Gomez153

i own a 97 e320 92000 miles and when i was about to pull off and put my car in gear it vibrated a lil so i pulled off and ignored it and went to a friends house was there for about an hour turned the car on and pulled off it really started vibrating and the check engine light went on !!! riding like crap anyone have this problem?

lexrex

sounds like MAF

Gomez153

i just changed my MAF sensor about 2000 miles ago does it break often?

cragigotgame

Sounds like a fouled plug maybe. Thats what mine felt like.

Z06EATER

hey man, it sounds like, u have a spark plug not firing, or your spark pug wires may need changing, i hardley doubt the spark plug wires (ignition wires) need changing because those are built to last forever, but, i suggest u check your plugs, and if possbe change them. sounds like some of the cylinders aren't firing, i just changed the plugs on my 1997 E420, because before i would get a wobble also, now the car runs like a champ. get that fixed soon, that can cause serious engine damage. i bought some bosch platinum +4 spark plugs, they were recommended by the stealership, they were expensive, but well worth the cash..

GOOD LUCK BRO!!

smazur

I agree with the plugs opinion if you did your MAF 2000 miles ago.

You can do the plugs yourself at home in 1/2 hour, 6 plugs will cost you $15.
You'll see gas mileage go up immediately and the engine will run very smoothly. It's so easy and cheap, I change mine (97 E320) every 25,000 miles.

Search here for step by step instructions on how to do them and make sure you buy OEM plugs, not the fancy platinum ones... It's a very easy do it yourself job, almost as easy as changing the MAF...

Gomez153

i just got my wires and plugs changed and my mechanic put the bosch platinum +4 plugs cars runs great now but now i see alot of post on here saying these plugs are no good for them???

smazur

I agree, I trust everyone on these forums for good advice and the overwhelming consensus was to use the old school OEM plugs, not the platinum. The good news is that if you feel the need, changing your plugs back to the oem will only take you 30 minutes. It's so fast that you'll be mad at yourself for paying a mechanic to do it in the first place.

Gomez153

whats the downfall to the platinums?

lexrex

Nothing wrong with platinum tips, per se. The OEM plugs on the M112/M113 are platinum. I have NGK Iridium IX plugs in my car and it runs great.

The problem with the Bosch Platinum +4 is that the gap is not adjustable. The gap size and electrode material (copper, platinum, iridium) together affect the resistance, which in turn affects how much voltage is required to spark. The ignition system is designed for a certain plug resistance/voltage. Historically, the gap on the Platinum +4 plug for our cars has not been ideal. (They may have fixed this.) If the gap is off too much, the engine won't run as well.

The +4 is mostly a bunch of marketing hype. Sure, it may have four electrodes, but it will only produce one spark at a time.

Z06EATER

i asked the mercedes dealership and that is what they reccommended, the plugs i bought for my car required to gapping. they plugs are gapped already, but most plugs do need gapping, these plugs have beeen in my car for a while, and i have noticed, nothing but good news, better mpg, no knocks, u can def feel the power on the petal as well.

E320Star

What the hick is MAF?

Ala-benz

The MAF is your Mass Air Flow Meter. It is the black plastic tube with the electrical connection between your air filter and your engine. It measures air flow/etc. for your computer.

The knocks and misfires are frequent if your engine has been washed. On the 97 E420, the plugs are in very deep and get easy puddles around them if you spray the near them. I am not sure about the E320. It is pretty easy to pull them and clean them.

Z06EATER

yes it is true, be extremely careful washing your engine, my plugs are hard to get to, they are covered down by a lot of plastic, with torxe screws.

Gomez153

damn i washed my engine the week before shyt i could of saved the money.......

E320

Never ever wash/hose your engine you will damage alot of things(lots of engine wiring harness,coils,sensors,MAF).Scan your check engine light code and see what you messed up.

benzfiend

i washed my engine today. and i wish i would have read some of these forums before i did that. i washed it with a hose and didnt cover anything. ive washed many engines and had no problems anyway so about 3-4 hours after i washed it i drove about a mile and my engine started to sputter and im thinking to myself what the heck the rpms started to fluctuate from 450-750 violently and it felt like my spark plugs were misfiring and so i did a check at advanced auto it said cylinders 4,6,7 misfires and i from there went home and checked all spark plugs and made sure they fired and they all did i had some water in a couple of spark plugareas. is this something that can be a quick fix like waiting it out and itll eventually go away or is it much deeper than that?

urHoneyinmy420

yo benzfriend you messed up big time. one time i let some guy detail my car and he did the same exact thing you did. he hosed down my engine and my car started shaking and the smelliest odor came out the exhaust. i had to bring it to my guy and spend some money to get it fixed. switch some spark plugs and stuff. next time dont hose down your engine man.