The Complete M272 Engine Thread

[Bobby Dazzler]

I wouldn't personally risk it. The other two categories are less serious but #2 puts the EML on so is an MOT fail until sorted. Same with the intake manifold issue (broken actuating arm) - ours had the EML on from that when we traded it in.

Thank you for sharing your thought, it’s much appreciated.

Hopefully someone who has had these repairs done might post with an indication of cost to repair.

 

[BTB 500]

Thank you for sharing your thought, it’s much appreciated.

Hopefully someone who has had these repairs done might post with an indication of cost to repair.

I know #1 is an engine out job which I'm pretty sure would write off a 2004 car (financially) if it had to be done. Our W203 was in the second category which (IIRC) meant the adjustment solenoids would need replacing ... I didn't get a costing for that but it didn't sound like it would be crazy expensive!

I think the intake manifold issue is quite common and that's what did for ours in the end. It still drove OK but would have failed the next MOT due to the EML being on. The mechanism in the manifold that varies the length of the intake duct based on rpm and throttle position cokes up and eventually the plastic actuating arm breaks. The official fix is to replace the entire manifold (MB don't sell the arm) ... you can get stronger metal arms on eBay but really you also need to dismantle the manifold and free everything up as well.

 

[Chrishazle]

Look for a younger car - my SLK280 is 2008, has the 272 V6 engine but does not fall into the "at risk" engine numbers.

 

[masonmjs]

I am right now looking at a 2007 SLK280 with 170,000 miles on it, I don't have any other details right now but I have driven it and it does have an EML on for the swirl flaps apparently. Having read this thread through I am left wondering if this car is just one of the good ones (e.g. not all of the V6 engines were bad) or if it maybe has had the balancer shaft work done by the previous owner (of 15 years). I have listened to the engine and it sounds silky smooth to me, no obvious rattle of timing chains of anything else. The car was religiously MB dealership serviced up to 120,000 and then by 'Indies' apparently (hopefully not cowboys ) but there is nothing in the service book to prove that.

Am I very likely to face huge bills in the near future with this car (I have not completed on the sale yet, so I can still walk away potentially) or is it worth a punt. Overall condition of the car is immaculate I would say, the only flaw is the ECL and slight wear to the interior plastic trim around the air con knobs. The price is very reasonable I would say.

Thanks
Mike

 

[conor1n]

I am right now looking at a 2007 SLK280 with 170,000 miles on it, I don't have any other details right now but I have driven it and it does have an EML on for the swirl flaps apparently. Having read this thread through I am left wondering if this car is just one of the good ones (e.g. not all of the V6 engines were bad) or if it maybe has had the balancer shaft work done by the previous owner (of 15 years). I have listened to the engine and it sounds silky smooth to me, no obvious rattle of timing chains of anything else. The car was religiously MB dealership serviced up to 120,000 and then by 'Indies' apparently (hopefully not cowboys ) but there is nothing in the service book to prove that.

Am I very likely to face huge bills in the near future with this car (I have not completed on the sale yet, so I can still walk away potentially) or is it worth a punt. Overall condition of the car is immaculate I would say, the only flaw is the ECL and slight wear to the interior plastic trim around the air con knobs. The price is very reasonable I would say.

Thanks
Mike

A car like that is only worth it if its cheap.....AND you are doing all the engine work yourself.

If you aren't DIY.. then get the lowest mile best example you can afford. An extra thousand or two is still cheaper than needing to do any engine work.

 

[masonmjs]

A car like that is only worth it if its cheap.....AND you are doing all the engine work yourself.

If you aren't DIY.. then get the lowest mile best example you can afford. An extra thousand or two is still cheaper than needing to do any engine work.

Purchase price is 2K and I would be doing the manifold replacement myself (interested to hear if you have an opinion on that, I started a thread about alternative parts suppliers) but I don't have facilities or experience with major engine work.

So you advice would be to walk away ?

Cheers

 

[conor1n]

Purchase price is 2K and I would be doing the manifold replacement myself (interested to hear if you have an opinion on that, I started a thread about alternative parts suppliers) but I don't have facilities or experience with major engine work.

So you advice would be to walk away ?

Cheers

If you think it needs any work on the balance shaft walk away.. if you can't do it yourself, run away.

There is a mercedes training video on YouTube showing how to replace the balance shaft..

If you want a rough idea on price, ask Steve in Avant-garde Automotive..he has done a few I believe and should be able to give you an idea of the cost..

Manifold would be a handy enough job.. albeit time consuming.. a lot of the loom and ecu etc needs removing etc.. but definitely achievable if you have the confidence.

It is also possible that perhaps somebody just unplugged the manifold actuator or something like that.

How else does it drive ?

Did you say the engine was in the effected range ? It probably is at 2007.

I don't know how to test the balance shaft.. but you could take it for a spin and drive it hard on the revs and see if throws a light.. bringing the revs up under hard acceleration a number of times could be enough to trigger a plausibility error but but I'm not 100% sure of that.

I'd try and get it closer to 1500 as you can and take a punt.. provided it drives fine and doesn't throw a timing error (balance shaft).. if it doesn't then its likely been done considering the mileage.

At rhe end of the day.. a 6 cylinder roadster for under 2k is not bad.. keep the oil changed and you'll get a nice bunch of years out of it at a few thousand miles a year over the summer months.

Just a caveat the above advice doesn't hold for the bigger brother R230 SL .. which is a lot more complicates and bills can get big, fast... ABC suspension or not.


Yolo.. do it I say.

 

[BTB 500]

Check the engine number against the ranges given at the start of this thread. Two of the three categories aren't so serious (one doesn't even put the EML on).

Speaking of which, do you know for 100% sure that it's the manifold problem triggering the EML on this car?

I had the inlet manifold actuator break on the M272 in our 2007 C Class. It drove OK for a couple of years with only an intermittent EML but eventually it went on permanently. As I'm sure you know the arm is plastic and the ramp (not swirl flaps) it operates cokes up over time till eventually the force required to move it is enough for the arm to snap. You can either replace the whole manifold (the only option supported by MB) or fit one of the aftermarket arms available on eBay etc. But obviously the root cause is the stiffness of the ramp operation, so really you need to take the manifold apart and clean that out as well. I traded the car in (it did also have an intermittent gearbox issue).