190e less power than a fiat panda... help

[JamieD]

190e 2.0 auto - has been stood for some time so have been running with reddex (ignition cleaner). Still the car is really lacking power. Engine is running smoothly, and seems to be happier when cold (Though still not normal - at full pelt I keep getting overtaken by kids on moped... its getting embarrassing) :Oops:

Any usual suspects for this type of problem?

Jamie

 

[bundy]

hi there.
possible problem is low fuel pressure. if its been laid up & now running redex any crap in the fuel tank will make its wayto the filter so i would suggest changing that first.

kind regards
ted

 

[drainaudio]

HI..
Yes I would agree that you should be checking all filters, ignition components etc - basically all the service items that could affect performance. People sometimes refer to the 2.0 auto as being "sluggish" but I have to disagree, maybe they are unaware of how to use the transmission properly or they are driving a vehicle when the engine performance is hampered by the items above. If you put the car in 1st (shift from D to 2 then back to D while stationary) and then put your foot down the 2.0 really has some get up and go - it's no V8 but certainly couldn't be considered slow by any stretch of the imagination.
Cheers, Geoff.

 

[JamieD]

Thanks for that guys - changed the fuel filter over the weekend. Have new battery,air filter and spark plugs fitted recently as well... still not up to normal running speed...

It is certainly worse when the engine gets warmer... and almost stalls when you engage any gear. The engine idles level but really lacks power - it seems to stutter at the 2500 rpm area before getting any faster...

any more tips?

 

[duncane]

I had very similar symtoms with a VW Golf a couple of years ago, turned out to be the rotor arm.

Duncan

 

[maddog]

sounds like the mixture is too rich, is the car carburetted or injected??

 

[JamieD]

its an injection. There is the allen key to change the mix (through the air filter housing), but i do not have the equipment to put on the exhaust to measure the correct mix.

Is it worth me giving it an experimental twiddle?

I was going to take the fuel distributor to bits and clean it out...

 

[chipray]

Both my old Merc W124s developed similar "don't like being hot" problems, but would start and run perfectly from cold. Imagine the embarrassment of a 3-litre six stalling across a busy junction:Oops: Each eventually had to have the rotor arm and distributor cap replaced.

 

[JamieD]

I think the electrics have been replaced recently - i changed the sparks last week (the car has BMW plugs in?)... I'll double check though, thanks.

 

[maddog]

its an injection. There is the allen key to change the mix (through the air filter housing), but i do not have the equipment to put on the exhaust to measure the correct mix.

Is it worth me giving it an experimental twiddle?

I was going to take the fuel distributor to bits and clean it out...

i wouldnt muck about with it , its not an adjustment more likely a component is stuck, see if you have a FI specialist locally.

 

[stevemac]

Check the cold start mechanism. There will be a 5th injector fitted close to the air flow meter unit - sometimes leak.

Also check all the hoses on the air supply & manifold system - good chance that at least one of them may be split.

 

[JamieD]

the saga continues

Right... changed the rotary arm - old one was very worn. checked larger and some smaller vacuum hoses (around the inlet manifold) - took larger ones off and cleared blocks of gunk...

still not running right!

Would I be right in thinking that this could be a fuelling fault (eg, fuel distributor or injectors - or would that lead to rough running as well as low performance?(

 

[slk280rc]

It would be worth having a fuel system control pressure test done. I am thinking, the warm up regulator is faulty, its not varying the fuel system control pressure, as the car gets warmer. So, it starts and runs fine from cold, but when it gets warmer it is running richer and richer which causes rough running and low power.

A faulty cold start valve would only really affect performance for starting and the first 10-15 seconds of running - unless its stuck open or leaking, in which case it would affect performance from 10 secs after starting, onward.

 

[JamieD]

I'll look in to tseting the fuel pressure - the car doesn't run normal from cold, its still lacking major power... when its warm it seems to hesitate when you put your foot down. it wont go up hills and has a top speed of about 53 miles an hour!

Is fuel pressure testing something I can do myself? I changed the filter recently and did not tighten the bajo bolt enough first time - there was a hisssss and lots of fuel squirted out so I thought that the pump must be working??

 

[slk280rc]

I'll look in to tseting the fuel pressure - the car doesn't run normal from cold, its still lacking major power... when its warm it seems to hesitate when you put your foot down. it wont go up hills and has a top speed of about 53 miles an hour!

Is fuel pressure testing something I can do myself? I changed the filter recently and did not tighten the bajo bolt enough first time - there was a hisssss and lots of fuel squirted out so I thought that the pump must be working??

Pumps tend to work or not work, so I'd rule it out, based on your fuel leakage when the banjo was not tightened.

There's obviously some safety implications with doing a fuel pressure test at home - eg forgetting to tighten the relevant connectors and squirting fuel everywhere, etc. When I work on fuel systems, I take the precaution of having a fire extinguisher handy (on initial startup after putting something back together, I've literally got the extinguisher in my hand!) A big bucket of water on standby is an idea if you don't have a fire xt.

Probably more of an issue, is the cost of the pressure testing stuff - a couple of hundred quid, I think. It might be more economical to 'task out' just the fuel pressure testing to a friendly local garage with the equipment, thats all. But it can be done with no problems at home.

Does anyone have an accurate cost on the equipment required?

 

[maddog]

When i lived in Bristol there was a fuel injection specialist there who was fantastic and very cheap.

I used to take all my cars there if they were running poorly as with the right equipment fault finding takes very little time.

If you dont know what you are doing you can easily spend more money and certainly more time trying to get to the bottom of things.

 

[JamieD]

Thanks for the responses-

the problem is the car has no tax on at the moment - I was hoping to rectify the faults before getting taxed (I dont want to tax and insure to find out the engine is duff and have it spend another 4 months in the garden!)...

I have a local garage that will collect on trade plates who had a quick look at it when the MOTd it - the thought that it just needed to be run for a while (as it had been stood for quite some time before i bought it)...

I have been running it daily for 30 min spurts - have now noticed piston slap from cold (only very cold weather) start...