I own a 1984 190D-2.2 (5-speed), and I just went and looked at a 1987 190D-2.5 Turbo (automatic) to buy as a second car. It had ~205000 miles on it.

I was expecting the 2.5T to have substantially better acceleration than the 2.2, so while driving it, I noticed a few things that surprised me. The main issue was that it was SO incredibly slow when taking off from a complete stop. You'd put the pedal to the floor and the car just would not move. Once the engine got up to around 2200 rpm, there was plenty of power and acceleration. What would cause the car to be so incredibly slow from a full stop? It's almost like it was starting in the wrong gear...

Also, the transmission would shift very harshly. I've never driven an automatic Mercedes before, but I don't think this is normal. When driving, it was necessary to press the pedal to the floor for at least 3 seconds to get it to downshift and begin accelerating.

The serpentine belt made a loud squeal, yet from looking at the service records, the owner seems to have been picky about funny noises. I'm wondering if there is something more serious than just buying a new belt that would cause them to not fix this?

A nice thing about the car was that the engine seemed somewhat quieter (in terms of diesely klatteriness) than my car. It started and ran very well, and seemed well maintained.

Unfortunately, the engine seemed to have been recently cleaned/degreased (top of engine abnormally shiny, bottom of engine oily). I wish people would leave things alone; mega-cleaning the engine makes me suspicious of leaks - I'd rather see a leak and know what I'm getting into than have to guess. They also warmed it up prior to my arrival - another thing I wish people wouldn't do...

I'm considering giving the car a second look, but it has a lot of rust for the current asking price, and I am concerned about the automatic transmission. Hopefully the seller will drop the price and make it an easier decision.

Any advice on the above items?

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1989 250TD Wagon 5-speed, 160,000mi ::: Dark gray metallic / black cloth
1984 190D-2.2 5-speed, 287,000mi ::: Silver-blue metallic / black MB-tex ::: SOLD

well as for the acceleration with an auto trans it tends to be slower than a stick. Better to control your power with a stick and get stuck with what the tranny thinks is best in auto. just my opinion

I don't know. If the waste gate on the turbo is not functioning correctly and the engine is getting all of it's combustion air from the turbo from idle, I would think that would be consistent with your having to "floor it" to get it going from stop.

I don't know bout diesel turbos, but my gasser turbo needs time to "spool up". So, until you hit the turbo power band (about 2,200 in your case it appears), it will just like running a normal diesel with an auto tranny. Someone will jump in if I am off base here.

Glenn

The 87 190D should be unquestionably quick! Off the bat, it sounds like there is a vacuum leak which will cause the tranny to not perform as designed. You may also realize that there maybe a host of other issues such as dirty and clogged fuel filters, timing chain stretched, injectors dirty and off beat, or an air filter dirty and restricting, or alda sucking air around seals....to mention just a few.....People looking to get rid of a car generally sign-off at the first sign of trouble! It depends on how savvy you are are on detecting! It sounds like you would need to do a lot of service maintenance probably not done in quite a while! It's a gamble, but only if the price is real! Sounds like a $1,500 car at best!

Put the shifter in "L" before take off, see if it is quicker.

I'm not sure how the tranny is set up on the 190D, but my 240D has an issue with wanting to take off in second gear; people here have told me that it is the bowden cable or something....perhaps the 190 you're looking at has a similar issue. It's an easy fix, just a piece of linkage that needs to be adjusted.

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1982 240D.
My name is Michael, and I am an 18 year old binge-drinkin', cigar-smokin', novel-writin', all around unsavory and unnattractive guy. I tell long-winded stories, and I only shave once a week, although I've had to do it every day since I was 16.

You have to make sure that the tranny is actually starting in first gear.

Also, you should be aware that the 190 D 2.5 T's came equipped with 2.65 reareand ratios.

SteveM.

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'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner

That's great info - thank you!

I know for sure it wasn't starting in first gear. Perhaps 2nd gear start combined with the 2.65 axle made it feel more like 3rd gear start... I tried starting in 'L', but no improvement there either. I don't think it has fuel filter / injector / air filter issues, as it was ultra quick once it got moving. I think that some minor transmission-related repairs are definitely required.

They wanted $5K for it, which is not reasonable for the rust and general condition. If it's still around in a week or two, I may call back and see if they'll cut the price in half... since it's already rusted beyond repair, it would make a good winter car.

Thanks again for the tips!

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1989 250TD Wagon 5-speed, 160,000mi ::: Dark gray metallic / black cloth
1984 190D-2.2 5-speed, 287,000mi ::: Silver-blue metallic / black MB-tex ::: SOLD

Am the happy owner of TWO '87 2.5 turbos born seven month apart. They are my alltime everyday everywhere anydistance transportation. My serious advice is you need to be either a competent technical mind with ZERO quickfix temptations, or have a solid Mercedes repair source again with honest no compromise qualification ( as if Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz or Rudolf Uhlenhaut were watching over his shoulder). The real beauty of owning such cars is that they can almost always be made to function as when new. The vacuum circuit is a very essential system for numerous functions such as transmission, climate control module, central locking system, engine shut-off and a few other assignements. A third option, if you are an M.B. USA club member their technical assistance Mr. George Murphy is a real savior. You can call him for the correct answeres. Keep us informed of happy results.