so and is worth the extra dollars (assuming that is your currency..grin). It's made for aluminum and it is your safest bet. BTW, mix it 50/50% with distilled water.
2) I notice a leak around the front passenger tire... could this possibly be an oil leak? It's not of a water like quality that I image would be the cause of the airconditioner.
Ok, this one someone more ept than me may need to reply to this one. But here is my guess. Antifreeze? From your own admission, it was brownish right. The reserve is right over that tire. If your over heating you will push fluid right out of that reserve, or if it is cracked you may be leaking. Again, just a guess.
3) Every 30 seconds like clock work I can faintly hear a hissing/rattling noise around the vents/stearing wheel. Is it because of the vacuum I've heard so much about? If not, is this an area of concern?
I'm not touching this one...sorry.
4) Unrelated to the above question, I hear a hissing noise around the tailpipe of the car. From what I've read in this forum, it's probably the fuel pump. Is that correct? What is the average cost to get that replaced?
Is there a pusher pump back there? I thought they were under the hood. Have the fuel pressure checked and install a new filter....hmm, perhaps reverse that statement.(grin) I can't tell ya price yet. I haven't been down that road.
5) Out of curiosity, what are the causes of red discoloration on the lower half of of the engine? Should this be of great concern?
Again, I haven't noticed this on my car so no idea...but a guess would go back to antifreeze escaping the tank and splashing?
6) Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the E class CD/owners manual without going through the dealership.
This i can help ya with. i just got mine off eBay for $10.75 shipped.[:D] It's a "happy" if ya catch my drift. Send me an email...cool? Anyone else too.
Well, ther' ya go. Keep reading the forum. These guys are the pros. They will be happy to help ya as long as you don't start telling us a Lexus is a better car. (Sorry Andrew...just a small dig. I think most of us like ya much better now...including myself.)
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How many miles does the car have on it? One thing I found out [i]after[/i] buying my 300E ...
How many miles does the car have on it? One thing I found out after buying my 300E is that they are notorious for having head gasket problems around (I believe) 100k miles. After this, the water pump usually goes out another 10k miles after. Check your antifreeze real well to make sure there isn't any oil in it, as this would signify this problem. Luckily, my car came with the maintenance records and all of this has been replaced already, as preventative maintenance it appears.
If I'm not mistaken, the passenger rear corner of the engine head is ususally where the problem begins, due to the very narrow wall between the oil/coolant jackets.
Hope this helps some, congrats and good luck.
The car has, from what I've been told, 145k miles on the engine; however, the odometer sta...
The car has, from what I've been told, 145k miles on the engine; however, the odometer states +/- 125k miles. Is it easy to roll the odometer forward without destroying it???
What is your opinion(s) about a power flush of the radiator and transmission? My mechanic has a machine that supposedly removes 98%-100% of old antifreeze, transmission fluid, flushes the torque converter, a slew of other lines, along with any deposits on the transmission valves so that the transmission fluid remains red in color as opposed to brown. He said that it powers 16-17 quarts of through the system while shifting going through all of the gears, then refills with good fluid.
How can I tell when I beginning to have head gasket problems? What are the tell tell signs?
Thank you for your prompt response... You have been most helpful and put my mind at ease. ...
Thank you for your prompt response... You have been most helpful and put my mind at ease. I went to 7-8 bookstore looking for the E class owners "bible" to answer these questions, without success and in a few minutes you were able to provide me with the info I desparetly needed. I was beginnig to wonder if my decision to buy was a good one as I purchased the car from ebay. Probably one of the most scarry purchases I've made....
Would you recommend MB antifreeze only??? Your response to my second question seems logical. When I take my car in to be serviced tomorrow, I'll have my mechanic take a look at the cause of the leak. Which by the way, should I only go to a MB mechanic or would a reputable mechanic suffice? I have a mechanic that I've used for years and is probably one of the most honest mechanics that I know. Instead of suggesting things to be replace that is truely unessesary, he repairs/replaces only what's needed. If he does something that does not correct the problem at hand, he'll perform the additional maintenance but gives a huge discount for the inconvenience.
O.K jumping to response #4... I've never heard of a pusher pump. What is a pusher pump and what purpose does it serve?
On another note, how is your car doing? I noticed that your car is just one year newer than mine?
I looked at your ebay purchase.....very good looking car for the $$$$.
To me, if a no...
I looked at your ebay purchase.....very good looking car for the $$$$.
To me, if a normal gallon of antifreeze is say 5 bucks, then the choice is obvious to go with the Merc antifreeze for a mere 10 bucks more. It's a small investment that will save your car. Don't you agree? Besides, we no for a fact that MB stuff has been made for MB cars. Nuff said.(grin)
Pusher pump is a term I've been using but is not a standard designation of a type of pump. Amoungst people I have chatted with, it was always understood that fuel pumps push fuel much better than draw fuel. This is why so many pumps nowadays are located towards the back of the car. When I was younger, they were not electric. Pumps were mechanical and drew there power source from the engine itself. Believe it or not, they were actuated by a lever that was in the engine. They also only cost like $15 too.(grin) I miss the old days.
As per your mechanic, well, ask him if he has worked on MB cars. You said you trust him and have had a good relationship with him in the past and trust him implicitly. So why stop trusting him now? If he is as honest as you say, he will probably tell you if he can or can not do something.
And as far as my car goes...it good. One motor in the seat stopped working yesturday and is a source of my newest headaches. Additionally, for some unknown reason, birds seem to love to crap on it daily.
Keep me udated about what you do to your seat. I cannot raise or lower my seat, everthyin...
Keep me udated about what you do to your seat. I cannot raise or lower my seat, everthying else works. When I try to raise or lower I can hear it try to engage but can't.
My mechanic already told me that he can do everything but check the electronics and/or codes. I guess I need another mechanic to do that kind of stuff. Should I go to a MB dealership to buy the antifreeze before I go to him.... I'm not sure what type of antifreeze he would use and am not sure if he realizes that MB antifeeze is better?????
When I got my car, I had it detailed, carpets shampooed, exterior buffed & polished, etc. and for some unknown reason birds love to crap on mine as well.
Definitly pick up a couple of gallons first. To the best of my knowledge, Pep Boys, Aut...
Definitly pick up a couple of gallons first. To the best of my knowledge, Pep Boys, Autozone and Discount Automotive places don't carry it. Right on the front of the car, under the hood, there is a lable to use only aluminum safe antifreeze. There are other brands out there that are suppose to be safe for aluminum parts, but why risk it eh? I stick with the name brand...and like I said before, it's cheap enough.
As per my seat, well, I'm gonna wait on that until I have time to have it checked. (which may be never[:D])
I did figure out how come my car always has bird droppings under the door handles though. I caught one of the fascist little buggers perched on the handle this morning. Go figure right?
I believe Zerex G 05 is also appropriate for use in MB vehicles. From the MSDS sheets, it...
I believe Zerex G 05 is also appropriate for use in MB vehicles. From the MSDS sheets, it is nearly identical to the stuff MB sells, plus although Zerex G 05 isn't "approved" by MB, Zerex makes a note that their product meets all the requirements of MB antifreeze.
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