C-Class (W203) 2001-2007, C160, C180, C200, C220, C230, C240, C270, C280, C300, C320, C230K, C350, Coupe
Old Jun 15, 2015, 04:23 PM
How-Tos on this Topic
Last edit by: IB Advertising
See related guides and technical advice from our community experts:

Browse all: Engine Diagnostics
Print Wikipost

Check engine light and really rough idle

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rate Thread
 
Old Sep 4, 2005 | 12:21 AM
  #1  
nlpamg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Moderator Alumni
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 8,692
Likes: 58
From: So Cal.
2019 GT3 RS, 2017 M3 30 Jahre
Check engine light and really rough idle

Today I decided to go to Las Vegas. My C230WZ drove really well up until we got to Barstow. When I was parking, it started to shake really bad. So I got my coffee and then went back to my car and checked the oil through the MFD--it was ok. Then when I started the car it was idling rough and the check engine light came on. After multiple restarts, talking to roadside, and even opening the gas cap for 5 mins. Nothing changed. Roadside said they can tow it (100 miles min each way) but it was safe to drive. So I continued my trip. It drove really smoothly and had no issues aside from the idle and light. I'm in Vegas now posting on my Treo. Should I be concerned about my car? I've had the light in the past w/my old MBs but not this rough idle. Anyone have the same prob? Advice? Thanks!
Reply
Old Sep 4, 2005 | 03:16 AM
  #2  
BruNo's Avatar
Super Member
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 629
Likes: 0
From: PHILIPPINES
07' ML350
my rough idling before was due to bad gas, dirty fuel tank, and clogged fuel injectors.

rough idling+engine shutting itself= airmass sensor.
Reply
Old Sep 4, 2005 | 03:19 AM
  #3  
maecclass's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: SoCal
2005 C230 K and 2009 Smart
i also had the same problem with my car about 6 or 7 mos ago the problem was the car was misfiring in cylinder 3 so they looked at it and found that there was moisture in all the spark plugs and changed all for of them now no sign of that problem i dont know if your situation is the same but sounds like mine
Reply
Old Sep 4, 2005 | 06:58 AM
  #4  
FrankW's Avatar
MBworld Guru
20 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
 
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 22,058
Likes: 19
From: Diamond Bar, CA
W206 PHEV AMG
still deciding if I should drive my car up to vegas or try to borrow my dad's new Odyssey. i'm going with friends from high school.
Reply
Old Sep 4, 2005 | 05:19 PM
  #5  
Moviela's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
20 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
 
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,848
Likes: 15
From: Orange County
2005 C Wagon (No snickering please!)
Originally Posted by FrankW
still deciding if I should drive my car up to vegas or try to borrow my dad's new Odyssey. i'm going with friends from high school.
Take the Benz, you can't win big if you schlep into town in a Honda!

I am not sure about the four cylinder car, but many other engine management systems have a valve called ISC (idle speed control) that allows air to bypass the throttle plate when going to idle. A little sticky stuff on that valve or the dirt in the passages can cause the car to run rough or even die at idle, but run fine at higher RPM. If the ECU (Mercedes calls it the ME-SFI) can't position the valve to it's liking, it can turn on the check engine light.
Reply
Old Sep 4, 2005 | 11:40 PM
  #6  
Outland's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,916
Likes: 1
From: The blue white rock, third out.
2002 C230 Coupe(M111)
You'd rather go to Vegas in a mini van? And a honda no less. Hand over the keys. Youre not pimp enough to drive that C32.
Reply
Old Sep 6, 2005 | 08:59 AM
  #7  
LowCaliTi's Avatar
Super Member
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 630
Likes: 1
From: nJ/pHiLLy/nY
Audi 225 TT.w203 sedan.Bmw 318tiCali.Ed.VW Jetta vr6
im having the same exact problems, my check engine light came on about a week ago and when i come to a stop i have a bad rough idle untill i hit the gas, going in for service tommorow.....
Reply
Old Sep 6, 2005 | 01:55 PM
  #8  
ckev's Avatar
Almost a Member!
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: lbc
2005 c230k
i had the same problem. took her in and the initial diagnostic was it was misfiring and hitting on only 3 cyclinders. after further investigation, they replaced my purge valve. she's running even better than before, but does seems to idle a tiny bit rough.
Reply
MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

story-0

7 Craziest Things AMG Gas Ever Built

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

New Electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Unveiled: 10 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Sep 6, 2005 | 04:53 PM
  #9  
nlpamg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Moderator Alumni
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 8,692
Likes: 58
From: So Cal.
2019 GT3 RS, 2017 M3 30 Jahre
WTF?!?! this is bull****, it seems like all of us have 05's and they all have these issues. this should not happen at all...

