LILBENZ230

What mileage are you at now?

e24kgold

148,340

LILBENZ230

Okay, just got back from the garage and doing an interior detail, filling the wiper washer reservoir, topping up the oil, etc. I have some observations.

1. The sputtery start issue is still present. I don't know if it is possible (read: input please) but could it be battery related? Also, now I'm not sure if sputter is the correct way to describe it. It seems almost like a split second hesitation, a purgatory between starting and idling where nothing is happening for a blink of an eye. I am observant and this is a recent thing, it has not always done this. It is a sloppy start-up. It's nearly impossible to capture on video because it does it 1 time only, first start after an extended period of nothing, and the beeps from hell dominate and in general the camera just can't seem to pick it up. I'm dumbfounded given that it has a new fuel filter and new plugs.

2. Any of you that installed cam magnet adapter wires to guard against the oil leak problem and used zip ties to secure them, please put new zip ties on each year. I decided to check to see if the cam magnets were leaking oil. My car had bone dry magnets when I installed the adapters as a safeguard at 41,000 miles (April 2009). 60,000 miles later and the cam magnets ARE leaking oil on my car. And the zip ties disintegrated as soon as I fooled with them. This brings me to another question - should I contact MBUSA about adding my car to the recall list? Both sides are leaking oil but it doesn't appear that there is any chance it can get past the adapter wires. Experts, is this correct? What is the result of oil contamination in the sensors?

LILBENZ230

It was detail and general touch up day.


Dirty door seals are probably common on the Ash interior cars. I can fix it.


Spray with this.


Use Crest SprinbrushPRO which you should have for detail cleaning.


And this is the result!


The outside is dirty, but rain is a'comin' so that's no worry for now.


This one's for Cale. The leather insert on the seat bottom in 2005, deleted after. Cleaned and conditioned once a month in my car.


To (mostly) its credit and (somewhat) mine, the car's interior looks damn good for 101k miles of dirt, grime, dozens of drivers, eating, drinking, cramming, and hauling me and all of my passengers.

Glyn M Ruck

Re your PM

So the heat fried the zipties. Try & find some better ones. Keeping the oil out of the harness is the most important thing. But damn Benz - I would make them replace the sensors. You took the trouble to fit pigtales. You have contained the damage. Their sensors should not leak.


BTW - is this startup splutter only if out in the cold still? I think this stumble is likely your O2 sensors getting lazy.

LILBENZ230

I agree that the sensors should not leak. I will contact MBUSA about adding my car to the recall list and going in for replacement of the sensors. It can't possibly hurt.

I got carried away in my PM and put "2".. I really would value your input on 1 as well. There are no codes, no stored codes, new fuel filter and plugs, it's not even cold today, and no drivability issues whatsoever.

Glyn M Ruck

See my edit

LILBENZ230

Nope, not even cold today and it did it after being in the garage all night.

Glyn M Ruck

Now that you have done the plugs & all and the stumble persists - presume it's just a brief engine stumble & then it settles? When you are feeling energetic change the upsteam O2 sensor.

It might be a coil or a wire so check you are not storing any codes. But at your mileage O2 sensors will be cycling more slowly & your fuel trim will slowly deteriorate. Is the MAF clean?

LILBENZ230

To say it is brief is an understatement. It is a flash.

I have no idea where the MAF is or how to get to it. Earlier in the thread I had a little rant about how bad I hate to even open the hood.

No stored codes.

d1no

If it is such a small thing would it hurt the car to just leave it alone? Assuming it doesn't bother you too much.

The MAF on the m271 is kind of hard to get to since you have to pretty much remove the airbox to get to the bolts on the other side of the MAF. I highly doubt this is something you'd wanna DIY Matt .

cpbeasley

I had the Ash in my c230... you're a better man than I for keeping it that clean! Looks great my friend. As a DDS student, I totally admire the spinbrush

And thanks again for filling me in on the *** of the seat. So random IMO considering how the butt takes the most wear other than the butt side bolster...and they make that the only leather part? What am I missing? ND2020 had been complaining to me that the *** in his 04 c320 was wrinkling and my only thought was that it could be leather but really didn't know.

e24kgold

Matt,

Car is looking good, all weather floormats make a big difference, I love mine. How is it w/o the heated seats? I think I would miss mine.

LILBENZ230

I will be leaving it alone, I guess, until it gets worse. You're damn skippy with you're thinking. Remove the airbox?! I sold LED license plate lamps for half what I paid for them, brand new in the box, because I didn't want to remove the trunk liner.

Look at his door panel and compare it to the ones I posted in your thread. If it matches the wrinkled type, he has leather on all parts of the seat. If not, he has MB-Tex on most of the seat and leather on the part like mine.

I need new floormats, for sure. My Acura TL had heated seats and I liked them, but it was always parked outside. I don't even think about them with the C230. It's never really that cold here and even when it is cold the car is always in the heated garage.

Glyn M Ruck

Leave it for the next 25 - 50,000 miles until it really pisses you off & the fuel consumption sucks. Then go to your excellent & affordable Indy with upstream O2 sensor in hand & a can of CFC MAF cleaner & request said Indy to do it for you.

LILBENZ230

Sounds good. Right now, it's really okay and fuel mileage is also okay. I was under the impression that it would throw a CEL before it got really bad. Only the upstream one pre-cat needs to be replaced?

LILBENZ230

Production date: 01/25/2005

johnand

Glyn has great advice for you, and I agree completely with it knowing your fear of working on your own car. Just wanted to say, I know the M271 is a little trickier, but I was surprised how simple it was to remove the MAF and air duct on the M272. No tools required, just have to figure out the way everything clips together. I cleaned the MAF, air duct, TB, and airbox, and fitted new Mann filters. Can't wait to drive the car after fixing the fuel pump to see how it runs.

tommy

If you ever had a hamster, just view it as one big habittrail. Disconnect enough tubes, and you get to the MAF. It's very simple, and even more important, very hard to ruin anything.

LILBENZ230

If I had a hamster, I would set a trap for that vermin. Rodents.. ewww.

Trust me, Tommy, I could ruin something trying that. It's happened before, just not on the Mercedes. I've changed the headlights to HIDs twice and each time felt as though I had conquered the world when nothing ended up broken.

bdgdl08

You'd still be minus two dust covers if it weren't for me!

LILBENZ230

You are correct. I don't think that was ever public info, it was a PM thing.

Basically, I am so not-good with tools that I mailed my headlight dust caps to Drew in Florida and he drilled them for my HID installation and sent them back to me. As a favor, no money was exchanged. How is that for MBWorld camaraderie? I've met Drew twice, as I've posted about. I wish you lived closer and could visit more often!

Speaking of HIDs...



12000k VS 4500k

After this comparison, another 4500k kit has been ordered.

Xhale707

Tuff stuff.. that stuff worked on ur door seals amazingly

Damn mine are so dirty from me keeping my windows down.. Im going to go buy it right now and try it

bdgdl08

Sorry, I didn't mean to out you, lol. I wish I lived closer, too. Although, I did make it in 4 hours, once, to Lawrenceville, so it's not all that far.

EDIT: I have a set of the cloth floor mats sitting upstairs, Matt. I took them out and used the rubber ones in their place.

LILBENZ230

Well then come visit! Actually, I'm gonna come there sometime this year.

Xhale (wanna share your real name?) it's the spinbrush more than the upholstery cleaner, I think.