jjstuart79

Hi,
I have a 2001 C240 that randomly seems to bog down when I come to a stop. It never completely dies, it's just like the engine starts to sputter for a few seconds and I'm not able to accelerate when it happens. After about 5 seconds it comes back and I can drive away like nothing happened. I had it into the shop and they told me it was bad spark plug wires. They replaced the plug wires, but it didn't seem to help. If anyone has any suggestions on what could be wrong I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

Glyn M Ruck

It could be many things - some of them very simple. What mileage has the vehicle done?

To stop guessing please get hold of an OBDII scanner & see if the car is storing any codes. If so please post them. It could be anything from a dirty MAF to O2 sensors cycling too slowly & causing stumble, to a clogged fuel filter.

Autozone will read codes for you free. The plug is under a flap under the steering column.

jjstuart79

Thanks for your reply, I will check out autozone. The car only has 16,000 miles on it.

mleskovar

It sounds like the car has been sitting unused for a while? Have you gone through a tank of gas yet?

jjstuart79

Yes, it certainly was. I have driven it about 2k miles in the last 6 months though.

mleskovar

Before it's too late you need to check the radiator manufacturer. There's a ton of posts on how to tell if it needs replacement. If the radiator leaks glycol into the transmission fluid you're looking at a possible $8K repair bill. I'm guessing the fuel filter could be gummed up from fuel sitting too long and the stumble at idle is a symptom. OBDII like Glyn suggested is a must.

Glyn M Ruck

The vehicle has done so little mileage that something is probably goo'ed up. Fresh fuel with Techron concentrate for a few tanks & a good hard run followed by numerous stop start cycles to let the Techron do it's job.

Read those codes.

I thought my 240 was low usage at 39,000 miles. (did no mileage in it's first 3 years because I was abroad)