When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Any vibration in Parking or Neutral as you increase the RPM? The idea is to isolate engine, transmission, and driveshaft vibrations.
in park and neutral the vibration is much lighter but in drive and especially reverse it is worse. I mainly feel vibration in seat and In steering wheel. But in any gear once rpm is increased it is super smooth the idle speed right now is about 600 rpm.
also I just noticed that the evap purge valve makes a ticking noise when the engine is on and when you touch it you can feel it vibrate not sure if this could mean anything. If it was bad I would think there would be a code.
I bet the driveability is not super nimble. Such as needing to smash the gas pedal to enrich LEAN mixtures.
When the work of engine cylinders is badly out of balance, it vibrates.
> Test:
Once engine is warmed up, closed loop
read the fuel trims for each bank1+2 idle.
Then concentrate on the most negative bank.
> Codes vs. no code:
Reading code is better than nothing
A lot of times problems have NO fault codes
Beware a lot of codes are misleading
No code is an invitation to dig differently.
✌️
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; 08-10-2023 at 07:47 PM.
I bet the driveability is not super nimble. Such as needing to smash the gas pedal to enrich LEAN mixtures.
When the work of engine cylinders is badly out of balance, it vibrates.
> Test:
Once engine is warmed up, closed loop
read the fuel trims for each bank1+2 idle.
Then concentrate on the most negative bank.
what do you think can cause this, yes the car is a little slow on acceleration. And I think the mpg are down. Thanks!
Many-many things prevent good combustion.
Misfires come in all sorts of styles related to air, fuel, sparks and timings.
I forgot cylinder scoring, leaky tight worn valves plus other mechanical issues can unbalance cylinders very well.
Read your fuel trims, replace upstream lambda sensors...
Thanks for the response! I was reading about the sensors but wasn’t sure if they would be bad without a code because there is not light on. Can those sensors be bad and not throw a code?
Thanks for the response! I was reading about the sensors but wasn’t sure if they would be bad without a code because there is not light on. Can those sensors be bad and not throw a code?
Yes, you've got that right.
The exhaust sensors get plugged up more and more into lazy response rate long before a broken heater triggers a fault.
This paire of upstream sensors makes your engine slow poke and unbalanced. It's the perfect old car feeling that gets you in trade-in mood.
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; 08-10-2023 at 11:08 PM.
Yes, you've got that right.
The exhaust sensors get plugged up more and more into lazy response rate long before a broken heater triggers a fault.
This paire of upstream sensors makes your engine slow poke and unbalanced. It's the perfect old car feeling that gets you in trade-in mood.
ok thanks! I will replace both upstream sensors and see if that fixes my problem! Thanks
You need the live data from the scanner (if MB specific the better) to diagnose the sensor as the problem. Looking at its data, determine if plausible and the it is as expected.
Changing w/o the proper diagnosis may bring some frustration.
You need the live data from the scanner (if MB specific the better) to diagnose the sensor as the problem. Looking at its data, determine if plausible and the it is as expected.
Changing w/o the proper diagnosis may bring some frustration.
The technician uses a handheld scope with a built in magnetic pick-up probe.
He looks at the exact shape of the ignition spikes to asses the firing strength.
There is a whole science to interpret the ignition sparks with a scope (Pico laptop or handheld).
The nice part is now you can do that faster than scanning for misfiring codes.
in park and neutral the vibration is much lighter but in drive and especially reverse it is worse. I mainly feel vibration in seat and In steering wheel. But in any gear once rpm is increased it is super smooth the idle speed right now is about 600 rpm.
also I just noticed that the evap purge valve makes a ticking noise when the engine is on and when you touch it you can feel it vibrate not sure if this could mean anything. If it was bad I would think there would be a code.
Hi I’m having the same exact issue with my 2011 e350. Did you ever get it resolved? I just changed spark plugs and it feels even worse. On cold mornings the car shakes really bad like I’m in a truck and sometimes even pulses in vibration.The RPM seems steady. Once I shift into drive it lowers the RPM and it shakes even more. And it’s a lot worse in reverse. Once I drive for 10-15 minutes it gets better and only has a little shake when I come to a stop. I thought new plugs would fix my issue but it really does seem worse. I’m not sure where to start, I have an icarsoft scanner but the live data doesn’t update so it’s hard to actually get good info to diagnose with. And a local shop wants $160 per hour amd 2 hours just to diagnose the car. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Last edited by joedajoester; 11-06-2023 at 09:22 AM.
im having the same issues
shakes on idle and feels like a miss fire I have had it plugged in no engine lights all injectors working perfect everything looks good but can’t seem to narrow the idle shake
I have pin pointed the crank shaft sensor but this would throw codes but not necessarily becuase as the car gets warmer the shake goes
so I’m thinking the crank sensor is giving false reading am I right in this
im having the same issues
shakes on idle and feels like a miss fire I have had it plugged in no engine lights all injectors working perfect everything looks good but can’t seem to narrow the idle shake
I have pin pointed the crank shaft sensor but this would throw codes but not necessarily becuase as the car gets warmer the shake goes
so I’m thinking the crank sensor is giving false reading am I right in this
Ypu said nothing about when this car last had ignition parts renewed ? Once you get through with that we'll check fuel Trims using your handy scanner.
