dmfb

Hi all, thanks for reading, & I'll state right off I'm not the most "mechanically knowledgeable" person... I have a question & am seeking advice both for a solution & to get an idea if the guy I took my car to is "on the up and up." A few days ago, my 1987 190E 2.3's engine started to shake severely. (is at worst when driving at low speeds or idling) Other "symptons" also include a significant loss of power (barely makes it up steep hills) and sluggish acceleration in general. Thinking it might have to do with the spark plugs, I took it to the place where I had them changed a few months back. They inspected the plugs, discovering oil on one of them. He then told me that as a result, I was only running on only 3 cylinders and basically had 3 options; replace the engine, rebuild the engine, or he could do some kind of temporary fix he called "an extension" (for the cylinder that leaked oil onto the plug). Has anyone had any of these problems &/or have an opinion about the diagnosis I was given? Thanks in advance for any replies!

MTI

Go to another shop, have them check the compression in each cylinder with a compression tester (guage that threads into spark plug hole) and also see if they can do a "leak down" test. Basically, you want to find out if the valves, valve seals or piston rings are letting oil into the combustion chamber and fouling the plugs. If it is the seals, it's a mere fraction of an engine rebuild or replacement.

dmfb

ok... so I went to another shop, the guy did the compression check, which was fine. He then changed the spark plug wire to the cylinder that was missing, which apparently wasn't conducting the spark. (which also in turn provided for the oil on the plug since the cylinder wasn't operating properly) This helped the shaking, but the power (lack of) issue was still there. He then loosened & tapped on the gas lines, which low & behold took care of the rest, & now I'm back in business. Hopefully this can provide insight to anyone who might need it, & might some day help someone else as much as many of the responses helped me. Thanks again!