The Complete M271 Engine thread. ( Revised and Updated )

[W1ghty]

I have a 2004 c180k manual that I'm using as a lockdown runaround.. I've got the P0020 and P0172 error codes with a cold start engine shaking that has just started to happen.. cars recently had oil change, new filters (oil, air, fuel and cabin) and a new coolant temperature sensor.. is this most likely timing chain?
P0020 code states on my obd as "A camshaft position actuator circuit / open bank 2"
P0172 states "system too rich bank 1"

Unplug the electrical connections to the two round cam magnets on the front of the engine and see if there is oil in the connectors buddy

 

[kam09]

Unplug the electrical connections to the two round cam magnets on the front of the engine and see if there is oil in the connectors buddy

I will take a look 2mrw daytime cheers, was planning on getting a local indie to take a look but thought I'd check on here first..

 

[W1ghty]

I will take a look 2mrw daytime cheers, was planning on getting a local indie to take a look but thought I'd check on here first..

CLK Camshaft Magnets M271 , P0020 | Engine

Went to start the CLK and got an engine management light on the dash . Hauled my trusty icarsoft MB2 from the other car and checked for codes . P0020 was shown as current with a description of A Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit / Open Bank 2 . Did a bit of reading and there are 2x Camshaft...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

I had that code the other week buddy

 

[kam09]

CLK Camshaft Magnets M271 , P0020 | Engine

Went to start the CLK and got an engine management light on the dash . Hauled my trusty icarsoft MB2 from the other car and checked for codes . P0020 was shown as current with a description of A Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit / Open Bank 2 . Did a bit of reading and there are 2x Camshaft...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

I had that code the other week buddy

so took a look today and they have been leaking quite a bit probably for a good few months as the eml was intermittent but now constant even when clearing the codes.. ordered the pierburg magnets via Amazon (surprisingly) so hopefully when they arrive by this sat i will replace and hope for the best! Will update once done..

 

[markjay]

The risk with leaking camshaft position sensors is that oil travels up the wiring loom and into the ECU.

If this happens, you'll need to get the ECU sent to BBA Reman for a refurb.

 

[Continental]

I have a 2004 c180k manual that I'm using as a lockdown runaround.. I've got the P0020 and P0172 error codes with a cold start engine shaking that has just started to happen.. cars recently had oil change, new filters (oil, air, fuel and cabin) and a new coolant temperature sensor.. is this most likely timing chain?
P0020 code states on my obd as "A camshaft position actuator circuit / open bank 2"
P0172 states "system too rich bank 1"

Worn Breather hoses w203 ? | Engine

:wallbash: I have been advised that the random misfire and hunting is due to worn breather hoses on my C180K. Dealers want a small fortune to replace both hoses which only cost £16(parts only). I know these hoses are situated under air box, however after taking the six screws off air box cover...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

 

[kam09]

Worn Breather hoses w203 ? | Engine

:wallbash: I have been advised that the random misfire and hunting is due to worn breather hoses on my C180K. Dealers want a small fortune to replace both hoses which only cost £16(parts only). I know these hoses are situated under air box, however after taking the six screws off air box cover...

forums.mbclub.co.uk

When you had the original issue, did your engine shake violently? I changed the camshaft magnets but the engine was still shaking on start up, it's now progressed to a constant shake so car is now parked up and undriveable..

 

[Continental]

When you had the original issue, did your engine shake violently? I changed the camshaft magnets but the engine was still shaking on start up, it's now progressed to a constant shake so car is now parked up and undriveable..

Not really I don’t think - but p0172 rings a bell popping up from time to time... hasn’t thrown any codes since replaced the breather hose - not sure why you experiencing shaking on startup - engine mounts gone maybe... either way have you checked the breather hoses at least - they could be completely shot. Car idled/drove much better after I sorted the breather hose (also inspect the other ones throughout the process and check the mass airflow sensor and obviously seat your filter properly use Mann air filter imo).

