I have a 1987 190E. First, I will say that the engine was replaced with one from a 1986 vehicle. I initially had trouble starting it after the new engine was dropped in, so I took it to the garage that sold me the used engine for help. They got it running; however, they noted that the vehicle was still not starting properly. The repair included adjustement of the timing? Although the shop was able to get the car running, they said, "...something wrong with the starter." The car will start, usually after 2-3 tries during which the starter will bog down to no action whatsoever. Additional tries may or may not be successful. It seemed to be a starter problem, so I replaced the starter and all associated wiring. The battery was new in 2003. It has been tested at the parts store from which it was purchased. The park safety switch has been jumpered. The ignition switch has been replaced along with the mechanical portion of the same. The bottom line symptom is this: With the ignition switch off, the starter works fine jumpering the solenoid wire under the hood directly to the battery. Jumpering pins 30 and 50 on the ignition switch with the ignition switch off works fine. Turning the ignition switch on while performing the former tests causes the symptom to return. Also, removing the ignition wire from the coil to the distributor and trying to start the car with the ignition switch on will turn the engine over fine.

I would appreciate any help possible. Is there a compatability problem from model year 1986 to 1987?