baco99

I looked at the 260E last night and I really like the car and the price is right. there were 2 spots between the head and the block where oil has obviously come to the surface. The owner said that these cars are prone to oil seapage (NOT leakage) because the head and block are both aluminum. Is this true? Is there an underlying problem? It wasn't a lot of oil, very little, in fact. But I want the real scoop.

Also, are there any good exhaust headers for this car? I can't imagine the stock setup is at all efficient.

And finally, is there a database anywhere that lists what other Mercedes "knock-off" wheels will fit? I'd be interested in a +2 setup (17") if the price is right.

Thanks in advance!

pesuazo

Yes, they are very prone to oil seapage and leakage

bamberger_1

Depending on the milage the engines sweat some oil after so many years/miles. But you need to locate the sources first before decide whether or not it is significant. The oil seapage on older engines are normally:
*Valve cover gasket (no problem)
*upper part of the front cover of the block (no problem)
*Main crank shaft seal ( small problem if amounts are little)
*Oil pan (no problem)
*Head gasket (more of a problem)

baco99

the mileage on this car isn't too too high. about 14ok

Jer

140K is nothing for a 124. My 260 has 227K and runs like a champ. Life has just begun for your 260.

The head is aluminum and the block is cast iron. Apparently there was a design flaw that allows the head gasket to seep oil after about 2 years of service. So even if you were to replace the gasket, it will probably seep again in about 2 years. No big deal.

The front cover seal leaks a bit, too. You might as well have the timing chain and front cover seal replaced.

How's the A/C work?

Jackd

I too have a 260E (1989) I have owned this car for almost 12 years now (bought it in 1991 with 27K) and now has 262K. A little oil seapage is nothing to worry about. At 140K, this car is still in its breaking-in period. This is by far the most reliable, long term solid, efficient, well built, solid car I ever had (Amongs Hondas, Acura, Volvos,Maxima and others).
Eventually, (if it has not been done yet) you will have to take care of the valve guides/seals as oil consumption will slowly get worst.
Not a really big job. Doing it will give you the chance to take care of the oil seapage (valve cover, front engine cover). Except for normal maintenance (do it as specified) this car can give you years and years of troublefree ownership. At 262K and 14 years,
jackD

baco99

thanks for the info.. the AC works and is very cold. i think he just had it serviced not too long ago.

it doesn't run hot, it doesn't blow smoke, and it doesn't sound nasty. i'm reluncanty selling my SVT and i may step into this car.

the acceleration is a bit wheezy, though. 150HP doesn't seem like a lot, but once it's off the line it accelereates OK.

i think with some power mods, it may be a bit more to my liking...

was the 260E carbureted?

Jer

The 260E is fuel injected.

Why would you want power mods? The stock engine will suffice. Yes, it doesn't accelerate like a little rice rocket, but it works.

baco99

personal taste. i like a little more acceleration off the line.

i was thinking the usual: intake, exhaust, chip. to start with. has anyone had any luck with these? and how much aftermarket is transferable from the 300E? i don't want to reinvent the wheel, but just juice it up a bit...especially the shift pattern from 1st and 2nd.

abarton

HI,

Don't get too excited. There are very few power mods that actually have any useful effect on these engines.

K&N filters will do little. You'll be lucky to find headers that make any noticable difference and forget about trick cams etc..

If you realy want extra performance that you van noitce. Get a turbo.

Andy B

cap'n jasper

In actual fact the stock one is quite good.
Like abarton said there's not much to improve on. If you want more power buy a 300 or 300-24.
To get off the line faster put the selector in 2nd and then back to drive and when you pull away it'll start in 1st rather than 2nd (or at least it does on mine, not 100% sure about older models)

baco99

have people had luck with turbos? and are there superchargers that work?

i assume the block is the same as the 300 but with smaller displacement. so, the cylinder walls are probably fairly strong. if running a modest boost (6-8psi) are there internal mods needed?

Jackd

Unless you are very serious at improving HP on a 260E (serious meaning very heavy $$$$), I would say forget it. A good turbo system will take you back $3,500. to $4,000. Headers will not be easy to find and will not produce results you are anticipating. K&N and air intakes areis a total waste of money.
If you really want more power, it will be easier (i.e. cheaper) too look for a 400E.
JackD

baco99

cool. thanks for the advice!

a question, tho: why are open filter intakes ineffective on these cars? i have used them on my Contour and my MGB with pretty noticable "seat of the pants" results. and greatly improved sound at WOT. is it something related specifically to the intake geometry?

my search continues...but i'm not writing this car off just yet. i have a saab 9000 aero and a 900 turbo to look at (both a bot newer), but there's something about owning a mercedes that seems appealing. especially an inexpensive one!

abarton

I had an MGB when I was a student. The stock filter and intake is very restrictive, a K&N straight through makes abig difference.

But. In the 3litre W124, thats not hte case.

1. The intake is taking colder air from in front of the radiator. Colder air is denser than warm air therefore more power.

2. The Mercedes Air filter is huge. THats why the housing is so big. It is already a high air flow unit. and is not restrictive. The inlet and outlet manifolds are well designed, balanced and tuned already so unlike th MG that was designed before CAD/CAM, the Merc is pretty good even for a modern car.

Look at it this way. A UK spec non-CAT 3litre M104 24valve puts out 232 bhp from only 2987cc engine in standard spec. That is an engine designed 14 years ago. A modern brand new BMW 330i with the same engine layout and size (roughly) puts out 231bhp.

Mercedes know what they are doing. If you want more power quickly, take your CAT off and weld a peice of pipe in. THat is where your engins is being restricted not the air in side.

I know it looks a bit ugly but those big stock air intakes are the dogs do-da's

AndyB

Jackd

Speaking of MGB's, her's mine.
jackD

dlafever

Well, I just replaced my stock do-da intake with an aftermarket job, not for engine performance reasons, because I agree with your take on the MB plumbing, but because they made the original out of FRIGGIN plastic. AAAAAAHHHHHHH! Here in the desert, some piece of mine (3rd one) would crack every year.

So I finally got pissed and started looking for alternatives, the one I found is on eBay right now for around $130 and comes with a quality cone-style filter. It also vastly improves the look of the engine compartment and I will no longer have to put up with those stinkin' finger-buster lid clips. Whew, thanks.

Also, it is now much easier to change my oil filter without removing the air filter housing. I will post a pic when I get the chance.

-D

aharte

Without extremely expensive turbo or supercharger kits, you aren't going to make these engines any more powerful. Optimizing gear ratios would get you most of what you want though. First of all, Mercedes made the gears in these cars way too high for the American market. They also made the transmission default to starting in 2nd (at least in my 300E). Another problem is that my engine doesn't make much torque until 3800+ rpm, yet the transmission likes to shift before 2500 in casual driving.

The free "fix" is to shift manually. You can also adjust the throttle linkage to make the pedal feel more responsive, and play with the kickdown cable to make the transmission hold gears longer. A good transmission shop could probably reprogram the shift points entirely. It wouldn't be cheap though.

If you have some money to throw at it, changing the gear ratio in the differential will give a very big improvement. I think Bergwerks offers this.