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$650 190E 2.6

18K views 126 replies 14 participants last post by  jzchen 
#1 ·
Some of you may recognize me from the W126 forum, but most of you are probably unaware that I've been lurking around for a while, and then some of you are probably waiting for me to just get to the car.

Anyway, I decided to buy what most of you would consider to be an amusing craigslist bargain car. It's a 1992 190E 2.6 with 193200 miles on the clock, complete with all of the $650 car features such as a rebuilt title, the worlds worst aftermarket stereo, a service history that stops in 1998, a couple crusty spots here and there, and an interior that looks and smells like it just barely escaped the junk yard.

I bought the car from a kid who had owned it for 8 months, and I don't think he knew how to take care of an older car because when I bought it, I made the sale contingent on him buying me a gallon of coolant and some oil. The reason for this was because it was missing 2/3 of a gallon of coolant, so the temp gauge was fluttering everywhere from 40 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius, but it never overheated. The car was also down to the min mark on the oil dipstick despite having the oil changed at 191k miles on July 2nd. Also did I mention that the Euro style headlights were wired by a moron so they kept shutting off while I was driving the car home at 9 PM last Friday.

Since getting it home, I've torn the car apart and my impression is positive overall. The car has suffered a frontal impact at some point with an object that sticks out higher than the front bumper, which damaged the core support and the upright bracket between the radiator and headlamp, which took out the original drivers side headlamp, but the rest of the car appears untouched.

The headlights are missing the 5 prong male end plug that plugs into the harness, so the wire ends keep falling out of the sockets, hence the headlight shutoff. The drains under the fuse box and battery tray were clogged, but nothing is rusted out. It also appears that the underside rust was caused by some dingus bottoming out the car on a speed bump, since the problem is limited to the drain holes that protrude from the bottom of the chassis.

The shocks are clearly blown, and the radiator leaks coolant, but upon drainage, no radiator poop or coolant discoloration was noted. The radiator, water pump, coolant lines, ignition distributor parts, ignition wires, and thermostat are already on the way from Autohausaz. There is no evidence of headgasket failure, and the car passes the smoke test.

Now what would you all recommend as far as repairs aside from the obvious for this project car?

Now for photos :surrender:






Thanks for reading.
 
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#2 ·
I replaced the belt and tensioner assy when I put a water pump on my 2.3. Fuel filter, tranny oil (including torque converter) and rear axle oil. While its up in the air.
The valve cover gasket, and even oil cap can be a culprit to oil consumption.
It takes Autohaus AZ 8 days to get to my house. I use them too, but don't like the long wait.
 
#3 ·
Sounds like you are off to a good start.
I agree with Ignatz about the fuel filter, trans fluid/filter, and diff oil changes. Cheap insurance. Easy DIYs. (BTW - only place I found with the MB spec diff fluid was FCPEuro - LiquiMoly 85W-90 https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/85w-90-hypoid-gear-oil-1-liter-lubro-moly-lm1035)

I would suggest that you also check all of the vacuum lines. Especially the larger ones for the Idle Air Control. Mine were hard as a rock, and therefore will not seal. Eliminates vacuum leaks - improves performance, especially idle.

Good Luck. Search is your friend on this site.
 
#4 ·
I was able to find Valvoline 85W-90 on Amazon. Granted it isn't Liquimoly but it's what I put in the diff in my 420SEL. As far as the fuel filter goes, a Hengst filter came in yesterday via Amazon. As far as a vacuum check goes, I'll do that after I check the timing chain and guides, and do a compression test.

I'll have more updates this weekend.
 
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#5 ·
Update time:

Nothing new has been installed on the car since it needs more than I initially thought. The seal through the partition between the ignition distributor and valvetrain is leaking and fouling the ignition system. Most of the coolant lines are shot (duh), and the transmission cooler lines are pretty crusty.

So far, the AC compressor, radiator, center console, and fan have come out. The AC system will never get fixed because it just isn't worth fixing on a car that one could argue isn't worth fixing as a whole.

