jammgm

I have a 2007 C280 that's got the code for the intake manifold swirl flap being closed.
After doing some research, I see it's caused by a bad design of the intake manifold and a common problem.
Using an inspection scope, I confirmed the plastic arm on the swirl flap actuator is broken at the bottom.
My wife drives the car and I'm seeing that it hasn't impacted the way the engine runs which seems fine.
I don't know how long it has been broken and plan to have the manifold repaired with the repair kit versus replacing the entire manifold.
Does anyone know if it will harm the engine driving it this way until I get it repaired?
I have to say.. I'm very disappointed in the quality of the engineering in this car which has a lot of be desired and will never buy another benz.
I don't mind paying for typical wear and tear repairs but between this problem and the gas tank seal leak, I keep shelling out good $$ for repairs that occurred due to poor quality.

tjts1

Some times the swirl flaps have been known to break off and get ingested by the engine which transforms it into a paperweight. I would continue to drive it but get it fixed ASAP.

You're right in your assessment, the m272 engine and 722.9 transmission were terrible design built out of the cheapest materials. The m112 and 722.6 are far more reliable. Just be happy your intermediate shaft hasn't failed yet. That thing is a time bomb.

jammgm

Thanks for the reply.
What is the intermediate shaft?
Is it part of the engine or transmission?
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tjts1

Sorry, I should have said balance shaft.
http://www.mercedesmedic.com/check-m...y-vin-m272273/

jammgm

Thank you..

I ran the VIN number check and it looks like my car's engine was built with the newer parts that prevent this failure.
The site says if your engine number is higher than these below, I should be good.

M272 Engine Serial No. 2729..30 468993
M273 Engine Serial No. 2739..30 088611

My engine is..... 272941 30 512096

Am I reading this correctly?

tjts1

Yes you are beyond the balance shaft gear problem.

jammgm

Awesome... that's one less thing to worry about... thanks again!

johnand

Shouldn't hurt to drive it until you get it repaired. I drove mine for several months and about 5K miles before replacing the manifold. Good luck.

tjts1

It shouldn't hurt until it does hurt... a lot.

jammgm

Thanks.
Since the car is running ok, I'm debating whether to replace the entire manifold or just get the repair kit which replaces the actuator that has a shorter stroke and comes with the arms that are metal. I know the labor is the same to remove/install the manifold either way and trying to keep costs down.

I did see a video where you wont know if any of the other "piece of crap" plastic flaps are broken in the manifold until you remove it, thus requiring you to replace it.
Plus, does a new manifold come with the same POC actuator and plastic arm so you're back to the same problem again?

Personally, I think MB should replace them for free like they did with the balance shaft problems and the bad gas tanks in the E series.
My car's gas tank sending unit seal also leaks when you fill it. I haven't repaired it yet and just dont fill the tank pass 3/4.

Again, all bad design stuff that MB should take care of, especially for a car that only has 77K on it.

jammgm

If I replace the manifold, has Mercedes or a third party manufacturer improved it with a better design for the internal plastic flaps and actuator?
I really don't want to spend a lot for a repair that puts on the same crappy manifold.
I know there's a new type of actuator with the metal arms vs plastic and a redesigned stroke for the actuator and want to know if they improved the manifold too.

krazzdav

when i was looking into this in the past get the repair kit as replacing the manifold will have the same parts that broke; there are better repair kits than others but haven't looked into it for years

jammgm

Thanks...
From what I'm reading, I don't know if the actuator with all the plastic parts is the more common failure versus the plastic flaps inside the manifold which can also fail and cause catastrophic failure in the engine.

Does anyone know if the failure of the internal flaps is a also a common occurrence, or do they fail at some point based on age or mileage?

I want to do the repair and would prefer just to repair the actuator with the new metal arms, versus replacing the entire manifold which would come with the same plastic parts that will fail again.

For the repair kits, I haven't seen anything that repairs the internal flaps of the manifold and not sure if that even makes sense to do, or is an option.

I want to complete the repair correctly and fix a crappy design flaw by MB..

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim

jammgm

Has anyone used the OEM manifold from Pierburgh for the repair?
It's received good reviews and about $400 less than one from MB.