 

[MQ2596]

Is there anyone here with an M271 engine that hasn’t run into timing chain issues? Or are they guaranteed to occur regardless of whether the car has been serviced on time etc? I have a 2012 c250 amg sport plus petrol, 55k miles on the clock FMBSH and I’m getting rather worried now… my dad drove a 2010 C250 cgi estate to just shy of 90k miles before the car was written off in an accident and didn’t come across any problems so that’s giving me some peace of mind. But reading a few forums it seems like these issues are guaranteed to occur?

 

[190]

Yes it's a common enough problem but I wouldn't say guaranteed to occur on every single car otherwise you would be hearing about the issue in the wider media rather than just on forums. Mine has done 73,000 without problems and there was a recent thread where someone took the cam cover off to inspect the chain and sprockets and they looked fine at well over 100,000. I've long since gave given up looking for a definitive answer because there isn't one.

While not even the highest quality oil can fully compensate for poor design/metallurgy, dirty oil is reckoned to be bad for chains so more frequent oil changes are cheap insurance. The only other things you can do is a preventative maintenance chain and sprocket replacement or perhaps at least an inspection to set your mind at rest.

 

[markjay]

Is there anyone here with an M271 engine that hasn’t run into timing chain issues? Or are they guaranteed to occur regardless of whether the car has been serviced on time etc? I have a 2012 c250 amg sport plus petrol, 55k miles on the clock FMBSH and I’m getting rather worried now… my dad drove a 2010 C250 cgi estate to just shy of 90k miles before the car was written off in an accident and didn’t come across any problems so that’s giving me some peace of mind. But reading a few forums it seems like these issues are guaranteed to occur?

A good explanation here:

Mercedes mechanic Melbourne explains what cause timing chain failure

What causes timing chain problems in M271 engines, and why you should book a Mercedes service in Melbourne for your timing system problems.

www.ammstar.com.au

Note that your 2012 car will have the latter (CGI) engine.

 

[MQ2596]

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is this a normal running sound for the m271 engine? Maybe I’m being paranoid/hearing things but is there a rattling noise?

 

[W1ghty]

My M271 has got nearly 92,000 miles on it now , good history of oil changes and no appreciable noise on start up .
I did take the rocker cover off 3-4 years ago , maybe in the 70k mile range ? Everything looked good as far as cam teeth went .
I do keep thinking that I should do something like maybe get the chain and tensioner and plastic guides changed as a “part” insurance policy , assuming no appreciable cam teeth wear .
I understand that getting the lot changed is in the region of £1500 at a specialist and that the cam’s themselves are a big part of this .
The car maybe worth 3k so spending half that on a “maybe” doesn’t really appeal.

Any M271 owners any views on future preemptive work or in a similar situation themselves ?

 

[Continental]

My M271 has got nearly 92,000 miles on it now , good history of oil changes and no appreciable noise on start up .
I did take the rocker cover off 3-4 years ago , maybe in the 70k mile range ? Everything looked good as far as cam teeth went .
I do keep thinking that I should do something like maybe get the chain and tensioner and plastic guides changed as a “part” insurance policy , assuming no appreciable cam teeth wear .
I understand that getting the lot changed is in the region of £1500 at a specialist and that the cam’s themselves are a big part of this .
The car maybe worth 3k so spending half that on a “maybe” doesn’t really appeal.

Any M271 owners any views on future preemptive work or in a similar situation themselves ?

Sorry in advance as I haven’t read the whole thread so may be suggesting something you’ve checked/had done already but your car sounds good mines on over 110k miles, I did have the cam shaft magnets done at a dealer some years back circa 70-80k miles - around the same time just after the magnets I did the breather hose myself… have you done those jobs on yours?

 

[W1ghty]

Sorry in advance as I haven’t read the whole thread so may be suggesting something you’ve checked/had done already but your car sounds good mines on over 110k miles, I did have the cam shaft magnets done at a dealer some years back circa 70-80k miles - around the same time just after the magnets I did the breather hose myself… have you done those jobs on yours?

