Intermittent kompressor, advice please.

[BigDusty]

Hi all,

Getting through all the problems on this car slowly and is running allot better since I first bought it, but I do love a challenge.

Next problem , the kompressor every so often doesn't work. Happened again tonight but only for a short period of time, this is the third time this has happened and MB can't find any problems....yet.

Reading other posts on here with similar problems have pointed towards the Air Recirculation Flap attached to the air filter case.

The help I need is, how do I find out if it is this part causing the problem, can it be taken apart and inspected for wear or even just cleaned. If worn, can you buy spare parts for it, or maybe forget all the before mentioned questions and just go ahead and replace it with a new one and get it over and done with before it damages my ECU causing me major costs!! just like what had happened to Grahamc230k.

One more thing I must add, it seems to happen every time it gets VERY cold but maybe it's just a coincidence.

Thanks
BigDusty

 

[Shude]

...go ahead and replace it with a new one and get it over and done with before it damages my ECU causing me major costs!! just like what had happened to Grahamc230k.

There is a good chance there was nothing wrong with the ECU on Graham's car, probably best not to mention it really...

 

[miro]

Hi all,

Getting through all the problems on this car slowly and is running allot better since I first bought it, but I do love a challenge.

Next problem , the kompressor every so often doesn't work. Happened again tonight but only for a short period of time, this is the third time this has happened and MB can't find any problems....yet.

Reading other posts on here with similar problems have pointed towards the Air Recirculation Flap attached to the air filter case.

The help I need is, how do I find out if it is this part causing the problem, can it be taken apart and inspected for ware or even just cleaned. If worn, can you buy spare parts for it, or maybe forget all the before mentioned questions and just go ahead and replace it with a new one and get it over and done with before it damages my ECU causing me major costs!! just like what had happened to Grahamc230k.

One more thing I must add, it seems to happen every time it gets VERY cold but maybe it's just a coincidence.

Thanks
BigDusty

Doesnt the clutch engage >2000rpm and it if itsnt working it will not engage. Simply a matter of wear and tear.

Any EATON specialist can fix the clutch or you can ask for a clutch repair kit from the dealer.

 

[BigDusty]

There is a good chance there was nothing wrong with the ECU on Graham's car, probably best not to mention it really...

Hi Shude,

Nothing wrong with the ECU as far as I know, but I was warned that if the Air Recirculation Flap became faulty it could eventually damage the ECU, that's why I need to know if there is any way to check for wear.

 

[BigDusty]

Doesnt the clutch engage >2000rpm and it if isn't working it will not engage. Simply a matter of wear and tear.

Any EATON specialist can fix the clutch or you can ask for a clutch repair kit from the dealer.

Hi Miro,

When I rev the engine to about 2000rpm from within the engine bay I can see and hear the clutch engage, but sometimes when driving (three times this has happened) the kompressor stops working and when I rev the engine (as I coast in neutral) I can hear that the clutch is not engaging, but after a few miles of driving it starts to work again.

On all three occasions this is exactly what happens. Start the engine and go for a drive (obviously), kompressor working fine, put my foot down to get up a steep hill, kompressor definitely working at this point because it's bloody quick. Drive a little further then put my foot down again and nothing apart from a very smooth 2.3 engine. Drive for a couple of miles and eventually it comes back. and as I said before on all three occasions it was very cold but could be just a coincidence.

 

[GrahamC230K]

Don't worry Nick, BigDusty and I have exchanged a few PM's prior to this thread starting. I have described my experieince and went into whether or not the ECU was really at fault. Deiselman has stated that the airflap can actually damage the ECU so maybe that was true in my case. Everything else he writes is normally bang on!

So Miro, you are saying this is a clutch fault not the Airflap? Not so in my case. I am not doubting your knowledge, you just state it in a very definitive matter of fact way that makes it sound like the clutch is the only option. prior to my experience I would have believed you - Kompressor controlled by clutch, kompressor not engaging, QED clutch must be at fault. But is it?

