C219 CLS55 and CLS63, 2004-2010

puff of white smoke on cold engine start

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Old 04-19-2011, 10:27 PM
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puff of white smoke on cold engine start

Hey guys my CLS55 has been having a few issues.

First: On some cold engine starts I get a puff of white smoke that comes out of the exhaust and then disappears and I never see any smoke after that. It doesn't happen every time either. Its pretty random. I was told it could be smoke from blow by? Any other suggestions would really help.

Second: When idling at stoplights, the idle feels really weak. My first guess is the tune might have the idle set too low and with the weather getting hot and changing it might be causing this? The idle fluctuates like it feels like its weak and it compensates by raising the idle so it bounces just slightly at idle.

Third: Started the car this morning and the check engine light came on. What's the best way to figure this out? I was quoted 120 dollars to get a diagnosis and I have to drop the car off. Is there any other way to get the error code read w/o having to drop it off at the dealer? That would be quite the hassle for me esp during the work week.

Any help I def appreciate and thanks in advance!
Old 04-19-2011, 11:50 PM
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another thing to add. There is a clicking noise at idle with an irregular "cadence" here's a video I just took:

http://youtu.be/uoTSTovBWds?hd=1

The clicking increases when I hit the throttle too and again the cadence is irregular and not consistent. Any help would greatly be appreciated!
Old 04-20-2011, 01:21 AM
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157 views and no response? Please any help would be greatly appreciated =(
Old 04-20-2011, 01:29 AM
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That def doesn't sound normal. I know auto zone may be able to read the code or you could always buy a scanner. Do you have warranty?
Old 04-20-2011, 06:21 AM
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This is going to sound a little odd but it sounds to me like either a lifter or a spark plug shorting out
Old 04-20-2011, 09:41 AM
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CPO warranty just ran out...going to take it to a trusted shop tomorrow. Probably gonna pay the price, but I guess you gotta pay to play =( hahaha
Old 04-20-2011, 11:56 AM
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Noise sounds to me like a spark plug cap not seated properly and the spark is arcing to the engine block.
White smoke on start up is actually probably very very pale blue and is a little oil seepage into the combustion chamber after the engine stops. (I may not be 100% correct her but) If the engine stops quickly or very soon after it starts up you can have a slightly higher quantity of oil sitting in the heads for a moment and this may just happen to seep past a valve guide into the combustion chamber. Can anyone else help me here??
Old 04-20-2011, 09:14 PM
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brought the car in today, the engine code was for a misfire event. But the error or the misfire wasn't currently present on the car which suggest its just a one time event. They will get my a diagnosis in the morning. Keep you all updated.
Old 04-21-2011, 10:49 AM
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got the diagnosis this morning...one of the ignition wires is cracked and the spark is arcing on the block. They want to charge me 911.00 to replace and install the new part. The part alone is a little over 400 dollars. Does the labor on this sound about right? 500ish to replace cables? or is this something I could technically just do myself?
Old 04-21-2011, 11:36 AM
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That much money for ONE ignition wire??? Man I would definitely get my nose in there to see if I could do it myself. That sounds astronomical to me.
Old 04-21-2011, 12:03 PM
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it was to replace the entire set. My cables are actually evosport cables. They reccommended replacing the entire set
Old 04-21-2011, 01:02 PM
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I would just replace one. and do it yourself very easy there is a DIY in the 55 forum
Old 04-21-2011, 02:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Roverron
I would just replace one. and do it yourself very easy there is a DIY in the 55 forum
Can you link me? I did a search for this topic and had some trouble. The help would be appreciated. They reccommended OEM over the Evosport ones b/c they felt the OEM build quality was better. But they quoted me to replace just the two cables off that one cylinder would be 349, and to replace the entire set assuming I get my own set and bring it to them it would be 469. That would include the 120 cost to diagnose the problem. Is that a decent deal?
Old 04-21-2011, 03:27 PM
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I can't imagine it being that difficult to replace an ignition wire yourself. I mean granted, these aren't old Ford 351's with distributor caps but $350 to replace a wire? If you have a decent grasp of the engine layout, just do it yourself.

Many mechanics recommend replacing all the ignition wires at the same time. Two reasons: 1) if one wire has gone bad, it's likely another one will and 2) if you must replace due to age, you will know how old all the wires are as they were installed at the same time.
Old 04-21-2011, 05:53 PM
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I am going to attempt to do this with a friend and save myself some cash. With the DYI I found I think its pretty straight forward *crosses fingers!**

here's the link:

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...lug-wires.html
Old 04-22-2011, 04:08 PM
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I would save some money on the wires and get the Magnecor's #85240. They are great wires and you can get them from alamomotorsports for $170, get the NGK ILFR6A from Amazon for $168 for all 16 and have money left over for a nice dinner afterwards !!!

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