Camshaft sensors?

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Emseyfly

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Messages
8
Car
CLK280 Convertible
Hi all. Hope you can help...
I have just bought myself a CLK280 convertible with the AMG sport pack etc. It's a 55 with 100000 miles on it or thereabouts (3L engine so miles don't worry me) - so, bought it on Friday, broke down on Sunday, diagnostics run by Mercedes main dealer on Monday and moved it to another garage in the afternoon....of course the seller isn't returning calls or messages but that's a different issue...

Here's my question. The car ran fine on the 100 mile journey home, then my husband drove it on Sunday and it seems to have put itself into limp mode and then cut out. We had it taken to the garage where typically it started again

Diagnostics said it needed 4 new camshaft sensors because the ones on there are gunked up - does this sound right? Can't they be cleaned and put back on? Car drove fine to the other (less expensive) garage.
They also said it might need an air injector once the sensors have been hanged...I read on another Post somewhere on this forum that these sensors wouldn't have caused the engine to cut out.....
Would really appreciate all your thoughts on this - I've basically been sold a car that has issues that I still really like and will probably keep for a while and I want to know which bits really matter and which bits I can live with....

In the meantime if anyone might be in the market for this car in the future....

Thanks all.....
 
Your car will have only one camshaft sensor. It a sealed magnetic sensor with no moving or exposed parts, so it can't get gunked up. I'd double check with the garage to see what they meant.
 
Oh right. That's interesting. Thanks. I will double check this - are there 4 of any sensor they could be talking about?
 
Are you sure they didn't say crankshaft position sensor? Classic symptoms when these go faulty is engine cuts out and won't restart until cold..
Find a good local MB specialist and get them to sort it for you, don't loose faith in the car already, if you are not ready for minor issues with a car that age/milage you could be in for a surprise..
 
There are 4 camshaft position sensors at the top front of the M272 engine in a CLK280.

They were upgraded with a replacement part in around 2007-2008. The new part number is M272 051 01 77. (Old was was 00 77). They cost around £20-25 each from MB dealers and are pretty easy to swap.

The bad news on these engines is the balance shaft gears issue. Please read this thread for details on this :https://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/engine/137229-complete-m272-engine-thread.htmlhttp://

Its a £2k-2.5k fix unfortunately.
 
Ignore me then. I've just seen the M272 pics and Codger49 is right - 4 camshaft sensors in your engine.
 
Thank you for all your replies. It definitely is the camshaft sensors.

However, unfortunately for me, it seems there is a whole heap of other stuff wrong with it. I wasn't about to lose faith knowing it's an old car by the way, I prefer old cars.....but it seems I have been naive enough to buy a car that is actually in pretty poor shape.

What do you guys all think of this.....

Rear brake hoses corroded/cracked
Engine oil leak
Gearbox sump oil leak
Split bush N/S front
Outside air temp sensor hanging loose
Bolts missing from undertray
Large cracks in both rear wheels - dangerous, have used filler to mend/disguise
Both front tyres damage to sidewalls
Front headlight level sensor hanging loose
Power steering level too high
Needs new brake fluid
Needs new antifreeze
Both rear tyres worn to almost legal limits
Front end damage sustained and poorly repaired - bumper not secure

Some of this is just old car stuff which I accept but some of it seems to be a bit more than that.

Bearing in mind the guy has disappeared into thin air, would you fix it and keep it, or make it legal and sell it with the known faults being honest and accept that you will make a loss. (And learn from it...?!)

Thoughts please?
 
It's difficult to say without knowing how much you're into it for already, and how bad the poorly repaired front end damage is. Frankly it doesn't sound like a car that's been looked after, but although it could probably be made safe for relatively little, the other unknown is whether the camshaft position sensors will cure the running issue, or if it's the drive sprockets that are the problem.
 
Yup if it's the drive sprockets the car would effectively be a write-off, regardless of anything else.
 
It might depend how much you've already committed to it.

That balance shaft might never fail.
 
That balance shaft might never fail.
The point I was making is that the sprockets may already have failed, and the fault has been misdiagnosed as the camshaft position sensors. The best way to find out would be to get an Indie with access to the relevant diagnostic procedure to check it over.


