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1986 190E 2,3-16. Some questions

854 views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  LAMF 
#1 ·
Hi! I'm new here at the forum, and the reason I registered is because I'm thinking of buying a 1986 190E 2,3-16 as my daily driver. The car I've been looking at has 125 000 miles on it. The interior looks extremely good, and the rest of the car looks good from the pictures I've seen. I'll call the owner later to ask for rust, bushings etc. What are the most common places for rust? Wheel arches, doors etc? What else should I look for? And does these cars have a limited slip differential? How is the car in the winter, on snow?

A lot of questions here, but I really like the car and hope it is not to bad of a winter car either. Very greatful for any help!
 
#2 ·
For the most part these cars are excellent daily drivers - near bulletproof in that service by my experience. They do require some maintenance, and the most problematic issues for me have been the rear, self leveling struts and shock absorbing spheres, followed by the seriously tedious valve adjustment procedure that you must go through religiously - failure to adjust leads to a failed valve. Intake side valves are the most susceptible to being burned or cracked as they are not the sodium filled units that are installed on the exhaust side.

You have the rust issues identified - mostly the fenders and wheel wells, as well as the rocker panels.

With regular maintenance - valve adjustments, oil changes (use a genuine synthetic), transmission lube and differential lube (it is a limited slip unit) brake fluid every two years or more frequently, anti-freeze (use MB stuff or Zerex G05) every two or three years, power steering fluid every 3 years or so, then air filter, spark plugs, distributor cap as needed, and you will have a very reliable, fun to drive, car for every day. I have NEVER had my 1986 fail me while it was my daily driver.

At 205,000 miles I gave the car to my oldest son and it has been under his care since. I help out but he has restored the car - with the exception of the interior while also using it for his last few years at college. Recently the ignition switch froze up and the car was not able to be driven, so, with 265,000 miles, still with the original clutch, the car has been truly bulletproof. The only other instance of a problem leading to a failure to drive happened when my son had the car at college and tried to do a donut in front of the place he was living - cranked the wheel, revved the engine and dropped the clutch - and the half shaft snapped on the driver's side. Seems over the years the rubber boot had been working over a small area and between corrosion and wear, notched the shaft.

Good luck, check the maintenance records. Check for valve adjustments and SLS hardware replacements (rear struts, spheres and the control valve). And understand, even if you check, there is likely something lurking. Comes with buying someone else's car. So be prepared - a new, upgraded chain tensioner or even a head rebuild is possible.

The car has a limited slip differential. I drove the car in all weather, even deep snow, as I used it to drive to work for 14 years. Every day. I can drive ok in the snow so I didn't find it particularly tricky, and even in ice and blizzards I always got home. If you want better performance in the snow, get real snow tires for that season. Otherwise use a high performance all season tire.

If the car is an automatic, well, I have no experience with them, what they require for service and how they show signs of becoming problematical.

Jim
 
#3 ·
Great! Thank you very much for your reply. I've checked, and the car has a complete service record. The timing chain and tensioner were changed 13 000 miles ago. It is very good regarding rust, according to the seller (haven't seen it in person yet), just a little spot under one front light. Also, the seller said it did not have a limited slip differential. Weren't all delivered with an LSD, or is the seller just not well informed enough? The transmission is of course manual :) That's the only option for me. Here is a link to the Norwegian ad (note, it km not miles. I converted to make it easier for you guys when I asked earlier): FINN bil - Norges største bilmarked. Søk etter biler, motorsykler eller bildeler.
 
#5 ·
Take the trunk plastic pieces out around the wheel wells and check for rust. Also check under the car as these are unibody cars and if the sunroof drains get clogged the floors rot out rather quickly
 
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