300te
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Melbourne Australia
300TE
300te
After owning our 300te for 3 mnths I think my patience is starting to run out. After spending over $4000 AUD since we purchased it trying to get it right I noticed on the weekend that my oil light came on. Having replaced the valvestem seals because it was using oil and no indication of smoke I thought I would've of slowed down the oil consumption until we can afford to do a full head job. After pulling the spark plugs out I noticed they were fouled with oil deposits which is probably the reason why the car hesitates to start sometimes. Obviously the valve guides are way to worn. After going to a local independant MB workshop and telling him the situation, he tells me that if the engine was neglected which considering the amount of repairs I have had to do it was definetely the case that it is not until you pull everything apart that you can tell what damage has happened. I am in the situation where I can probabbly just afford to do a head job but if they take the head off and tell me that the bottom end is gone I would be stuck without a car and not being able to afford a full rebuild. I cannot beleive that the previous owner neglected the car so much and managed to hide all the symptoms of the faults. If the bottom end is stuffed am I better off looking for a second hand one and maybe put a rebuild head on it. I cannot stand that most MB workshops don't want to take any responsibility for there work and a so quick to roll off some figures that you have to make sure you are sitting down. So far my MB experience has been a bad one and when I get the more bad news on Wednesday when the workshop checks it out it will get worse. It is so frustrating because I still cannot beleive what a nice car it is to drive...
Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
From: NorCal
Mercedes-Benz 400E
That sucks! A good way to save money is to try to do as much work yourself as possible. The forum on mercedesshop.com has the most experts on it, any technical question you could possibly have can be answered there. So far I have owned my car for a little over a year and have had to replace my water pump and belt tensioner. If I had the dealer do it the total price for all that would be nearly $1300, but because I did it myself its only been around $300. The more you participate in these forums the more the knowledge you'll get and have more love for you car.
Super Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 696
Likes: 4
From: Motor City
95 E320 Cabriolet, 108K
Zeronero is correct. Though durable, these cars are expensive to fix and difficult to work on. I could not afford to own my car if I didn't do the work myself. These forums are a godsend of information. I'd be lost without them.
I believe you got high quotes because the mechanics sensed the car was neglected. If you told them what you told us, the oil light suggests the main bearings on the engine are worn. This is never good news. Do you get ticking at idle? This would confirm a bad bottom end. In fact, if it's allowed to get worse the crankshaft bearings may sieze, resulting in an even more expensive repair.
You may have to resolve yourself on having the entire engine rebuilt and hope for the best. As you mentioned, a used engine may be the best choice in your case. More than once it's been stated that there's nothing more expensive than buying a used Benz at at low price. But once it's fixed, you can then properly take care of it and enjoy the car for a long time.
I believe you got high quotes because the mechanics sensed the car was neglected. If you told them what you told us, the oil light suggests the main bearings on the engine are worn. This is never good news. Do you get ticking at idle? This would confirm a bad bottom end. In fact, if it's allowed to get worse the crankshaft bearings may sieze, resulting in an even more expensive repair.
You may have to resolve yourself on having the entire engine rebuilt and hope for the best. As you mentioned, a used engine may be the best choice in your case. More than once it's been stated that there's nothing more expensive than buying a used Benz at at low price. But once it's fixed, you can then properly take care of it and enjoy the car for a long time.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 287
Likes: 0
From: west virginia
Re: 300te
Originally posted by Chris_Stam
my oil light came on.
Having replaced the valvestem seals because it was using oil and no indication of smoke I thought I would've of slowed down the oil consumption until we can afford to do a full head job. After pulling the spark plugs out I noticed they were fouled with oil deposits which is probably the reason why the car hesitates to start sometimes. Obviously the valve guides are way to worn.
So far my MB experience has been a bad one and when I get the more bad news on Wednesday when the workshop checks it out it will get worse. It is so frustrating because I still cannot beleive what a nice car it is to drive...
my oil light came on.
Having replaced the valvestem seals because it was using oil and no indication of smoke I thought I would've of slowed down the oil consumption until we can afford to do a full head job. After pulling the spark plugs out I noticed they were fouled with oil deposits which is probably the reason why the car hesitates to start sometimes. Obviously the valve guides are way to worn.
