93’ Shakes at 30mph. Fine at idle and park.
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1993 190e 2.6
93’ Shakes at 30mph. Fine at idle and park.
Hey guys,
One day old owner of a 93’ 190e 2.6. I bought it off my boss for $1500 and it’s in amazing condition on the interior and no rust anywhere. However, the car shakes in the steering wheel and shifter when I get it over 25mph. It seems to calm down as I get a over 40mph. I can see some oil on the outside of the engine block at the cylinder closest to the dash. Also I noticed some small bubbles by the water pump. The car smells hot when I drove it 5 miles and popped the hood. My boss put about $2500 into the transmission when he bought it and I know this as fact because he had paperwork from the mechanic. The car only has 112k on it so I want to make it run great as a daily. Any feedback would be amazing.
One day old owner of a 93’ 190e 2.6. I bought it off my boss for $1500 and it’s in amazing condition on the interior and no rust anywhere. However, the car shakes in the steering wheel and shifter when I get it over 25mph. It seems to calm down as I get a over 40mph. I can see some oil on the outside of the engine block at the cylinder closest to the dash. Also I noticed some small bubbles by the water pump. The car smells hot when I drove it 5 miles and popped the hood. My boss put about $2500 into the transmission when he bought it and I know this as fact because he had paperwork from the mechanic. The car only has 112k on it so I want to make it run great as a daily. Any feedback would be amazing.
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Joined: Mar 2016
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From: SF Bay Area, CA
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
Congrats on the purchase. Sounds like you got a good deal on the car as well.
Does it feel like the shake is coming from steering or engine/transmission/drivetrain?
From your description it seems like steering.
(1) Make sure the front wheels are well balanced
(2) Make sure the steering dampener is not the original and therefore most likely busted, this in addition to item one can be the culprit as a combo though the shaking tend to happen at higher speeds.
(3) There could be other loose things in the steering since the car is near 30 years old. If you can jack up the front end and see if the steering in nice and tight when you rock the wheels back and forth, that would be good.
Transmission is a bit young to have transmission issues. Hopefully it was maintained over the years other than the $2500 repair.
Oil leaks wise, run your finger along the spark plug side of the valve cover gasket to see if there is a leak there. It should be bone dry. Those cover gaskets seem to start leaking in 30Kmiles and need replacement. Luckily, it is cheap and super easy.
Also run your finger right at the edge between the top timing cover meets the cylinder head. Make sure that is also leak free right above the timing chain tensioner area.
If these are dry but you still have oil leaks between cylinder head and engine block in the rear near cylinder 6, I'm afraid that is a big job.
If you have other questions don't hesitate to ask as I am the original owner of an '89 at 205K miles. There are a few of us here on this forum with the same level of experience with these cars and we are all happy to help new owners.
-Cheers!
Does it feel like the shake is coming from steering or engine/transmission/drivetrain?
From your description it seems like steering.
(1) Make sure the front wheels are well balanced
(2) Make sure the steering dampener is not the original and therefore most likely busted, this in addition to item one can be the culprit as a combo though the shaking tend to happen at higher speeds.
(3) There could be other loose things in the steering since the car is near 30 years old. If you can jack up the front end and see if the steering in nice and tight when you rock the wheels back and forth, that would be good.
Transmission is a bit young to have transmission issues. Hopefully it was maintained over the years other than the $2500 repair.
Oil leaks wise, run your finger along the spark plug side of the valve cover gasket to see if there is a leak there. It should be bone dry. Those cover gaskets seem to start leaking in 30Kmiles and need replacement. Luckily, it is cheap and super easy.
Also run your finger right at the edge between the top timing cover meets the cylinder head. Make sure that is also leak free right above the timing chain tensioner area.
If these are dry but you still have oil leaks between cylinder head and engine block in the rear near cylinder 6, I'm afraid that is a big job.
If you have other questions don't hesitate to ask as I am the original owner of an '89 at 205K miles. There are a few of us here on this forum with the same level of experience with these cars and we are all happy to help new owners.
-Cheers!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 1,995
Likes: 394
1991 190E 2.3
Congrats on your purchase. These are great cars when they're well maintained. If everything on Dolucassi's check list turns out to be ok, I would next try the engine and transmission mounts as they can also go bad over time. Rubber suspension bushings might also be an additional culprit. I just had mine replaced after 31 years. An additional way to check for oil leaks is to buy some engine dye at your local parts store, put it in your engine and see where the leaks are there after you run your car for a few minutes with the engine dye. Let us know what your findings are. If you have any more questions, we're here to help you.
