I'm currently trying to figure out the cause of my poor gas mileage (around 21mpg/ 9km per liter) and lame power. It's a 1986 240DL sedan. Plugs, cat, air filter are all new. It's been headed this way for a while.

Here are the symptoms: it always starts, albeit hesitantly in the super cold winter. When the engine is cold, the car really lacks power and the power pulsates a lot on acceleration. Once warmed up, it runs better, but still pulsates a bit while going up steep hills, and sometimes hesitates when floored. I was reminded of how down on power it is when I drove my 242GT that my wife usually drives. It felt like a rocket compared to the '86, which shouldn't be (minus the better final drive ratio).

Final thing: when I changed the plugs a couple months back, #2 was white. The other plugs were all the usual light brown. Am I having cylinder misfire? Head gasket? I don't want to just tear the head off in the turbo cold we're having in Ontario right now. Any guesses?

As always, thanks,

Nate Gundy