2001 E320CDI - Black smoke

[Cattan]

Good afternoon,

I'm new to this forum, but I have been a member for several years now in similar forums in Norway. Living in a small country like Norway, the possibilities of getting suggestions/help is somewhat limited given the simple fact that the population is rather small here, and MB's are not so common, espc. not the 320 CDI's

Now, I would kindly ask for some assistance to figure out my problems as the smoke coming from my E320CDI which is causing me a great deal of embarrassment, and I am not sure whether the condition of the patient is somewhat serious or not.

The symptoms are quite clear: When accelerating the car leaves a substantial amount of thick black smoke. The downshift also seems to be somewhat delayed. When shifting manually, the smoke does not seem to be there...

The engine seems to run well, it does not spend a lot of diesel and there are no other obvious faults (no error codes/did a STAR diagnostic on it 3 months ago).

I've done the most obvious things to it (injection cleaner (STP), running on high revs to clean (only caused a lot of head shakes from by-passers), replaced the MAF, changed for "premium diesel"...).

Apart from getting a bit better response and acceleration after replacing the MAF, the symptoms are still there.

So, I am thinking EGR valve, Lambda sensor and/or Turbo.

I have previously done the complete cleaning of the EGR on my other MB - the E200CDI - and that was no job at all, but on this one it seems to be hidden underneath the manifold?

Therefore my simple question is: Do I need to access the EGR from underneath the car (a bit of a problem, as I do not own a pit or a lift).

Is it a lot of work to remove, clean and re-assemble this one?

Any suggestions will be highly appreciated!

Cheers!

Cato

 

[ricardo62]

cant help but i posted on here exactly same probs with my e320 , it is my egr valve and inlet manifold all coked up , like you i have not undertaken the removal of egr to clean as yes it is under the inlet manifold and to big of a job for me to do ,
when i accelarate or go up a hill thick plumes of black smoke , cars behind back off and it is embarresing !!

 

[bob6600]

on that engine, the EGR valve is on the top to the right (as you look straight at it)

You need to remove the cooler and it can be a bit fiddly. There is a mounting bracket underneath which I removed (jack and axle stands are sufficient) because I found it easier.

 

[Buffers]

Could be worn inlet manifold flaps. Black smoke on acceleration is a typical symptom.

 

[ricardo62]

Could be worn inlet manifold flaps. Black smoke on acceleration is a typical symptom.

mine are fully open , linkage disconnected

 

[Cattan]

Thanx Buffers,

Could you point me to the location of the inlet flaps?

BTW: I removed the EGR and cooler yesterday, and they were both very clean (a big surprise, as the EGR on my 200CDI were awful when i cleaned it a year ago).

 

[mersum1es]

Few nice pictures (and finnish instruction about the removal) about 270CDI manifold:
mese.fi :: Näytä viesti - 270CDI imusarjan irrotus ja läppien poisto

6-cyl removal may be slightly different...

 

[Cattan]

Thanx, that was exactly what i needed.

I see the config on the 6 cyl is a bit different, but close enough for me to understand your brilliant DIY

I know you saved me a lot of hassle, again thank you very much!

 

[Buffers]

mine are fully open , linkage disconnected

How do you know they are fully open, if the linkage is disconnected the flaps will rotate independently of each other surely?

 

[Harlowcabbie]

The control rod is designed so that it moves all the flaps with one movement they cannot move independently unless of course they become disconnected from the rail.

 

[ricardo62]

How do you know they are fully open, if the linkage is disconnected the flaps will rotate independently of each other surely?

because the long bar that connects them and has the lever on it that joins to the motor linkage , is pushed fully forward towards the rad , i checked and it hasnt moved , its nice and stiff and stays there , does this make any sense ??? ie have i explained it

 

[Cattan]

I think I got this right guys?

The first thing to do would be to simply make sure the flaps are open,
By disconnecting the motor, then leave it that way?

Sounds very easy, but perhaps too good to be true

The car will have to get the MOT done next year, and I guess the NOX levels will go ballistic?

Anyway, doing this small thing will only take a few minutes, and if it saves me the job of dismantling half of the engine, I'll be happy to go for this option.

Also, bringing the car to Poland next summer for a complete cleaning of the whole flaps register/EGR/whatever else necessary, would save me an enormous lot of work and and ditto money if I should do it professionally (the going rate at workshops here in Norway is something close to 185 pounds pr hour... I know... Scary!).

 

[ricardo62]

I think I got this right guys?

The first thing to do would be to simply make sure the flaps are open,
By disconnecting the motor, then leave it that way?

Sounds very easy, but perhaps too good to be true

The car will have to get the MOT done next year, and I guess the NOX levels will go ballistic?

Anyway, doing this small thing will only take a few minutes, and if it saves me the job of dismantling half of the engine, I'll be happy to go for this option.

Also, bringing the car to Poland next summer for a complete cleaning of the whole flaps register/EGR/whatever else necessary, would save me an enormous lot of work and and ditto money if I should do it professionally (the going rate at workshops here in Norway is something close to 185 pounds pr hour... I know... Scary!).

mine went straight thru emmisions test mot with my flaps open , im going to ask my indy if hes capable of removing egr and manifold and cleaning them and a quote for job ,

 

[Cattan]

Is there a photo or a drawing showing the location of the bar connected to the flaps mechanism available?

I'm just worried that I might dismantle the wrong stuff...

 

[bob6600]

This is with the manifold off the car but you get an idea