I am Nigel, I have a 190 E that I have had for a few years. I have the engine out right now because it lost compression on one cylinder. I haven't taken the piston out yet, but I suspect a broken ring. The engine is very worn. It has a bad ridge at the top of the bore about I think the rings broke on this ridge. The car has 190,000kms but the engine is badly worn from previous neglect. The camshaft is badly worn too. Luckily I found a rebuilt engine for $800.00, and I am installing it now.

The car always had a clunk when the transmission shifed at low speed but was smooth when shifting during hard acceleration. Now the drive shaft is out it is obvious this problem was caused by a worn flexible coupling. I had always suspected this, but without taking out the exhaust and the rear transmission cross member you can't see it. I am sure a lot of other people will have this problem and think it is the transmission.

The only other problem I have had with this car was solved with contact cleaner. The idle would go really high sometimes and the light for the oxygen sensor would come on. The problem was that the plug for the computer that controls the fuel injection was dirty. Cleaning it solved the problem permanently. A lot of people told me this problem was very serious and that I would need to get rid of the CIS injection to solve it.

The car is really nice to drive, fairly economical. Even though it is 20 years old some people think it is new after I have waxed it.

I am thinking of gettinga Diesel though. I started looking for a 190D 2.2 which is the same car with the Diesel. I don't care if it is slow.I get my driving excitement frommotorcycles, and I know how to drive to conserve momentum from owning previous gutless cars. I like the size of the 190E. There don't seem to be many around, so now I am looking at a 92 300D 2.5. There seem to be some of them around for about 8,000 to 10,000 that are like new.

Please tell me if these are good cars. Are they as good as the 190E?

 

hi and welcome