Hi all, hoping for some help.

As quick a back story as I can manage - I have, since about 15 years old ALWAYS wanted to own and drive a MB. My previous car was coming up to MOT time and it was just uneconomical to have the repairs done that it required, so I recently (a month ago) purchased a 2003 1.8 C200 Kompressor Sports Coupe from somebody I know for a steal simply because it had 12 months MOT and the intention was just to use that 12 months to sort myself out something longer term. The problem is, I LOVE the car now, and I would really like to keep it. It had 2 owners from new, and it was my friend's baby for 13 years and it is immaculate inside and out, and I think it would be criminal to allow it to go to the scrap heap in 12 months considering it has only 80k on the clock. He always had all the advisories done at MOT time and serviced every year, with all the paperwork to prove it. In all, a very looked after car. He was very forthcoming with the problems. Engine management light on for an unknown fault, and the 'bouncing button' central locking on the passenger door (I've no intention of having this repaired because it seems quite pricey for something that you can just unlock and lock again for it to work). He took the car in for the engine management light - they said it was the MAF sensor and replaced it. A day later it came back on and he just decided after 13 years it was time to use it as an excuse to get a larger family car. It also has at times a very rough idle and juddery at low speeds, but this is intermittent.

I purchased an iCarsoft i980 and plugged it in this morning and got the following fault codes:

P0102 - Mass or volume air flow A circuit low
P0172 - System too rich bank 1
P0101 - Mass or volume air flow a circuit range/performance
P0171 - System too lean bank 1
P0301 - Cylinder 1 misfire detected
P0304 - Cylinder 4 misfire detected
P0302 - Cylinder 2 misfire detected
P0102 - Mass or volume air flow a circuit low (listed as pending)

I will not pretend I'm any sort of mechanic, or try to blag that I know what I am talking about. However I am pretty logically minded, and if there is a YouTube video of it, I will attempt it - I've learnt to do simple tasks like oil and filter changes, brake discs and pads, Wishbones on a Ford Ka, changing the MAF on a VW Passat and other bits and bobs, all from YouTube, Haynes, guides etc - however I am aware of the limits of my capabilities. There is a slight squeak coming from the brakes so I've ordered pads all round just to be safe.

In my tiny little brain with regards to the codes above, is it possible that the garage he took it to have installed a dud MAF? and could the cylinder misfires be something as easily fixed as just replacing all the spark plugs? I'm really confused by the contradicting fault codes with regard to bank 1 being both too rich and too lean!

Thanks to anybody who has read this far, and I appreciate the time people take to help people like me!

All the best!

Lenny.

 

Hello lenny, you may want to read this thread https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...03-2020-a.html

and then go down the rabbit hole of the "$12 dollar hose" (theres 3 of them) and possible air intake leaks. I have no idea how much a garage would charge.

someone diagnosing MAF / misfire codes: (caused by leaks)

¬Just wrap some electrical tape around the top of the lock stick to fix the bounce

What repairs did your other car need doing for the MOT inspection if i may ask?

*Did this car have any advisories from the MOT inspection? (slight play in suspension... corroded brake pipes...oil leak but not excessive?)

12$ hose thread by slammer111
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...placement.html

video of air box removal you may find helpful

 

Thanks for the reply!

A very interesting video, that if I understand right, could mean that all of the fault codes (if I'm lucky) are resulting from a vacuum hose or the MAF itself rather than multiple faults. I will certainly get out there and take a look at the hoses. I know the iCarsoft i980 can read live data, so I wonder if that includes from the MAF?

My other car was an old 2000 Peugeot estate, that needed a new head gasket, track rod ends, coil springs, and a pretty bad oil leak etc - the car had 170k and was worth about £500 if I was being generous!

with regard to your question about MOT advisories (if you mean the MB I now have), the only advisory was brake pipe corroded, or covered in grease - which was rectified at the time of MOT.

 

You can only really 'look' at one of the pipes after taking the airbox off (tricky job, make sure to read the hose thread + watch video) the other 'valve' and pipe you need to remove the compressor and intake i believe.

But you could also have intake leaks. Notice how the man searching for the leak is spraying some kind of electrical cleaner , and the engine revs dip showing that a leak has sucked up that spray. Seems to be an easy way of diagnosing. Hopefully your top hose is broken and thats all

lol nice Peugeot you had, just needed a new engine then