Supercharger Info - from new C32 owner
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Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 259
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
C32 AMG - in Pewter
Supercharger Info - from new C32 owner
Hello,
Here is my first post on this forum
. I purchased a 2003 C32 in Pewter Silver two weeks ago, with 65,000 km on the odometer. I live in Ottawa, Ontario. It did not take long for me to realize that all the praise about this car was for a good reason - it is a special car for sure!!!
Very shortly after I picked the car up, I have noticed what many people talked about - occasional lack of power due to S/C not always engaging when it should. Before I went to the garage, I did extensive research and provided all info to the service dept. Thanks to this forum, I had enough! Car is now fixed and runs fine!!! Not surprisingly, the intercooler pump had to be replaced (warranty).
Along the way, I dug quite a bit about how exactly the S/C operates on the C32, so here is what I found. I hope it helps potential diagnostics:
* S/C can engage anywhere between 0 and 2900 RPM. The exact point depends on demand for torque (function of throttle angle) as well as the currently used transmition control map (based on driving habits/history).
* at 2900 RMP and above, S/C is always ON for technical reason, it does not matter if you are accellerating or just cruising (at higher speed).
* if the car is not moving, S/C is never on, regardless of the RPMs
* if the temperature is below 0C, S/C will engage for a few seconds when you start the car to melt any icing from internal condensation.
* S/C is not actuated when the air intake sensor reports high temperature or when the battery voltage drops below 9V.
In my case, I had a few accellerations where S/C worked, then a few where it did not, and that pattern repeats. When S/C is ON for a while, it would increase the IAT and since the intercoller was not doing its job, sensor turns the S/C off. When the S/C is off, air IAT would go down (air no longer heated by S/C blades), At that point S/C would start working again, and the cycle is closed. Had to learn in a hurry but now my car is great...
Thanks
Here is my first post on this forum
. I purchased a 2003 C32 in Pewter Silver two weeks ago, with 65,000 km on the odometer. I live in Ottawa, Ontario. It did not take long for me to realize that all the praise about this car was for a good reason - it is a special car for sure!!!Very shortly after I picked the car up, I have noticed what many people talked about - occasional lack of power due to S/C not always engaging when it should. Before I went to the garage, I did extensive research and provided all info to the service dept. Thanks to this forum, I had enough! Car is now fixed and runs fine!!! Not surprisingly, the intercooler pump had to be replaced (warranty).
Along the way, I dug quite a bit about how exactly the S/C operates on the C32, so here is what I found. I hope it helps potential diagnostics:
* S/C can engage anywhere between 0 and 2900 RPM. The exact point depends on demand for torque (function of throttle angle) as well as the currently used transmition control map (based on driving habits/history).
* at 2900 RMP and above, S/C is always ON for technical reason, it does not matter if you are accellerating or just cruising (at higher speed).
* if the car is not moving, S/C is never on, regardless of the RPMs
* if the temperature is below 0C, S/C will engage for a few seconds when you start the car to melt any icing from internal condensation.
* S/C is not actuated when the air intake sensor reports high temperature or when the battery voltage drops below 9V.
In my case, I had a few accellerations where S/C worked, then a few where it did not, and that pattern repeats. When S/C is ON for a while, it would increase the IAT and since the intercoller was not doing its job, sensor turns the S/C off. When the S/C is off, air IAT would go down (air no longer heated by S/C blades), At that point S/C would start working again, and the cycle is closed. Had to learn in a hurry but now my car is great...
Thanks
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,213
Likes: 8
LET C32 2002
Hello,
Here is my first post on this forum . I purchased a 2003 C32 in Pewter Silver two weeks ago, with 65,000 km on the odometer. I live in Ottawa, Ontario. It did not take long for me to realize that all the praise about this car was for a good reason - it is a special car for sure!!!
Very shortly after I picked the car up, I have noticed what many people talked about - occasional lack of power due to S/C not always engaging when it should. Before I went to the garage, I did extensive research and provided all info to the service dept. Thanks to this forum, I had enough! Car is now fixed and runs fine!!! Not surprisingly, the intercooler pump had to be replaced (warranty).
Along the way, I dug quite a bit about how exactly the S/C operates on the C32, so here is what I found. I hope it helps potential diagnostics:
* S/C can engage anywhere between 0 and 2900 RPM. The exact point depends on demand for torque (function of throttle angle) as well as the currently used transmition control map (based on driving habits/history).
* at 2900 RMP and above, S/C is always ON for technical reason, it does not matter if you are accellerating or just cruising (at higher speed).
* if the car is not moving, S/C is never on, regardless of the RPMs
* if the temperature is below 0C, S/C will engage for a few seconds when you start the car to melt any icing from internal condensation.
* S/C is not actuated when the air intake sensor reports high temperature or when the battery voltage drops below 9V.
In my case, I had a few accellerations where S/C worked, then a few where it did not, and that pattern repeats. When S/C is ON for a while, it would increase the IAT and since the intercoller was not doing its job, sensor turns the S/C off. When the S/C is off, air IAT would go down (air no longer heated by S/C blades), At that point S/C would start working again, and the cycle is closed. Had to learn in a hurry but now my car is great...
Thanks
Here is my first post on this forum
. I purchased a 2003 C32 in Pewter Silver two weeks ago, with 65,000 km on the odometer. I live in Ottawa, Ontario. It did not take long for me to realize that all the praise about this car was for a good reason - it is a special car for sure!!!Very shortly after I picked the car up, I have noticed what many people talked about - occasional lack of power due to S/C not always engaging when it should. Before I went to the garage, I did extensive research and provided all info to the service dept. Thanks to this forum, I had enough! Car is now fixed and runs fine!!! Not surprisingly, the intercooler pump had to be replaced (warranty).
Along the way, I dug quite a bit about how exactly the S/C operates on the C32, so here is what I found. I hope it helps potential diagnostics:
* S/C can engage anywhere between 0 and 2900 RPM. The exact point depends on demand for torque (function of throttle angle) as well as the currently used transmition control map (based on driving habits/history).
* at 2900 RMP and above, S/C is always ON for technical reason, it does not matter if you are accellerating or just cruising (at higher speed).
* if the car is not moving, S/C is never on, regardless of the RPMs
* if the temperature is below 0C, S/C will engage for a few seconds when you start the car to melt any icing from internal condensation.
* S/C is not actuated when the air intake sensor reports high temperature or when the battery voltage drops below 9V.
In my case, I had a few accellerations where S/C worked, then a few where it did not, and that pattern repeats. When S/C is ON for a while, it would increase the IAT and since the intercoller was not doing its job, sensor turns the S/C off. When the S/C is off, air IAT would go down (air no longer heated by S/C blades), At that point S/C would start working again, and the cycle is closed. Had to learn in a hurry but now my car is great...
Thanks
Ok..........u said S/C only turns on when car is moving then what about when on a dyno machine car really isn't moving but rear wheels are. Is it that when idling you mean?
Super Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 825
Likes: 3
2002 c32
That said, how would a distronic car deal with this? Probably it would think it was right behind another moving car if there was a wall in front of it - or it would be off in the diag-mode required to get an accurate dyno reading anyways?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,005
Likes: 106
From: Houston, TX
2015 E250D
Distronic will not work with ESP off first of all. When the car is on Dyno mode, the ESP is switched off. Second, distronic knows the difference between a wall and a car. It will only sense a car that is moving in the same direction as your car. It will not sense oncoming cars or walls.
