C230 Stumbles and shuts off, awaiting painfull results... Ethanol related?
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C230 Stumbles and shuts off, awaiting painfull results... Ethanol related?
62k on the C230
Wife complained that all of the sudden the CE light is on and the engine shudders at idle. 2-3 restarts the car runs fine, then fails again. Car runs fine at speed...
Driving to the dealer for service, the car barely makes it into the drive.
SA said the culprit may be the 10% Ethanol we have around here. Then asks if the car has had the 'decarbonization' done. So I'm thinking they're going to decarb the thing, reset the CE and 'stick it to me'.
Since the car was fine, then crapped, then OK, then crapped- I can't imagine carbon would be the problem. Sounds like a grounded plug/coil/whatever these C230s have. Maybe sucked some ethanol/water down and caused the rough idle.
Decarb rant- why does MB service insist on this? In my car owning lifespan, no car I have had needed such a thing. MB can't build an engine that doesn't crap up carbon?
Hell- didn't the Mythbusters run an old diesel on liposuction fat?
rant off
Wife complained that all of the sudden the CE light is on and the engine shudders at idle. 2-3 restarts the car runs fine, then fails again. Car runs fine at speed...
Driving to the dealer for service, the car barely makes it into the drive.
SA said the culprit may be the 10% Ethanol we have around here. Then asks if the car has had the 'decarbonization' done. So I'm thinking they're going to decarb the thing, reset the CE and 'stick it to me'.
Since the car was fine, then crapped, then OK, then crapped- I can't imagine carbon would be the problem. Sounds like a grounded plug/coil/whatever these C230s have. Maybe sucked some ethanol/water down and caused the rough idle.
Decarb rant- why does MB service insist on this? In my car owning lifespan, no car I have had needed such a thing. MB can't build an engine that doesn't crap up carbon?
Hell- didn't the Mythbusters run an old diesel on liposuction fat?
rant off
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 5,851
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From: Huntington Beach, Ca.
'17 Jaguar XF
I've wondered the same thing. I believe the carbon buildup is limited to the early four cylinder engines in the w203? I also read some posts where these engines have excessive valve stem/guide wear, maybe that's causing it (oil being sucked into combustion chamber)?
