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Major Design fault with W203s
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 11
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From: Manchester; UK
E-Class[w210]
Major Design fault with W203s
Okay after having the engine management light come on about a week ago I decided to take it to my local mercedes specialist who found that the "Camshaft Actuator" had leaked the oil into the ECM, Engine Wireness Assy, Front Lambda Sensor... etc
Overall Cost to fix £1,341.51 ($2,438.17 USD)
There is a fix for the problem which only costs around £17 which is a "Modification to the Camshaft Actuator Plug" I have the official Mercedes part number and will post it has soon as I get home, I do know this problem was corrected with the newer W203s.
If your W203 C Class begins to make a high pitch noise as you accelerate and shakes roughly on idle or sounds different or when you first start up the car the revs proceed to go up and down for about 1 minute its probably too late to install the new part and you may be in the same boat as me.
Overall Cost to fix £1,341.51 ($2,438.17 USD)
There is a fix for the problem which only costs around £17 which is a "Modification to the Camshaft Actuator Plug" I have the official Mercedes part number and will post it has soon as I get home, I do know this problem was corrected with the newer W203s.
If your W203 C Class begins to make a high pitch noise as you accelerate and shakes roughly on idle or sounds different or when you first start up the car the revs proceed to go up and down for about 1 minute its probably too late to install the new part and you may be in the same boat as me.
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,480
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From: Central NJ
C230K Coupe/Orion/C4/C5/CD/AMG Spoiler/V60/TeleAid, 2 MGB's
Please post more information (like production dates/year, the engine you have and other engines affected, service bulletins and part numbers if available)
Originally Posted by DCDraGon
Okay after having the engine management light come on about a week ago I decided to take it to my local mercedes specialist who found that the "Camshaft Actuator" had leaked the oil into the ECM, Engine Wireness Assy, Front Lambda Sensor... etc
Overall Cost to fix £1,341.51 ($2,438.17 USD)
There is a fix for the problem which only costs around £17 which is a "Modification to the Camshaft Actuator Plug" I have the official Mercedes part number and will post it has soon as I get home, I do know this problem was corrected with the newer W203s.
If your W203 C Class begins to make a high pitch noise as you accelerate and shakes roughly on idle or sounds different or when you first start up the car the revs proceed to go up and down for about 1 minute its probably too late to install the new part and you may be in the same boat as me.
Overall Cost to fix £1,341.51 ($2,438.17 USD)
There is a fix for the problem which only costs around £17 which is a "Modification to the Camshaft Actuator Plug" I have the official Mercedes part number and will post it has soon as I get home, I do know this problem was corrected with the newer W203s.
If your W203 C Class begins to make a high pitch noise as you accelerate and shakes roughly on idle or sounds different or when you first start up the car the revs proceed to go up and down for about 1 minute its probably too late to install the new part and you may be in the same boat as me.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 295
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From: OC, CA
2005 Obsidian Black C230 Komp Sports Sedan, 2006 Iridium Silver ML350 SUV
oh no, i thought the high pitch whine, and rough idle speed is normal?! cuz my car has been doing it the first day i bought it. so im 9000 miles too late?!
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 271
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From: Dexter, Michigan, USA
2002 C230k
I mentioned a rough idle when I brought my car in for a scheduled service and was told "They all do that, you just have to let it warm up longer".
All in all, I'm not so impressed with the service department at my local dealer...
All in all, I'm not so impressed with the service department at my local dealer...
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,536
Likes: 2
From: Brisbane, Australia
C200K (w204)
I'm a bit scared now, my warranty is over, can't see myself throw that much money on fixing the car. Well my car always have elevated RPM during warm up, but nothing like up and down, sometimes it does that. With regard to shake roughly, maybe the transmission, after i serviced my tranny, it was damn smooth, but then rough again after few weeks. Oh well, bringing the car to local service to hear wat they have to say about this issue.
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Super Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 570
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From: Montreal, Quebec
2001 C240 Tectite
Originally Posted by W0n6_3d4n
I'm a bit scared now, my warranty is over, can't see myself throw that much money on fixing the car. Well my car always have elevated RPM during warm up, but nothing like up and down, sometimes it does that. With regard to shake roughly, maybe the transmission, after i serviced my tranny, it was damn smooth, but then rough again after few weeks. Oh well, bringing the car to local service to hear wat they have to say about this issue.
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,498
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From: San Diego, CA & San Jose, Costa Rica & Stuttgart, Germany
1959 220S / 1979 230 G / 2002 A210 AMG / 2003 C320 SC / 2004.5 C320 SS / 2005 ML350 SE / 2008 smart
Originally Posted by Narcissus
That's normal on every Mercedes and possibly every car, when you first start the system needs to prime the engine so it will idle higher then drop to under 1k after 15-20 seconds...
But I think what the original post was saying, is that they are also getting sporratic up & down revs during idling, and rough shaking.
That part I have NEVER experienced (knock-on-wood) on any of my Benzos.
DCDraGon, still waiting to hear what YEARS and Engines (M112, M111, M271), this problem is affecting. What year, model, engine is your car ???
also please post the part # for the
"Modification to the Camshaft Actuator Plug".
I will definitely bring this issue up at my SERVICE B (Coupé) & SERVICE A (Sedan) appointments, before I start feeling any of the symptoms.
