arrrrgh i think im in limp home mode!!

[ncd]

floored it on a open stretch of road and she sundenly lost all power seemly just as the kick down was about to project the car, no engine managment lights came on..

So I let her cool down for a while and took her for a trip to a friends house to drink some coffee and woffel about computers, on the way there the power remain'd missing compared to how it was i would of said 40-50% maximum was avaialable, when I put the car into 2nd gear it would start to rev up alot slower then normal and then almost choke is the only way i can describe it, 1st sounds fairly normal, and drives fine as is 3rd and 4th just with out any realistic omph.

The kick down is light as hell and again it only lifts the revs very slowly and slightly incomparison with before it would lift them up in the blink of a eye.. followed by a major power SURGE!! :)

The car sounds slightly different now apart from sounding slightly rough, like there is a crying metal sound coming from somewhere i hope to god not the gear box ::::;( but my gut is telling me its over due for going south.

Im fairly confident the kompressor is trying to help things, so I think the SC is in good health.. correct me if im wrong but I have learned to identify it by a "WHOOING"/nig hair dyer like noise when giving it some right foot..

The "WHOOING"/big hair dryer like noise is happening in the present suitation.

When i drove home the car had, had even more time to cool down and when I drove it I would say about 70% of its power had returned and second gear seamed back to normal.. but just strugling to get up the revs.

any one know of or walked this path, as today I will be looking to find out if its transmision, MAF, or something else ??


any ideas

[NEA-4311]

This is almost identical to what happened to me (kompressor as well). If thats the case, you shouldnt worry that much. Its probably a cylinder not working because of either the sparkplugs or the sparkcaps. Try to remove the red kompressor lid to reveal the sparkcaps, then remove eachone and see if theres oil in the holes and in the sparkcaps. If not, (good) remove and check each sparkplug with a special tool (you can find it easily) and check if they re good or have oil themselves. If the sparkplugs are good too then take it to a repairshop, one that has the special mercedes readout computer to plug your car in and check the black boxes that sit on top of two out of 4 sparkcaps (so sorry I dont know the english name of them).
It MUST be one of these things, anyway thats all I can think of right now. Good luck dude.

ALSO try this link (http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=10393) to better see what I mean.

[NoRemedy]

NEA has the right idea, I have a 280 that suffered the same symptons, car lost power just when it was supposed to kick down, feels like it stumbles and misses. I replaced my spark plugs and ignition coils and that solved the problem. The car has been a champ ever since. I recommend just changing all plugs first, because it's the cheapest fix. If that doesn't work, try your coil packs. I had to buy three for my car (1 per 2 cylinders) they're very easy to replace... took me about 15 min to change plugs and coils both. hopefully this solves your problem as well.

good luck

p.s.

I had a friend hook up a diagnostic tool to my car. it read "multiple cylinder miss-fire" (no $hit, I thought to myself) I was told by technicians that when it reads that, it is in fact ignition coils if the car is so equiped. Change your plugs first though just to be on the safe side.

[audiophile]

i have the same problem. mine is 98 230. everytime i hit the kickdown it loses power until i restart it. i haven't changed the coils yet. i'll try that next time when i have $$.

[ncd]

tnx for the replys, and information regarding the coil/plugs guys.

I think this is one of the best attributes about owning the car is being able to get compitent and real solutions awesome.

So I'm about to take my car to a car repair place called "german & swidish" I am going to ask them to check on the transmision fluid, and read it with the computer to see if its "mis fireing".

if so I might just get them to do the plugs and change the oil and the trany fluid if its getting brown, the car has done 2.8k since its last service @ 119K so its probably past due on that, by the reckoning of some peoples maintances schedules Ive read on this forum.

btw the mileage is actually on 121,800 odd.

but im going to check on their condition first before i take it to them..
one again many tnx for the advise

[ncd]

Remove the super charger cover and there was a little pool of oil in one corner and the leads look oil'ed up!!!

[NEA-4311]

If the oil comes underneath the sparkplugs (saw it when you remove the sparkplugs themselves) then your problems is really serious and you might have to replace the motor..!!! A small scenario in % but still on the table. If you saw the oil as soon as you removed the sparkcaps then you might need to change the 4 rubber rings that go around the sparkplugs ports under the cam cover. Definitely take it to a (good/duh) repairshop.