BigDusty's fault description is soooo similar to mine. Unfortunately BigD, it's just matter of time before your Kompressor sucks it's last gulp of air before you resolve the fault.

 

[BigDusty]

Unfortunately BigD, it's just matter of time before your Kompressor sucks it's last gulp of air before you resolve the fault.

GULP!!

 

[miro]

Don't worry Nick, BigDusty and I have exchanged a few PM's prior to this thread starting. I have described my experieince and went into whether or not the ECU was really at fault. Deiselman has stated that the airflap can actually damage the ECU so maybe that was true in my case. Everything else he writes is normally bang on!

So Miro, you are saying this is a clutch fault not the Airflap? Not so in my case. I am not doubting your knowledge, you just state it in a very definitive matter of fact way that makes it sound like the clutch is the only option. prior to my experience I would have believed you - Kompressor controlled by clutch, kompressor not engaging, QED clutch must be at fault. But is it?

BigDusty's fault description is soooo similar to mine. Unfortunately BigD, it's just matter of time before your Kompressor sucks it's last gulp of air before you resolve the fault.

So then the real question is .... what can stop the clutch from engaging ? It is a symptom regardless of the cause.

 

[BigDusty]

Dismantled the Air Recirculation Flap, nothing much to it really, just a motorized butterfly valve. I tested the motor by putting an electric current through it and the flap seem to open and close without any problems. One thing did happen though, when testing it the flap jammed shut and the return spring was obviously not strong enough to release it. After a small tap it reopened.

Could this be the cause to the intermittent problem and it might explain why my kompressor always seems to malfunction when it is very cold, like it did this morning at -0.5 degrees.

I gave it a good clean, reassembled it and put a slight smear of vaseline on the edges of the flap which has stopped it jamming shut for now. So far it's working fine, but it's to early to tell if this is the cause of the problem.

Any thoughts, let me know.

BigD

 

[s1gar]

i am having what sounds like the exact same problem. i have a slight oil leak from mycammagnets ????? dont know what they are but it is dripping oil onto my engine wiring loom and the oil is steadly travelling towards my ecu. the kind people at mb are only gonna charge me £1054 to sort out. new loom. i have had this now for the last 3 weeks. the car runs rubbish thenafter about 1/2 a day the check engine light comes on. when mb plug it into star it comes up with a bloked air injector. (that is getting replaced in my £1054.... )but like your car the kompressor just seems to stop working. the funny thing is for me the check engine light has come on for the third week in a row on a tuesday on the same stretch of road and approximatly the same time. they are hoping the air injector will solve it but what else they said was when the car is running out of fuel somtimes (1/4 of a tank and below) air gets mixed inwith fuel and the car will need a new tank. £200 plus fitting great....let me know if your air recirc flap is the problem will you please? have you had it connected to star and what did that say? the only other thing i would say is that i have read that people who have fitted k&n air filters have reduced the life of the mass airflow meter fairly rapidly because they contain oil and it burns out the sensor. just be a little carefull with the vaseline because this may do the same. its just funny how my car does excatly the same thing. idont know about the clutch thing because mine is a manual. but like yours mine will all of a sudden return to normal. is the air recirc flap easy to get to??????

 

[Dieselman]

Dismantled the Air Recirculation Flap, nothing much to it really, just a motorized butterfly valve. I tested the motor by putting an electric current through it and the flap seem to open and close without any problems. One thing did happen though, when testing it the flap jammed shut and the return spring was obviously not strong enough to release it. After a small tap it reopened.

Could this be the cause to the intermittent problem and it might explain why my kompressor always seems to malfunction when it is very cold, like it did this morning at -0.5 degrees.

I gave it a good clean, reassembled it and put a slight smear of vaseline on the edges of the flap which has stopped it jamming shut for now. So far it's working fine, but it's to early to tell if this is the cause of the problem.

Any thoughts, let me know.

BigD

It could be.
I've not hade one apart to check how it knows the flap position but the ECU must somehow be told whether the flap is open or closed.

