Dying Mercedes Engine

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Fri 21 Jun 2002 12:29
Dying Mercedes Engine - Felipe
I have a Mercedes 300CE 1992 (W124) which has done some 160,000 miles and runs very sweetly. However, over a period of a couple of years, the following problem has become more acute, to the point where it is completely repeatable, yet Mercedes dealers here (in Spain) have been unable to fathom it.

If I drive the car every day, there is no problem. It always starts well,rain or shine. However, if I leave the car for a couple of days, and then use it, it starts perfectly, runs for about ten minutes, then the engine just dies when I lift off the throttle. Attempts to restart fail. If I then leave it for about an hour, I can just about get the engine started and idling. If I then put it into Drive, the engine dies again. After another 15 minutes or so of this, the engine will run sufficiently well to get going again - from which point on everything is perfect!

An "expert" on an American website suggested fuel filter, but this fault is completely repeatable - ten minutes into the journey, after starting perfectly, the engine will fail.

The only thing I can think of is something to do with warm-up
sequences in the engine management computer. Any ideas? Please??

Philip Tilson
Colmenar, Spain.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 22 Jun 2002 19:42
Dying Mercedes Engine - Simon Templar

Philip. It doesnt look as though anyone can help here. If you E.mail me I will provide you with a site that can assist.
Simon T.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 29 Jun 2002 17:23
Dying Mercedes Engine - Felipe
I'd be grateful for that web-address. Thanks.

Phil
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 23 Jun 2002 23:52
Dying Mercedes Engine - Kevin
Philip,

A long shot here but....

Is the car parked on a incline where condensation/dew can run down and collect on electrical connectors or components ?
Try changing your routine, (eg. parking faced the other way) to see if the symptoms change.

A 2.9 Granada I had a few years ago would collect water under the fuse and relay box if it was parked facing uphill. The warning lights on the dash would do a reasonable impression of Times Square until it dried out. A stategically placed piece of blu-tack cured it.

Kevin...
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 29 Jun 2002 17:26
Dying Mercedes Engine - Felipe
A good thought.

However, the problem seems to be independent of weather conditions. Out here we can go for weeks without a hint of condenstaion, let alone rain, and the problem still occurs.

Thanks for the idea though!

Phil
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 29 Jun 2002 19:44
Dying Mercedes Engine - Simon Templar

Felipe -no Email yet-its available.
simon T.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

10 warranty myths exposed

Here’s how to sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to car warranties.

Cheap Car Warranties

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide