newbie 300 te ´92 have i bought a lemon?

[marcsin3]

hi guys i´m new to Merc´and the forum, so please excuse my ignorance! picked up my first merc, ´92 300te 334000kms, yesterday and enjoyed a luxury ride home. tried to start her this cold -8C morning, took 7-8 tries before she caught,then spluttered in to life with a horrible metalic noise coming from the front area of the engine, cam chain maybe? also the gearbox is a bit wierd, it wont change down to 3rd unless i almost floor the gas pedal. looked at the book of words but i cant read german. i like the car, she rolls along with a mind of her own on anything other than a perfectly level and smooth road,quite entertaining really. just hoping i havent bought a lemon...could you kind and knowledgeable Merc boffins give me a few tips on how to start sorting her out?
many thanks...Marc, ludvika, Sweden.

 

[Stu_CDX]

Marc,

Our E280 Mercedes is the same in relation to the gear box. It will stay in 4th at all costs until you give the gas a good push.

Starting issues - Our Mercedes E280 is a pain to start when cold too. One thing that does help I find is a gentle press on the gas pedal when starting or repeatedly turning the key on and off many times before starting.

The metallic noise is a fan in the engine - Not sure what it is for, but my old Vauxhall Vectra used to do it and it's something to do with the forced air or something.

Someone will be more specific, but are there any pictures of the car?

Sounds like a nice vehicle.

Stu.

 

[television]

Vi har två post, ett är båttra

 

[Bolide]

You need to adjust the throttle cable & kickdown cable properly. This is a common problem

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk