Ok so I've on the hunt for a mercedes diesel for some time now. I found a 1995 190 d 2.2 yesterday with only 132k on it. Theguy was asking for 2200 for the car. I checked it out, the car runs great! There are a few rustspots near where I can only guess are lift points along the skirt of the vehicle. All in all, seems like a deal to me. Now I work on carsquite a bit, but this is my firstdiesel and I don't know much about.I also understand that I might have rushed the purchase. Are there any things I should look for right away that could be signs for repair? It doesn't appear to be leaking any oil. There is a smalltrans leak around the bell housing, butI was planning onchanging the fluid anyways. The onlyreal thing I've noticed is at idle. Car runsgreat when its going butthe idle is rough? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Hey Treadstone, welcome to the site. The 190D'shave a4 piece anti-noise capsule made out of some type of durable plastic, which surrounds the engine reducing noise by 50%. Most of the cars don't have the panels, mechanics would remove them when the car was newer because it takes time to take them off. That could be why your car is a little louder than it should be other than needing a new sound absorbant hood pad.

But for a rough idle, it could be a few things.It's most likely from dirty injectors orin needof atiming adjustmentso I've read... or a worse case scenarioof worn hydraulic tappets. I've got an 84' 190D with 112kmileslocated in Maryland, great car, but I'm still investigating a rough idle with a light ping in the first cylinder. It's going to get a diesel purge when it's warm out to clean the injectors, hopefully the first cylinder is a dirty injector.

If the engine's shaking while idling you most likely need new motor mounts. While at it get some new tranny mounts, those aren't expensive to replace. If both those don't help, in front of the engine there's an engine shockwhich is supposed to absorb a lot of vibration.

Repair wise you might want to consider changing the timing chain if that hasn't been done. Usually they only last 100k beforethey wear out. Also check your cooling system to ensure it isn't overheating at idle or highway speeds andthe carshifts smoothly.What stateare you from? I'm up in Maryland near Baltimore.

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That's great to hear, I was contemplating whether or not to buy a new set. Over at the 190rev site they suggested the timing chain to be changed every 100k on the 2.3, maybe that's just a precaution or needed on the gas 2.3?

Here's what can happen when you've got rust on a 190D:

 

Working on the rust. Its not as bad as it looks. Only exterior. Has not spread very far. Really dumb question. Do diesels use different motor oil?

 

Sweet thanks. Glad I asked. Concerning my idle and engine vibration. Do diesels normally idle a little rougher than normal engines? The reason I ask is because when I'm driving it, or give it any gas, it runs really smooth. I'm sure I'm just worried because I've only had a few days and haven't adjusted to it yet. Also the engine vibration isn't really exagerated, but appears to be a little more than my other cars. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if it were the motor mounts, the car is 23 years old, and I doubt they ever been changed. There is one sound at idle I've heard that has me worried. It sounds a little like a rattle. Sort of like what a car with that needs to change the timing belt or a car with low oil. Now I checked the oil, it is a little low, butcan't be the reason for the sound. Do diesels make these sounds or should I have this checked out? I know I'm asking a ton of questions, but this car is pretty alien to me. Thanks for the help.

 

Mild vibration is normal with these old cars.With the rattling, are you able to locate what part of the engine it's coming from? If you've got a digital camera or something that can record sound, post it here or on youtube if you can.

 

Wait-- how old is your car? At first you said it was a 95, then later you said 23 years old? I ask only because I had a similar problem with a rough idle, but smooth when you put on the gas with my 85 300D. Now, you and I may own very different cars, but just a suggestion maybe ForcedInduction or AMGMercedes can reject or verify-- My mechanic(whohas proven to bevery respectable)said it was due to the idle spring.I guess its fairlycommonon my year for it to just wear out.For my car it cost less than 50 bucks to replace.

 

Yeah that was a typo. My car is an 85. I'll check the idle spring.Thanks.