W201 190E engine rebuild

[WGB]

My first car as a teenager had a mazda MA 2 litre 4 cylinder ohc engine in it which also had that half moon front gasket arrangement.

it constantly weeped oil from there no matter what was done and the engine was rebuilt from top to bottom so it wasn't caused by a worn engine with excessive blowby.

I think its simply a crap design that was doomed to failure from day one 

Never seen one leak yet MT - and it was a common enough feature of most SOHC engines..

Maybe yours shrunk or else it was put back without the correct sealant.

Bill

[TJ 450]

Here's the latest update. I did some work this afternoon in between preparing two more doors for the 6.9, namely tightening the crankshaft bolt using a makeshift flywheel lock. This lock consisted of a heavy duty spacer tube bolted onto the flywheel, through one of the torque converter mounting points. I learned of this method by reading up on another forum.

It worked a treat.

Assembled up to tightening of crankshaft bolt to 300Nm.


Makeshift press for shifter bushing. This is identical to that on the W116 and others.


Another view.


After the bolt was tightened. I just need to finish the timing chain now, with that elusive tool.


Now I'll get back to work.

Edit: Timing chain tool has now been purchased.

Tim

[Big_Richard]

Edit: Timing chain tool has now been purchased.

Tim

About effing time 

[Tony66_au]

You know now you've prettied it up and made it shiny its going to leak like a bugger don't you...........................................

[TJ 450]

Yes, and then I'll have to remove it again.

Nah, she'll be right... I hope.

Tim

[koan]

Cute little engine compared to an M100 isn't it

koan

[TJ 450]

'Tis indeed Koan.

I purchased the chain tool and proceeded to finish the chain with success. I'll add details about that shortly.

I had been mucking around with the car in the evenings all week, but couldn't get it to start... All it would do is backfire through the intake.

MT came to the rescue today, and after a lot of troubleshooting (all afternoon), he concluded that it was a problem of cylinders 3 & 4 not firing. I was previously thinking that somehow the CIS-E computer had failed and wasn't supplying fuel, but we ruled that out... I was wrong.

So, MT decided to swap the leads on 3 & 4 and the engine was nice and happy after that, except for an idle hunt, possibly due to the old, crusty hoses I put back on. I deliberately left the CIS original, to be done as a separate project as needed. The firing order between the 2.3L and the 2.0L is different, I assumed it was the same! So there it is, never assume anything.

During the ordeal, we decided to do this wonderful experiment... Don't try this at home!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPHYMhzuAj8

Tim

P.S. More videos and updates to come later.

[Big_Richard]

once it was sorted it certainly runs amazingly smoothly - which isnt surprising considering its basically a brand new engine.

unfortunately there is no indication of "Zündfolge" on these engines at all. information is scarce to non existent on the internet and the 2.3 version is different.

only minor issues need to be dealt with now, like rotten ball joints a rotten exhaust, old dried out and leaky hoses etc and the car will be mechanically good as new. Good to see.

[Big_Richard]

I drove the car today, a nice 20km drive from TJ's to my house and the car drives extremely well.

very quiet, very smooth drive.

the idle hunt and throttle surging is caused by a worn out air flow meter potentiometer, as fitted to KE-jet engines. The carbon contacts on the pcb have worn thru at a single point causing the ecu to see open circuit at one particular throttle point and go mental.

We pulled it apart and i re-tensioned the contacts after cleaning them and the improvement was immediate and huge. But the air flow meter assembley requires replacement ($750US) and the potentiometer does not come as an individual part it seems.

[TJ 450]

Indeed.

The drive back was great, except for the surging Nathan is very familiar with. The Square wave response of the throttle is going to take a bit of "getting used to", as driving at 60km/h is very difficult... Perhaps that will improve once the various parts there are replaced.

MT's excellent troubleshooting skills saved the day again.

Here is an image of the timing chain crimping tool in use. Obviously this is a single row chain, but the same tool is used with the double row chains with the swapping of the contoured jaw that cradles the chain, which is visible in the image.

There are two sides to the "pressing side" jaw insert. Respectively, one for pressing the plate on to a specific point, which is to the built-in stop, and the other for the crimping of the pins.

The latter pressing device side is then tightened to a specific torque, thereby crushing the sides of the pins to a specific point with its roof-shaped appearance, just like the other pins on the chain.



Tim

[Big_Richard]

i suspect the throttle response will be more natural once the questionable air flow meter is replaced.

initially before we pulled it apart it was totally hopeless - at random the engine would idle anywhere between 1000 - 3000rpms and fluctuate between the 2 violently. The car was dangerously undriveable.

Once metered out we noticed the air flow meter was open circuit for most of its movement, and cutting in and out around the home position. Even when there was a reading the resistance measured was insanely out of specification.

the "fix" made the car drivable but its not a permanent measure as the readings are still dissatisfactory and the contacts catch at the worn out section and i suspect will bend out of shape again.

Maybe you can try the "electricity lubricant" in my parts kit from work (electrical contact grease, poorly translated from japanese)

[TJ 450]

I definitely agree. That "electricity lubricant" might just be the go.

Tim

[WGB]

Making good headway.

How much did the chain crimper set you back?

Bill

[TJ 450]

The tool was about $236 AUD all up, including shipping. This was from Pelican Parts, who I've found quite reasonable these days for Mercedes parts.

Reaching a level of acceptable running is not far off. Once these CIS-E issues are sorted out, it will be a pleasure to drive, as far as a W201 offers anyway. The 6.9 will always provide the superlative experience.

Tim

P.S. I reworded the chain tool post to remove a fundamental mistake.

[1980sdga]

Keep the updates coming guys!  Love the injector vid