C-Class (W203) 2001-2007, C160, C180, C200, C220, C230, C240, C270, C280, C300, C320, C230K, C350, Coupe

'03 C230 Coupe Cylinder Misfire only in Neutral

Old Nov 7, 2007 | 03:30 PM
  #1  
aspett's Avatar
Thread Starter
Newbie
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
'03 C230 Coupe Cylinder Misfire only in Neutral

A couple of months out of warranty my 2003 C 230 Kompressor Coupe (50K miles, automatic) has started to give me a CEL with a P301 (Cyl 1 Misfire) only when the engine is warm and I put it in neutral or park. I can drive it all day, it idles fine in gear, but if I take it out of gear it will misfire noticeably and the CEL light will come on. If I drive it, the misfire continues (rough RPM, loss of power), but if I turn off engine and restart, the problem goes away. I have tried swapping the Cyl 1 Ignition Pack, the problem remains on Cylinder 1. I have removed the #1 Spark Plug which looks OK. Any suggestions? Naturally , the first time this happened was when I pulled in forn an Emissions Test.
Reply
Old Aug 15, 2010 | 09:01 PM
  #2  
William C's Avatar
Newbie
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
I have the same problem. The #1 cylinder has to have work done on it to repair it. also have them check for the RAD for the famous leak with the trany
Reply
Old Aug 15, 2010 | 09:50 PM
  #3  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
What sort of work is required on the No 1 cylinder??? Are you talking about the early M271 head carbonising & failure?
Reply
Old Aug 16, 2010 | 04:26 PM
  #4  
William C's Avatar
Newbie
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Yes the M271 issue
Reply
Old Aug 16, 2010 | 06:09 PM
  #5  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
That usually means a new cylinder head. It was redesigned for crap fuel.
Reply
Old Aug 16, 2010 | 11:40 PM
  #6  
William C's Avatar
Newbie
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
They want to repair the heads. What should be done. They also informed me that the rad and converter might need replacing
Reply
Old Aug 17, 2010 | 06:50 AM
  #7  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Well they can clean all the carbon off the head & if it has not detonated the crap out of the head it might survive. A new head is big time expensive. Change to a Behr radiator is a must. Hope TC is OK. It's not usually the first thing to fail - maybe TC clutches are gone from Glycol in tranny oil.
Reply
Old Aug 17, 2010 | 07:53 AM
  #8  
Midnight Koop's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 0
From: DC/VA
CL203
how common is this issue? problems like this make me rethink about keeping my c230
Reply
MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

story-0

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

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

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

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

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

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

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

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

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

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

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

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Aug 17, 2010 | 08:30 AM
  #9  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
If you drive the crap out of the car most of the time you might never have the problem. The M271 engine was designed to run on narrow cut Eurograde fuel. In markets like the US & SA where fuel is not to European standards, the head & valves used to carbonise & cause misfires. Benz redesigned the head. We had a family car driven by a lady that had 3 old design heads under warranty in 100,000Km. She pampered the car which does not help. If you run on Techron & rev the engine hard frequently it blows the carbon off & out of the exhaust & does not allow it to build up. The cheap & nasty fix used to be to rev the engine at 5000 RPM for an hour. I don't like revving unloaded engines like this.
Reply
Old Aug 17, 2010 | 10:55 AM
  #10  
Midnight Koop's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 0
From: DC/VA
CL203
Originally Posted by Glyn M Ruck
If you run on Techron & rev the engine hard frequently it blows the carbon off & out of the exhaust & does not allow it to build up.
ahhh thanks

i think i'll be ok then. i like driving in the higher RPM's off the line and am a Techron user... so i hope i'll be ok
Reply
Old Aug 18, 2010 | 12:29 AM
  #11  
William C's Avatar
Newbie
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Sorry guys a thought. can a 2006 -2009 AMG 5.5 litre engine /trans fits e,s,and clk 400 hp fit a 2003 c230 coupe? and solve this problem?
I can get this cheaper than the cost of repairs to the head unit of my present engine.

I'm still new to posting here. Sorry if this should be done else where

William
Reply
Old Aug 18, 2010 | 08:44 AM
  #12  
Glyn M Ruck's Avatar
Super Moderator
MBWorld Ambassador

 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
No - you need the longer wider nose that the C55 had.
Reply
Old Nov 14, 2013 | 05:44 PM
  #13  
hyih's Avatar
Newbie
 
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
2003 C230 kompressor
2003 C230 Kompressor one cylinder misfire diagnosis

I took my 03 C230 Kompressor to the shop for CEL and I was told misfire and 3rd cylinder pressure low (105 psi). To replace the header will cost somewhere between $4k - 5k. The new header itself costs $3050 from MB.

Has anyone had any success replacing with remanufactured header (~$1000) Saving $2k is a big deal for me. Thx

Herman
Reply

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

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:
You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:21 AM.

story-0
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-1
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-2
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-3
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-4
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-5
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-6
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-7
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
story-8
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

Slideshow: A well-used 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300D with more than one million miles is now looking for a new owner, and it still appears ready for more.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-10 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

Slideshow: From bulletproof sedans to surprisingly tough SUVs, these Mercedes models proved that the three-pointed star can go the distance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-08 09:55:49


VIEW MORE