I took a look at the timing chain and camshafts, and the cam has some minor scoring, but it's about the same in appearance as the scoring evident on my 86 420SEL of equivalent mileage (which has a full service history including timing chain replacement at 128k). Overall the engine is worth saving, so I'm going to move forward with saving this car.

In other news I picked up an adjustable reference potentiometer for $10 and found a spare kenwood radio in my car parts box to throw in it.

Now for some pictures (with S-Class photobombing):




 
#6 ·
It doesn't look awful. You have to expect that every seal and bit of rubber is potentially compromised. That's not unexpected. If the car is worth fixing, it's worth fixing the A/C. The time to do it is now, while the system is open and the pump is out. I would replace the compressor, dryer and seals. Change the fittings, flush, leak test, and charge with R134 and oil. Anything after that is just work.
 
#7 ·
It doesn't look awful. You have to expect that every seal and bit of rubber is potentially compromised. That's not unexpected. If the car is worth fixing, it's worth fixing the A/C. The time to do it is now, while the system is open and the pump is out. I would replace the compressor, dryer and seals. Change the fittings, flush, leak test, and charge with R134 and oil. Anything after that is just work.
I happened to disagree and removed the lines from the evaporator forward and bypassed the fuel filter after I got the water pump out. My S-Class had inoperable climate control for the longest time and I managed just fine, and I'll still have that if I want to avoid cooking. This 190E is meant to be a September-June car to keep my W126 out of the salt and away from the college campus from January of 2017 forward. I'm simply doing what it takes to make it reliable and safe so I can drive it hard, parallel park it anywhere in Philly, drive it in the snow, drive it on dirt, and maybe throw it around an autocross course. Plus I did the whole A/C conversion shebang minus a new compressor in my 126 and don't feel like doing it again.

However I am rewiring half of the sound system because some absolute fuckwit cut up the entire harness to wire in a cheap as all hell stereo and ended up only getting power to the rear speakers though he ran new wires for the fronts but I guess didn't solder them into the shit radio's shit harness.

In other news, the guy who decided to use a 6mm allen bolt for the top rear corner of the water pump (the one that's buried under the intake manifold next to the oil dipstick) should be punched in the throat. I had to bend an allen key with a blow torch just to get that one after 3 days of sweaing while a 6mm allen head on a 3/8" drive attached to a u joint extension kept walking out...

Now for pictures:

Bought a set of real Bosch euro headlights for $40 that came in the original packages since my knockoff Euro lights cannot be aimed properly and the lenses are delaminating from the housings.

New Hella/Behr water pump came in via RockAuto. While it appears better than the more expensive Laso or Graf equivalents, the quality of the casting is still slightly disappointing.

This fucked beyond comprehension radio harness could bring any sane person to tears.

Bye fuel cooler and A/C lines!

The engine in progress.

Todo List as of 9/4/2016:
- Buy new bolts for water pump, prep surfaces and install water pump and thermostat
- Reinstall all accessories due to remain on the car
- R & R front cam seal
- Reseal top timing cover
- Change valve cover gasket and change oil
- Finish repairing headlight wiring harnesses
- Install ignition dist components and replace ignition wires
- Install new radiator and hoses, run car and flush cooling system, then replace coolant with MBZ Blue
- Adjust parking brake, flush brake system with Pentosin DOT-4 fluid, and check brakes for sticking and proper function
- Drive car up ramps, depressurize fuel system, replace fuel filter, 2 fuel lines, and 4 fuel pump assy hangers
- Put car body trim back toghether
- IF there are further brake issues, repair brakes
- repair surface rust with miracle paint
- Register car
- Drive car to uncles workshop to weld on a new exhaust and paint hood to match body.
 
