190e Causing SEVERE Depression - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

richbark · #1 08-29-2002, 10:37 AM

My 85 190e 2.3 is causing me severe depression. It idles very nicely at 800rpm which afetr months of working on the motor is very nice. It has a slight miss at 1500-2000rpm and stalls when put in gear. If, by chance, I can get it in gear without stalling (by racing motor as I put it in gear) the car drives great... until I have to stop.. then it stalls again. I live a good distance away from any Mercedes Shop, so flatbedding it there would almost be cost prohibitive ($225 just to get it there). What is wrong with my car?
I have done all of the following: New cap & rotor, new plugs, competely rebuilt the head (everything including the camshaft & rocker arms are new), new water pump, all new fuses, new ignition switch, new voltage regulator in Alternator, new radiator. new fuel filter. I have the following compression readings: 152-155-153-152 . I only run premiun fuel in the car. If I pull out the OVP, the cars runs really poorly..barely idles. I would be happy at this point to just get the car running well enough to get it to a shop to have it fixed. What do I look at to try to help it? Does anyone have a really good shop they can reccommend in the Kingston or Poughkeepsie New York area? I really cannot aford to have some dimwit spend 10 hours trying new parts because he/she does not know much about Benz's. Thanks for all your help!

Potomac Pat · #2 08-29-2002, 11:58 AM

Just a stab at it, but what about the pick up from the EZL to the distributor. It is a green wire that runs from the ignition module to the reverse side of the distributor. Check that to see if the wire is shot. Just a thought..........

mbdoc · #3 08-29-2002, 05:31 PM

Sounds like a VACUUM leak. OR the engine isn't creating enough vacuum, ie: valves too tight.

haasman · #4 08-30-2002, 02:57 AM

This sounds very familiar. Try these:

190E 2.3 Stalling Problems

"I hate to keep pounding the clogged injector bell but I highly suggest you make sure your injector nozzles are clean.

I was working on a car with similiar problems ....

Something caught my eye on one of the great posts on this site: It said "add even two bottles of Techron if you think the fuel injectors are really dirty" .... so I did. I let the car idle for about 5 minutes. I raced the engine a little bit .... let it run some more. I brought the RPMs up to about 2,500 and then I heard a sound kind of like a soft "phlup" ... and WOW! The engine runs sweet and the terrible trans problems are no more."

What's the status of your injectors?

#5 08-30-2002, 07:23 AM

Is your 2.3 a carb or injected model?

Gilly · #6 08-30-2002, 07:35 AM

Donnie:
Closed throttle position switch?

Gilly

richbark · #7 08-30-2002, 09:17 AM

I have a fuel injected model. I have done the two bottles of Techron trick. Infact, I let it idle for 1/2 an hour then help it at 2500 for 5 minutes or so and let it idle for another 20 minutes.
The car loves to idle and idles very well.

For the vacuum leak, what am I looking for? I have checked pretty much everything in sight in the engine compartment and have replaced most of the vacuum lined (one by one). Is there a vacuum connection between the transmission and the intake?
Is there a line under the intake that I am just not seeing? is there a way to test the amount of vacuum and, if so, where is the best location to take the reading?

I have checked all of these suggestions before..except the valves being too tight. That is a new thought to look into. Does too tight mean not opening enough? I cannot make too many adjustments, as they are hydralically lifted.

PS: My wife has insisted that I sell the car and cut my losses in time and money. This is our first Benz, and if she wins this battle, our last. that really stinks for me because I want to get a 560SEL.

Tinker · #8 08-30-2002, 12:31 PM

Richbark,

I feel your pain. Some days I want to take my wife`s 16V and drive it off a cliff.

I think M.B. Doc is right, you probably have a vacuum leak. I have also be chasing a #"$%&$#$ vacuum leak on her car for several months. Its better, but not perfect.

What could possibly be happening is that there is not enough vacuum to pull open the air sensor plate. When you come to a stop, vaccum is also needed for the brake system. Where is the vacuum/economy guage reading? You might try richening the mixture. It will raise the idle and might be a band aid approach, but it should stop it from stalling at stops. And then you can focus on finding the leak/cause.

Good luck.

Tinker

#9 08-30-2002, 02:25 PM

There's probably only one solution to this problem at this point. Take this car to a goob mb tech! Don't waste anymore time with self diagnosis or frustration. I had to pay $1000 just to have my benz shipped here from OK. $225 doesn't sound so bad. If no one else offers any suggestions closer, I would take it to Roy Fields in Hunt Valley, md. They are the best alternative to a dealer I have ever found! And cheaper than the dealer. They found a short in my car in 1/2 hour! Shorts can be costly and hard to find. Their number is 410-527-1010. Just get it done and over with or sell it but I wouldn't do anymore guessing about it. It can be very frustrating.