MAF Sensor Nightmare
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
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From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
OK ~ so you had multiple things wrong & that's why the smoke has turned from black to white. The temp sensor was duff. Now lets hope that a new MAF alone fixes the remaining issues. TPS replacement is simple if needed. Unplug & unbolt one throttle pedal assembly & replace with another.
Before you panic about blown CH gaskets have the MAF done. You have not reported coolant loss. Ask your mechanic to use a little indicator strip kit to check for combustion by-products in the coolant. That will answer the question.
BTW ~ sometimes better the devil you know. You could buy another cheap car & buy a bucket of trouble. The W203 320 is capable of doing a million kilometers if serviced properly.
Before you panic about blown CH gaskets have the MAF done. You have not reported coolant loss. Ask your mechanic to use a little indicator strip kit to check for combustion by-products in the coolant. That will answer the question.
BTW ~ sometimes better the devil you know. You could buy another cheap car & buy a bucket of trouble. The W203 320 is capable of doing a million kilometers if serviced properly.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
From: Tallahasee, FL
2004 C320
I know I seem to ramble, so here are cliff notes:
Called Independent Mercedes dealer, $210 for new Bosch MAF.
Took it to local mechanic, $120.
Well I am back in action and I feel almost as happy as when I first purchased the car!
Instead of ordering online, I decided last night that I would give the mechanic and independent Mercedes shop a ring. Called "Furrin Auto", and what do ya know, they have one for $210. Not bad at all. So I go to the shop, and they told me it is at their parts warehouse! Funny thing is, this is the opposite direction of where I came from (actually a block away from my house...) It was a new Bosch sensor.
Then I head over to John and Son's mechanics, after I had already called previously, and at first from the talk we had on the phone they made it seem like I wasn't going to be paying anything for this simple job. But... this IS their job, so they ran me for 1 1/2 hours of work. Oh well. Had a nice talk with the mechanic anyway, and he said nothing shows signs of head gasket and that the TPS code was not pulling up.
So off I went, a $400 adventure from something I messed up. I would say it runs like new, but I got it in just "good" condition from the previous owner. The VERY bright side is, I have 2 new components in my car now, and it was STILL $250 less than what Mercedes was trying to get me for!
The left brake light keeps popping up saying it's out, but it sometimes resets after turning car on/off. I asked the gas station attendant if it was out or not, and she said it was good. I should probably go ahead and change it though, considering they are like $2 and even the worst handy man (me) can change it!
Thank you all so very much!
Called Independent Mercedes dealer, $210 for new Bosch MAF.
Took it to local mechanic, $120.
Well I am back in action and I feel almost as happy as when I first purchased the car!
Instead of ordering online, I decided last night that I would give the mechanic and independent Mercedes shop a ring. Called "Furrin Auto", and what do ya know, they have one for $210. Not bad at all. So I go to the shop, and they told me it is at their parts warehouse! Funny thing is, this is the opposite direction of where I came from (actually a block away from my house...) It was a new Bosch sensor.
Then I head over to John and Son's mechanics, after I had already called previously, and at first from the talk we had on the phone they made it seem like I wasn't going to be paying anything for this simple job. But... this IS their job, so they ran me for 1 1/2 hours of work. Oh well. Had a nice talk with the mechanic anyway, and he said nothing shows signs of head gasket and that the TPS code was not pulling up.
So off I went, a $400 adventure from something I messed up. I would say it runs like new, but I got it in just "good" condition from the previous owner. The VERY bright side is, I have 2 new components in my car now, and it was STILL $250 less than what Mercedes was trying to get me for!
The left brake light keeps popping up saying it's out, but it sometimes resets after turning car on/off. I asked the gas station attendant if it was out or not, and she said it was good. I should probably go ahead and change it though, considering they are like $2 and even the worst handy man (me) can change it!
Thank you all so very much!