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#9 ·
I bought them from a guy who found them in a storage room he bought at auction. He didn't really know what he had and looked them up by the bosch part number on the box, which turns up almost nothing on google since no one lists them by P/N. They were wasting his space and he wanted them gone. There was a guy who called before me who said he could get them on a Thursday, but I snagged them the Monday before right after work since I couldn't find any replacement lights except for them (US and Euro) and wasn't gonna let a $40 set of Bosch lights with the connectors in the original boxes slide.

In other news they're wired up now but I can't put the headlights in for good as I am missing the bottom support brackets for both head lights and I don't have the right bolts (yes the euros that came with the car were mounted haphazardly). I'd like to get those by September 15th so I can put the head lights in properly and get rid of those big boxes taking up space in the trunk.
 
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#10 ·
Quick Question:

Is this all I need to secure my head lights to the car so they don't flop around?

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/2018260000/ES1719964/

I don't have any support for the bottom of the head lights, there is just a square hole in a lip on each side of the car that seems to line up with a tab that comes off the bottom of the headlight assy. I do not feel comfortable driving the car with the bottom of the head light unsupported. Also, if anyone has any of the trim that goes below the head lights, please PM me if you're willing to sell them.
 
#11 ·
That appears to be a kit to mount one headlight. You would need two of those. I do not recognize the two black round thingies but the rest is what is used.
I suspect you only need some of the hardware though, not all. When I replaced mine, all I needed was the black piece in the middle which tends to turn brittle and break over time.
The rest are not wear items and should be already on your car.
Sounds like are you also missing that black plastic piece. You can buy those thru the dealer pretty cheap, I think they are only a couple of bucks each.
 
#12 ·
So the black rectangular objects are the only things securing the botton of the head light to the car? Interesting, if that's the case, I'm just going to order 2 of those kits wherever I can find the best price since I am missing all of the factory bolts that hold the head lights on because the first owner bought junk ones from the hardware store after he plowed into something with the car.
 
#13 ·
Yes, the fixture is secured at the bottom with just that black plastic in the middle. The long screw is used with the black plastic that pushes thru the big hole in the lower bottom. On top there are two more screws that appear to be included in that kit. The white plastic is to secure the turn signal to the main headlight fixture. I do not know what the round black plastic is for.

Shame you bought a headlight that is worth 1000 bucks for $40 and you are having to pay $40 just for a couple of screws and a couple of pieces of plastic.

Good luck!
 
#14 ·
I figured out that I could order the screws and brackets as separate pieces not in a kit for $1.90 and $3.00 for each type of screw, and $2.10 for each black plastic piece. I was just going to replace everything since I didn't think I could buy everything separate.

Had to go onto MB of Atlanta's online parts store to find the separate part numbers for the screws, then found the best price on ECS Tuning.

Top Mount Screws:
P/N: 914031004311
4 Per car
Only Price Found: $1.90 ea at ECS Tuning

Bottom Bracket Screw:
P/N: 2019900015
2 Per Car
Best Price: MB of Atlanta at $2.90 ea

Bottom Plastic Bracket:
P/N: 2018200014
2 Per Car
Best Price: ECS Tuning at $2.10 ea
 
#15 · (Edited)
IT LIVES

Project Update:

So far I've sunk $1550 into this car (a cheap Mercedes is a myth, kinda like the Loch Ness Monster) and it seems that the end is nigh. Here is what I did over the weekend:
- Replaced radiator with a Nissens unit, also replaced radiator hoses to compliment
- Replaced serpentine belt (the tensioner survived)
- Replaced valve cover gasket
- Realigned hood and hood latch so the hood could actually close
- Installed the headlights and realized one is pushed in 1 cm at the grill (gonna send it to my uncle to be straightened)
- Attempted to repair parking brake (expanders are borked, parking brake shoes removed for the interim)
- New Behr thermostat
- Completed a coolant flush and filled with MB Blue
- Completed an oil change
- Drove it a couple times to see what else I need

What the car needs:
- Tires
- New parking brake everything
- Strut mounts
- Struts
- Voltage regulator
- A couple body plugs
- The correct grill mounting hardware (the grill was mounted with just two rusty as hell screws)
- A rear muffler (the old one rusted out)

What I want to put in the car (that the budget permits):
- A new antenna
- 400E brakes
- Sparco Terra wheels with complimentary rubber

What you really came here to see:





Why spending tons of money on these cars is better than just buying a Honda:


- Lost traction on I684 and had a driver induced oscillation event that led to a spin and a couple of 25 MPH guardrail smacks. I'm fine, and will be going to see if I can get that rear fender pulled out.

