1992 Mercedes 190E - shafted...

[Woofwoof]

Great progress.

Here's a parts diagram for the gear linkage, there's a fair few parts. The main items to replace is kit No14 and bushes at each end of the three selector roads. If you do a bit of a search online there is people offering brass or Derlin replacement bushes, far better than M-B rubber one's. If you're handy doing some welding, a shorter shift is easily possible by cutting and adding 13-20mm to each of three levers (86,89,92), extended/modified one's are for sale on eBay.

[joe1976]

Thanks for taking the time to post all that mate
I’ve done the rod ends before, but it never crossed my mind to lengthen the arms to make a short shift! That would be an easy little job! Cheers dude!

[joe1976]

If you caught my last update, you’ll be aware that the joy of throwing in the new interior was marred somewhat by the discovery the heater was leaking water into the car…

Everyone hates doing a heater matrix repair, as it almost always requires complete dash removal. That in itself isn’t a massive undertaking in a 190, but I felt like I’d only just finished putting the whole thing together! The other issue with these cars is that there are a couple of sneaky fasteners dotted around, which people tend to miss when taking things apart and end up breaking parts forcing them off - mine already has bits off the dash glued together, so I was expecting plenty of damage lurking…..

The radiator also had a slight weep too, but I’d been putting off fixing this until the heater was sorted so I didn’t make that leak worse - kind of a pressure relief system effectively!

I ordered up a new heater core and radiator, along with some better speakers for the dash - so much easier to fit new ones with the dash out. They are still only the size of biscuits, but don’t actually sound like they are made from biscuits, like the original ones did.

I also took this opportunity to fix one of the broken heater vents too, so I really felt like I was ticking a few things off at once here, which always feels good.

Best get cracking…









That’s the heater out then! Wasn’t actually too bad, but there were plenty of broken fasteners and tabs!
The heater core looked to be leak free - it was actually the o rings on either connector pipe which had hardened and cracked. No point going this far and not replacing everything though, so it’s just a case of splitting the heater box open and swapping out the matrix…





Dead O-rings



New speakers….



And then, as Haynes always loved to point out, reassembly is a reverse of disassembly!

New rad thrown in - literally a five minute job on this car!



And that’s hopefully all the water leaks put to bed now. Some of the hoses are looking a bit tired, so I may get some fresh ones ordered up in the new year, but it will be nice just to enjoy driving it some more first!

Thanks for stopping by!

[joe1976]

Well, I’ve done a little over 500miles in her over the Christmas week, so I figured I’d best do a little maintenance work before I head back to actual work tomorrow!

I hadn’t checked over the fluid levels in the diff or the gearbag since putting her back on the road, so it seemed only right to give them both a quick oil change now the miles are racking up again.

People occasionally change the box oil, but no one ever bothers with the diff oil - so it’s a guarantee that they both would need a freshen up….



Let’s have a look then!
The drain plug in the diff took a fair amount of persuasion to get it to shift, so I knew this would be pretty special…



Mmmmm, nice! Don’t reckon that had ever been changed….



Best have a look at what’s lurking in the box then…

[joe1976]

Another equally stubborn drain plug eventually relented, to reveal some lovely looking oil once again.
These manual boxes run ATF oil and it was nice to see it was at least a little bit red still…



Hmmm, pretty grim!



A bit of filings on the drain plug, but not too drastic for one that’s done around 200k



Always feels good to get some fresh fluids into a car. Hopefully this will keep her sweet for a good while yet!

Actually made the effort to work out the fuel consumption over the last week and was pleasantly surprised. On super unleaded, she’s averaged a touch over 35mpg over the last 500miles. Pretty happy with that!

Oh, and tried some new boots on too…

[joe1976]

Forgot to mention - anyone who put a date on the Aprilia sweepstake……



New barrel and piston this week! Hahaha!

[joe1976]

FFS...

[ianlea73]

Throw back to 90's. Stick it on a bog chain & hang it from your neck!!

[joe1976]

Sorted!



Noticed another water leak tonight, so I’d best order some hoses up sooner than I was thinking!

Also seemed to be a bit of a CV-type tick when pulling away today, so I reckon some fresh driveshafts are going to be required shortly too…

[ducklooker]

Neverending story with the old ones lol.
Cool car sir.

[joe1976]

Thanks mate - yeah, sometimes it feels like they just don't want to be fixed!

[joe1976]

Time flies….

Almost 2 months since my last proper update, so I guess it’s about time for another!

In fairness, she’s been doing sterling service without any real dramas. The coolant hoses are definitely past their best, so I’m slowly swapping those out for fresh ones.

The gear linkages definitely need some attention now, so that’s probably the next thing on the list.

But in other more interesting news - I’ve finally got some audio sorted!

In some of the other photos, you may have seen a head unit come and go, but this was never anything other than a temporary patch on the issue. I had one thing in mind and have been patiently on the hunt for something suitable.

Anyway, it turns out there’s a limit to my patience and I've ended up buying something that wasn’t quite what I was holding out for, but it’s from the right stable and period correct, so I’m reasonably happy for now!

