190E (W201) 1982-1993: 190E 2.3, 190E 2.6, 190E 2.3-16, 190E 2.5-16, 190 D 2.2, 190 D 2.5, 190 D 2.5 TURBO, 190E 2.5-16 Evolution I, 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II

60PSI on all cylinders?

Old Jun 5, 2025 | 02:58 PM
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1993 190e 2.6
60PSI on all cylinders?

Hey Guys,

So the 190 (with the 2.6) sat for two weeks, started right up when starting it the first time, drove it a mile to the gas station, then two mintues later tried starting it again and it wouldn't start. Checked everything. OVP, Mas fuel sensor, crankshaft postition sensor (ohm'd out within spec), grounded out each spark plug, pulled and tested each injector (including cold start injector) and they sprayed. Then checked compression. I should be at 180PSI correct? I am currently at 60-80PSI on all cylinders. Any ideas on what woudl be cuasing this? Only thing that i coudl think of would be timing. Pulled off the valve cover, and my timing chain isn't broken, but that doesn't mean it didn't slip a couple teeth. The TDC marks on my crank pulley are worn down, and i havent had time yet to put a screw driver in cylinder 1 and get to TDC that way.

Do you guys have any idea what could cause this? I don't know what would cause me to be that off on compression on all cylinders other than being way off on timing. I would appreciate anybodies input! Do these cars have adjustable valve train/ rockers?

Thank you
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Old Jun 5, 2025 | 11:27 PM
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190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
No adjustable rockers/cam on these cars at all. I would check the alignment of the camshaft to the crankshaft. You can find the info online. There is a dot on the camshaft and a marker to help.

If the camshaft was misaligned though I would expect valve damage sine these are interference engines.
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Old Jun 6, 2025 | 05:20 PM
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1. Make sure the throttle plate was fully open when you did the compression test.
2. Push down on the AFM plate while someone starts the engine. If you have a large unmetered air leak under the AFM ( boot cracked, IVC line blown off, etc) there won't be enough engine vacuum to energize the fuel injection.
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Old Jun 14, 2025 | 05:06 PM
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, 2023 BMW X4, 1991 190E
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Old Jun 15, 2025 | 11:52 PM
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1991 190E 2.3
How many miles are on your car? MB recommends changing the timing chain at 100,000 miles. If your timing chain is slipping a couple of teeth, it's time to change it before it breaks and does catastrophic damage to your engine. You might also want to check a couple of really simple things like whether or not your fuel filter is plugged along with whether your fuel hoses are plugged and or cracked which would cause fuel to leak out.
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Old Jun 16, 2025 | 12:40 AM
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Hopefully by now you have done the simple screwdriver in the cylinder one test to check the alignment quickly. Very little possibility of this being a problem but best to just rule it out.

I suspect something went wrong with your compression measurement like a bad pressure gauge. I would validate that first with using a second know good unit.
They are free of charge at AutoZone with a refundable deposit. I have done this before as my 45 year old gauge is getting a bit tired. I was surprised to find that it is at least accurate to within 10psi.

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