Questions:
- The lights go dim when I put it in gear and the car kind of stutters a bit, is this just a weak voltage regulator or should I do some more digging?
- The car seems low on power but can hit 80 MPH without much drama, do these cars just have no low end torque?
- Transmission seems to start in 2nd gear, I thought these had first gear start?
- The radio cuts out when I open the sunroof, is the sunroof motor binding and causing a larger draw?

Thanks everyone
 
#16 ·
A volt meter across the battery, or even in the cigarette lighter will show battery voltage. 13 to 14 is normal, but at idle with everything on, mine will stop charging. A Sear's digital VOM for $20 works well.
And my lights never dim, but my turn signals will stop flashing, when I lose the charging system at idle. 7 year old battery in the car right now.
 
#17 ·
My 58 VW had the coolest sunroof. Turn a handle and open it up.
My 93 190's sunroof was binding and broke a track, and would not close. The wife took it to the dealer and was $1550.00 to fix. Maybe 10-15 years back. Consider leaving it closed until all the maintenance stuff is done. Not sure where to lube it, but that might help.
Mine pulls out in first, but some models don't.
 
#18 ·
I'm well versed in sunroof repairs as I have done the glass roof swap on my W126. I bet some felt in the tracks is broken, but I'm just gonna leave it closed. Ill check battery voltage when I come back to it around Christmas time, but it seems like it does stop charging at idle. Battery is 6 months old.

Heres another question, why does my cars exhaust smell horrible? I'm running a 50% duty cycle so mixture doesn't seem to be it. It's smells more like Sulphur than anything, but it's weird. And no it doesn't burn my eyes or anything like that (these cars don't and won't do that at a 50% duty cycle). My friends think the car just needs an Italian Tune-Up to burn any crud out of the exhaust.
 
#21 ·
It's on the road again

Been a while since my last post but my 190E is now on the road since I had to give my W126 to my mom because her Toyota bit the dust.






Has fresh front tires and a new fuel filter, but driving it has made me add more stuff to the to-do list. I just ordered front ball joints for it since the front end is making a clunking noise, and I'll be ordering new struts, strut mounts, motor mounts, and shift bushings for Christmas. I will also have to replace the cat at some point as the exhaust just reeks to the point that people complain about the smell. Maybe I'll get to the brake upgrade too if I can find a 400E in a parts yard, I don't think I need the booster since my car appears to have the larger brake booster.
 
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#22 ·
Ball Joint Replacement

So I figured I would go the DIY route with the ball joints. After buying a press and harbor freight, lots of swearing, and a massive gash on my thumb, I was able to replace the drivers side joint. Unfortunatly the passenger side joint was seized, so after using the press and a hammer, I gave up and sent it to the mechanic. Unfortunatly there are no pictures as my windows phone was replaced under warranty again.

The ball joints were not in good shape when I got to them, the grease in the passenger side joint wasn't grease anymore and the ball looked like it was about ready to pop out of the joint. I probably caught this right before the point of failure. I'll post pics of both old joints once I get the car back to show how scary they really look.
 
#23 ·
I'm having a small issue with my car, the passenger side parking lights keeps coming on in the middle of the night (yes the switch is at the off position). I know that on the W126 and W124, this usually means either the switch or the lighting control (bulb out) module is busted.

First I'm going to check the lighting control module (P/N: 126 542 01 32), then check continuity of the lighting circuit from the LCM, then check the switch last. I'll let you guys know what I find.
 
