Thank you to all who have posted up, tips, tricks and recommendations....guess they all go hand in hand.

I had popped 4-codes recently:

- P0015 (with your input on this thread...I'll be knocking this issue out tomorrow.)
- P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire (resolved this issue by replacing all spark plugs.)
- P0128 Thermostat (resolved this issue by replacing thermostat.)
- P2190 Too Rich At Idle (assuming I resolved this issue by replacing spark plugs. Error code has not come back after resetting.)

The error code that I have left to tackle is P0015 (2006 C-230 Sport).

With all that I have read...and yes, I have painfully read all posts, I will get this resolved tomorrow. I ordered the part through Carquest ($19.00) and pick it up in the morning.

I especially like the tip on using the 12-point 1/4-inch boxed end wrench. I'll keep that one noted when and if I have to change the driver's side (Bank 2) intake/exhaust sensors/magnets.

I've found a new home to frequent...and it's here.

Okay, I would like to share with you all what my spark plug #1 looked like, but first...allow me to call myself out here first. We purchased this car new in 2006 and it wasn't until November 22, 2013 that I changed the spark plugs. Doh!

What was interesting when taking the old plugs out.....first, in cylinders 1-3 the manufacturer used Bosch Platinum plugs, and in cylinders 4-6 they used NGK R plugs. Yes, both plugs are acceptable, according to the manufacturer...but why the hell would they have mixed the two for the same motor??

Next, was the real culprit....well, other than me not changing the plugs in nearly 7-years....was plug #1. The ground electrode was bent down nearly touching the centre electrode. There should be a .032 gap...and I would have been lucky to have slid a piece of hair in between the two.

One question for you all...why would this have ever happened to spark plug #1? This plug has never been pulled in nearly 7-years...I know...ouch! So why?

I have numbered the plugs with a marker on the below shots:

 

That bent plug looks messed up!!!! Don't know why they would have used two different manufacturers, that's very strange. You bought the car brand new??

I replaced my plugs a couple weeks ago on my C55 at around 89k and they were BLACK. Runs so much better now.

 

Yes, we bought it brand new.

 

Wierd ~ either some clown dropped it at installation or the engine ingested something that clouted it. I hope not a piece of plastic from the inlet manifold.

Of course a dealer could have fiddled with it without you knowing.

 

Thanks Glyn. No, nothing was sucked into the intake. I've changed the filters a couple of times in both times, the filters were a bit dirty, but undamaged.

My ***-umption is that the plug got damaged during the build, but why wouldn't I have experienced the computer throwing a code sooner??

Things that make you go...Hmmmmm.....

 

No way that happened at factory letting a car leave with two brands of sparkplugs and one being bent. That has dealer written all over it.
some plastic can break off the intake and get sucked into a cylinder it is a rare issue but it has happened on here.

 

Ack! I thought I had this down for the replacement of 272-051-01-77 Camshaft Adjuster Magnet.

The code I threw is P0015, which is for the exhaust side on the passenger's side.

Is this the magnet on the bottom or top on the passenger's side?

 

The exhaust cam is closest to the exhaust header. i.e. the lower magnet.

 

Got it Glyn.

I had reviewed my maintenance manual, found the location and replaced it.

After replacing it...I didn't even need to clear the error code as it did it on it's own.

Took the car out for a 20 mile drive and no further codes.

Thanks.

 

what size torx did you use?

this forum rocks...thanks so much for all the great info posted here...to John and Glyn in particular, with regard to the magnet issue..

been reading for almost 2 hours and may have missed the torx size used for these bolts.

 

See post #36.
Use E8 socket.

 

thanks for that info. I ended up using 1/4 inch 12 point socket. Worked like a charm !

 

My bet is that that happened while you were driving with the Check Engine Light on. I've seen similarly deformed plug electrode on a high performance high compression enigne. The extremely high heat during the combustion deforms the plug like that. Here you go.

