Greetings:

I just purchased a 1990 760 GLE sedan (NON TURBO) with 166,000 miles on it. I noticed some oil in the engine bay area, not a whole lot but some (not enough to scare me). The car starts right up (acceleration is smooth/strong), with no oil pressure issues, and the coolant is clear, and clean with no oil dilution whatsoever. All of the warning lights work too. Also the oil dip stick indicated the oil as being clean, honey in color, in addition to being grit free. I did not see any indication of any oil coming up from the filler cap. I noticed that some recent work was done to part of the front of the engine (possible timing chain). These areas look very new (casting very very new with gaskets/fresh sealant). I also noticed the gasket/sealant around these areas as well (possibly new gasket replacements. While the car is running I do not hear any piston slap, just the fuel injectors. My questions are: How often does one replace the timing chain on a model like this one? 2. Is this V6 280F engine a non-interference engine? 3. How much life could i expect to get out of this engine, is it robust as the B230F motors? The tranny is very smooth, once it is placed into gear you don't even feel the shift (shifts like a charm)! From the looks of the oil spatter, it seems as though part of the front portion of the engine (timing chain area) was replaced with a new gasket and not enough sealant was used, and the oil was not cleaned up. Heck it even has a new steering wheel link/knuckles, in addition to new tires. I don't have much history on the vehicle (auction)but the paint is in excellent condition, as is the interior and all of its functions. One other thing regarding the timing chain what would if costs me to do it myself vs the dealer, and are there any early warning signs of a failing timing chain? Oh and during the time that the car was running, I did not notice any addition oil to be splattering and or squirting from any where. How much of a hassle is it to replace engine seals/valve gaskets on this model (my first inital guess upon noticing the oil? THANKS IN ADVANCE, my apologizes for such a long thesis!!

You responses/experiences would be greatly appreciated!

88 740 GLE WAGON (NON TURBO) 372,000 miles Fully synthetic Amsoil lubrication/filtration, NGK V-Power spark plugs/Bougicord spark plug wires,Texaco ELC/distilled water, Premium fuels, leather conditioners, polishes. waxes, vinyl treatments (Meguiar's), Redline's complete fuel system cleaner. Super strict maintenance regimen 99% hwy miles 1200-1400 miles per a week!

88 740 GLE WAGON (NON TURBO) 173,000 MILES same maintenace/product use as above with wagon # 1.