#24 ·
Excuse me for resurrecting my old thread but I could use a little help. Both of my dash speakers were blown when I bought the car, so I removed them and just plopped the original speakers from my S-Class in their place so I could have tunes to drown out the noise of the 2.6 with a missing muffler. But these speakers look like shit, and my speaker grilles that I have stored in the door rattle against the plastic door trim and are driving me insane. Does anyone know of a speaker that is available at this time that will fit in the dash with little to no modification?
 
#25 ·
Most car audio 4"/100cm speakers should fit the dash, but make sure they have breakaway mounting ears. One of them will need to be removed. Go to the local department electronics or autosound store and get the best sounding set in your budget.





Higher-end Morels have clips that mount to the basket for press fit. I have a different version of the below speaker in my dash.

 
#26 ·
Most car audio 4"/100cm speakers should fit the dash, but make sure they have breakaway mounting ears. One of them will need to be removed. Go to the local department electronics or autosound store and get the best sounding set in your budget.



Higher-end Morels have clips that mount to the basket for press fit. I have a different version of the below speaker in my dash.

After talking to my friends who have car audio knowledge outside of rebuilding wiring harnesses cut up by goobers, a consensus was reached that a set of 2 Morel speakers for $109 was a reasonable deal. Some front suspension goodies and rear shocks are on the way too, as I deplete my tax return to make this car the ultimate daily driver.
 
#27 ·
I got my Morel Maximos in the other day. Put them in the car and the passenger side speaker does not fit, so I will have to remove the glove box at some point to get access to the air duct and modify it. However the drivers side fits nice and snug. The speakers sound excellent, it was actually a bit of a revelation.




Also stumbled upon 15-25 mostly 80s vintage MBs sitting at an old auto body shop while driving to an interview near Pedricktown NJ.
 
#29 ·
Cabral, do me a favor and send the height of that speaker and the magnet diameter. I just replaced my dash and in the process kept the 3.5" speakers that came with the new dash and took out my 4" Sony's I had put in about 20 years ago. Interestingly the 3.5" speakers sound better than the 4" ones.

Long story short, the 4" Sony's look about the same size as yours with a large magnet. I can compare yours to mine. BTW, the air duct that goes under that speaker on the passanger side is not flexible but it sure looks like your speaker out to fit without modification.

Anyway, send us the dimensions and I'll compare with my Sony's which are out of my car now.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Sorry to have misled on this this, but I agree with dolucasi that those speakers look like they should go in no prob. I've also never read any accounts of anyone having issues fitting any 4" speakers in the W201 dash. According to the spec sheet they're 2.1" deep, but it's likely the diameter of the magnet that makes them problematic.

I'd be inclined to try a different set of speakers rather than mod the air duct. That said, it should be easy enough to shoot a heat gun through either the speaker hole or the glove box or trough the front with the vent removed directly on the duct to get it malleable enough to get the few mm clearance needed to fit them.



In other news, I now have an edit button after asking the administration for assistance with this!
 
#31 ·
Sorry to have misled on this this, but I agree with dolucasi that those speakers look like they should go in no prob. I've also never read any accounts of anyone having issues fitting any 4" speakers in the W201 dash. According to the spec sheet they're 2.1" deep, but it's likely the diameter of the magnet that makes them problematic.

I'd be inclined to try a different set of speakers rather than mod the air duct. That said, it should be easy enough to shoot a heat gun through either the speaker hole or the glove box on the duct to get it malleable enough to get the few mm needed to fit them.

In other news, I now have an edit button after asking the administration for assistance with this!
Speaker magnets are 3.2" across, and 2.1" deep (as you said, but I measured them to be thorough). I'd rather mod the air duct than try a different set of speakers since I like doing things the hard way (don't forget that I am using the fact that wiper transmission gears are $100 to justify building a 3d printer for $400 to print one). The vents themselves don't work properly so I'm going to have to get in there anyway. It seems that the magnet diameter is the issue here. It just barely doesn't go in.
 
