190e 2.3-16 Cosworth Engine Rebuild

04 Nov 190e 2.3-16 Cosworth Engine Rebuild

The Mechanics here at our 11,000sq ft facility in Naperville have been hard at work on a 190e 2.3-16 Cosworth Engine Rebuild for a customer’s car. This is no normal engine or car, though.

In terms of the car, this Mercedes 190 is somewhat of a legend in certain circles, with some people arguing that it’s one of the best cars that Mercedes-Benz ever made. The 190 has a serious racing pedigree; after a brief stint in the World Rally Championship, Merc moved their 190 focus towards the German touring car series (DTM, if you’re into that sort of thing), utilizing their Cosworth-based engine to propel Ayrton Senna, viewed as one of the greatest racing drivers in history, to a victory on the Nurburgring in 1984. Modern collectors love this car – despite it being Merc’s smallest sedan at the time – because of all the technological innovations that it brought to the table, such as a confounding-at-the-time 5-link rear suspension. But enough about the rich history of this vehicle; it’s the engine inside this particular 190 that deserves to be discussed.

This car and its engine came to us some time ago as a long-term rebuild. When it originally entered our shop, problems with the copper head gasket caused a piston to blow up, and we were given the chance to fix ‘er up. The only problem with this situation is that you can’t really buy custom rods and pistons for this particular engine, at least none that were specifically built for it. Therefore, we’ve had to perform this 190e 2.3-16 Cosworth Engine Rebuild with somewhat of a piecemeal mindset. Utilizing parts from various makes and models (some that aren’t even from the same landmass as Mercedes), Luci has begun what we hope will be the finished project after all this time. During the course of this 190’s extended stay, we’ve made attempts at constructing the engine’s Frankenstein internals, and we’ve finally landed on what we believe will be the final design.

After breaking down the engine to its most basic components, we have built up the internals to essentially bulletproof this thing. Based on how the build has been progressing, we believe this engine will be ready to take whatever we throw at it, including horsepower numbers well above this engine’s original intentions.

Here are some shots of the rebuild and installation processes. There will definitely be more to come on this once we’ve got it started up and ready to dig into some pavement.

Have a Mercedes in need of a 190e 2.3-16 Cosworth Engine Rebuild or any other services? Reach out to us at 630-305-3054, or contact us through email at [email protected]. Our Experienced Mercedes Benz Mechanics can offer you the best repair suggestions no matter your situation. We are conveniently located in Naperville just a short drive from I88 in the Chicago Metropolitan suburbs