from a standstill, pedal to the floor, car accelerates to 32-35mph and 4300 rpm, will hold there(i'm afraid to keep it there for to long a period, it stayed there for about a mile and a half this morning), let off the pedal, it shifts to second gear, back to 4300rpm, 46-48mph, stays there as long i i keep the pedal down again, let off the pedal, shift to 3rd, slowly(like its bogging down) up to 4300rpm, speed is dropping, down to 37-40, i let off the pedal, it shifts to 4th, 2/3 pedal, it speeds up ok, still sluggish, but tops outin th 70's unless i hit a downside of a hill.
at 60mph on flat ground, hit the bottom of a 5% grade hill, 1/4 mile long, i'll be at less than 50 mph at the top, thats with the pedal as far down as i can go without engaging the o.d.
if i engage the o.d. on the hill it slows down significantly slower.

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rodney

I don't believe that you have a transmission problem.

The engine is not putting out anywhere near the power that it should. This must be corrected before anything is investigated regarding the transmission.

I had a suspicion that the fuel enrichment via the ALDA is not working......at all........but, even without any fuel enrichment, the performance of the vehicle would be better than what you currently have. The fact that you also achieve full boost tends to eliminate the fuel enrichment as the culprit. However, we'll keep this possibility in the background to potentially investigate further if you obtain a Mityvac (that can also provide pressure).

I return to the timing chain. Has the camshaft timing or the injection timing ever been checked on this vehicle........if you know?

What's the situation with smoke? Have any smoke at any rpm's? What color?

i know the timing chain has some stretch to it, its on the list of things to be done soon. the alda still has the factory cap on it, i'm the third owner of the car, the history of the last 6 years(my dad had it) there is no alda adjustment. none of the timings have been checked(i'm sure of this). there is not a reputable mercedes mech within 100 miles so i have to learn on the fly. i've done a lot of gas engine rebuilds and tuneups(demo-derby cars), so i'm capable but i'll frequent this board for step by steps on the timing chain.

can i pull the alda off without removing the intake? i can adjust it and remove it from the list of possibilities, i know it screws out. but is there room

i get some blue smoke at startup, after the first mile on the road it doesnt smoke at all, even at 4300rpm

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rodney

I think that you should check the IP timing......as a minumum.....to determine how much stretch is in the chain.

There is an electronic tool for this. It's #14 in the tool rental program. You can very accurately time the 603 quickly with this device. If the chain is way out of spec, you'll know that the chain replacement needs to be done first. After the chain is replaced, you can use the tool to set IP timing precisely.

You can forget about any tweaks to the ALDA at this point in time. The engine has much more serious issues.

Has a compression test ever been done on it?

Any data on fuel economy with it?

thank-you both for your assistance in this. people are amazed when i talk about this website. your time is greatly appreciated.
i found the trans filter and gasket set local(imagine that!!) i'll change it tonight.
i'm going with the mobile 1 atf,

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rodney

Definitely a good thing to replace that fluid and filter. Who knows how long it's been in there.........

But, I don't expect the performance to improve...........we'll see............

no exact data on fuel economy, rough estimate is 20-25 a gallon, i'm pretty sure the timing chain has not been changed since new, i may buy that this weekend and get it done next weekend.
a foreign car place here in town said that the upper guide hold the most wear, that the lower guide should be o.k., is this accurate?
my truck gets 8 miles a gallon so the longer this car is down the more it hurts.
can i just hook the new chain to the old and run it thru. i read that on here somewhere. i'll do valve adjustments at the same time

no compression test has ever been done that i know of

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rodney

The tensioning rail suffers the most wear, but, I don't think you want to go in and change that.......it's a lot of work and you need the FSM to even attempt it.

You need to read up on the timing chain replacement before you attempt it. You should have three people to do the job......one to feed the new chain........one to maintain tension on the old chain coming out........and one to turn the crank.

There are no valve adjustments. The engine has hydraulic lifters.

i just talked to the foregn car place, he said he's done quite a few of the timing chains, 300-350, for him to do it. i guess i'll turn it to him andgive him a shot at decency, it helps that he speaks with a heavy german accent. hopefully he knows what he is doing

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rodney

That's about the right price for one of them. The part is probably well over $125. by now.

See if he has the RIV timing lights to set IP timing..............

just talked to the local indy and he does have the RIV lights to check the ip timing. so i should drop it off monday for a new timing chain.

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rodney

Well, with 317K on the old chain, it might be out far enough to cause the symptoms that you have. Hopefully, it will do much better.

See if you can ask him to read the IP timing with the RIV tool BEFORE he does the chain replacement. It will be valuable to know how late it is.

I suspect there is some malady that is causing the RPM to hold while the trans decides to shift. I have no idea but will be watching this thread to see the outcome. I expect something is defective like maybe the vacuum thinge (blueflying saucer) or something associated, or sticking valve body?

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

Still selling for $97 at ********AZ. I paid less than that at Adsitco but that was about a year ago. Sooner or later the weak USD will affect a lot of imported parts
With over 300K if the chain hasn't yet been replaced or an offset key installed I assure you that the engine will love it when it gets the right timing!
I would also be concerned with valve seal wear, rings, etc. Don't ask me how I know (only me and my 603 money pit knows)

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

What has me thinking otherwise is the fact that it doesn't want to accelerate over 4300 rpm. If it ran up and stuck at 4800, I'd feel better about a transmission issue. The fact that it loses speed in 4th gear pretty much confirms my thoughts.