Hi i am considering to change my alternator since i have some problems that i think related to its being going now. i already changed the voltage regulator and OVP in the past 2 months and it seems like it still have problems with it. battery never went dead but when sitting in idle my interior lights are flickering, not too bad but noticeable. there is also a slight misfire, an annoying one that a m103 shouldnt have. and seems like the flickering is synchronized with the misfire. all spark plugs are the recommended non resistor ones wires have changed last month with original bosch ones. coil has been changed by the previous owner while selling it to me.
i also noticed that some 190 owners are upgrading their alternator. since i am going to change it what do you guys recommend? i dont have any subs or fancy stereo systems but a stronger bolt on alternator from a 500 etc could be good. also what is the standard amperage on these cars alternators?

as a side note i think i also need to change my ICV and coldstart valve since i have some hard time to start it cold and until it gets warmed up it has a funky idling... and sometimes it needs a little push on the throttle to get it started.

i feel bad that i am always the askin side in this forum but i am trying to build up some more experience before giving any comments.

thanks in advance and i would love to hear your thoughts.

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I did the upgrade to a 120 amp alternator and I love it. I would recommend it, but first and foremost, you need to test your alternator. Changing the vr and ovp are just throwing parts at the car hoping to fix whatever problem you may have. Rough idle can be a number of things, but you have already pretty much ruled out ignition components, but you didn't mention changing the distributor and rotor. Check those visually and also test the resistance on the rotor to be sure. Next move on to the air system, since it's pretty easy to tell if you have a vacuum leak. Use a mityvac on the vacuum lines. Also grab a can of carb cleaner and spray it around the intake manifold and around the iacv while the engine is idling to see if there is a change in idle. After that move on to testing the fuel system. I have had several issues with my w201 which have pretty much all been resolved. Do a search on threads that I've started, I try to make sure I post the solution to a resolved post when I remember. Good luck and if you need he'll with the alternator upgrade send me a pm

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1990 190E 3.0L