 

I have a 2007 GL450 with P0012 & P0022 errors. It's not quite the same engine as this thread, but it's close enough. Many thanks, guys, for all the tips.

I bought four solenoids a long time ago and endured sporadic CEL lighting and self extinguishing. I changed the intake solenoids. Not the exhaust, though I am sure their day will come. I need to get the car smogged, so I cut the little adventure short.

Passenger side solenoid was pretty easy. The electrical clips are maddening; you have to use a small (e.g. eyeglass screw) screwdriver to lift the final clip to disconnect. Push the gray part away from the connector and then open up the clip from underneath. This is tricky because you don't want to break the plastic.

Use the 1/4" closed end wrench as suggested. I found I needed to take out the sensor temporarily. Keep rags handy as a little oil runs out.

Drivers side solenoid was harder. I found having also a T8 socket was useful. Some of the torx bolts are easier to reach with the socket, some easier with the wrench. The bottom bolt on this solenoid was pretty cramped, but you still can get it out. Let the engine cool before starting; the finned aluminum box in front of the solenoid is hot, and you need to get your fingers right down in there, and keep them there. Needle nose pliers are useful to keep a hold on the bolt as you are taking it out the last few turns. It's shocking that the solenoid has enough room to come out, but it does, just barely.

After removing the driver's side intake sensor and solenoid, I thought I might replace the exhaust solenoid. I'm not sure why, but my wrench just doesn't fit for taking out the bolt on the exhaust sensor. I even cut off the open side of it, shortening the whole thing to just over 4". I gave up and will head off to the smog check station, assuming I can get my OBD2 reader to come up clean.

Oil up the o-rings upon reassembly and everything just slides right together.

 

Just fixed my p0015 thanks to this thread, appreciate the info! Unfortunately I lost the small plastic gray lock for the connector to the solenoid...is this a part that I can purchase separately?

 

hey folks, I am having the same p0012 issue. I am looking to buy the magnets right now but want to be sure I'm buying the right part. Can anybody help with this? Here are the magnets I think are right http://www.partsgeek.com/ss/?ssq=cam...007&model=C230 and I have the 07 c230 sport

 

And does anybody have the part number? Or additional websites they bought theirs from?

 

It's confusing. You might assume it's the sensor, but it's the adjuster magnet, first item on your list from partsgeek.

Mercedes part is A 272 051 01 77

Note the earlier post in this thread. Read it through carefully. Lots of very important notes in here.

 

Hello everyone! This is my first post here and as many others I’d like to start from saying THANKS to Glyn and John for all the information they've shared and keep sharing with us.

I am "3-months-young" 3rd owner of 2006 ML350. The car has clean title, no accidents, current millage is about 98K miles and, despite CEL faults described below, it still runs very smoothly.

About 2 weeks ago the message "Check Oil level at Next Refueling" appeared and then went away on its own. I kept driving and about 1 week later the same message popped up. I bought the car from Toyota dealership and they said they performed pre-sale checkup and oil change. (Yes, I know, I had to double check oil myself, but I did not ). After getting the 2nd message I decided to check the oil. The level was within the range but oil looked darker than I expected. I am new in town, so I Googled for a service center that specializes on MB repairs and has 4-5 star customer rating and went there to change the oil. As per the Invoice they filled engine with 5W40S-B Synthetic Oil.
2 days and just about 15 miles later after the oil change CEL came up. Fault codes were P0016 and P0017. I reset them and started to watch if/when they will come back. 2 days later CEL came up the 2nd time but now it only showed fault P0017. That was yesterday. I reset the error again and it is still off today, but I don’t drive much on weekends. The printout I got from AutoZone after doing the 1st check said for P0016 probable cause:
1. Intermittent Connection
2. Failed cranc or cam sensor
3. Engine mechanical condition

Since item 2 mentions cam sensor, after reading this entire thread I decided to start with checking the magnets. I can see that on the passenger side both have "good" part number A 2720510177. I cannot see the numbers on other 2 magnets and will remove them tomorrow to check.

