CLK320 ENGINE STOPS AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES

[HIGHLANDMERC]

I have a CLK320 W208 Engine is the 112.940 series. 160k miles.
Car stopped whilst driving as though it ran out of fuel. After 20 minutes the engine restarted and ran for about another 10 minutes and stopped again. Car recovered back home by AA whose suggestion was that it could be a fuel pump problem, which seemed logical. I have changed the fuel pump, the fuel pump relay checked the fuel pump fuse and whilst doing the job, replaced the fuel filter. Same problem, engine starts, runs fine and then stops about 10 minutes later. The engine will not start unless I wait 20-30 minutes and then it starts fine again for about another 10 minutes. Any suggestions or help in possible diagnosis much appreciated.

 

[John N]

I have a CLK320 W208 Engine is the 112.940 series. 160k miles.
Car stopped whilst driving as though it ran out of fuel. After 20 minutes the engine restarted and ran for about another 10 minutes and stopped again. Car recovered back home by AA whose suggestion was that it could be a fuel pump problem, which seemed logical. I have changed the fuel pump, the fuel pump relay checked the fuel pump fuse and whilst doing the job, replaced the fuel filter. Same problem, engine starts, runs fine and then stops about 10 minutes later. The engine will not start unless I wait 20-30 minutes and then it starts fine again for about another 10 minutes. Any suggestions or help in possible diagnosis much appreciated.

I had something similar many moons ago! Do you have a Vent in your Fuel Filler Cap? An old Car I had with one the Small Vent Hole was Blocked, caused a Vacuum and the Engine Stopped, after sitting for a while the Vacuum would escape, start the Engine, same game again!

 

[Jobsworth]

Crankshaft position sensor.

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

I had something similar many moons ago! Do you have a Vent in your Fuel Filler Cap? An old Car I had with one the Small Vent Hole was Blocked, caused a Vacuum and the Engine Stopped, after sitting for a while the Vacuum would escape, start the Engine, same game again!

Thanks John, unfortunately the fuel cap does not have a vent in it, that would have been a wonderful easy solution!

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

Crankshaft position sensor.

Thanks, looking on line that seems to be the next thing to try. Appreciate your confirmation that this may be the problem.

 

[Londonscottish]

Crankshaft position sensor.

I've never had a crank sensor actually stop an engine but it certainly does force you to wait 20-30 mins for a restart.

 

[markjay]

Did the AA mechanic read the fault codes?

Faulty sensors usually flag up a fault code.

(This obviously need to be checked with a scanner that can read the MB-specific codes, e.g. STAR or iCarsoft, and not just the standard OBDII ones)

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

Did the AA mechanic read the fault codes?

Faulty sensors usually flag up a fault code.

(This obviously need to be checked with a scanner that can read the MB-specific codes, e.g. STAR or iCarsoft, and not just the standard OBDII ones)

The AA mechanic reported no error codes, but this may have been the type of scanner he was using.

 

[grober]

Common Crankshaft Sensor Issues

If you have crankshaft sensor issues, you probably won't be going far. Here's a closer look at how the CKP sensor works — and how it fails.

knowhow.napaonline.com

 

[Jobsworth]

I've never had a crank sensor actually stop an engine but it certainly does force you to wait 20-30 mins for a restart.

Stopping the engine dead isn’t the most common failure mode, but it does happen. Commonly gives no fault codes too. Fuel supply problems usually give some spluttering before the engine dies. Electronic faults are more often an instant cut out

 

[Deleted member 149005]

Thanks John, unfortunately the fuel cap does not have a vent in it, that would have been a wonderful easy solution!

how does the tank vent is the fuel is used?

 

[Wearsthefoxhat]

Another vote for the cps. Our Clk 320 used to cut out whilst moving, though only if my wife was driving. Would restart after ten mins for a while or even for a day or two before cutting out again.

 

[AMGeed]

And another in the CPS camp. Typical symptoms of failure in my experience . I've had two go faulty on my previous E280 and E55.

 

[Milton7]

Same happened to me in my 2001 CLK 320 last year, it was the crank sensor.

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

how does the tank vent is the fuel is used?

Not sure about that, guess there must be a vent pipe somewhere. The filler cap is solid.

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

Another vote for the cps. Our Clk 320 used to cut out whilst moving, though only if my wife was driving. Would restart after ten mins for a while or even for a day or two before cutting out again.

Thanks for the CPS vote.

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

And another in the CPS camp. Typical symptoms of failure in my experience . I've had two go faulty on my previous E280 and E55.

Thanks for your reply and adding to the CPS vote.

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

Same happened to me in my 2001 CLK 320 last year, it was the crank sensor.

Thanks for your reply and letting me know you had the same problem.

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

Thanks to all who have posted regarding this problem.
I have ordered a new Crankshaft Position Sensor from e-bay for £32.22
RPM / Crankshaft Sensor 0261210141 Bosch A0031539528 0031539528 Q0003117V002 New

I will report back to this site after fitting.

 

[HIGHLANDMERC]

Have just had a code reader delivered and it reads error code P0335 Crankshaft Position Sensor A Circuit.
Good bit of kit for £22.99 on e-bay. Mercedes Code Reader Engine Check Scanner Diagnostic Reset Tool OBD2 II CANBUS
Still waiting for Crankshaft Position Sensor to arrive, will post again when job completed.