kksiu2002

I am looking to buy a 190E, and I found one that I kind of like. However, I noticed a few unusual things. When I was standing at the back of the car while the engine was idling, I heard air noise. It's like air being slowly let out of a tire, but it's doesn't sound like there is a hole in the muffler. Another problem is that the camshaft has been replaced. The owner said that it "broke" recently. Moreover, not too long ago, a lot of gaskets has been replaced. Finally, the oil pressure needle did not move at all; it stayed at 3. I drove another 190E, and its oil pressure needle moved to 3 while accelerating and dropped to 1 when idling. Please, let me know how serious these problems are before I take the car to a mechanic for a complete inspection. Thanks.

I suspect the gasket and the camshaft replacements were the result of an overheated engine.

Holson

That hissing sound is pretty typical of Mercedes of that era I think. I've driven a lot of them and they all make that noise... fuel pump maybe?

mctwin2kman

Hissing is most likely fuel pump. The pump is under the car on the drivers side under the rear seat. There is a black cover under the car in which is it mounted. Can not be accessed from inside. The oil gauges are strange in these cars. If it is a 2.3 16V or a 2.6 expect oil pressure around 3 all the time with some drops to maybe 2 when idling and the engine is at temp. The 2.3 8v is acceptable to drop to .3 bar pressure and will stay at 3 when the engine is above 2000-2500 RPM and engine is at operating temp, or when the engine is cold it will hold at 3 til it is warm. Mine drops to about .75 at idle on hot days and at temp and I use Mobil 1 Synth. 16V ones should almost never be off 3 even when at operating temp and idling. Operating temp is over 80 degrees on the temp gauge. Sounds like the car is fine, but I would wonder why the cam needed replacement. Mine is an 86 and looks like new under the valve cover. But for that just make sure there is no valve noise and pop the oil cap and look to see what the cam looks like on the end as well as the timing chain. On mine you can see the cam and chain from the oil cap.

kksiu2002

The owner showed me 2 recent receipts. One cost over one grand, and the other one cost about 700. I think the former one was for the camshaft and the latter one was for the gaskets. As you can see, the owner have spent a lot of bucks lately on this car. This kind of worries me. Also, the bottom of the engine and the transmission seemed kind of greasy. On the other hand, my Nissan truck with about the same mileage is very dry and clean down there.

By the way, the owner is asking about 6000 for it. It's a 93 with 6 cylinder engine. The body looks its age, and so is the interior. The leather is really nice and still in pretty good condition. I really like the leather. It looks like it will last a long time, unlike the leather of my Integra.

I am not used to driving Automatic so I couldn't get a good feel of the performance of the engine. My impression was that the engine was a bit weak on the lower RPM, but once I put my foot down, it really goes. Thus, the throttle seemed like a ON-OFF switch to me. I really expected more from a 6 cylinder, but since I don't normally drive Automatics, maybe that's just how Automatics are. I really prefer a Manual car, but I just can't find one around here.

kksiu2002

Oh one more thing, the transmission doesn't shift from 1st to 2nd very smooth. Actually, under moderate to hard acceleration, it was extremely harsh; it jerked quite a bit. However, if I am very gentle, then it shift pretty smoothly. Is this behavior typical for a MB?

mctwin2kman

These cars usually start in 2nd gear due to being RWD and only downshift when floored. Mine is a little harsh once in a while on the 1st to 2nd shift. Being a 93 the one you are looking at should have a switch to enable the winter or summer mode for a 1st gear start, but I am not to sure about that. Mine is an 86 and does not have a switch, it needs to be floored to start in 1st. The shift can be made softer with an adjustment. If you want more info from a dedicated 190 forum check out 190revolution.net. They have many knowledgeable 190 owners over there. Kinda like here but only for the 190. As for the oil, these cars had some head gasket problems, so if that has been replaced than you should have no worries. The outside of the gasket liked to leak a little. Mine still does but only leaks a little and does not burn any oil or get into the chamber. Just down the outside of the block very little. Some day I will fix it but it is not on my list until it gets worse or I have some time to kill. These things were built like tanks and as an entry level luxury car. They are geared like all Mercedes, for highway cruisin not speed. You want speed find a 16 V version. People on that forum I mentioned are working on EFI conversions as well as Turbo kits for these little beasts as well. Good luck and you will get all your answers needed to make a good decision. Best thing to do would be to take it to a Mechanic that knows his MB's and have them check it out for a prognosis.

kksiu2002

In addition to the camshaft and gaskets, I found out today that the car also had a "valve job." However, it appears that all repair work was done by a repudiable shop.

mctwin2kman

Head gaskets and vlave jobs are not uncommon on these cars. The head gaskets had a way of going bad after about 100,000 miles and the valve stem seals went south as well. Not big jobs or bad just needed to be done.