Yep , breather tube done a few months ago and cam magnets done a year ago . I’m on 92k at the moment

 

[Continental]

Yep , breather tube done a few months ago and cam magnets done a year ago . I’m on 92k at the moment

Sounds like you’re on top of things. Only other thing I had done perhaps not so much engine related recently though was have the gearbox serviced (atf, filter and pilot busing changed) - with hindsight would have had that done earlier probably circa 80k miles. Couple of years ago on longer journeys check coolant level popped up, checked it, seemed about right but lightly topped it up, then again it popped up on a longer journey, was suspecting thermostat but before I went that route I decided to drain all the coolant out and refilled with brand new fluid (Used concentrate mixed to the relevant ratio with de-ionised water) - check coolant message dissapeared after that.

 

[W1ghty]

Sounds like you’re on top of things. Only other thing I had done perhaps not so much engine related recently though was have the gearbox serviced (atf, filter and pilot busing changed) - with hindsight would have had that done earlier probably circa 80k miles. Couple of years ago on longer journeys check coolant level popped up, checked it, seemed about right but lightly topped it up, then again it popped up on a longer journey, was suspecting thermostat but before I went that route I decided to drain all the coolant out and refilled with brand new fluid (Used concentrate mixed to the relevant ratio with de-ionised water) - check coolant message dissapeared after that.

I changed the thermostat a few years ago , cheap job .
I’ve had the car from 2 years old . Had 3 gearbox filter changes and I also tend to swap the gearbox ATF sump contents (3.5L ) every year anyway because it’s £28 DIY cost .
I change the diff oil every 30k because it’s cheap at £20-30 .
Gearbox pilot bush I did a couple of months ago just in case because it was original .
I’ve got an age related coolant change next year or so (15 years)

Keep up your good work as well , they are lovely cars .

 

[dromede]

Greetings,

I have a 2004 CL203 C180K, with the 271.846 M271 KE18 RED engine.
I'm thinking about doing a kompressor upgrade.

So this engine comes with the A2710902380 supercharger.
I'd like to replace it with the 2710902780 supercharger, that should be the one that one can find in a C230 and in W204 C180K and upwards i guess.

Some folks in this thread have mentioned that this is decent upgrade because 2710902780 has a smaller pulley so one can expect some gains in the low end, which is what want. I'm not really interested in top speed increases, just better low end performance.

Can anyone confirm that this is safe to do?
Any potential issues?

 

[markjay]

Greetings,

I have a 2004 CL203 C180K, with the 271.846 M271 KE18 RED engine.
I'm thinking about doing a kompressor upgrade.

So this engine comes with the A2710902380 supercharger.
I'd like to replace it with the 2710902780 supercharger, that should be the one that one can find in a C230 and in W204 C180K and upwards i guess.

Some folks in this thread have mentioned that this is decent upgrade because 2710902780 has a smaller pulley so one can expect some gains in the low end, which is what want. I'm not really interested in top speed increases, just better low end performance.

Can anyone confirm that this is safe to do?
Any potential issues?

Firstly, keep in mind that the C230 also has lower compression ratio, which is common practice in cars with increased boost (from either turbocharger or supercharger). Not sure what will happen if you increase the boost without reducing the compression ratio, my guess is that it will cause pinging and may affect long term reliability. Though, possibly the negative effect of too high compression can be negated by using high-octane fuels (Shell V-Power / Tesco Momentum etc) that are less prone to pre-ignition and pinging.

Then, the C230 will have a different map - but whether it's the same ECU and therefore the C180K ECU can be remapped, or perhaps you'll need a C230 ECU, I don't know.

I also don't know if the C180K and the C230K use the same fuel injectors, or the same air intake manifold.

In short, it's probably doable, but there's more to it than just swapping the supercharger.

 

[markjay]

And, obviously, check the condition of the camshaft sprocket wheels and the timing chain before spending any money on this engine...