The exhaust note seems the same. The pressure out of the exhaust is what I get from my other car. I might try disconnecting the manifold if all else fails.

Brakes are fine all around.

No black smoke.

The wheels are from the ml...but the tires are not. ML tires would never fit a small wheel well like this. I am using 205s I believe. The combo I am using, the outside diameter is the same as the wheels I replaced. I checked my speed with a gps, and it is dead on...unlike my truck which is off by 6 mph at 75 mph.

thanks for the tips...I hope to get this figured out soon.

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1990 300TE....all comments are about this car...in case I forget in the actual post