Crank sensor would prevent the engine from running at all.
What you have now is a weak combustion limited by the ECU based on historical data. Engine may only need a few cheap parts. What's current mileage?
Ypu said nothing about when this car last had ignition parts renewed ? Once you get through with that we'll check fuel Trims using your handy scanner.
Crank sensor would prevent the engine from running at all.
What you have now is a weak combustion limited by the ECU based on historical data. Engine may only need a few cheap parts. What's current mileage?
Ive but a computer on it nothing comes up mileage is 110k diesel fuel delivers ok as it’s picks up it’s normal speed and doesn’t lag or miss a beat on speed it’s only when it’s idle it shakes
Ive but a computer on it nothing comes up mileage is 110k diesel fuel delivers ok as it’s picks up it’s normal speed and doesn’t lag or miss a beat on speed it’s only when it’s idle it shakes
you piggy backed your diesel engine issue on a gasoline thread.
Don't expect enlightenment from missing scanner codes... you'll need to read data.
You say fuel delivery is likely good then focus on your glowplugs. Maybe it's time for a good set.
I let you assess if your idle runs smooth... if it does then the 3x mounts of engine/tranny always make a difference if that's the only problem.... ie. 50% of the time.
This issue might be a clogged or bad PCV system. I’m getting it replaced soon and I hope it helps. Now that it’s getting colder the car is shaking ridiculously bad and feels like it wants to stall. The whole interior rattles with the vibrations it’s that strong.
I got a new pcv system and lines and the issue is still present. Was told it’s likely an engine mount and they said it’s a massive job for a 11 e350 and couldn’t even give a quote they just said it’s going to take a long time. So just gonna live with the vibrations at idle I guess.
I got a new pcv system and lines and the issue is still present.
Was told it’s likely an engine mount and they said it’s a massive job for a 11 e350 and couldn’t even give a quote they just said it’s going to take a long time.
So just gonna live with the vibrations at idle I guess.
Vibrations are only tell-tale sign of engine uneven running. Combine that with bad mounts to get a shaker. Only 50% chance Engine + Tranny mounts fix that if they are originals.
Fresh rubber mounts do help to some extent then concider engine needs minor maintenance.
What is your current mileage on this 2011 E350 ??
Do you have a scanner to read your car data??
How old are sparkplugs? Less than 60kMi?
You can approach this issue which ever way you prefer:
Mounts then tune-up
Tune-up then perhaps mounts.
I side with #2: tune-up... Plugs + Lambda + Tensioners.
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; 03-14-2024 at 03:10 PM.
Vibrations are only tell-tale sign of engine uneven running. Combine that with bad mounts to get a shaker. Only 50% chance engine + tranny mounts fix that if they are originals... New mounts do help to some extent then engine needs minor maintenance.
What is your current mileage on this 2011 E350 ??
Do you have a scanner to read your car data??
How old are sparkplugs? Less than 60kMi?
It has 70,000 miles. I have an iCarsoft scanner that shows no codes. The engine does rarely misfire for a few seconds up to 30 seconds on startup but I can’t catch it with the scanner since it’s pretty random. Once it goes away, it runs fine, but still rough when in drive/reverse while stopped and on cold days. It does the same shaking when I turn the wheel at a stop as well.
I swapped spark plugs with NGK brand plugs. The original plugs were pretty rough. One had a little dried oil on it which prompted me to swap out the PCV system.
I was thinking it needs engine mounts and possibly new ignition coils and wires. This car spent two years at a type of job where it was ran idle with AC on for a good portion of the day 5-6 days a week. Seems like the shaking got really bad after that.
A shop told me that one of the engine mounts is bad and the transmission mounts were ok. So either something is running bad and it’s eating the mount or could that two years of idle running be the cause of the mount going bad?
Last edited by joedajoester; 03-14-2024 at 03:10 PM.
It has 70,000 miles. I have an iCarsoft scanner that shows no codes. The engine does rarely misfire for a few seconds up to 30 seconds on startup but I can’t catch it with the scanner since it’s pretty random. Once it goes away, it runs fine, but still rough when in drive/reverse while stopped and on cold days. It does the same shaking when I turn the wheel at a stop as well.
I swapped spark plugs with NGK brand plugs. The original plugs were pretty rough. One had a little dried oil on it which prompted me to swap out the PCV system.
I was thinking it needs engine mounts and possibly new ignition coils and wires. This car spent two years at a type of job where it was ran idle with AC on for a good portion of the day 5-6 days a week. Seems like the shaking got really bad after that.
A shop told me that one of the engine mounts is bad and the transmission mounts were ok. So either something is running bad and it’s eating the mount or could that two years of idle running be the cause of the mount going bad?
Perfect background description helps decide on actual repairs. You have fresh ignition already.