If the motor brushes wear down and short out that will take out the ECU output chip due to the direct short.

I would check the motor carefully and if I was at all suspicious would fit a NEW unit. They are not too expensive and make for a good insurance against the ECU going South.

GrahamC230k definately had a problem with no compressor clutch signal from the ECU, for whatever reason (later found to be air flap and ECU). His clutch was in full working order.

 

[s1gar]

if anyone could tell me where the air recirc flap is i would be most greatful as this is really annoying me now.

 

[Dieselman]

On the side of the air filter box. It has a corrugated pipe leading from it to the air intake trunking.

 

[s1gar]

does it have a aluminium control box directly under it?? on like a corner i.e. where the pipe turns 90 degrees to run up the left side of the engine?

 

[BigDusty]

Hope this works as I haven't put a picture on here yet.

On my car the recirculation flap looks like this (Picture was taken by Grahamc230k) hope you don't mind.

S1gar, I know your car is the newer model but the recurculation flap may look similar. Hope this helps.

 

[BigDusty]

It could be.
I've not had one apart to check how it knows the flap position but the ECU must somehow be told whether the flap is open or closed.

If the motor brushes wear down and short out that will take out the ECU output chip due to the direct short.

I would check the motor carefully and if I was at all suspicious would fit a NEW unit. They are not too expensive and make for a good insurance against the ECU going South.

GrahamC230k definitely had a problem with no compressor clutch signal from the ECU, for whatever reason (later found to be air flap and ECU). His clutch was in full working order.

Looking inside one of these things is an electric motor, about three gears, a coil spring to return the flap to open position, a small circuit board with a transistor of some kind and a micro chip.

I will be trying the car out first thing in the morning to see if the kompressor stops again, but I was going to replace the ARF anyway because of it jamming shut. If the flap is worn then no doubt the motor is as well and it's not worth messing around with specially if there is a possibility that it could damage the ECU.

BigD.

 

[s1gar]

this is worrying i take the thing on the left is the air box? mine looks nothing like this. i will take a picture later. my airbox appears to have one pipe going into the top but with nothing attached to it airbox side. this is what makes me think its at the other end of the pipe because there appears to be some type of assembly there.

 

[GrahamC230K]

I thought that picture looked familiar

s1gar - I have tried to explain previously (not sure if on the forum or in a PM).

Our (BigD and I's) earlier Kompressors have a clutch and kick in an out (you replied back saying Kompressors are always on not like a turbo). Your post 2000 CLK does not have the same clutch, your air flap is potentially different I would therefore say and you do not feel the direct cut in and out of the Kompressor circa 2000rpm.

So your car has a little bit of a differnt configuration I believe, so the root causes may or may not be the same.

 

[BigDusty]

Tested the car this morning and no still no joy but have discovered other symptoms. When the kompressor stopped working I pulled over and looked under the bonnet, revved the engine and the clutch was not engaging but on the right side of the engine there was a very noticeable tapping or ticking sound. I tried to get as close to the sound as possible without losing an ear and it seemed to be coming from the area I marked on the picture (It seem to be coming from the power assisted steering pump or it was coming from something very near to it). There was also a slight misfiring or backfiring when revving. I turned off the ignition, started it back up, ticking sound gone and kompressor working again. Any thoughts on the ticking?

Will be fitting a new air recirculation flap tonight.

Again thanks to GrahamC230K for the picture, sorry but I can't find my camera and at the moment do not want to spend another £250 bucks on a new one, saving the money for my car

 

[s1gar]

my engine is slightly different from your pic. can someone comfirm this but the pipe with the recirc flap coming out of the airbox goes to the kompressor? my pipe is not visible and comes out from under the airbox. i have the other pipe coming out from where the recirc flap pipe is situated. i dont know whats up with mine but i do know its expensive and peeing me off to some tune. i am gonna check to see if i can locate my recirc air flap and see if its stuck....can anyone answer if when the check engine light comes on it reduces the performance of a engine????