Carlos
Saprissa@aol.com
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 295
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From: OC, CA
2005 Obsidian Black C230 Komp Sports Sedan, 2006 Iridium Silver ML350 SUV
i experienced rough Idle, but only when the AC is on, and the rpm is at 600... feels like the engine is going to die.... w/o AC the engine idle at 700-650 rpm
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 372
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From: Los Angeles
2002 c320 wagon
yes..i have rough idle problems righ tnow as well...ive actually beeen having this problem for a while..and ive taken my car in 3 dif occasions for it... the first time they said it was a bad spark plug which was makin one of my pistons misfire... the 2nd time..they said i needed new spark plug wires...and then the 3rd time they said i had a leakin fuel filter.... after each time the car runs smooth for a week or 2..and then the problem comes back....im gonna be takin it again on monday..and ill let my guy know about this "Camshaft Actuator" ..and hopefuly hes able to fix it for good...
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Joined: May 2002
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From: The blue white rock, third out.
2002 C230 Coupe(M111)
There's no camshaft actuator on the C240. Its only got the one cam per bank, and no VVT. Its for the variable valve timing sytem. I'm reasonably sure that this the part he's talking about in the original post.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,753
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From: York, PA
2003 C230K Sport Coupe, 1986 190E 2.3
Wow I find it hard to believe a Benz dealer thinks that rough idle is normal!
Mine has 40000 miles on it and idles smooth as glass! I can not feel it what so ever inside the car. I can feel the AC compressor engage but idles remains smooth! It is so smooth in fact that I constantly chase a feelable idle in my 1986 W201!
Mine has 40000 miles on it and idles smooth as glass! I can not feel it what so ever inside the car. I can feel the AC compressor engage but idles remains smooth! It is so smooth in fact that I constantly chase a feelable idle in my 1986 W201!
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 11
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From: Manchester; UK
E-Class[w210]
First off... I would like to apologise for starting the thread and disappearing for quite some time, was busy gathering funds to pay off for this fault. The garage I bought the car from offered to pay £750 and I am going to pay the rest. My vehicle should be ready to pick up Tomorrow.
Okay that does not sound normal at all, If I remember correctly the problem was not nessarily the camshaft actuator causing the high pitch whine and the rough idle... it said on the computer read out "Mixture too lean" I have no idea what the means but will bring this up tomorrow when I collect my car.
I have a Mercedes W203 C180 2001 model, the dealer said it affected the early models 2000 and 2001 models, they corrected the fault on the newer benzs but not too sure which year they started at. Will post the MB Part number tomorrow when I collect my car.
What happened to your car. Find out what the problem was?
oh no, i thought the high pitch whine, and rough idle speed is normal?! cuz my car has been doing it the first day i bought it. so im 9000 miles too late?!
DCDraGon, still waiting to hear what YEARS and Engines (M112, M111, M271), this problem is affecting. What year, model, engine is your car ???
yes..i have rough idle problems righ tnow as well...ive actually beeen having this problem for a while..and ive taken my car in 3 dif occasions for it... the first time they said it was a bad spark plug which was makin one of my pistons misfire... the 2nd time..they said i needed new spark plug wires...and then the 3rd time they said i had a leakin fuel filter.... after each time the car runs smooth for a week or 2..and then the problem comes back....im gonna be takin it again on monday..and ill let my guy know about this "Camshaft Actuator" ..and hopefuly hes able to fix it for good...
Last edited by DCDraGon; Jun 28, 2005 at 06:28 AM.
MBworld Guru
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 22,058
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From: Diamond Bar, CA
W206 PHEV AMG
Originally Posted by blkc230k
oh no, i thought the high pitch whine, and rough idle speed is normal?! cuz my car has been doing it the first day i bought it. so im 9000 miles too late?!
like he said he has a 2001 which had the old inline-4 not that new 1.8.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 372
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From: Los Angeles
2002 c320 wagon
Originally Posted by DCDraGon
What happened to your car. Find out what the problem was?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,480
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From: Central NJ
C230K Coupe/Orion/C4/C5/CD/AMG Spoiler/V60/TeleAid, 2 MGB's
And here I thought the high pitched whining was our girlfriends or wives complaining that we spend too much on our cars...and not enough on them!
Hmmmmmmm....(the more she whines, the more I like my cars)
Hmmmmmmm....(the more she whines, the more I like my cars)
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 806
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From: Edmonds... good bye SD
The high pitch noise isn't necessarily the supercharger, i have the 320 and the whistle. My whistle is very appearant for the first 2 minutes of my warm up idle. Then magically it just stops, about when the temp bar gets about a 1/4" from cold.
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 732
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From: oregon
2011 C300
I was told the other day by a local independent mecedes shop owner that the c class v-6's were having problems with carbon building up on the back of the valves, also causing rough idle conditions, do to the carbon absorbing fuel and starving it. He was recommending the individual bottles of techroline from chevron to clean it up...we'll see.
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Joined: May 2002
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From: GA
'06 Lexus GS300 RWD, '07 Camry SE V6 auto, '91 190E 2.6 auto
Originally Posted by JDM
I was told the other day by a local independent mecedes shop owner that the c class v-6's were having problems with carbon building up on the back of the valves, also causing rough idle conditions, do to the carbon absorbing fuel and starving it. He was recommending the individual bottles of techroline from chevron to clean it up...we'll see.
