Oil pressure needle showing no reading

[Mike38]

Would someone be kind to tell me what could be the symptoms of the gauge not showing any reading even though there is sufficient oil in the engine.

I am thinking of buying a used E200 and when I went to have a look and drove the car for some reason the oil pressure always remained zero on the gauge.

Any advice on what to look out for?

Many thanks
Mike
UK would be Merc owner.

 

[steveperry]

Hi Mike,

One of two things that spring to my mind...

1.) Major oil leak such that the system cannot hold pressure, if this was the case then the separate low level oil light would illuminate fairly quickly.

2.) The more likely suspect, given your description, imho, the oil pressure sender switch has probably failed. If, with the engine ticking over, you open the oil filler cap and there is clearly oil sloshing around the rocker cover then I reckon the sender switch (the gizmo that sends a pressure signal to your dash gauge) has gone.

One failed on my previous car, 1986 190E, and the gauge read zero most of the time with the odd twitch of a reading. Hehe of course my current car doesn't have a pressure gauge :roll: How I miss the pressure gauge and economy swing-o-meter. :?

S.

 

[grober]

I agree with Steve. Probably his solution no2 but might simply be a bad connection at the sensor Removing the connector and giving it a clean then reconnecting might restore the oil pressure indication . The question you might want to ask is should you buy a car from someone who is content to drive around with a faulty oil pressure gauge! :? Poor oil pressure can also signal a worn engine so get the seller to sort the gauge and then have another test drive.

 

[Mike38]

Many thanks Steve and Graeme for your input, actually the car is at a dealer who strange as it may sound he imports these Mercs from Singapore for resale here in UK.

When I went to see the car and drive it, the car was still being prepared to be serviced and made ready for sale main change being the speedometer to read MPH instead of KPH, MOT and DVLA registration. The dealer also has to obtain confirmation from Merc UK for UK spec conformation.

As soon as the vehicle is ready I will go and take another test drive and do the basic checks before I instruct RAC/AA to do an inspection.

What do owners think about having pre-purchase inspection tests done when purchasing a used Merc be it UK or import? any feedback would be most helpful.

When I drove this Merc it was perfect and as I have a fair knowledge about cars (off course not Mercs) just in general, I checked the Auto box for slippage and all was fine, incidently the car has done 89K Kilometres approx 59K miles.

The dealer is selling it with a 2yr mechanical breakdown warrant covering repairs upto £1000 per claim etc.

Is it worth considering this purchase.

Many thanks,
Mike
NW London

 

[grober]

Hi Mike,
a second opinion is always a good idea, tho I wasn't all that impressed by the AA's inspection on my last car which does include an HPI insurance claim check on the cars history.Not relevant in your case. I think it depends on the calibre of the engineer doing the inspection :? . You don't say the age of the car. Is it a pre or post 96 model. I read somewhere of a large number of pre96 e-class mercs being "exported"- dumped in singapore following the model runout. Mercedes now manufacture cars around the world, witness the newUK C class saloons which are made in south africa. You might find your merc was assembled in India for example??????. This is fine as long as you don't expect a german built car and might lead to problems at your local MB dealership. Have a look at the vin plate on the front slam panel to see if you can find out the car's country of origin. Or simply ask the dealer.good luck

 

[Arnie]

Like cars from Japan, you may not have any way of knowing the actual mileage.

A low reading on the oil gauge can also signify poor maintenance and infrequent oil changes. The small orifice in the pressure sender can get gummed-up and blocked, if the car is run on old oil.

Check everything carefully.

PS: also check the small print of the warranty document, should you go ahead. I had a similar one (RAC) once, which was not worth the paper it was printed on. There were get-out clauses for everything, whereby any fault would be attributable to normal "wear-and tear" and not be covered.

 

[Mike38]

This E200 was built in MAY 1995, (Pre 96) although I did have a look at the VIN plate etc I didn't observe as to where it was manufactured.

Yes Graeme you are right it could have been made in India as they nowadays manufacture for local and export market and I am quite sure although it is a MB there is always going to be variations of the materials used in manufacture.

