loss of power

[fnkhan68]

hi, i have a 1992 260e with 74000 on the clock. its got fsh from alan day mercedes upto 58000 and ive just had a major service done at 72000 miles inc brake fluid, coolant and transmission change. firstly ive noticed my car tends stay around 85 to 87 degrees once warmed up and also the car seems to lose power. also when i floor the car the engine seems to pink but this only happens with the throttle fully down. my car use to be very smooth before as i would have to touch the accelerator and it would literally try to take off. could this possible be timing or mixture fault. it seems to drive fine on start up from cold but once it starts to warm up the power loss occurs, does anyone know why this is?

 

[Brian WH]

hi, i have a 1992 260e with 74000 on the clock. its got fsh from alan day mercedes upto 58000 and ive just had a major service done at 72000 miles inc brake fluid, coolant and transmission change. firstly ive noticed my car tends stay around 85 to 87 degrees once warmed up and also the car seems to lose power. also when i floor the car the engine seems to pink but this only happens with the throttle fully down. my car use to be very smooth before as i would have to touch the accelerator and it would literally try to take off. could this possible be timing or mixture fault. it seems to drive fine on start up from cold but once it starts to warm up the power loss occurs, does anyone know why this is?

When were the plugs last changed??

 

[fnkhan68]

the plugs were changed in the major service at 72000 so was very recent.

 

[Ian B Walker]

I cant remember when Cats were introduced to the model. If it has a cat then you cant do much about the mixture or timing. If it is pre cat then you could ( with a gas anyaliser) set the mixture. Another thought crosses my mind as I type. Once again look at the vac lines comming from the inlet manifold (been saying this a lot recently, sorry) The rubber joiners have a habit of perishing, pence to fix but so annoying to find which one to fix.

 

[fnkhan68]

my car has a cat but speaking to a mate today he suggested it could possibly be the iht leads so i intend to get these changed with the the distributor cap and rotor arm to see if this makes a difference. he suggested the cat models dont really need tuning but to try this first. just have to wait and see what happens.

 

[jgevers]

Blocked cat/exhaust?

 

[Brian WH]

No I think he is on the right lines with the HT leads and dist cap.

 

[fnkhan68]

i'll keep you updated after i change the iht leads and dist cap. just thought i'll let everyone know my car used to be owned by the The Asprey Family who are i believe to be a well known for jewellry. anyone ever heard of them or know about them?

 

[fnkhan68]

forgot to mention the illumination bulb in auto gearbox has fused, how difficult is it to change one of these?

 

[Brian WH]

These you mean?

Asprey of Bond Street

 

[fnkhan68]

i think so, i bought the car of a gentleman probably round in his fifties who said he was a relation and the logbook said under title ' The Asprey Family'.

 

[fnkhan68]

i just had the ht leads changed and the dist. cap with the rotar arm. this has made a significant improvement on the performance but hasnt restored the performance to what it originally was plus does anyone know what temperature these cars should idle around once warmed up. any suggestions?

 

[Brian WH]

i just had the ht leads changed and the dist. cap with the rotar arm. this has made a significant improvement on the performance but hasnt restored the performance to what it originally was plus does anyone know what temperature these cars should idle around once warmed up. any suggestions?

Most MBs run at about 80 and 100 should be about maximum, anything over that there is a problem normally.

 

[fnkhan68]

what about with regards to the performance as stated in my previous question any ideas?

 

[Brian WH]

what about with regards to the performance as stated in my previous question any ideas?

You said the performance was better now, does it still pink? If so then as Ian suggests there could be an air leak on the vacuum pipes or the timing is out. I favour the former, as the timing would not alter on its own and shouldn't be messed with without the right equipment.

 

[fnkhan68]

i'll get the vac pipes checked out.

 

[fnkhan68]

just had a chance on a clear stretch of road to switch the car into standard mode and floor the throttle to the floor. i had a pleasant suprise of no pinking and rapid acceleration but when i tried the same thing in economy mode the effects were quite the opposite. the gearbox did not kickdown perhaps cos i was in 2nd but the speed build up was more gradual. i dont know whether its the car or ive just become paranoid or maybe thats how these cars are meant to drive according to the gearbox mode. do you still think its to do with the vacuum pipes having a leak somewhere?

 

[Brian WH]

just had a chance on a clear stretch of road to switch the car into standard mode and floor the throttle to the floor. i had a pleasant suprise of no pinking and rapid acceleration but when i tried the same thing in economy mode the effects were quite the opposite. the gearbox did not kickdown perhaps cos i was in 2nd but the speed build up was more gradual. i dont know whether its the car or ive just become paranoid or maybe thats how these cars are meant to drive according to the gearbox mode. do you still think its to do with the vacuum pipes having a leak somewhere?

I would drive in standard all the time, you will notice the difference, and forget economy unless it is snowing mate.

 

[fnkhan68]

just an update really, after having the dist. cap and ht leads changed i still wasnt really satisfied with the performance in eco mode so i decided to add a bottle of fuel injection cleaner to the tank. since then the pick up has really improved on the car and is really crisp even in eco mode with all the kickdowns happening at the right time, even had the chance to floor the car from 30mph to 110mph right at the start of the m1. it was absolutely faultless with no hesitation or pinking and really smooth so im well chuffed, my only question now is it advisably to use injector cleaners to maintain peak performance on a periodically basis or should it be a one off thing, i know i read somewhere that mercedes do not recommend additives to the fuel or oil. thoughts please anyone?

 

[Shude]

my only question now is it advisably to use injector cleaners to maintain peak performance on a periodically basis or should it be a one off thing, i know i read somewhere that mercedes do not recommend additives to the fuel or oil. thoughts please anyone?

You should use additives every few months, I think even mercedes have an additive that they use periodically.