Sojo300E

So the other night when i was driving my 91 300E with 120k miles, i noticed that the engine temp was extremely high again (120 C) so i pulled over and saw some steam coming from under my hood. I popped the hood and saw a coolant leak coming from the hose right next to the thermostat. If you're facing the car head on, the valve/hose on the left of the thermostat. It was spraying coolant all over. I also noted that the coolant was brownish and very slick/oily to the touch.

Whats going on with my car?

My dad suggested to sell it somehow and get a w140, a 1996 s420. We found a cheap one with only 76000 miles on it.

I love my 124, but there just have been so many problems here and there. I really hope if i go with the w140 that there will be less headaches since i read that this was the last of the over-engineered Benz's and that it is bulletproof like a 124.

Any input would be helpful. thanks guys.

shdoug

Try a coolant flush, new thermostat, and a hose. Doesn't sound like a big deal. I don't know what a W140 is, but if it looks better than a W124, it isn't.

neanderthal

how did you end up with brown coolant unless you werent flushing/ changing it every two years?

a car requires regular maintenance to operate properly.
and you should never ever ever be surprised by a temperature of 120 all of a sudden. PERIOD. you should always scan your instruments to check the condition of your car as you operate it. every 5 seconds or so. those instruments are there for a reason. and on a car that has excellent instruments there's just no reason.

just as you should never keep your eyes only on one spot for a length of time, but always roving on all your mirrors, lane ahead, what's coming behind you, your instruments, who's next to you and what are they doing (not what are they doing like "oh, he's reading a a book" or "she's performing brain surgery! cool!!!!" but are they maintaining their speed, passing you, being passed by you, indicating a lane change, wandering into you lane etc) the various instruments in your car, far lane ahead, the weather (yes, i said the bloody weather. if it starts raining it shouldn't surprise you!!!) road signs, etc.

i was taught to never ever keep my eyes on any one thing for more than 4 seconds at a time. and that in the space of a minute i should have looked at all of the above at least twice. looking at your speed is one of the least important things you need to do. if you can't tell your speed from your peripheral vision, you have no business driving.

you, or whoever taught you how to drive for the lose.


[/rant off]
i should open a damned driving school.

shdoug

Yes, you should. And open it in Omaha! These are great principles, all of which I have learned from the Smith System training my company provides. I can't believe when I see someone driving down the road at night with their lights off. I know they can't see their instruments and obviously they don't care. I agree about the speedometer, too. I keep up with the person in front of me. They will get pulled over by a cop before I do. It really pisses me off when everyone is doing 55 mph during rush hour and the guy in front of me is at 45 because that's the posted limit. What a jerk! If you can't keep up, keep it at home.

Moms in minivans are the worst. Minivans must have electronic governors that keep them at 10 mph under the limit, and limit acceleration to 0-40 in 90 seconds. Geez, they might as well put 2 cylinder Kohler engines in them the way people drive them around here. Makes me want to stay home!

You may have bid a bit hard on the N00b, though.

rivcal4life

I agree 100% with what youre saying here. I definitely employ this technique as I drive also.

I just don't see what it has to do with this post. Chances are he hasn't had the car since new.

I mean...the first thing I did when I got mine was flush all fluids, but thats just me.

Anyways. As long as the hoses arent damaged themselves you might be okay. Sounds like they would have popped off from being over-pressurized. You need to completely flush the system. Stick a garden hose in the inlet on your radiator (top hole) and let water run through and drain out the bottom. Once the liquid coming out the bottom is clear again, start filling from the reserve tank and let the engine run with the radiator still disconnected.

Once the liquid is clear again, fill it up just as you normally would and drive around a couple days.

Repeat the process after about 300 miles and if no more crap comes out you should be okay, if more crap comes out repeat again in another 300 miles.

Just pray that sludge didnt eff up your water pump. :-/

Sojo300E

Although neanderthal's reply was a little harsh, i do agree with what you're saying. It wasn't as if i was driving, one second saw that it was at 87 then looked at it later and it was at 120, but i did see it slowly climb from 85ish to 100 to 120. My car used to do that when i was idling for a little while (but it would only climb to about 115 or so) before i did a coolant flush and thermostat change about 2 months ago. I have been changing my oil every 3000 miles, never let the gas tank hit empty, and trying to keep my car running as long as i can. I did not buy this car when new, i got it as a graduation present from my parents 3 years ago at 90k miles.

