1992 Mercedes 190E Stalls When Braking

1919 FORD WINDSTAR
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MANGUPS
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I am new to this forum .. so Hello to all of you....

Well I bought my first Mercedes - and it is 1992 190e 2.6 -.
It runs great and love the way it drives..

however like any used car it has some problems

the car has a periodic stalling problem especially if you are braking from around 45miles or higher for u turns , turns , braking for stop light

when the accelerator is pushed the oil pressure is at 3 and it runs great
however, when braking the oil pressure drops and the RPM needle hits zero and the car acts as if it is going to stop and then it kicks in and the RPM jumps back. Sometimes it will actually die during the turn .. i haven't noticed how the RPM reading and oil pressure reading to each other - when the car stops ... because i am too busy trying to make the turn with no power steering...

someone suggested I change the air inlet manifold with a card cleaner. I did clean it very well... i also noticed that the air filter was dirty and cleaned it - however did not replace it as i did not have a new one with me then..
I also replaced the oil filter( not a cheap one but a good one - cost me $18.00 +tax) and oil to Castrol SAE 20W-50.

After i did this car ran very smooth and the odd behavior did not show even when I forced it by braking hard.. oil pressure was at 3 and it did not fall immediately and the RPM did not go to zero but would fall to 700~750..

this was just 5 days back and now I am back to square one and today it stalled twice ..oil pressure drops to around 1 ( can't say for sure - i did not pay much attention) and RPM to 0 and then the engine kicks in..

I changed the fuel filter 2 months back because one day the car just idled rough and stopped in the middle - it would then crank but not start. 30mins later it just started. the mechanic i go to could not figure out and suggested to change the fuel filter...

I do not know how good the previous owner cared for it and I am sure he did not .. because when I got it oil was black..
Also I do not know about the status of the rotor and plugs and wires - they look okay to me.

Overall the car performs very well.. very quick response on acceleration and without hesitation.

I am baffled by this .. and I can't afford a big bill or an authorized MB showroom mechanic...

I really like my MB and admire for what it is and would really appreciate if someone could guide me in the right direction...
Feb 23, 2006 at 8:17 AM
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2CARPRO JACK
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a 1992 needs a tune up to start. Time deteriorates the wires.
Feb 28, 2006 at 9:35 AM
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GOODAUTOSERVICESITE
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Hi,
You can borrow a PCM scanner from Auto Zone to check for any engine failure codes. There is no charge if you return the device. Manual is included to tell you how to use it. Very straight forward.
I am also a Mercedes Benz owner. Your car's problem is exactly like mine. But the model is different (I have ML320). I have been looking for solutions to this problem with no avail. I used PCM to check the engine for problem codes but found nothing. I am stuck with this anoying issue. If you find a solution to this, please post it. I will do the same if I find a solution first.
Feb 28, 2006 at 12:16 PM
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SIERRALEONE67
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my car also did the same i do not know what to do with mine
Mar 1, 2006 at 5:48 AM
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JAB169
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Good luck to you all. I posted my 1991 300E stalling as the car comes to a stop. Now it has been three mechanics, fuel filter changed, complete tuneup, timing devices all new, rotor, a bunch of gaskets, oil things and $1,200. I am not sure if the problem is gone because I do not have the time to test it, but I can at least say the fuel line filter had never been changed (125K) but changing it did not solve the problem. I will get a more exact description IF the problem is solved.
Mar 1, 2006 at 12:40 PM
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GOODAUTOSERVICESITE
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I am the one that asked you to check the fule pump relay. I have tried it on my car but has not solved the problem. A friend of mine has had the same problem with his Mercedes, he solved the problem by replacing the AMFM (air mass flow meter) and O2 sensors. I will give this a try and it will cost me about $800 (parts along). Will let everyone know next week after I get parts replaced.
Mar 2, 2006 at 10:35 AM
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GOODAUTOSERVICESITE
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It sounds like your car stalls when the oil pressue drops. I just learned from web Info that higher oil pressure enables the fuel pump (to stay on) after initial startup. If the oil pressure drops, the fuel pump turn off. It's designed this way so when accident occurs, when oil pressure is lost, the fule delivery is cut off to the engin to avoid fire hazard.
It would be a good idea to find out what is causing the pressure to drop all the sudden. Maybe a faulty switch, sensor or relay could be the culprit.
I wish Ken or Jack (Car Pros) can make a comment about this issue since there are four memebers are having the same problem.
Mar 2, 2006 at 12:31 PM
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GMFACE
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Hmm, I think I may know something about this.

The Hall-Effect Sensor, or Speed Sensor, is mounted on the back of the speedometer and is notorious for having a bad solder joint on the output pin. If you wiggle the pin and it moves, the joint is bad.

That bad connection causes the cruise control to fail and the engine to die when braking or making strong turns.

It's around $50 for the part, and hopefully that'll fix the problem. :)
Jan 3, 2007 at 4:10 AM
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GMFACE
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I just read that another cause of the problem could be the Over Voltage Protection relay. If it fails, it can cause the engine to stall when slowing to a stop. It would be wise to check the output of the alternator as well. If the voltage regulator isn't working properly, it can also cause the engine to stall. Every bit of information helps, I suppose.

Let me know how it turns out.
Jan 3, 2007 at 4:16 AM
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REA17
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Copious research on our own 190E determined this problem to come from the OVP (overheating protection relay), located behind the battery going bad. The part costs around $65-75 on the 'net. In our case, this was indeed the problem (as reported by 190E owners all over the 'net). Our mechanic re-soldered the contacts on top of the relay...and charged us $275 for the repair. So you are advised to shop around, or even just buy the part and put it in yourself, if you're handy under the hood.
Mar 29, 2007 at 5:26 AM
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Suggested Repair

Start with a tune-up, especially the ignition wires. For stalling when braking or turning on this 190E, check the OVP relay behind the battery; one owner confirmed that re-soldering or replacing it fixed the same symptom. Also inspect the speedometer Hall-effect sensor for a bad solder joint, and check alternator output and the voltage regulator. A code scan was suggested but found nothing on a similar Mercedes.

Conversation Summary

The owner of a 1992 Mercedes 190E 2.6 reported intermittent stalling when braking from about 45 mph or during turns, with oil pressure and RPM dropping before the engine sometimes recovered. Intake cleaning and an oil and filter change helped only briefly; the fuel filter had already been replaced. The site expert recommended a tune-up because ignition wires deteriorate with age. Other members with similar Mercedes stall-on-slowdown problems suggested scanning for codes, the fuel-pump relay, air-mass and oxygen sensors, an oil-pressure-related fuel cutoff, the speedometer Hall-effect sensor, alternator regulation, and especially the OVP relay. One 190E owner confirmed that repairing the OVP relay solved the stalling.

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