Donald Snook wrote:
I am unfamiliar with the M103 engine, except that I know MB made a ton
of them and put them in a ton of 124s. So, what are the strong and weak
points about the engine. I did some reading and I saw several posts
from people talking about needing valve jobs. Do these engine require
major engine work. Is it the valve stem seals?
While I owned a 300E for a couple of years, I never drove or maintained
it. All I could do is repeat what I've been told. You need to talk with
mechanics that have repaired hundreds of them. The E300 won more awards
than any production sedan Mercedes ever manufactured. It (with either a
M103 or 104 engine) is a superb car! The 104 is a more refined engine -
more economical, more powerful, more complicated - more to go wrong.
There were valve guide problems (very rapid wear) with the early ('86
and maybe '87) M103s (most all replaced under warranty) some head gasket
leaks (more in M104s) and it is usual for ALL of the Mercedes gasoline
engines to require top end work by the time the engine reaches
200-250kmi. That's what I used to call a valve job (valves, guides,
seals, maybe even seats) back when I worked on gasoline engines. The
bottom end (crank, mains, rods, pistons, cylinder) of the M103 and 104
engines are almost as robust as the diesels (except the flawed OM603,97
diesels). Both the 103 and 104 engines are VERY well designed engines
that give excellent economy, power and longevity when compared to other
engines designed at the same time. Many newer engines are better in many
respects.
Marshall
--
Marshall Booth Ph.D.
Ass't Prof. (ret.)
Univ of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Department of Pharmacology 1300 BST
Pittsburgh PA 15261 USA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