So far my MB experience has been a bad one and when I get the more bad news on Wednesday when the workshop checks it out it will get worse. It is so frustrating because I still cannot beleive what a nice car it is to drive...
chris
i'm sorry to hear of this seemingly bad luck.
re: your stem seals, WHO replaced them??
if a garage did they should have checked the guides and told you if they were too worn!!
high speed driving [though a beautiful experience] can way increase oil consumption.
i'm not trying to give you a hard time when saying this, maintenace records on a used benz are essential to have and review first before making a descision to purchase. research typical vehicle problem spots and weigh the decision out.
on the bright side, money you spend now is your insurance the car is now safe and well taken care of.
these forums are a great source of help and info
peter
Last edited by ebennz; Sep 9, 2003 at 01:30 PM.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Melbourne Australia
300TE
Pardon my ignorance but doesn't just a oil warning light mean that the oil needs to topped up. What relation has the oil warning light got with worn main bearings. Oil pressure is good so is that an indication the bottom end might be alright. Does anyone have a procedure for performing a leak down test? I think my only optio is to take the head off and hope for the best...
Super Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 696
Likes: 4
From: Motor City
95 E320 Cabriolet, 108K
Sorry. You mentioned oil light, but didn't tie it in that it was only from high consumption and low charge level. If oil pressure is okay then there's a good chance the crank bearings are okay.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
From: Sydney, Australia
350SLC, 500SLC, 300TE, 190E 2.3 Sportline
Chris,
Sorry to hear of the problems you are having. As others have stated, things can get expensive when you need a lot of labour on these cars. It sounds to me that you have not as yet found the right workshop. Surely someone in the MB club in Victoria can recommend a good independant shop that knows these inside out and charges reasonable rates. Alternatively you can do your own work as I do and save a fortune. I have maintained my own MBs for over 20 years now and the 300TE is among the easiest to work on. I did the head on ours a few years ago and it was an easy job. Head off one weekend, head at the shop during the week and head back on the next weekend. The total cost for parts and machine shop work was under $400 AUD.
You are correct in stating the oil light is simply for oil level. Oil pressure is indicated on the guage. So long as it never drops below 0.5 bar at hot idle and runs pegged at 3 bar while driving it's fine. Oil consumption can be allowed to get quite high although fouled plugs are a problem. Very heavy oil consumption can also damage the exhaust catalyst. I would almost 100% say you have no reason to worry about the bottom end, the M103 is almost indestructable in that area. They do have a reputation for needing head work periodically though. It's a pity you are not in Sydney, I could help you sort it out in no time if you are the DIY type and if you decide to tackle it yourself. Just the same, you can private message me and I can give you my phone number if you wish to discuss the job. I don't like to see unhappy 300TE owners.
Greg
Sorry to hear of the problems you are having. As others have stated, things can get expensive when you need a lot of labour on these cars. It sounds to me that you have not as yet found the right workshop. Surely someone in the MB club in Victoria can recommend a good independant shop that knows these inside out and charges reasonable rates. Alternatively you can do your own work as I do and save a fortune. I have maintained my own MBs for over 20 years now and the 300TE is among the easiest to work on. I did the head on ours a few years ago and it was an easy job. Head off one weekend, head at the shop during the week and head back on the next weekend. The total cost for parts and machine shop work was under $400 AUD.
You are correct in stating the oil light is simply for oil level. Oil pressure is indicated on the guage. So long as it never drops below 0.5 bar at hot idle and runs pegged at 3 bar while driving it's fine. Oil consumption can be allowed to get quite high although fouled plugs are a problem. Very heavy oil consumption can also damage the exhaust catalyst. I would almost 100% say you have no reason to worry about the bottom end, the M103 is almost indestructable in that area. They do have a reputation for needing head work periodically though. It's a pity you are not in Sydney, I could help you sort it out in no time if you are the DIY type and if you decide to tackle it yourself. Just the same, you can private message me and I can give you my phone number if you wish to discuss the job. I don't like to see unhappy 300TE owners.
Greg
