danclyon
Active Member
B180CDI - 2005 M/Y
So the last couple of days have been very wierd.
No change of use pattern, all has been well, until a re-fuel the day before yesterday. Millers Ecomax in the tank as always for the last 6 months.
Yesterday, wife was driving as normal and she reported it was gutless, no revs - but we had no strange lights on and no warnings or anything. It really didn't want to go, and wouldn't go above 2250RPM no matter how hard you put your foot down, even into kickdown (it's Autotronic).
Got home fine, no warnings, no lights lit, no nothing.
Started it this morning, all fine - no lights, took it easy on the ice, but still no lights lit.
Took it out again this afternoon - on the way back, having driven about 35 miles and fully up to temp - the Engine Diagnostic Lamp came on and it went into limp mode again, capping everything at 2250rpm.
I wasn't in it at the time, but wife called met to relay what lights had come on. Only very briefly the ABS warning light was on too - but it went straight back off again.
She got home safely and parked up.
I've just got back 90 mins later and had a poke round, can't see anything. So, started her and took it for a run. Engine Diagnostic lamp was on straight away. Took it easy, no smoke, no untowards noises, pulls smoothly, started first time even with it this cold, all seemed good. I gave it a few miles before pulling onto the A14 - and put my foot down, it's going as normal - picking up speed, revs up to 3k, holds there with foot in static position. Let it warm up a bit did a couple of mile loop, then pushed the pedal harder into kickdown, it fired up to 4k and sat there, let off it dropped back - all normal. After a total of about 10 mins running (perhaps a bit less - but probably more than 5) with the temp at about 60 deg, it went into limp mode and capped the revs at 2250 - but still, no sign of mis-firing, stutter, smoke or anything that I would associate with injection pump or injector issues. Ran perfectly.
So I completed the loop, got off the A14 on the road back to home and stopped. Turned off, waiting 10 seconds, and then re-started. Engine diag light still on, no warnings in the display, nothing else unexpected on, started cleanly, pulled away, revving freely all the way up to kickdown - ran as normal home for 3 miles, but with the Engine Diag light on.
Stopped, and pulled up and popped the bonnet - it's idling smoothly, can't see a broken wire anywhere I'd naturally look (Lambda etc.) and there's no smoke even under revving hard.
Odd.
The only other thing to say is that the morning of the re-fuel, when she tried to unlock it, it wouldn't first time - it took a few presses of the button (could be remote batteries, but it's worked fine since), and when she first used the indicator yesterday morning it flashed rapidly like the bulb had blown in a traditional car (not sure if the Merc's do that - my Audi doesn't seem to anyway) for maybe half a dozen cycles then started working normally.
For wierd stuff like this I'm out of my depth as I don't know MB that well and don't have access to Star. Guess I'll have to take it into the dealer for diagnosis - but was wondering if anyone can tell me anything to try before then?
Cheers,
Dan.
So the last couple of days have been very wierd.
No change of use pattern, all has been well, until a re-fuel the day before yesterday. Millers Ecomax in the tank as always for the last 6 months.
Yesterday, wife was driving as normal and she reported it was gutless, no revs - but we had no strange lights on and no warnings or anything. It really didn't want to go, and wouldn't go above 2250RPM no matter how hard you put your foot down, even into kickdown (it's Autotronic).
Got home fine, no warnings, no lights lit, no nothing.
Started it this morning, all fine - no lights, took it easy on the ice, but still no lights lit.
Took it out again this afternoon - on the way back, having driven about 35 miles and fully up to temp - the Engine Diagnostic Lamp came on and it went into limp mode again, capping everything at 2250rpm.
I wasn't in it at the time, but wife called met to relay what lights had come on. Only very briefly the ABS warning light was on too - but it went straight back off again.
She got home safely and parked up.
I've just got back 90 mins later and had a poke round, can't see anything. So, started her and took it for a run. Engine Diagnostic lamp was on straight away. Took it easy, no smoke, no untowards noises, pulls smoothly, started first time even with it this cold, all seemed good. I gave it a few miles before pulling onto the A14 - and put my foot down, it's going as normal - picking up speed, revs up to 3k, holds there with foot in static position. Let it warm up a bit did a couple of mile loop, then pushed the pedal harder into kickdown, it fired up to 4k and sat there, let off it dropped back - all normal. After a total of about 10 mins running (perhaps a bit less - but probably more than 5) with the temp at about 60 deg, it went into limp mode and capped the revs at 2250 - but still, no sign of mis-firing, stutter, smoke or anything that I would associate with injection pump or injector issues. Ran perfectly.
So I completed the loop, got off the A14 on the road back to home and stopped. Turned off, waiting 10 seconds, and then re-started. Engine diag light still on, no warnings in the display, nothing else unexpected on, started cleanly, pulled away, revving freely all the way up to kickdown - ran as normal home for 3 miles, but with the Engine Diag light on.
Stopped, and pulled up and popped the bonnet - it's idling smoothly, can't see a broken wire anywhere I'd naturally look (Lambda etc.) and there's no smoke even under revving hard.
Odd.
The only other thing to say is that the morning of the re-fuel, when she tried to unlock it, it wouldn't first time - it took a few presses of the button (could be remote batteries, but it's worked fine since), and when she first used the indicator yesterday morning it flashed rapidly like the bulb had blown in a traditional car (not sure if the Merc's do that - my Audi doesn't seem to anyway) for maybe half a dozen cycles then started working normally.
For wierd stuff like this I'm out of my depth as I don't know MB that well and don't have access to Star. Guess I'll have to take it into the dealer for diagnosis - but was wondering if anyone can tell me anything to try before then?
Cheers,
Dan.