help! exhaust smoking and engine rough/underpowered
01-14-2017, 05:20 PM
#1
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help! exhaust smoking and engine rough/underpowered
Just drove 1/2 hour to a friend's house, mostly highway and then after turning off the highway, noticed the car seemed to be underpowered as if not running on all cylinders, then when we stopped in their driveway I noticed the car shaking a bit (as if engine mounted failing) and smoke from the exhaust. Any ideas what the problem could be? Is it safe to drive back home until I can get it to my mechanic? Thanks!
01-15-2017, 11:24 AM
#3
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Skjolden,
Did you notice anything unusual (smell, noise, vibration, engine hesitation, etc.) before this happened, and did you see any warning lights or usual readings (too low or too high - temperature and oil pressure) from the instrument cluster, assuming however, that your instrument cluster was in good working order - I saw that in a previous post a couple of years ago you said some of your gauges failed. Anyway, the symptoms you described were worrying. Your engine may have suffered damage due to loss of coolant and/or lubricant oil, or your engine belt, cooling fan, thermostat, and/or water pump might have failed to result in unknown high temperature. The car should not be driven before identifying the problems.
Did you notice anything unusual (smell, noise, vibration, engine hesitation, etc.) before this happened, and did you see any warning lights or usual readings (too low or too high - temperature and oil pressure) from the instrument cluster, assuming however, that your instrument cluster was in good working order - I saw that in a previous post a couple of years ago you said some of your gauges failed. Anyway, the symptoms you described were worrying. Your engine may have suffered damage due to loss of coolant and/or lubricant oil, or your engine belt, cooling fan, thermostat, and/or water pump might have failed to result in unknown high temperature. The car should not be driven before identifying the problems.
01-15-2017, 12:44 PM
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ML 320 W164
Does sound like bad news..
Smoking at the same time as running rough (especially if it happens suddenly) sounds like ring failure on one or two cylinders..
Start with a plug-in diagnosis and go from there..
Smoking at the same time as running rough (especially if it happens suddenly) sounds like ring failure on one or two cylinders..
Start with a plug-in diagnosis and go from there..
01-17-2017, 11:18 PM
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'91 560SEL '93 400SEL
I had a double whammy with mine when it was having similar symptoms back in 2013. Had to have new valve stem seals, as they were the cause of the blue smoke. And the under-power and shuttering was a result of the complete failure of one fuel pump and the failing of the remaining fuel pump. Was able to replace the fuel pumps at home, took a few hours... and about $400. The valve stem seals though, that was somewhere around a $1,000 with a mechanic shop I will never go back to, totally disreputable, and nearly $400 more than they had quoted, with me supplying the parts even!
