Benzin'

[R Lutz]

Why don't you just find a new set and tak 'em? Its the mackem way after all.

However, we should all be rejoicing in the meantime that you've sorted the running issue. 

[rml2345]

This has been quite the roller toaster of emulsions but glad to see that there may be light at the end of the toothache.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say K-jet is a perfectly reliable way of skooshing petrol into a hungry car's cylinders but making it electronic is the problem, since electronic injection is the work of Satan.

Anyway, hope it stops being a twat.

[Volksy]

I managed 3.5hrs none stop with only a minor hiccup today, as I headed from Yorkshire to West Berkshire. It had a slight stammer as I left the A34 (four miles from my destination) but otherwise was a truly great way to travel. 

Once 'on song' the M103 six is quite lovely. And there is something to be said for the seats, not an ounce of stiffness or backpain when I got out of the car at the other end. 

 

[SiC]

2 hours ago, Volksy said:

A34 (four miles from my destination)

Newbs?

(I'm currently sitting here now at in-laws, I'll give a wave if I happen to pass you!)

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

2 hours ago, Volksy said:

I managed 3.5hrs none stop with only a minor hiccup today, as I headed from Yorkshire to West Berkshire. It had a slight stammer as I left the A34 (four miles from my destination) but otherwise was a truly great way to travel. 

Once 'on song' the M103 six is quite lovely. And there is something to be said for the seats, not an ounce of stiffness or backpain when I got out of the car at the other end. 

 

I was also uneventfully Benzin’ on the A34 today. (High fives)

[Volksy]

In Hungerford. 

[Wibble]

Glad you’ve both survived the A34. Often a nightmare, got stuck on it once, just beyond Oxford, southbound from 3.30 until 9.30pm. We always check it now before leaving if it’s on our route.

[AndyW201]

Great thread this,  if a bit of a series of ups and downs.  I do miss 190s, (I've had 6) even more so with now owning a W203. I especially miss the 2.6s, my old Bornite metallic 2.6 Sportline was among the best cars I've ever owned. Fortunately when I was dailying them, problems like the ones in this thread were fairly rare but I think now they're 30 odd years old rather than 15 to 20 odd, the weaknesses in the KE-Jet are starting to make themselves known. Im not sure I could daily one today with my limited spannering skills, especially when I had them, the 190 rot traps were also just starting to make themselves known too.

One of mine was  a billy-basic 1.8 that took about 5 or 6 seconds to crank when cold, even with a new Bosch cap (£££), Bosch rotor (£££), new leads and recommended spec NGK  plugs. I went to a guy I know who works at a BMW/ Bosch specialist and he said, as long as it did start, idle nicely, not cut out and not misfire, to leave the KE-Jet the fuck alone. So I did, a bit of extra cranking on a morning I could live with...

I've got a spare set of original style trims here (as seen here on said 1.8 )

One pair was bought NOS for this car (the ones on the N/S)  and are a slightly brighter silver than the other pair, and the centre stars are silver rather than bright as they are on the other pair. But as can be seen, it doesn't really notice when on the car. Available for £cheap.

Fingers crossed for the latest development. When these cars behave, they are sublime.

[SiC]

1 hour ago, Volksy said:

In Hungerford. 

I know that area especially well! Grew up in Inkpen for a good few years (lived + primary school), went to JoG in Hungerford for a bit (moved to St Barts as JoG was on the downhill) and parents lived in Froxfield by the time I was at uni.

[Jim Bell]

Great news on the fix man. Long may it continue fingers crossed, touch wood make sign of the cross. 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

15 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

Great thread this,  if a bit of a series of ups and downs.  I do miss 190s, (I've had 6) even more so with now owning a W203. I especially miss the 2.6s, my old Bornite metallic 2.6 Sportline was among the best cars I've ever owned. Fortunately when I was dailying them, problems like the ones in this thread were fairly rare but I think now they're 30 odd years old rather than 15 to 20 odd, the weaknesses in the KE-Jet are starting to make themselves known. Im not sure I could daily one today with my limited spannering skills, especially when I had them, the 190 rot traps were also just starting to make themselves known too.

One of mine was  a billy-basic 1.8 that took about 6-7 seconds to crank when cold, even with a new Bosch cap (£££), Bosch rotor (£££), new leads and recommended spec NGK  plugs. I went to a guy I know who works at a BMW/ Bosch specialist and he said, as long as it did start, idle nicely, not cut out and not misfire, to leave the KE-Jet the fuck alone. So I did, a bit of extra cranking on a morning I could live with...

I've got a spare set of original style trims here (as seen here on said 1.8 )

One pair was bought NOS for this car (the ones on the N/S)  and are a slightly brighter silver than the other pair, and the centre stars are silver rather than bright as they are on the other pair. But as can be seen, it doesn't really notice when on the car. Available for £cheap.

Fingers crossed for the latest development. When these cars behave, they are sublime.

That is a beautiful colour combination. If your wheel trims are 15", I'm very interested, please let me know. 

[AndyW201]

6 hours ago, Conrad D. Conelrad said:

That is a beautiful colour combination. If your wheel trims are 15", I'm very interested, please let me know. 

Yep, they're 15", to go straight on any 190.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Glad to say there's not been much to report.

The evil salt!!

After deciding the potentiometer was the cause of the random stalling, I ordered a new one. Should I get the genuine Bosch one....

or there's the slightly cheaper option...

