Cold Starting Problem

[bhav]

Hi People, yet another problem with my C180 Sport Auto....

Recentley have been getting problems in the morning, basically car will start and turn off as the revs will drop... As i accelerate the car sounds as if its choking, it even strugles to do that.... and have to keep it going until the choking has stoped for about a minute.....

Had my Air, Fuel, Pollen Filter and Spark Plugs Changed last week, just gotta do the oil filter and oil now.... Hoped this would help with the problem but it didnt.....

As the car was on the ramp I checked underneath and noticed a few things.... there is a dent in the fual line quite deep, im guessing this is reducing the fuel flow in some sort of way... also i noticed that the brake line was pulled out of place here are some pics to help. Sorry about the quality, i took them on my phone..

Could the dent be reducing fuel flow causing the revs to be so low at start up?

The car is fine after it is about 45 - 50 on the temperature gauge.

I would really appriciate if anyone can help..

 

[grober]

2nd pic:- pipework certainly shouldnt be like that. First picture was unclear so cant comment. ONLY mechanical damage could do that. Were you aware of catching the underside of the car on anything? You want to check both ends of these pipes for damage. If the car runs OK with plenty power when warm then it sounds as if you have a problem with your fast idle control which will increase the revs when cold to compensate for engine temperature. That could be caused by several different things. A merc or bosch fuel injection specialist should be able to help.

 

[pammy]

Pic's are harder to interpret as they are very large too - you might want to reduce them in size to say 600 at the max point

I'd be very worried if one of my brake pipes was like that . Have you noticed anything odd with them.

I also guess that if the fuel line is badly kinked as it seems then this might affect start up if it can't pull enough fuel through - but I would have also thought this would show when revving high too. You get this only on start up?

 

[bhav]

P'c's are harder to interpret as they are very large too - you might want to reduce them in size to say 600 at the max point

I'd be very worried if one of my brake pipes was like that . Have you noticed anything odd with them.

I also guess that if the fuel line is badly kinked as it seems then this might affect start up if it can't pull enough fuel through - but I would have also thought this would show when revving high too. You get this only on start up?

hey pammy happy birthday & thanks for the responce, i will reduced the pic sizes in a moment, yes i only get this at start up... coming back to grober's question, yes i was aware of catching in the underside if the car, but wasnt aware tat it had gobe so far as the pipe..... i cracked the skirt a couple of weeks back when a block paving brick came up as i drove over it when pulling off...

Anyone know how much it would cost to replace fuel and brake lines?

 

[grober]

replace for MOT

Anyone know how much it would cost to replace fuel and brake lines?

The parts will be inexpensive compared to the labour costs. The brake pipe will have to be replaced and the whole system bled. Best take the chance to replace all the fluid at the same time. The petrol pipe is more straight-forward.
Your car will definitely fail an MOT in that state. You can probably get pattern brake pipes from a brake specialist but Merc parts would be best. I would do this immediately and then see if that cures the cold start problem .

 

[bhav]

Anyone know how much it would cost to replace fuel and brake lines?

The parts will be inexpensive compared to the labour costs. The brake pipe will have to be replaced and the whole system bled. Best take the chance to replace all the fluid at the same time. The petrol pipe is more straight-forward.
Your car will definitely fail an MOT in that state. You can probably get pattern brake pipes from a brake specialist but Merc parts would be best. I would do this immediately and then see if that cures the cold start problem .

grober, you defo right, the labour quote mb gave me is £300 - £600 depending on wat problems they have, part were generally inexpensive, i need the following.

MA123 420 90 28 N/STOCK LINE £17.38
MA110 995 00 22 CLAMP £1.04
MA116 328 05 84 N/STOCK SHIM £0.92
MA202 470 02 64 N/STOCK LINE £27.55
MA202 470 03 64 N/STOCK LINE £20.79

All of the above + Vat total £79.52

Anyone have a how to guide on how to do it so I can save £300 - £600?

 

[shandy]

Not a difficult job , get a quote from a local independent garage,it's bound to be much lower than MB. I had 6 main brake pipes supplied and fitted to my daughter's Fiat recently at a local garage at a total cost of £80+vat. Different thing , I know , but don't be ripped off by the dealer.
Geo.

 

[Dieselman]

The poor starting isn't going to be anything to do with the fuel pipe. The engine requires much more fuel when running at revs than it does to start so that is when it would first show signs of fuel starvation.

It sounds like the injection temperature sensor isn't telling the ECU the engine is cold so the mixture doesn't go rich.

 

[bhav]

Solved

The poor starting isn't going to be anything to do with the fuel pipe. The engine requires much more fuel when running at revs than it does to start so that is when it would first show signs of fuel starvation.

It sounds like the injection temperature sensor isn't telling the ECU the engine is cold so the mixture doesn't go rich.

Was nothing to do with the pipe you were right... it was the mas sensor, had it replaced today with a bill of £235.00

Thanks for your help guys..