W245 - strange behaviour as of yesterday - Engine Diagnostic Lamp

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danclyon

Active Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Messages
178
Location
Longstanton, Cambridge
Car
W245 B180 CDI w/COMAND
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.
 
Sounds as if could be the MAF sensor playing up but best get it on a diagnostics to be sure or you could end up throwing money at it that you don't need to.

Good luck with getting it sorted soon.

Keith
 
It's at the dealers now - and I'll be £114 lighter for the diagnostics.

I've already been honest with them and told them I have a good level of suspicion on what's wrong with it - hope it's not the inlet port motor as they've suggested the same and said it's min 5 hours labour plus the part....

Ouch.

Thanks for the pointers guys - waiting for them to call and tell me how poor I'm going to be for xmas...

D.
 
Hope its not that as that is the kind if expense that nobody needs especially at this time of the year !

Good luck with it.


Keith
 
It's at the dealers now - and I'll be £114 lighter for the diagnostics.

My MB dealer takes the price of the diagnostics off the repair bill if you give them the job of fixing it. Worth asking if they will do the same.

Russ
 
Hope its not that as that is the kind if expense that nobody needs especially at this time of the year !

Good luck with it.

Keith

Gotta love main dealer service. 5pm - phone call. Yeah, about your car, we have been busy and haven't done it. We are asking one of the engineers to come in tomorrow on his day off to have a quick look at it.

Well then, thanks for nothing. That bill tomorrow, it won't be £114. You kept it all day and phone at 5pm when you've dropped it for the day - when I could have taken it to an indy this afternoon......sorry, piss poor - still, at least they are consistently crap.

Yes Keith, could do without it, especially on top of the 2 tax discs and a £350 service bill for my car this month - ouch!!

D.
 
You could have bought an OBDII scanner for £30.

I say inlet port shut-off or EGR.
 
Bit of an update - I say bit as I have to say I'm really hacked off at the main-dealer attitude.

Got to 10 mins to closing time yesterday and I'd heard nothing from them so I phoned.

MB: It's on the ramp now sir
Me: Don't you close at 12?
MB: Yes, and the guy that was working on your car has gone home
Me: Oh OK so you have an answer for me?
MB: He's sribbled on the job card 'found a split vacum hose, needs replacing before diagnosis can continue'
Me: Did he seal it up and see if the problem cleared? Bit of tape or something?
MB: No idea and he's gone
Me: So what's the plan?
MB: Don't know Sir, I'll ask the service specialist dealing with your car to call you on Monday.
Me: That's nice, I'm in Italy all day. What happened to we'll be on it at 8 on Saturday? This sounds like you got to it at about 11.30 this morning and have had 20 mins "quick look at it"
MB: Don't know sir, I'll ask Chris to call you on Monday.
Me: I'm in Italy - not sure how you'll reach me given I'm in meetings all day - this is why I brought it in to you on Friday morning so you could look at it and give me a plan for getting it sorted out.

Net result - I've got to get the wife to drive me to the airport as she now needs my car, meaning 300 extra miles and I'll have to stick 1 extra hour on the start time tomorrow morning to get to the airport.

Hmmph.

I'm sincerely hoping it's just a split vacum hose (although I couldn't see anything when I had a poke round) as that will make all the faffing just about bearable....

Cheers,
Dan.
 
I can change the ips motor on that car in one hour. They are probably dropping the engine down.
 
Sounds like a MAF sensor...similar happened to mine.... has to be genuine merc one to replace it tho... despite expense do not go for cheap pattern part.....
 
Well it's back, and I'm £640 lighter (and that's after the diagnostics were "taken off the bill") :crazy:

Just picked it up this evening.

Boy am I miffed. The problem was actually in the vacum pipe - or rather, the absence of it. Apparently it had come loose and chafed it's way through to a major leak, and that's why the light had come on. The EGR triggered the warning as it wasn't getting the right pressure.

They ran full diagnostics and found split pipe, 3 failed glow-plugs, and EGR warnings. However, in order to replace the vacum pipe and secure it the engine had to be dropped (pipe and T-piece were £7 inc vat!) - so I asked them to do the Glow-Plugs while they were there.

The total bugger is that it's a month after the warranty had expired on the glow-plugs that the selling dealer fitted under warranty, and MB weren't interested in any goodwill.

So - 4 plugs, 1 pipe-set and a t-piece and £640 later it's back, all lights off (there's more to this story yet - hold on!) and it's good again.

However, imagine the surprise on starting it in the dark on the forecourt to find we had no headlights! God knows what had happened, but it seems to have blown both dipped headlight bulbs when it was started this evening.

Credit to the garage (and my wallet!) they nipped it back into the workshop and came out 15 mins later with it all sorted with nothing to pay - but it just strikes me as a little suspicious.....

Also - credit to them for coming clean that they bust the air box when replacing the pipe so we were a day later while a new one arrived from MB which they took care of the costs for.

That's December empty of pennies....wasn't expecting that :( Bit concerned now that the air-box was brittle, the pipe was chafed etc. What else should I be expecting.....my A4 is a year older and everything is still in good working order.....

Thanks for all the pointers guys!

Cheers,
Dan.
 
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What a letdown that was, All that money for a rubber hose. Its unjustifiable, Next time definitely go to a good Indy, Glad the cars fixed though, One problem and the whole car throws a hissy fit, would never happen on a D reg Fiesta.
 
What a letdown that was, All that money for a rubber hose. Its unjustifiable, Next time definitely go to a good Indy, Glad the cars fixed though, One problem and the whole car throws a hissy fit, would never happen on a D reg Fiesta.

Not sure of any good Indy's round here. I have a husband of a work-colleague in Surrey but I wouldn't have wanted to do that drive with no Turbo - Cambridge to the M3 with no ability to accelerate!!

There is one that advertises, but I tried both the landline and the mobile and got answering machines with no return call.....will see if they ever come back to me...

Cheers,
Dan.
 

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