Got a 190D 2.5 Turbo, need some help
 

Yesterday my wife and i drove to San Antonio and picked up a 190D 2.5 Turbo. This is the one that Jimmy had looked at 2 1/2 years ago. Car was in good shape, interior is 95% intact and it has dirty carpets. Car drove great and the turbo pull makes it very fun to drive.

Good:
Supposedly had engine rebuilt at 200k (no papers to back it up)
Used tranny installed at 290k (now has 305k)
Steering is super tight, can drive it with my pinky finger
new tires, COLD AC... very cold

Bad:
1. Tranny shifts a little odd, takes off very slow until 2k when turbo kicks in and it takes off. it is fine once at speed, and not slow once moving more than 30mph.
2. Several vacuum lines disconnected, probably causing issue above.
3. Center vents only blow cold, no heat from center vents.
4. Rear driver window does not work (will check switches first)
5. Needs hood pad, sunvisor clips(already purchased)
6. Sunroof closes slow and sometimes appears to stop. Grease it??

Pics before it cleaned it:

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3746.jpg

[IMG]http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm27/arcticathlon/IMG

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3751.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3754.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3764.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3761.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3773.jpg

Vacuum...
 

Ok so here is the first thing i found. The Brown vacuum line comes from the EGR, and is currently disconnected. What device is in the background that has the fuel filter connected to it?

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3781.jpg

Here is the vacuum amplifier that has the dashpot plugged. removed the nail and connected it, and the car drove like crap. it would slip and rev instead of shifting correctly. so i pulled over and reconnected it.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3780.jpg

This vacuum line is on the side of my Injector pump, but i was unable to pull out the broken rubber line. is it removable? How do i best go about fixing this.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3778.jpg

Here the dashpot is not connected to the vacuum line coming out of the top of the Injector pump. i just connected it.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/IMG_3779.jpg

Any suggestions with the above?

Thanks

Wow, not much was done to that car in the last couple of years to improve anything aesthetically. :eek: But a replaced tranny is a good bullet point. Durango motors never mentioned anything to me about an engine replacement.
A couple of things I remember that still appear to be true:
It handles as smooth and easy as anything I've ever driven, and suspension felt super tight.
And the boost was all or nothing, no middle ground. It was a snail or a rocket. [and quite the impressive rocket] It had nothing in the way of medium gradual acceleration.
I really did like that little car, and the color is all that kept me from going after it this time. [preference for lighter colors] I loved the blue it is, but like black I knew it would only look clean for about a half hour since I leave my cars outside.
I will certainly follow your progress, and hope you are posting the "after cleanup" pics as I am typing this.
Also something weird, but I swear I looked at that brown 240D you have with over 700K miles. There can't be more that one in the DFW area 3-5 years ago that was both brown and had over 700K miles.
My how our car paths have crossed.
You haven't seen a homely silver wagon that smokes like it is on fire have you??? ;)

I think the tranny swap helped with the acceleration. i think it has middle boost now, and once moving it feels normal.

I did forget to say that if i shift it into 2, it accelerates faster than in D. So if i go from 2 to 3 to D, it feels almost normal. is there anyway that the tranny starts from 2nd and not 1st?

Congratulations on the purchase! :)

I think this isn't actually a problem with the car - the system was designed to work this way. I kind of like it (fresh air on my face keeps me from getting sleepy while driving).

well that is good to know. Where did you get the owners manual online. Also i am having a real tough time finding the vacuum diagrams for the 190D. do they exist?

For the future, is it possible to put a 5 speed manual from a 190D 2.2 into my 2.5 turbo? is it a clean swap, or the opposite?

You definately need a vacuum schematic to sort out the vacuum issues.

Shift harshness is controlled by the broken rubber elbow on the IP (the Vacuum Modulator). There is a thread discussing that elbow, seems that pulling it out and taking it to a generic parts store yielded a vacuum elbow that was a perfect fit/replacement. I don't know where that thread is.

As far as the faster starts in 2: When you stop, the car stands in 2nd. As soon as you start to drive off, it is supposed to downshift and start in 1st. Sounds like this is not happening on your car, I don't know why. Anyway, shifting to 2 will cause the car to downshift to 1st and stand in 1st, so you are starting in 1st.

I just copied from the PDF of the owners manual that is included with the Mercedes W201 factory service manual CD. The owners manual is for a 190E but the climate control section is the same.

I've never really looked for the vacuum diagrams (I've been lucky so far and have never needed them).

Yes; I think forum member Jetmugg has done this a few times (several others have done it too but I can't recall all the names). You could search for threads under his name.

An overview of the process (by dave1980_300sd) is here: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/205813-87-190d-turbo-5-speed-conversion.html

That is nice, I want a 190D. I will keep my eyes open.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/228170-name-part-om603-ip-fitting.html?highlight=vacuum+elbow

found it. thanks.

regarding vacuum diagrams... i can only find w123/w126 diagrams...

Kick Down
 

Check under the accelerator pedal.. their is a kick down there and when you take off in any gear from 2nd to D you need to bury the pedal and see if the kickdown will cause your transmission to shift to low gear... designed that way when the speed limit was 55.. you will notice on your speedometer a series of dots.. like maybe 2 dots at 30mph and 3 dots at 50mph and 4 dots at 68mph.. Test your cars acceration ahainst these dots... they are the shifting points to 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear at wide open(bury the metal)... Jim

Well actually not quite what i was looking for. it does not tell me where to get that part, but it did tell me that the side of the IP is a vent. so it should NOT affect my shifting. for now i will leave it, but probably go to the dealer and pick up a replacement. once i have the replacement i will probably just connect a inline fuel filter to give it clean air.

Do a search on stop lever o-ring.

Sixto
87 300D

As for the VCV on the IP, the aft port should get vacuum from the engine vacuum pump, the forward port should have attached the green cylinder (last picture). The other end of the green cylinder either goes directly to the driver side of the transmission or to a device near the driver side strut tower.

Sixto
87 300D

OK, did the test. It mached up pretty good, and i can feel engaging the kickdown. It hit the first shift point perfectly, was just a little short of the 2nd one (3-5mph), but when trying to get to the last one, half-way between the shiftpoint it would pulsate. Like it was trying to shift, but it could/would not.

this throttle pedal response is much much different from what i have felt in any other MB i have driven. it feels like the pedal is already depressed 1/2, and i have 2 options. floor it (i.e. kickdown), or just press it, but slow engine response. i guess i have to look at the pedal, and see what is going on.

What would cause this surging?