What's it wurf mr ?

Talk about your cars etc here. Keep it sort of sensible and on topic please.
User avatar
Warren t claim
Posts: 15643
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:16 pm
Location: Wirral
Has thanked: 6601 times
Been thanked: 9385 times

Re: What's it wurf mr ?

Post by Warren t claim »

NorfolkNWeigh wrote: Sun Sep 12, 2021 12:00 pm
mercrocker wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 8:02 pm My 280E had K-Jetronic and was relatively easy to sort when I had a cold-cycle issue - I downloaded a big tech manual from a Bosch expert in NZ, printed of the relevant bits, worked out what parts I needed and got them all locally from a Bosch agent.

The 190E has KE-Jetronic (which SiC refers to) and there seems less information on it compared to the more analogue versions. As you say, the lack of diagnostic capability really puts a sick 190E into an awkward category. All the MB specialists want to do is get them back to factory settings before they start linear diagnosis and that in itself was crippling me financially - certainly on a £1000 car that was doing its best to wear out its welcome in other ways.

The 190E is also quite an underwhelming car if you aren't sure what to expect. They grow on you but best summed up by a good friend of mine (now sadly departed) who referred to them as The Merc that Drives Like a Cortina. I think that is pretty unfair but it is a good reference point.
I’m with your late mate on these. I drove most versions when they were new and was always disappointed, especially when compared to what they were priced against. We had a director who chose one of the first 190e s with a sunroof, radio and auto box it was more than his peers 3.4 XJ6es, e28 528 and Saab 9000 Turbo cost.
I got all excited when I blagged a demo 2.3-16 ( “ Cosworth”) for a weekend , the novelty of the dog leg box wore off before I got home from the office on Friday and by Saturday night I’d called my mate up and swapped it for a 2.5 Senator he was using because we were going to my Grandmas in Wales for Sunday lunch and my kids ( aged 3 and 1 ) couldn’t fit in the back!
The 2.6 was nice and smooth but only about £35 cheaper than a 260E , so why bother? We had loads of those 1.8 LE things in purple as they were a Merc badge for the price of an SRi Cavalier, the drivers all claimed to love them, but I bet they’d rather have the BXGti or Cav SRi they replaced when it came to overtaking something.
I repossessed a fair few 190s back in the day, I probably took three 190s to every five E30s. A 190 repo was always easier than an E30 repo due to the better class of bankrupt it attracted.

Although I never got to drive a 2.5-16, I did seize a couple of 2.3-16s. How can I best describe what they're like to drive? They're a lot like driving a car with twin carbs and a lumpy cam, quite docile until you push the throttle past a certain point. The Getrag dog leg box is actually the nicest manual Mercedes box to use, the five speed manual fitted to the lesser 190s really is clunky. Although I have driven an E30 M3, it was several years later and belonged to my boss's wife (and RHD converted) so I can't really make a fair comparison.

If you put a gun to my head (and you wouldn't be the first to do that) I'd say that performance wise, the 2.3-16 is about as quick in the gears as my old ex plod 24v Senator.
TDW disclock and killswitch champion.
Post Reply