...although if you're worried that's too cheap this seller also offers a "high quality version" for an additional 30p. Anyway, I'll leave it to your imagination which of the three I bought. It arrived this afternoon, and installation is almost simple - the fuel pressure regulator blocks access to one of the bolts so a couple of fuel lines have to be disconnected, but otherwise it's an uncomplicated job. The car drove nicely enough with it unplugged, but with the new one it is a lot easier to pull away from cold (with it unplugged you had to feather the throttle for a minute until it got its bearings). 

The old one was most certainly bolloxed. Look at the wear. That whole segment should be uniform grey. Scary how a tenth of a gram of material can bring a 1200kg car to a halt. 

[SiC]

3 minutes ago, Conrad D. Conelrad said:

The old one was most certainly bolloxed. Look at the wear. That whole segment should be uniform grey. Scary how a tenth of a gram of material can bring a 1200kg car to a halt. 

Best bit is looking at that gives a definitely reason on why you were having issues. Nothing worse than looking at a part you suspect is faulty but looks absolutely A-OK. 

How hard was the calibration of it? I read reports with everything between "dead simple" and "incredibly difficult to get right and only buy a complete Bosch remanufactured K-Jetronic unit".

The cheap one should be fine for now but don't dismiss it causing problems in the future. Stuff like the tracks wearing off really quickly and in no time. 🤞 the Chinese manufacturers haven't cheapened it out too much and they're actually decent. 

[SiC]

14 minutes ago, Conrad D. Conelrad said:

Should I get the genuine Bosch one....

Now the fault hopefully has been proved and fixed, if you do decide to go genuine Bosch then this is £100 cheaper (with the current eBay 15% code) than the above:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235282696609

Still a lot for what it is, but hopefully the best quality*. I believe it's the right part code (I found it based on the above part no).

I (and many others on here) have bought from part in motion before and everything has been pucker genuine Bosch. 

[Volksy]

3 minutes ago, SiC said:

Now the fault hopefully has been proved and fixed, if you do decide to go genuine Bosch then this is £100 cheaper (with the current eBay 15% code) than the above:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235282696609

Still a lot for what it is, but hopefully the best quality*. I believe it's the right part code (I found it based on the above part no).

I (and many others on here) have bought from part in motion before and everything has been pucker genuine Bosch. 

I have a stack of shenanigans. 

 

Mine is running like a dream. 

[Volksy]

[Volksy]

It's fine. I recommend taking it on a long run. 

 

[Volksy]

It's insane; the difference. 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

18 minutes ago, SiC said:

Best bit is looking at that gives a definitely reason on why you were having issues. Nothing worse than looking at a part you suspect is faulty but looks absolutely A-OK. 

How hard was the calibration of it? I read reports with everything between "dead simple" and "incredibly difficult to get right and only buy a complete Bosch remanufactured K-Jetronic unit".

The cheap one should be fine for now but don't dismiss it causing problems in the future. Stuff like the tracks wearing off really quickly and in no time. 🤞 the Chinese manufacturers haven't cheapened it out too much and they're actually decent. 

Don't worry, I paid the extra 30p for the high quality version. 

Comparing the cheap one with the genuine one, it doesn't feel or look inferior. The proof will be in the pudding, but I'm willing to take a chance on it since I know I can still drive home if it fails 200 miles from home. 

The calibration was very simple - I painted around the old one with acrylic paint before removing it, so I could install the new one in exactly the same place. Then it just needed the tiniest of taps to get the voltage right on the multimeter. 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

8 minutes ago, Volksy said:

You too?

 

[Volksy]

4 minutes ago, Conrad D. Conelrad said:

Don't worry, I paid the extra 30p for the high quality version. 

Comparing the cheap one with the genuine one, it doesn't feel or look inferior. The proof will be in the pudding, but I'm willing to take a chance on it since I know I can still drive home if it fails 200 miles from home. 

The calibration was very simple - I painted around the old one with acrylic paint before removing it, so I could install the new one in exactly the same place. Then it just needed the tiniest of taps to get the voltage right on the multimeter. 

Going good then? 

[chaseracer]

On 30/12/2023 at 19:24, Volksy said:

Once 'on song' the M103 six is quite lovely... 

OH YES INDEEDY

(mine rarely was...)

[Volksy]

Yes. Ran like a dream. Seriously. 

I think it just needs the 1990's electricronc heating up. 

 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

You have been summoned for jury duty, because it's

MERCEDES ON TRIAL

GUILTY of STALLING AGAIN!!

GUILTY of stalling once at some lights and me pretending maybe that didn't happen! 

GUILTY of stalling in the car park at The Trafford Centre, causing me to have to be at the Trafford Centre for several minutes longer than necessary!

GUILTY of stalling while turning around in a cul-de-sac and then not starting again, ironically blocking a driveway containing a W124 300E! 

(photo taken by passenger)

Mercedes is hereby sentenced to SHIT CHINESE PIECE OF SHIT POTENTIOMETER THAT ONLY LASTED LIKE A FUCKING WEEK to be UNPLUGGED 

(*gavel bangs*)

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Fuel economy, if you're interested. When I'm doing my commute it averages 24mpg.

Last week, when I wasn't, it averaged 31.2mpg. There was still a fair bit of town use there. I can see how, if driven sympathetically, you could coax 35mpg out of it on a long run. 

 

[SiC]

What resistance is the new pot reading?

[Volksy]

Mine stalled the other day. Thankfully a downhill slope. But rare now. 

Have you given it a long run?

[RobT]

Poxy thing.  You poor bastard etc etc.

Sorry I can't offer anything more constructive.

[Jim Bell]

Ungrateful petrol arsehole. Diesel Benz may be the best long term solution.