So we can positively say bad Mounts are not causing light misfires rough engine. Forget engine mounts !
First you need to fix the engine misfires if at all possible. It may be lean mixture related or damaged dry cylinders.
Idling these engines for days guarantees dry cylinders caused by low oil pressure below 23Psi. This is done to "save gasoline", if you can believe that.
Use your scanner to read LTFT and fuel pressures.
Not sure if you want to borescope your cylinders: zero fix for scored cylinders.
This repair is miles away from bad mounts....
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; 03-14-2024 at 04:11 PM.
Perfect background description helps decide on actual repairs
So we can positively say bad Mounts are not causing rough engine. Forget engine mounts !
First you need to fix the engine misfires. It may be lean mixture related or damaged dry cylinders.
Use your scanner to read LTFT and fuel pressures.
Not sure if you want to borescope your cylinders: zero fix for scored cylinders.
Thank you for giving me some advice on this.
So these readings are from a few months ago before I swapped the spark plugs. I took photos of the screen and I’m typing them out here to make it easier to read. The scanner was showing long term fuel trim is +10% for B1 and +9.4% for B2. At idle, fuel rail pressure is 55psi. Intake manifold pressure is showing 9 inHg also at idle. Fuel pressure 69psi at idle.
I found the scanner has a menu to show cylinder faults in realtime and I revved the engine lightly in park and it showed cylinder 1 fault. Can’t reproduce this again at all though.
I used a bore scope on one of the cylinders when I changed the spark plugs. I’ve attached a photo of it and the worst spark plug of the 6.
Once the car is warmed up, it drives fine and seems to have no problem accelerating. And the vibration issues are not very noticeable when the weather is warm. But on a cold day the whole thing shakes so bad that some of the interior rattles.
Last edited by joedajoester; 03-14-2024 at 03:54 PM.
So these readings are from a few months ago before I swapped the spark plugs. I took photos of the screen and I’m typing them out here to make it easier to read. The scanner was showing long term fuel trim is +10% for B1 and +9.4% for B2. At idle, fuel rail pressure is 55psi. Intake manifold pressure is showing 9 inHg also at idle. Fuel pressure 69psi at idle.
I found the scanner has a menu to show cylinder faults in realtime and I revved the engine lightly in park and it showed cylinder 1 fault. Can’t reproduce this again at all though.
I used a bore scope on one of the cylinders when I changed the spark plugs. I’ve attached a photo of it and the worst spark plug of the 6.
Once the car is warmed up, it drives fine and seems to have no problem accelerating. And the vibration issues are not very noticeable when the weather is warm. But on a cold day the whole thing shakes so bad that some of the interior rattles.
Great progress + 80% good news
BTW, it's very nice to progress without pulling teeth. If there was a award I'd hand it to you!
> Let's read the tea leaves...
The long story short is I think the true fix is lambda + tensioners + 10w-40 oil.
--> The way engine runs at operating temperature says cylinders are working, not new but in capable condition.
- you car gets to stay in service another decade.
--> The dirty old plug picture shows us the mirror image of your Lambda sensor...
- Right now +10% is giving you more fuel to compensate for additional air.
- The fact LTFT is even speaks well for cylinders overall condition.
- In any case this means the engine is burning well: good injector + spark.
--> The fuel pressure is all right See if it stays put under load but likely good at 70kMi + 1million hours idling for AC cooling.
The thicker 10w40 oil will help seal piston rings more effectively. The loose chain tensioners actively mess up cam timings that proportionally cause vibrations. They are the ultimate stealthy provider.
Once this is all said and done your car power may feel it is re-born new again in 4000Mi.
Look up keywork "oil pump solenoid" after your preliminary repairs.
First sorry for the dumb name made it when I was younger. I have 2010 E350 4matic with 116k miles and I have a vibration at idle that I cannot fix. I changed all 3 mounts didnt really help. I got it checked for vacuum leak and apparently there is none. I just changed the spark plugs with bosch double platinum, mann air filter, and fresh mobil 1 oil change. The engine is clearly vibrating and it gets worse when its cold and worse when in gear. It only vibrates at idle ~550-600 rpm so at start up when idle is high no vibration but once it goes down it starts vibrating and when I put it in gear and it drops even more the vibrations get worse. If I give it some gas and raise it to like 700 smooth as butter. While driving around its smooth. I feel a little of hesitation when accelerating at ~3-4k rpm but only at partial throttle and for a little bit. I checked MAF by unplugging it and starting it up and it still was vibrating. NO CEL and NO codes. When the engine gets warm it gets alot better sometimes goes away depending on how long its been running and how warm it is out. I tried one bottle of techron and only use 93. I also get a vibration coming from the engine/under the dash area Im assuming from like where the trans connects when I turn the wheel when my car is at idle and its cold. Gets better/ goes away when engine is warm. This doesnt happen at low speeds just when stopped I dont have any issues with turning while moving or anything like that its just at idle when cold. Thanks for any help.
08-10-2023, 05:55 PM
