190d 2.2 reconstruction

I'd say the head gasket is probably OK if this old dog starts and runs, AND there's no oil in the coolant or coolant in the engine's oil.

Suggest you remove the valve cover and check that the crank case vent is open and not clogged with old muck - remember, this poor motor was run cold so that's a very likely possibility. Open that vent and the pressure inside will abate and the oil leak will be reduced.

The plus here is that you now KNOW the radiator is an effective one!

I don't know if this diesel has hydraulic or mechanical valves. If mechanical they will need to be adjusted and that act may improve the compression and so the motor's performance. Otherwise, just drive it.

Keep in mind that this was never an engine to push one's back into the seat.

Thats very useful advice. I never forget that this is a car with

249000 miles on it, at least 100,000 of them totally neglectful, that rides down the road better than my gf's new subaru, gets better mileage, and is an adventure to work on. Very very few cars would still be worth working on in this run down condition. Thanks!

Thats very useful advice. I never forget that this is a car with

249000 miles on it, at least 100,000 of them totally neglectful, that rides down the road better than my gf's new subaru, gets better mileage, and is an adventure to work on. Very very few cars would still be worth working on in this run down condition. Thanks!

Welcome to the club :-) I also have a 190D 2.2, slightly less than your mileage. It was in bad shape when I got it but is OK now after many repairs.

I totally agree with Tom's assessment. The head gasket is probably OK. The blowby might be just because of the high mileage. This little engine, though very economic, is not very powerful. It cannot dash quickly.

The trans cooler inside the radiator may allow coolant leaking into tranny. Now the radiator is new, try to replace the ATF and filter. Don't forget to drain the torque converter.

The valve follower is hydralic so no adjustment is needed. I would suggest to open the valve cover to check. If there is gap between camshaft and follower, the follower needs to be replaced. Another possibility is bad PCV can cause higher crankcase pressure and sludge. The sludge may affect oil circulation. How is the oil pressure, at idle (cold/warm) and driving?

What do you mean by AC fan wire be> I recently purchased a 201 chassis 190d.

Thanks for replying. I have lots to learn about this car, so far its all been interesting and satisfying!

My a/c cooling fan has both wires to it cut: when I jump them, the fan turns. There are two adjacent wires in a harness coming from behind the fan that must surely activate this fan, I imagine they have a role to play. I also discovered yesterday that there seem to be two sensors located above the glow plugs--one of them, the front one, is not connected to anything. What role do these play in cooling the engine?

After I installed a new thermostat, the engine runs about 85c but jumps up to 100-110c climbing hills, of which I have many.

Also-- my magnetic fan is over tightened I believe. It turns with the engine at all temperatures. The sensor for it is red (is this too hot?) and the harness only uses two of the three prongs. What is the proper torque setting for this fan I wonder?

Lots of questions. I'm putting the car up for the winter, so I have a few months to straighten this all out.

Wan-n> Welcome to the club :-) I also have a 190D 2.2, slightly less than your

There's someone who really can help you get the car back for he's done it and the same model too!

Heh I'm thinking the same thing about mine, a '79 300TD. I've done a few smallish things, and so far just enjoy working on it (the rear hatch stays open all by itself now, as this weekend I spent a couple hours figuring out how to pull the struts and replace them), and I never really wanted to tinker with my late-model GM (although did my share of hours under my '77 GM in years past).

Hey, I'm from VT too! ;)

-tom!