I almost folded and went for an orange one, which was arguably a better unit, but for me it has to be green….





These early ‘90s Alpines are my all time favourites - I've owned a fair few over the years. In fact I still have my 7909, but it is very broken, sadly.

So what we have here is a non-RDS radio with a cassette deck that isn’t 100%. I've got htis paired up with a Bluetooth FM transmitter, stashed away, and a small amp.
Sound quality is okay, but not brilliant, but i did buy the cheapest fm transmitter I could find!  Although this whole set-up may well end up being a stop gap until I find the actual unit I’m looking for!

Hope some of you appreciate it as much as I do - I can’t tell you how good it feels to see those green squares again……

[motardman]

I LOVE those green Alpines. I tried and tried to find one for my S124 and there just wasn't anything out there at all when I looked. I ended going for a Becker Cascade which I like.

Would rather have the Alpine if I was being honest with myself though.

[joe1976]

Mar 4, 2024 10:32:25 GMT motardman said:

I LOVE those green Alpines. I tried and tried to find one for my S124 and there just wasn't anything out there at all when I looked. I ended going for a Becker Cascade which I like.

Would rather have the Alpine if I was being honest with myself though.

I very nearly went for one of those new versions of the Blaupunkt Frankfurt with DAB and phone connectivity, but couldn’t quite convince myself that it would make me smile as much as this does. Plus, I’ve still got some more original Alpine stuff that I want to use, so I went with this. 

I’m actually still looking for a better spec headunit with the changer control, so I can run with the Bluetooth adapter that are now available for these units. 

I still need to install some rear shelf speakers and plumb in my other amp, but real life is taking up way too much time currently!

[joe1976]

A timely tax-renewal dropped through the door the other week, so that means she's officially been on the road for 6 months. So, what's new...?

Well, the drivetrain issues didn't miraculously clear up, that's for sure!

The drive shafts have been getting noticeably noisier, along with the diff. It all looks like the original kit, so it's no surprise it was all getting more than a little tired. The diff had turned howling into a full time occupation and the cv's in the drive shafts were definitely past their best.



I picked up a fresh diff from a considerably lower mileage car and ordered in a pair of new driveshafts. Gave the diff a once-over, with some new seals and fresh oil, and threw it all in the other morning. It was only a partial success though, as i now have an issue with the cv's binding when pulling away. I'm a bit baffled by this, as the shafts looked identical in length to the old ones, but they seem to be causing issues when the car squats down when setting off. If she wasn't so low this wouldn't be an issue, but she is and it is.... I've just parked her for now, as i've had a load of other work on.

assume the position..



old and new...



all in, but all is not well...



The other issue I currently have, is with the gearbox and selector. The wear in the shifter makes it awkward to select 1st and 2nd and the box itself is getting distinctly noiser! Along with the diff, i also liberated a box and shift mechanism. I've just done the oil seals and a service in the box, so that's just waiting to be thrown in. Obviously, I figured if I'm whipping the box out, I may as well throw a fresh clutch in, so I've got a new kit waiting in the wings too.....

Other than these minor issues - i've just been enjoying putting the miles on her. Still puts me in a better mood every time. And she polishes up a treat - really need to try and colour match the paint on the lower panels though, it's definitely getting a bit flakey!



I guess that's it for now. Just need a clear weekend to get the box and clutch done, and try to get to the bottom of the driveshaft issues.....

Cheers,
Joe

[Woofwoof]

When you've got the prop out inspect the U/J for even slight binding in either plain. Also check the prop centre bearing, rubber couplings, engine mounts and gearbox mount.

All these can contribute to drive line issues/noises and some only occur after some other parts have been replaced in the drive line.

Keep up the good work 👍

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

Nice looking Benz. In the late '90s/early '00s. I owned a 1987 190E 2-litre manual, gloss black with a Zender bodykit and AMG style 5-spokes - a "Hood's motor", as my dad called it! It made a terrific motorway car, as although not fast, people would often pull over quickly on seeing it coming up behind them.

[joe1976]

May 28, 2024 20:46:46 GMT Woofwoof said:

When you've got the prop out inspect the U/J for even slight binding in either plain. Also check the prop centre bearing, rubber couplings, engine mounts and gearbox mount.

All these can contribute to drive line issues/noises and some only occur after some other parts have been replaced in the drive line.

Keep up the good work 👍

Yeah, the prop is okay - it's the drive shafts that are binding on full travel for some reason.

It runs pretty low already, so doesn't need much compression before it becomes an issue.

I'll get after it soon enough!

[Woofwoof]

Are the new driveshafts after market or MB one's?
I ask as I've never heard of this issue being reported on 190's previously even one's that are lowered. Of course that's not saying it can't or doesn't happen.
Maybe,fit two thicker rear spring rubber insulators, that will quickly tell you if it low ride height that's causing the binding. From memory there's four different thickness of the insulators, something like 8mm up to 23mm. They're cheap too.

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

Yes, I had to fit thicker front insulators to try and prevent my 190E's alloy sump from grounding on all the local speed humps. Even then, it would still occasionally bash the sump causing engine oil to leak, hence I reluctantly sold it.