If the chain as been replaced, likely the owner has been doing the
correct maintenance. Chain stretch is something a good Benz mechanic
will check every 30,000 miles or so (on the big maintenance interval)
-- if it exceeds 4 degrees at the crank, roll in a new one. A broken
chain will result in a valve job, at least, likely rods too.
Keyless entry uses a solenoid to unlock the doors, should work just
fine if a decent kit was used.
Unless the head warped somewhere along the line (coolant usage, oil in
the coolant, etc) the engine will likely look nearly brand new -- mine
did when I pulled the head off (603.96 -- head crack problem not found
on the 602), almost no wear on the cylinder bores and no oil
consumption. Lots of leakage due to the warped head, but no burning.
May need a valve job, but unless it shows signs of hard starts cold not
cured by new glow plugs and/or oil consumption, likely it will go
another 250,000. May need new injector nozzles, they usually last
around 250,000 to 300,000 miles.
Bad flex disks cause excessive vibration, and can cause fairly severe
body damage when they fail. Wear item, usually last a couple hundred
thousand miles, but it varies. Worth checking the rear one, too,
although they last longer. So far as I know, the ones on my 72 280 SE
are original, but it only has 250,000 miles or so.
Things to look for: Bad radiator (runs hot, although the 190D may have
an electric fan clutch, in which case it will run hotter in traffic
than a visco clutch, but not higher than 95C). Heavy vibration due to
improper combustion not due to injectors (do a compression check and
leakdown if you suspect something wrong). Banging on shutoff is bad
engine mounts, not a bad job, and not terribly expensive.
Bottom line, do the usual diesel check -- easy starts cold (once the
glow plug light is out, all you should need to do is bump the key in
moderate weather, it should start on the first compression stroke). No
blue smoke, no unusual noises (some clatter is normal cold). No tappet
noise (hydraulic tappets on this one), smooth idle for a diesel.
Transmission should engage reverse quickly and smoothly, with no bangs
or thumps (check differential mounts, though, they go bad). No huge
clouds of black smoke at full throttle, should get noticable turbo
boost without blue smoke and no turbo noise if so equipped.
Squirrely cornering and crosswind sensitivity is bad rear links, unless
fixed expect to replace them and the rear subframe mounts along with
diff mounts. Check for rust in the ususal MB places. ACC repairs are
a pain on that car, as bad as the W124 chassis.
Excessive front tire wear is bad tie rod ends (usually on the outside),
replace drag link and damper at the same time. Ball joints are a
problem, cause creaks and groans on dips and when turning the wheels.
Peter
- Re: [MBZ] Another 190D Have Questions Before Buy Peter Frederick
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