Mercedes 230 TE, should I keep it?

Hello all,

For vacation purposes, I bought a 1988 Mercedes 230 TE about four weeks ago (mileage 220kkm). My original plan was to use it to pull my caravan all around Spain and back, and then sell it. However, after 8000km of driving the car, I have become addicted to driving around in my own taxi :-)

From a cosmetics point of view, the car looks like new. It did develop quite some quirks however during the trip:

- The thermostat is broken (This happened on the road, I short-circuited it so the engine cooling would still work).

- The front-left brake does not work (it squeaks constantly, even when I do not brake, and the car does not brake very well).

- The ASD light is on constantly, and if the car needs to deliver full power for a prolonged period then the RS light will start to go on and off.

- The engine only runs smooth when asking a lot of power (i.e. almost full throttle)... When I try to accelerate only slowly, the engine mutters (I suspect this is ignition timing?).

Are these problems something to worry about? Can I fix them without major investments (except for some weekends time)? Or should I sell the car anyway and forget about it.

Thanks for your tips!

Greets,

-- Rien

Reply to
Rien Broekstra
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They're pretty good cars and with 220000 km yours is still a baby... ;)

Sounds fixable...

Mmm, not good, you should fix this.

Sounds familiar.

RS light is not a problem I guess. People here told me it's a bad contact in the belt buckle. Doesn't sound serious. In my case the problem went away all by itself.

Believe it or not, the ASD light on mine started giving problems too. I'll have mine checked out at the garage soon. Anyway, it's orange so not serious and it seems to me that the only problem is that the ASD doesn't work anymore. No problem, most of these MB's don't even have ASD (automatisch sperdifferentieel).

I think these cars can be pretty good if you maintain them. My garage specializes in them and they have a stock of 2nd hand parts which may come in handy even if you choose to DIY. Maybe you should let them have a look at it.

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Ximinez

Reply to
The Spanish Inquisition

What year is your car?

Reply to
Tiger

It seems to be a 1988, Tiger ;)

Ximinez

Reply to
The Spanish Inquisition

Hi,

Yes, I'd say it's worth keeping. The problems you describe seem minor. But do take it to a reputable MB mechanic to do an inspection if you are serious.

The thermostat should be an easy fix, and the brakes are a wear&tear item, just needs maintenance.

Although the ABS light is not on, I'd check if the engine mutter and the ASD light are not just due to the overvoltage relay getting old. If not check the ASD sensor connections and the ASD relay as well.

In my opinion too, if the fuel filter is original, it's definitely time to change it out.

Some other bits that may require attention over the next 100K km:

Fuses - change them out, especially if you see white stuff. Serpentine belt + tensioner Air conditioning *may* leak Fuel pump relay and fuel pump Valve seals/guides drive shaft rubber coupling engine mounts and other rubber bushings on the suspension Radiator (check neck for cracks!) Steering damper Head Gasket (check the compression) Check timing chain too.

If yours is the self-leveling suspension, and is still OK, I'd inspect the springs, so that they don't wear prematurely, especially if there were many rough roads.

I would flush the hydraulics too. AT, PS, brakes and Suspension.

Seems like a long list, but relatively minor problems, and none extremely urgent.

Other than that, enjoy your car!

Cheers, ws '91 200E 320K km

BTW, w> Hello all,

Reply to
ws

This sounds like a car that's been neglected for the last few years.

Fix it and keep it.

Thermostat is about US $20

LF Brake: Could be a bad (plugged) brake hose and / or stuck LF caliper By poor braking do you mean too much foot pedal effort (brake booster) or that the car doesn't slow as expected? If the latter fix the left front and see how it is with 33% more braking effect before doing anything more.

Engine: do a tune up, add injector cleaner to the fuel

Reply to
T.G. Lambach

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