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A money pit from the sound of it, sell it for what you can get and then make sure whatever you buy next is checked over by a MB expert before you part with your cash
 
Thank you all for your replies.
The engine is basically destroyed. I have had it looked at now by three different garages and it's basically a bit of a miracle that I was able to drive it home when I bought it.
I have been a massive fool because I really loved the car - serves me right
I'm going to have to pursue a civil case against him and then see if I can get anything back for it and once I know how that's going to pan out I will just get rid of it.
If I ever feel brave enough to go down this road again I will come on here first and ask you lovely people for advice as well as getting it checked out properly.
As midlife crisis purchases go this one was short lived but hey, at least my family have not been harmed in any way. More by luck it would seem

Thank you all. Happy Wednesday
 
To the OP I have just bought a 2005 SLK 350 so I understand the attraction of older cars, and I'm sorry to hear what has happened.
I know this is a bit late in the day, and I'm not trying to make a bad situation worse, but there doesn't seem to be any mention of a service history. Surely the absence of this evidence would have sounded some alarm bells.
 
The point I was making is that the sprockets may already have failed, and the fault has been misdiagnosed as the camshaft position sensors. The best way to find out would be to get an Indie with access to the relevant diagnostic procedure to check it over.

Fair call. - It sounds like you might have been right about this given the outcome.

I'm sorry it ended this way Emseyfly. :(
 
FWIW, it's a criminal offence to sell a vehicle that is unroadworthy (unless described as such) and the law makes no distinction between a private and trade seller. Of the faults you listed, the cracked rear wheels are a definite "not roadworthy" items, and the other three below are potential further ones:
  1. Rear brake hoses corroded/cracked
  2. Split bush N/S front
  3. Large cracks in both rear wheels - dangerous, have used filler to mend/disguise
  4. Both front tyres damage to sidewalls
If it was bought from a trader - or someone who is acting as a trader - then Trading Standards should be interested in prosecuting which will help your case. However, if it was a genuine private sale then many TS departments have a policy of not prosecuting, so you'll be on your own. In any event, even if it was a "private" sale, do report the seller to TS as it may be that they have other complaints which indicate that they are really a trader posing as a private seller.

One thing to remember is that even though the car is unusable you need to either have it taxed and insured unless you can keep it off road somewhere, in which case you can declare it SORN. The DVLA will have no compunction in issuing you with a fine if you don't do one or the other, which really would be rubbing salt in the wound.

Good luck in getting something sorted, and do come back and ask for advice before you buy another car! :thumb:
 
Sorry, that's my bad. I should have said, the car has a full Mercedes-Benz service history until the last service which was done by BMW Mini. Or at least that's what the logbook says - maybe someone had a stamp made though.
This and the 3 month engine and gearbox warranty allowed me to believe I was buying a reasonable (old but reasonable) car - it's like me, old, but still looks alright and has some life in it....
I ran checks on it independently with Parkers, checked the history with DVLA, did all the stuff daddy taught me. But still ended up basically flushing all that money down the drain.
This car looked lovely. I'm so gutted - I tried....and I thought it was all ok. I was wrong and now I'm grovelling to le husband who is using his "disappointed" face!!!

Anyway. There was a full service history - I'm now doubting its provenance.

Put of interest, the latest service was very recent. Can I approach the garage that carried it out and ask them what they actually found?.....
 
Thanks Phil. I wasn't aware of that part of it and have decided to speak to the police tomorrow - I have started a civil case against him already and actually have been lucky enough to find a garage which has plenty of space and are happy to keep the car there until we know what is happening to it. It's completely off road so with his agreement I have cancelled the insurance and road tax and he is going to just keep it out of his way for now. I am being very careful to make sure I follow the letter of the law in order to protect my case....
I have reported it to autotrader who referred me to CAB who have reported this to trading standards - he is operating as a "private dealer" so it's a bit of a grey area apparently - but he is still bound by the law!!

I shall keep you posted - I have also discovered he is using more than one name and more than one trade name - but the same phone number - div!!! So that in itself could be fraud.
I have nothing to lose so I am going to take this to its natural conclusion in the hope that it might at least benefit someone else in the future

What a let down he is to the used car trade!!

Thanks you chaps. You're all being great!!
 
Thanks pobody - I've been dumb too though. I'm just glad no one got hurt - I have three kids - this could have ended so much more badly (if that's even English!!)
 

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