E-Class (W124) 1984-1995: E 260, E 300, E 320, E 420, E 500 (Includes CE, T, TD models)

1987 260 E always so sluggish?

Old Feb 7, 2011 | 08:13 PM
  #1  
inkexit's Avatar
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260 E
1987 260 E always so sluggish?

Just bought an '87 260 E class. Just wonder if they always have this slow of acceleration. I live in an area where there are a lot of blind intersections are and you basically have to pull slowly out into them and hope nobody is coming. Sometimes there is, and the only thing to do is put the pedal to the floor and get out of there before there's an accident. I gotta say I'm not really too convinced that the Benz would be able to do this. The accelerator is very heavy, probably the heaviest in any car ive eve had. You have to push pretty hard to get it all the way to the floor, and even then there is still a delay of a few sections before the engine reacts to this.

Is this normal for this car? Or is there something wrong with it? Would getting a fuel injection cleaning help? They have worked wonders on my other car. What are my options here? Keep in mind I bought the car for $2000 USD, so I'm not really looking to put tonnes of money into it.
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Old Feb 9, 2011 | 08:59 PM
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e400
Are you pushing the pedal beyond its full point, if not, make sure you do so. I believe if you read the owners manual, they call it "kickdown", which is just pressing the accelerater beyond it full position. When you do this, you should kind of feel it click further into place.

Usually when i do this, my car responds very very quickly for having automatic tranny. But i have a 300e 2.8L so maybe its different for my car, but 2/10 of a liter isnt that much bigger.
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Old Feb 10, 2011 | 03:03 PM
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260 E
Thanks, Zach. What do you think about having a fuel system cleaning like they have at most oil change places for like $80? It worked real well on some of my other cars. Not sure how it will work on a 24 year old mercedes though, or even in a high compression engine in general, I'm worried it might even mess something up. Should I be.
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Old Feb 10, 2011 | 03:30 PM
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1990 300ce 24v I6
My shop had issue using the pressurized flush because if the fuel pump is bypassed, the ECU shuts down ignition/injection. Maybe your shop can find a way around it.
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Old Feb 17, 2011 | 12:11 PM
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It changes all the time
I know you don't want to spend any more money, but I'm afraid you are going to have to. It appears you have a fairly serious problem which would be very difficult to diagnose over the Internet. You need to make an appointment at a repair facility that really understands MBs.You could have a restricted cat, retarded valve timing, a failed O2 sensor, failing fuel distributor, plugged in-line fuel screen, or myriad other possibilities. I don't think any kind of fuel injection cleaning is going to solve your problem.
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Old Feb 17, 2011 | 12:48 PM
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From: REHOBOTH BEACH DE
88-300CE TWIN TURBO, 99-C43, 05-G55K, 71-280SL, 94-E320 CAB, 08 CLK63 BLACK SERIES
Originally Posted by inkexit
Just bought an '87 260 E class. Just wonder if they always have this slow of acceleration. I live in an area where there are a lot of blind intersections are and you basically have to pull slowly out into them and hope nobody is coming. Sometimes there is, and the only thing to do is put the pedal to the floor and get out of there before there's an accident. I gotta say I'm not really too convinced that the Benz would be able to do this. The accelerator is very heavy, probably the heaviest in any car ive eve had. You have to push pretty hard to get it all the way to the floor, and even then there is still a delay of a few sections before the engine reacts to this.

Is this normal for this car? Or is there something wrong with it? Would getting a fuel injection cleaning help? They have worked wonders on my other car. What are my options here? Keep in mind I bought the car for $2000 USD, so I'm not really looking to put tonnes of money into it.


Start with the basics.
The 260E is a M103-12V engine with a CIS-E injection system.
The connection between the accelerator pedal and throttle body is mechanical.
Check to see if there is any binding in the cable or bent linkage or damaged springs.
The linkage needs regular cleaning and lubrication to keep it operating properly.
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Old Feb 17, 2011 | 01:02 PM
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From: REHOBOTH BEACH DE
88-300CE TWIN TURBO, 99-C43, 05-G55K, 71-280SL, 94-E320 CAB, 08 CLK63 BLACK SERIES
Originally Posted by zach1328
Are you pushing the pedal beyond its full point, if not, make sure you do so. I believe if you read the owners manual, they call it "kickdown", which is just pressing the accelerater beyond it full position. When you do this, you should kind of feel it click further into place.

Usually when i do this, my car responds very very quickly for having automatic tranny. But i have a 300e 2.8L so maybe its different for my car, but 2/10 of a liter isnt that much bigger.
Your car responds quickly because "kickdown" causes your transmission to downshift to the next lowest gear.
Normal pedal pressure will not cause the transmission to "kickdown"
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Old Jan 4, 2012 | 05:37 PM
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260e
I have a E260 and it's a slug unless you manually put it in 1st gear or step on the accelerator more than half way, then it takes off great and has plenty of zip. Needless to say I shift it manually a lot of the time. Also they have funny gears, after the 1-2 shift quickly shift back to 1st to hold it in second then when you are ready for 3rd shift back to 2nd again.
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