As for getting it serviced in the UK the dealer showed me a document from MB for another similar vehicle he had already sold and was awaiting collection, this stated that the VIN number did meet the UK/EC specifications etc and I was told without this document DVLA would not register the vehicle.

On the point of the Mechanical Warranty I also had the same view about the get out clauses of "Wear and Tear" because in a car effectively everything wears out.

Is there a way of finding out with the VIN number as to where the car is manufactured?

Yes this car does not have any kind of service history records and is believed to be have had two owners with 89K kilometres on the speedo.

On the point of getting the RAC/AA inspection I agree this all depends on the experience of the inspector who comes to have a look.

The dealer is in SW London is there a independent MB specialists in the area that someone can recommend who does MB inspections.

I am really delighted to find so many MB owners who are collectively sharing the information about their experiences to assist other owners and would be owners like myself.

Its all down to luck??? I Guess.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[jaymanek]

Hi,

I used to be involved in japanese imports when the business was booming.

Basically, remember it will have been exported for a reason. At that mileage, why wasnt it sold in singapore? Its is extremely easy to change mileage abnd get rid of superficial signs of wear.
And the dvla will register anything very easily.
I once registered, by accident, a nissan micra as a nissan primera....

Without history and bearing the above mind; there is nothing wrong with buying the car, but remember to get it checked out with a fine toothcombe, and also, the car will be worth much less than a high mileage uk example with full history.

Also remember, MB dealers in the UK are unfriendly enough without giving them an extra excuse for poor service. When they find that your car is not Uk, they can, and will, make getting parts very difficult. Bear that in mind...

If you want a specialist opinion, take it to George Fraser Garage in alperton, or Klasse of Fulham....

If you want any more help, please dont hesitate to ask.

Thanks

Jay

 

[Mike38]

Many thanks Jay for your advice, you have raised quite a few points that I didn't think about.

The decision I have made is after the dealer has prepared the vehicle I will take a test drive check it over and take it to one of a MB independents to get it up on their ramp and check it out.

The RAC/AA test I thought is not going to be appropriate in my opinion because their engineers are not specialists in any one make of cars.

I will keep you all posted about my progress and whether I do buy the car.

Many thanks,
Mike

 

[steveperry]

...Is there a way of finding out with the VIN number as to where the car is manufactured? ...

Hi again Mike

You could try the following website if you have the VIN on you:
http://www.mbnz.org/modelguide/

Bear in mind this is a US based site but it might still work. My VIN when plugged in tells me the my car was made in the Bremen plant which is correct given my car model and age, however, some of the other details are less accurate which is understandable as the W202 C240 was never available in the States.

Hope this helps And good luck with the MB purchase.

S.

p.s. I still think it's a good idea to get an independent check when buying a car.

 

[Mike38]

Thanks, to everyone for your advice.

The dealer has got the MOT done, it failed on minor points wiper blades and a bulb.

The AirCon has been fixed, I was told that the fault was a blown fuse due to dust infestation. A little concerned, is this normal for the A/C fuse to blow just like that? The oil pressure gauge is now working, although I didn't get a proper reply as to what the problem was with it.

On Monday I am taking the vehicle to Klasse of Fulham someone Jay suggested, they are very friendly people.

For other would be buyers of a "paralle import" (not grey, as is the case with Japanese imports), I didn't have any problems with getting my present insurance company to provide a cover note which was quite good of them.

A question I had, this model has been fitted with a keyless alarm and immobiliser, can someone tell me what Mercedes equivalent is it the MBAAS, MBRSS etc?

I will keep you all posted of what the independent inspection reveals as my decision of buying the vehicle will depend on it.

Many thanks to everyone for the advice.

Mike

 

[jaymanek]

Hi,

Well beware the aircon, sounds a bit dodgy, they could have just filled it up without checking for leaks. In which case, depending on how bad the leak is, it will last anything between a few days to the rest of this summer, but thats about it...

Glad i could help, keep us posted!

Cheers

Jay