A class intermittent splutter / stall ...advice needed please !

[RSgeoff]

Hi,

I've just bought a 1998 (S) A140 for the wife. It has 77k miles and seems in great condition.

It ran fine for the first week. I fitted a new air filter as the existing one was quite dirty..

Now this week every so often it keeps spluttering / stalling.

I replaced the spark plugs last night / still the same.

I found the battery terminals were loose so I tightened them up.

I checked the air filter tonight / no problem / removed the intake housing / cleaned the butterfly valve with carburettor cleaner / put it all back together started the engine / sprayed some more cleaner into the intake and it's still doing it.

I disconnected the battery for about 30 mins to reset the ECU and it's still doing it.

Basically, after starting, if you let it idle, it idles fine for about a minute (at about 900rpm) then the revs start to drop and it begins to splutter until it practically cuts out then it picks back up to about 2000 rpm and settles back down into a steady idle with no more problems.

If you turn the engine off then back on exactly the same thing happens.

While driving today it has happened a few times on the same journey and has cut out while at traffic lights.

Has anyone any ideas please ?

(Oh and yes i've tried the search engine on here before posting aswell !)

 

[bhanabi]

Change the fuel filter aswell . straightforward - refer to Bert Rowe's A Class info website. Lack of power and spluttering could be either be a blocked fuel filter or faulty fuel pump

 

[bhanabi]

also could be blocked injectors so when very little low in tank empt a whole bottle of redex or STP cleaner into tank and run engine - take for a spin where you can achieve atleast 3.5-4thousand revs.

 

[RSgeoff]

Change the fuel filter aswell . straightforward - refer to Bert Rowe's A Class info website. Lack of power and spluttering could be either be a blocked fuel filter or faulty fuel pump

also could be blocked injectors so when very little low in tank empt a whole bottle of redex or STP cleaner into tank and run engine - take for a spin where you can achieve atleast 3.5-4thousand revs.

Cheers Guys, but I wouldn't have thought any of those would cause an intermittant fault as described?

The car had been standing for 4 days at the weekend and the battery was really flat when I tried to start it (last night), so i'm wondering if that could have anything to do with it. I gave it a charge overnight then did 80 miles in it today and the fault never occurred ??

However i'm sure it will return.