CDi engine not starting well + limp home mode at times

[minyak]

Hi there,

My C220 CDi (2001) has been behaving strangely lately. Let me share few things. Basically it got down to limp home mode kicking in randomly and the error on Star Diagnostics saying its something to do with the intake manifold motor. I have not sent it to MB yet and did the diagnose at a local mechanic. And the other i think related problem is that the engine would not start as normal, esp in the mornings. Nowadays i need to press on the accelerator on start-up for 5-10 secs, if i rely on its own, then the engine will die off within 2-3 secs. If this occurs, the engine will not start for quite a while, maybe after 5-10 mins or so, even then i have to ensure that i step on the the 'gas' pedal briefly....

What the local garage has done so far is not replace anything yet, but apparently clean the intake manifold area (flaps??) and also the fuel pump. He also bled the fuel line to rid of air bubbles. After this cleaning, the engine seems to start better, but after 1-2 weeks the problem comes in again. The bizzare thing is that the car will start run normally once on the go, in fact i whacked it at ridicolous speeds at times and all seem ok (hoping to get the pump, etc working hard)...then the next morning, the starting problem comes again. It looks like the cleaning does have an effect, but only good as a temporary measure.

Do you guys think its a fuel pump or some fuel delivery system related issue here, what about the inlet motor?? The car has 185000km on its clock and more than 5 years old already. Any clues greatly appreciated.

Cheers..

 

[fredfloggle]

Saya mau numpang tanya - Minyak , tapi minyak apa , goreng atau tanah ?

Walaupun tukang sudah di pancing saluran bahan bakar(fuel line) mungkin masih ada kebocoran angin di jaringan bahan-bakar (fuel system .)

 

[jaymanek]

Saya mau numpang tanya - Minyak , tapi minyak apa , goreng atau tanah ?

Walaupun tukang sudah di pancing saluran bahan bakar(fuel line) mungkin masih ada kebocoran angin di jaringan bahan-bakar (fuel system .)

come again?

 

[fredfloggle]

Minyak is malaysian/indonesian for "oil" - since a number of his posts have been about using veg oil - I just wondered and though I would ask ........
and his odometer is in KM's which suggests malaysian....

 

[minyak]

Latest diagnosis (star diagnosis) points towards problems with the rail pressure regulator. The mechanics are currently replacing this, hope this will solve the problem...

And yes, minyak means oil....so minyak tanah is groundoil...minyak goreng is frying oil....but dont think i have been going too much into veg oil btw...and its not only Malaysia that uses KM, majority of other countries also use this..except the Brits with thier imperial measurements...

 

[Benzowner]

Just reading the symptoms, air in the fuel system, bad starting etc, I would look at air getting into the fuel lines. This is quiet common and there are various threads here about it. I had similar problems and replaced all the plastic fuel line around the filter, the O rings fail and start let air in. Another telltale sign, if you park with the front of the car higher that the rear, the condition worsens? It certainly was with my car.

 

[Dieselman]

If air is entering the high pressure side of the fuel system on a CDi it's quite possibly the pump on the way out.

 

[television]

Having loads of crankshaft sensors faulty right now, this may not show up on the fault codes but could cause the injection system to deviate from the stored settings.

Malcolm

 

[minyak]

Found the sucker!! Left at car garage for whole of this week, and they've replaced the pressure regulator and found that there was a small leak (probably of hairline crack size magnitude??!!) along the fuel lines within the engine bay (wonder how the fuel line could leak easily, rust, stone chip-damage??). Replaced fuel line, and after testing through 2 consecutive morning cold start-ups, the engine fired-up as per normal. Will pick up the car soon.