#32 ·
The Sony's that came out of my dash are 2.0 inches deep and 2-5/8 th across.
So your guess is correct, it must be the diameter. The air duct goes under the speaker so depth is not your problem.
You may have to crush the plastic duct in there but I'm not sure. It comes out easily once the vent is out as well as the glove box.
Take out the glove box first.

To take the vent out, you are better off working from behind and pushing the plastic tabs that hold the vent in place from behind with a flat screwdriver to avoid damaging the vent or the dash. The plastic vents are very expensive on EBAY unless you have access to a pick and pull. I just replaced my dash and have had to do this 3-4 times in the process and managed not to damage anything with this method.

Speaking of pick and pulls, a wiper motor assembly is only $26.99 and easy to take off. You sure seem to drive the long way home.
My son has a pretty decent 3D printer and makes me plastic ABS pieces whenever I'm too lazy to go to the junkyard but wiper gears?
You will have to make a prototype plastic and make a real metal one on a C&C machine anyway. That is certainly a big project.

I command your tenacity though, you will enjoy having a 3D printer.
 
#33 ·
That $26.99 assembly will likely have the same issue, and since I still have a functional (though not expanding) wiper, I have time to dick around. I likely won't reproduce the part on a CNC machine, but will print a prototype in ABS, and then later move onto a nylon piece once I have assessed manufacturability.

My plastic vents are all cracked, but thank you for your suggestion on removal, I'll give it a try when I go to deform the top of the vent hose on the passenger side to clear the speaker.
 
#36 ·
So I got my new struts, mounts, bump stops, and boots today. Bad news is that the boots (1293230192) seem to be too wide (a whole centimeter at the top, and that and more at the bottom), and its unclear how they anchor to the strut. Has anyone been through this before?
 
#37 ·
Got mine replaced a couple of weeks ago with the original Sachs brand (I believe). It is supposed to be a tight fit in the top and just hangs down and rests on the plastic stop in the bottom. So it is not air tight. The smaller diameter end is on top and the larger diameter end in the bottom. My post on the issue a few weeks back has the pictures before installation.
 
#39 ·
So the other day I did front pads and rotors. I immediately noticed that the brakes didn't feel as firm (don't fall to the floor, but not confidence inspiring), but figured that the pads had not bedded in yet. Well 400 miles later, my brakes still feel the same, and I would like to get some firmness back.

When I did the job, I cracked the drivers side bleeder to retract the piston, assembled that side, went for a drive with just the one side done due to the car needing to be flipped around in the driveway anyway (other side was 4" away from a snow bank). It felt fine.

The next day I did the passenger side. I did not crack the bleeder because when I changed the fluid, I was unable to get fluid to flow out of the bleeder. So I just used a press to force the piston back into its hole to fit the new pads. Drove it after that and the brakes felt like crap. Also noticed a tiny bit of fluid at the brake hose fitting (where the rubber goes into the fitting) which at the time I thought was water because I was doing this whole job in the rain, but am now not so sure.

Later on, I drove the car hard and then pulled into the driveway to wash the car. I sprayed all the wheels with water, and the front passenger side wheel let out the plume of steam, while the drivers side didn't. Under hard braking the car seems to pull towards the passenger side.

I will replace the passenger side bleed screw and bleed both sides of the front circuit this week and post the results, but my guess is that I introduced air into the drivers side line and just didn't notice it until I had completed both sides of the job. As for the lines, I'll replace them the next time I am in Connecticut since I know they are original, just like everything else on this car that I haven't replaced yet.

However I am worried that there may be a possibility that all of the crap in the passenger side caliper got pushed up into the master cylinder, which happened when a shop did the front brakes on my W126 (the brakes were never the same on that car after, and not in a good way). I'm also worried about the fact that I'm going to be driving to Watkins Glen from Philadelphia and hooning the car around the track. So with that being said, anyone got some tips or tricks aside from bleeding those brakes so I can not have a spongey pedal.
 
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