I just took it in an hour ago, we'll see what they say.

I had my w202 for 7 years, and not once in those years did this bull**** happen.

I really liked my car up until this point and I was excited to get a new one, but this may indeed be my last MB.
Reply
Old Sep 8, 2005 | 05:37 PM
  #10  
nlpamg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Moderator Alumni
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 8,692
Likes: 58
From: So Cal.
2019 GT3 RS, 2017 M3 30 Jahre
ok, now I've heard it ALL.

the dealer called and said it was all done. there were no mechanical problems whatsoever, they checked everything... pressure test, oil, they listed off a bunch of stuff. they said they "flashed" it and installed a new "patch". now they say it's running fine. WTF?!?! this was caused by a firmware issue? so ****ing lame!
Reply
Old Sep 8, 2005 | 05:43 PM
  #11  
mick1's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,015
Likes: 1
2005 C320wz
Originally Posted by nlpamg
WTF?!?! this was caused by a firmware issue? so ****ing lame!
well, you bought a car that was "engineered like no other car in the world" and that's what you got
Reply
Old Sep 8, 2005 | 06:03 PM
  #12  
SteveAustin's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 172
Likes: 3
From: Portland, OR
2005 C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan
Same issue

At 6,600 miles, my car had a rough idle with check engine light. Service did the following:

R&R Spark Plugs and boroscoped cylinders, carbon build up on valve stems.

Tedious, very tedious.
Reply
Old Sep 8, 2005 | 07:13 PM
  #13  
nlpamg's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Moderator Alumni
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 8,692
Likes: 58
From: So Cal.
2019 GT3 RS, 2017 M3 30 Jahre
Originally Posted by SteveAustin
At 6,600 miles, my car had a rough idle with check engine light. Service did the following:

R&R Spark Plugs and boroscoped cylinders, carbon build up on valve stems.

Tedious, very tedious.
damn, I just got it and the invoice says that they "CHECK ALL SYSTEM, SPARK PLUGS AND IGNITION, FUEL SUPPLY AND INJECTORS NO PROBLEM FOUND PERFORMED LATEST UPDATE"

but, they replaced a few things, a hose (271-018-06-82) and a loom time (005-997-49-90)
Reply
Old Sep 8, 2005 | 07:19 PM
  #14  
Buellwinkle's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,211
Likes: 2
From: Laguna Niguel, CA
Dont' worry, MBs get better with age. They build them so that you get the opportunity to test it and work out all the kinks, after a year or so you'll see, it will be almost as realiable as any American car.
Reply

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:32 PM.

story-0
7 Craziest Things AMG Gas Ever Built

Slideshow: Sometimes AMG builds fast sedans. Other times, it builds twin-turbo V12 land missiles and six-wheeled off-road monsters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-26 17:59:58


VIEW MORE
story-1
New Electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Unveiled: 10 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes-AMG's new electric GT 4-Door Coupe trades combustion for software, synthetic noise, and more than 1,100 horsepower.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 20:08:15


VIEW MORE
story-2
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

Slideshow: Not every Mercedes design becomes timeless, some feel stuck in the era they came from.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:09:07


VIEW MORE
story-3
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

Slideshow: Yes, Mercedes built manual cars, and some of them are far more interesting than you'd expect.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-02 12:36:58


VIEW MORE
story-4
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 11:19:28


VIEW MORE
story-5
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Slideshow: Before curves took over, Mercedes mastered the art of the straight line, and some of those shapes still look right today.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-25 12:05:49


VIEW MORE
story-6
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

Slideshow: The 190E Evolution II shows how a homologation necessity became a six-figure collector icon.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-22 17:53:47


VIEW MORE
story-7
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes is turning one of its core nameplates electric, and the details show just how serious this shift is.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:58:06


VIEW MORE
story-8
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

Slideshow: Faster charging, longer range, and a controversial steer-by-wire system define the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz EQS.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-15 10:35:34


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

Slideshow: These overlooked Mercedes-Benz models never got the spotlight, but they quietly delivered more than most remember.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-13 19:35:45


VIEW MORE