I have several questions and hope someone here can answer them:
- Is there a possibility that CEL was triggered by oil change? I've checked the wires connected to the magnets and sensors – they all look OK and all plugs are in place.
- Has anyone had an issue with A 2720510177 magnets? How long should they last? The error codes were mentioning side A (passenger side) where the magnet numbers are "good". Is there a chance that 2006 year car has original magnets with "good" numbers, or the previous owner had replaced them?
- Yes, my engine number is below 2729..30 468993, but MB bulletin regarding codes P0016 and P0017 in Fault Code Scenario #1 says : "When the fault memory is erased and the engine is restarted, the fault codes reoccur immediately. " This is not happening in my case, the error comes back after 2 days. Is it possible that I have a different problem? What is the percentage of engines within the affected range that have worn sprocket issue? All of them? Also, is there a chance that after doing this $3K-9K repair and assuming the original MB parts were used, the problem with sprocket will reoccur?

My next step will be to wait until the fault comes back and get STAR reading. I will post here the result.

Thanks a lot and I apologize for such a lengthy posting.

 

I'm nowhere near the mechanic that some of these guys are, so be a little skeptical, but: I remember deep in one of these threads regarding the magnets, someone said that all the new version magnets do is loosen up the tolerances for position measurement. Eventually the system wears out to the point that the cam position wanders to the point it exceeds the new tolerances. That may be what is happening to your engine.

I doubt being low on oil had much of an effect. It's a long way from "check oil level" to actually having drops in oil pressure. However, this is based on my assumption that the oil level sensor is some kind of float in the oil pan, not based on the oil pressure. My oil level sensor comes on when the engine is only on the low side of normal, nothing to get excited about, so I find it hard to believe that the oil pressure is having any issues at that point.

Oh, by the way, I recommend getting your own OBDII tool. Not too expensive and saves the anxiety of driving over to the Autozone with the CEL on.

 

Thanks Eric! In fact I have 2 ODBII readers, but I am still in "relocation mode" and they have not arrived yet.

As for the oil change I was wondering if the change could cause any debris from the bottom of the oil reservoir to come up and interfere with the chain resulting in CEL.

I have 2 updates:
- both passenger side magnets are A 2720510177, both magnets on the driver’s side are A 2720510077. This answers one of my questions – the vehicle originally had A 2720510077 type magnets and then 2 on the passenger side were replaced.
- P0016 came up today. So, yesterday I got only P0017 and today only P0016. After this last CEL car started to drive differently. Feels like it lost power. I did not clear the code at this time. It points to Bank 1 Sensor A.

My plan forward it to buy 4 new magnets in MB dealership parts store, install them and see if this changes anything. Mentally preparing myself to pay big $$$$ for sprocket replacement .

 

This morning CEL cleared on its own and engine power came back .
Bought 4 magnets @ MB parts store $39.95 each. Replaced 3 out of 4: 2 on the passenger side and 1 upper on the driver side. Used 1/4" wrench and little screwdriver, as recommended in this thread. On the driver's side had to remove sensor at the right from the upper magnet to clear the magnet. This is the tight place and bolt can easily fall down. I blocked the opening below the magnet with paper towel and actually it saved me. The lower bolt is the most difficult to get out and put in.
Not sure how to replace the last magnet without removing the reservoir. The place looks too tight. Will give it a try tomorrow afternoon.

 

No CEL since changing 3 magnets 5 days ago. Today replaced the last magnet on driver side. Had to loosen 3 bolts holding oil reservoir in front of the magnet. Then you can pull reservoir forward for about 3/4 inch without removing it. This is enough to get good access to the lower bolt of the magnet.
Will wait for 2-3 months before considering that the problem is solved.

 

And now it is back - P0016

BTW there is second class action lawsuit regarding this http://gotaclassaction.com/mercedes-...-m273-engines/
And interestingly enough this problem is even described on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M272_engine

 

Apparently, MB won the first class-action-lawsuit on this issue.