my car (Mercedes 1985 190E 2.3 with 109K miles) gives me a very rough time on a cold engine - it misfires, sputters, kind of coughs all the time - no pickup, almost stalls. The moment the engine is warm (80
degrees C on the radiator temperature), it runs smooth as butter. Problem started 3 weeks ago, and is very consistent. What are the possibilities - what should I do - will it ruin my engine if I continue driving like
this (as long as I warm up the car everytime)? Or is it just old age problems with a 15 year old car and I should ignore it?

I would really really appreciate your response. My casual conversation with many people reveals that this is a very common problem, so many readers would benefit
by your answer.

thanks a lot.

A. Gupta

Your cold start injector might be clogged or you have a problem in your fuel distributor (Im not too sure about the parts in your engine). My 86 300E has the same problem where it barely starts and its barely driveable until it warms up alittle bit.

thanks for your answer. would using a injector solvent/cleaner help (adding it to the fuel)? Also, how long have you had this problem - do you think it can ruin the engine if ignored?

thanks again.

I had a similar problem on my 420SEL, check your secondary air pump (smog pump) It should be located on the passenger side in front of the engine, under the alternator (That's where is is in my car. There are two hoses that run from it. One goes to the air filter housing and the other into the lower engine block. Check to see that the hoses are not broken off. I fixed mine and the problem went away. This is pretty easy to check, you should be able to see any problems clearly. If that is not it, ahve it checked out, it could also be as mentioned above.



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Jason Priest
1986 420SEL