Nyshadow

So I've noticed that my 2016 E400 has an ECO mode, so when engaged and the car comes to a complete stop, it kills the engine. I was thinking the other day this can't be good for the Starter/Engine to be cut off and back on all the time. What are your thoughts?

mikey08

Well I will say the starter of the vehicle is not used with the ECO mode nor is the battery used to start it.. What actually occurs is the piston that is stopped at the highest point in the cam gets a short burst of fuel-air and spark and the car turns over when your brake is released Although I am not a huge fan of the engineering itself as I am not sure it actually saves any fuel but rather saves emissions. I just turn it off when I am going to do heavy stop and go traffic on highways etc.

Not sure this is true but I may have heard they are going to discontinue the ECO mode in the year or so but not truly sure.

Mike

Mr. Toad

Personally, I like the Eco feature and have observed that it definitely does improve my fuel economy. I was speaking with the shop foreman at my dealer just this week, and he confirmed that (as mentioned above) the time-honored starter cranking action is not used to start the engine from an Eco stop. This feature is relatively common these days (not unique to MB) and I would be surprised if they discontinued it because I think they need it in order to comply with minimum fuel economy requirements across the model lineup.

mikey08

Mr. Toad, yes like it very much as well while I have not truly analyzed the results, I do think its more about emissions than fuel consumption. I would use it more if it had some sort of delay when stopping like a 5 sec delay etc. If one lives in a high traffic stop and go scenario like a bumper to bumper scenario it would make sense of a delay feature. I know I am being picky but not everyone enjoys only living right off the Autobahn, LOL

Now lets hope no one starts another thread for the remote start feature... LOL

Take care and hope your day is awesome.. Cheers Mike

SilberGrau57

Yes, it is called Start/Stop Direct Start and is common in Direct Injection engines with ECO Start/Stop. I found this graphic that describes some of the new tech in the E400 engines known as the M 276 DELA 30 variant...

Mr. Toad

I agree - if it waited just a couple of seconds after coming to a stop before it shut the engine off, it would save a lot of unnecessary restarting in stop-and-go situations.

mikey08

Ok have to say one more thing about the ECO Mode and I will never post again on this topic... LOL
Everytime I come to a stop the engine stops, then I place it in park and it starts again then I shut the car off via the ignition... Pls no one tell me that its saving gas when its starts and stops consecutively within seconds.. LOL As per my previous post, why I suggested they have some kind of delay to accommodate for these types of events.. Ok now I will stop....

Cheers..

Mr. Toad

Just curious, why do you put it in park after the Eco function shuts the engine off?

mikey08

Cause the car is still in drive... Like pulling into a parking space... Once I stop before I place the car in park the engine stops with the ECO mode. Then after I place it in Park the car starts again...

SilberGrau57

Just get in the habit of keeping your foot on the brake pedal until you shut off the ignition. The restart is triggered by the brake pedal, not the transmission. So, hold the brake pedal, push the Park button on the stalk and push the start/stop button. Then release the brake pedal. No restart will occur...

MikeO3

No need to use Park at all. >> Use the Hold Function
Page 187 in the 2018 GLS manual
Page 188 in the 2011 E350 manual

Mr. Toad

That's what I was getting at, but I believe the OP is talking about actually parking the car.

Mr. Toad

I generally prefer to back into parking spaces (including my garage at home) and I know the Eco feature is probably going to shut the engine off when I come to a brief stop to switch from Drive to Reverse. Consequently, I've gotten into the habit of simply turning off the Eco feature when I'm approaching any parking space that I'm going to back into, to prevent the automatic engine shut off when I'm shifting gears.

phifer

Anyone with insight on why my Eco function might not be working? Thought it may be related to my Aux battery being low so recharged it and Eco still isn't working.

whoover

Could be either battery is marginal. Even if recharged, a weak battery might have insufficient voltage to allow the system to work. The aux battery needs to be in top shape because it runs the electronics that monitor all the statuses that allow ECO. The main battery needs to be in top shape because its voltage is one of the parameters monitored.

There are lots of other things that can make it a no-go as well, but battery condition is the most common.

phifer

Got it, appreciate the feedback. Since it's an inexpensive first step, I'll definitely start by just replacing the recharged aux battery. Thanks!

Mr. Toad

What exactly do you mean by "not working"? Does it never shut the engine off, or does it only do it in certain circumstances?

phifer

It never shuts the engine off and the green light on the button indicating on/off doesn't come on at all.

Mr. Toad

If the green light on the Eco button is never illuminated, then I don't think the problem is battery-related. The dealer replaced my battery under warranty when the Eco function was not regularly shutting the engine off, but the Eco light was always on (indicating that the system was active). In my case, low battery voltage was causing the car's computer to keep the engine running in what would otherwise be "shut off" situations because it was trying to charge the battery.

phifer

Great insight, thanks for weighing in. So, it's sounding likely to require a pro diagnosis...

Mr. Toad

In my experience so far, it's a complex and problematic system. The software controls that tell the system when it should shut the engine off have to continuously monitor an extremely lengthy list of parameters, and if the current value for any given parameter is not within specified tolerances, it's not supposed to kill the engine. For about two months now, mine has been shutting the engine off within a minute or two and less than one mile after startup, with the AC on Auto and outside temperatures in the 98-105 degree range. When it kills the engine in those circumstances, the HVAC system continues to blow at the highest fan speed, but the air coming from the vents is extremely hot because the AC compressor stops turning when the engine shuts off. According to the dealer, the Eco system should not kill the engine in these conditions, but it does and they can't figure out why.

pl626

I never really cared for the ECO mode, but after driving other car manufacturers implementation of ECO, I really appreciate how smooth the MB system is. Add the brake HOLD feature and I find it hard to beat.