[ncd]

Originally posted by NEA-4311
If the oil comes underneath the sparkplugs (saw it when you remove the sparkplugs themselves) then your problems is really serious and you might have to replace the motor..!!! A small scenario in % but still on the table. If you saw the oil as soon as you removed the sparkcaps then you might need to change the 4 rubber rings that go around the sparkplugs ports under the cam cover. Definitely take it to a (good/duh) repairshop.

Rats :( ... I cleaned out any excess oil and put some new plugs in anyway, made no difference, not even intially when technically the plugs cant be oil'd yet, the car cant even reach 50ish mph with out a major drama / engine roar.
the place i was gona take it to turns out to be a spares only place, but tommrow morning im taking it to a service place and i might just get it a "B" service and let them know about what happened, and see what comes from that.

..NEA there was oil in the area above the spark plugs under the "SC" lid, and it had built up in a corner, the plugs tops where quite oily, but the bottom of the plugs (the electrode) just looked burnt / carbonised.

Why do people call it the SC lid?? its just the sparkplug/coils access from what i can tell :)

[ncd]

ok also just tryed to take her for a good thrashing, with all the jerky kick down and looseing of power when it attempts to do so, when i looked under the lid no signs of oil comming through dry as a bone since i cleaned it out and put the new plugs in which gets me thinking HMMMMMM..

[NEA-4311]

OK so its not an engine problem which is great news..! Dont push your car to the limits in no way, take it to a mercedes repairshop and they will fix it. 99% its same as my case, try to have your codes read and they will know no prob. Click this link (http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=10393) again if you want to re-read my case. I think that your problems are coming to an end.:) I have a good feeling about this, dont worry. ;)

[iwhocorrupts]

Fuel injectors? Thats what caused mine to misfire

[ncd]

Originally posted by iwhocorrupts
Fuel injectors? Thats what caused mine to misfire

Stealership want £360!!!! to diagnostic and troubleshoot, and perform what i view as some medoicore maintainance.

On friday ive got an appointment to take it to a independant specialst who will put it on the diagnostic machines for £45 woot!.

fuel injectors !!!! who needs em ;)

[ncd]

Wohoooo, just had a guy from a automatic transmision place, drive the car and confirmed thats it in the motor not the gearbox, He suspects its the MAF like I iniitally did.

[ncd]

Ok so ive cleaned the MAF sensor or atleast I believe it to be, (on the pipe working going back to the TB) with some electrical contact cleaner.

And that also made a slight difference for the better, but as said by others who have lost power, the car isnt going like a 202 should..

Initially the acceleration is all good, but it still seems to be so slouchy and shifting different to when i first meet the car ... it would shift up and down gears QUICKLY and always seemed to be in the right gear at the right time.

and when you wanted power oh boy there was utterly BUNDLES of it.

-waiting paitently for service day :(

note to nea and co, there was lots of oil in the intake pipes???????

Getting to the point where I dont care if I have to find a lower miles 202 engine and drop that in .. thats how much i liked the car when i first got/experinced it, and that is the only way I want it to be running.

[Proven Guilty]

first complaining about the 360 pounds, and now you're talking about an engine swap! :cool:

hope the service goes well, keep us posted.

[ncd]

well that cost a bomb! :(

Could quite literally buy a new car!!! not a benz though :)

and there goes my good deal on the car its self.. what do i expect with such high miles eh!

every thing needed to be replaced on the service sheet... more serious matters.. maf sensor, ball joints, steering damper, v belt, kompressor belt, fluids left right and center.
and the transmision given the all clear btw (woot)

merc tech sais the condition of the components does not mach the aleged service history, so after 90K my service history is not recognised by them, they also said... if you dont do the v-belt and it snaps the engine will be harmed.

tnx for every ones help... and steer clear of steelerships!! where its sensible to do so..

all I can do now is learn from you guys and when i get it back take a keen hand in regular maintianance...

[ncd]

Woohooo got my car back, and I hate to admit this but i think they have done a EXCELLENT JOB, the car drives like CREAM!, all acceleration/choking issues gone... even the kick down is quite smooth :)
Valeted, and looking like £10000000, considering except my paint work isnt exactly quite up to scratch ;).

going to post some Pics soon!!

main cause of original performance problems: the MAF from the horses mouth.

2x New ball joints
1x Steering Dampner
1x MAF Sensor
1x v-Belt
1x kompressor Belt
1x Seal Ring
1x Oil Change
1x Oil Filter
1x B service

not sure on wether they did trany oil.. hope so if they were nice ;)


total time off road 2 days (due to 1 of due to incorrect part being sent).

total cost £ TO_BLASFIMOUS_TO_SAY