ML320 isuues

[stephen ingham]

Hi guys, i recently bought a 2006 ML320 CDI with 90k on the clock and i have to say it is a great motor, well built and great to drive, however i do have a couple of issues i could do with some advice on if i may, i do apologise if these subjects have already been covered.

Firstly when i start up the engine from cold the glow plug light goes straight out, then as i go to drive away it comes back on for a couple of minutes.
I was told elsewhere that this is a sign of a glow plug failing and i should replace them, is this the case?

Secondly, the other day i gave the accelerator a boot full and the car kind of stuttered and tried to change down but just seemed to go into limp mode, even though no warning lights came on. after a short while i parked up and when i restarted it it was fine.

I have noticed sometimes that when it changes up gears i get like a shudder or vibration, now i have never had an auto before so i dont know what to expect but i feel it shouldnt do this, would changing the gearbox oil and filter possibly help this?

Any help or advice is much appreciated

 

[stephen ingham]

Hi guys, i may have a few answers to my problems as i tracked the previous owner of my car and he explained the issues...
The vibration and the limp mode are two different faults, the vibration is transmission failure in low revs between 1000 and 1500 rpm and requires a gearbox rebuild at a cost of about £2500.
The other issue where the car appears to go into limp mode when accelerating hard is due to the turbo wastegate actuator sticking and again quoted about £2500 to replace the turbo, however i have found a couple of companies that can repair the wastegate actuator, which appears to be a little black box mounted on the turbo so i guess my question now is does anybody know if it is possible to remove the actuator with the turbo still in place or is it a necessary job to remove the turbo complete with the actuator?
Any help would be much appreciated

 

[thecolonel]

I wouldnt look at worse case, very unlikley that either are needed at those prices.

lots of options open to you but I would start with a local indi with diagnostics (doesnt have to be STAR) to see what fault codes are there and what your options really are.

I had a ML320 which stammered from cold under hard load - it was a £40 exh pressure switch - not saying its your issue, just saying it could something simple.
The gearboxes need regular (35k ish) oil changes and are sensitive to poor quality oil - so maybe again once basic diag done get to an MB specialist and get the oil changed (Prestige near Portsmouth are awesome IMHO).

waste gates on most cars can be cleaned - that said, if its the PCB at fault and not soot then it maybe a recon or repair needed.

dont fret it till you had diagnostics done, keep it simple and work through the probelsm.

reference the glow plug - these are cheap and easy to change and can be done within 30mins. A glow plug or the relay can cause the delay in GP bulb warning going out. Relay on ebay is about £130 but start with diag, see which plug is failing and change just that one for now until you clear away your other issues.

good luck

keep us posted on progress

 

[stephen ingham]

Hi, thanks for the reply.
The glowplug issue is sorted, new set of plugs and the light goes off as it should now.
The other issues have been passed on to the dealer I bought the car from....
I will update when I hear owt else.
Cheers
Stephen