W203 C320 engine dying!!!

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quasarman

Active Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
155
Location
Manchester
Car
C320 Avantgarde SE Estate
Can anyone offer any ideas on the following?

Just had a major service including all filters, new plugs, fully synthetic oil etc etc. Not to mention new brakes all round at the same time!

At first everything was terrific, car had a new lease of life fired into it with improved throttle response and smoother running, great!

Now however the engine appears to have developed a problem in that it now randomly loses all power, no response to throttle at all and then cuts out all together. This is usually accompanied by a 'battery/alternator - visit workshop' warning on the dash. Aaaaah!!!

But when I turn off the ignition and start again there are no faults stored and the car starts perfectly normally. Then after a few minutes the whole thing happens again!!!

Can anyone PLEASE help- I'm hoping there may be a cable I can check for looseness or something of that nature....
 
Check your battery cables are making a good connection. Some service operations involve disconnecting the earth cable for safety reasons.
 
It would be worth checking the ignition switch for bad contacts. Try just moving the key whilst the engine is running and see if it cuts off.
 
Thank you both for your suggestions.

I tried an ecu reset about an hour ago and have been out for a good run and touch wood this seems to have done the trick. Maybe the now clean filters and plugs have so improved the engines running the ecu couldn't cope without being reset.

Seems very strange and more than a little wrong to me that my previously full MB service history didn't include air filters or plug swaps for ~40,000 miles. To say they were dirty would be an understatement!

Fingers crossed anyway
 
Oh dear!
Now its dead. Progressive problem, more and more frequent cutting out. Now wont run. Fuel pump? PLEASE NO
Off to see the STAR man tomorrow, fingers crossed...
 
Crank sensor.?
 
That was the other possibility mentioned....

any ideas on prices? I've heard ~£400 for a fuel pump!!!!!!!!
 
Well well, after all the nail-biting the culprit was................blocked fuel line!

The likely cause....despite having a full MB history the fuel filter before the service was the original!! Changing this dislodged some muck which was causing the problems previously described. On the subject of MB servicing, you should have seen (in fact I should have taken pictures) the air filters too!! Filthy doesn't cut it

I've said it before and I'll say it again now WHY OH WHY use dealer servicing?, unless you buy the car new of course. I've just had a trusted mechanic do a 'B' service including new plugs (bosch platinum X12), fully synthetic oil (of course), original spec oil, fuel and air filters, coolant check, new brake pads all round and discs on the front (again original spec parts) and new brake fluid, a full once over including greasing all door hinges, check for any suspension play, etc etc AND a full session on a STAR machine for............anyone care to guess?

The car by the way now runs like a dream, sorry to anyone I passed on my test drive home!!! (But only hello to the C63AMG driver who passed me at I'd guess ~160mph)

Thanks again to those kind enough to offer ideas.
 
PS the mileage in question is 76k
 

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