Rivcal4life, i did exactly what you said 2 months ago when i flushed and changed my coolant.

and a w140 is a 1991 to 1999 S class. my parents were looking into getting a 1996 S420 with 76k miles on it.

i hope i didnt sound like i was attacking back, but i just woke up from a long day. thanks though for your help.

Sojo300E

update on the 124, turns out that the first leak was due to a loosened hose clamp. i tightened it and ran the car again, and another clamp blew open. so i tightened that one as well. i now see a little coolant coming out from the bottom of the radiator.. Im starting to think that i have a bad radiator since im assuming too much pressure is building up. When i idle for a long time (ie, waiting to pick someone up, or the drive thru) engine temp rises to about 115 but when the aux fan kicks in and i start driving, it cools back down to 85-90.

i attached some pictures of the leak.. it was a oily gunk that was just everywhere.

carlson03

I have a W124 and my brother has a W140....the W124 is a great car, don't get me wrong, but the W140 has a much different comfort when driving or riding....but nothing in general beats the performance of a Mercedes

Rio Z Lander

wow i would stop driving it!!!!!!! mine has some problems not that bad tho.my thermostat gets stuck open or closed some times thats about it.my car runs around 80 to 95 the hole time never had it do this yet. check all my hoses and connections each day before i leave. you should take it to a shop and have it looked at not fixed just looked at. you might have a block some where.

shdoug

Sorry dude, it's fu**ed. Head gasket. If it were me I'd seal up the leaks, start with a cold engine and trade it in at the nearest Dodge dealership. I wonder if your pressure cap is stuck. It should relieve the pressure before it blows something else up but it sounds like it's not. That won't fix the problem, but would at least give the stuff somewhere to vent instead of all over the engine.

Just kidding about Dodge, but I would trade it in on something. Depends on how much you like the car and how much money you want to spend. Sure looks like oil mixed with coolant to me.

Sojo300E

if i sell the car or something, how much do you think i would be able to get for it? i do love my car, but my dad still offers to get me the s420 to replace it. if i sell it to a dealer or something, would they buy it even if they know theres a head gasket problem? is it even definitive that its the head gasket?

shdoug

I can't think of what else could cause the coolant to look like that 2 months after you flushed it. I would jump at the chance to have an S Klasse, but then some might say it's a grandpa's car. They are a sweet ride from what I've heard. Jump over to the W140 section and check it out. Any Benz is better than no Benz.

As far as your car, depending on the condition, in average shape and no head gasket issues I would guess around $3000. With a bad head gasket I would think around $1500. I was quoted $1200 by an indy to replace a head gasket on the M104, which is a bit more difficult than on the M103 which you have. If the rest of the car is good it might be wise to do the gasket. The '91-92 were my favorite years for this car. They had just gotten most of the kinks out before they changed things in '93 and switched to a biodegradable wiring harness. The pre '93 air conditioning is very expensive to service, however.

neanderthal

you definitely have oil in your cooling system. sorry to be so harsh earlier as i now know that its not something you could have averted.

id do a cylinder head rebuild. cost anything from $1200- $1800 depending on where you go. could even be more.

the W140 is a great car. the very last of the excessively overengineered benzes. its certainly much more of a headache to diagnose any problems than in a W124. the ride is supreme. cossetting. its no BMW, but its a big car that handles its heft very well.

i prefer the W126 as its more like the 124 than the 140.

taking on a new car is taking on the previous owners maintenance habits. you already know how this car has been maintained. you know its proclivities and whats likely to go wrong.

good luck either way.

shdoug

^
For the benefits of others without a masters degree, (such as myself)

Cosseting = Pampering
Proclivities = Predispositions

Sojo300E

what did you mean, "its no BMW?"

i was never into BMWs, my older brother had a 93 740i. It performed great, but i never felt comfortable in it, not like in my 124. not enough head room, seats felt too hard, steering wheel was too small.. etc etc. i think the reason why i love benz's is because its so darn comfy. i used to sleep in my car sometimes when we would go on camping trips. haha.

shdoug

If you prefer comfort over performance then the S class would probably suit you well.