Multiple cylinder Misfires and black smoke in w212 with M278 engine
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Newbie
Joined: Oct 2022
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e 550
Multiple cylinder Misfires and black smoke in w212 with M278 engine
Hello Everyone,
I'm a new member to this community. I see there are many experts here who provide guidance and suggestion and I'm really loving that. I'm planning to buy a 2012 E550 in next few days. The car is very clean inside and out, up until 2020 it was a one owner. I have checked its vehicle history and see that it was regularly serviced at Mercedes dealership and mostly highway driven. I spoke to the dealership it was serviced at and they never had to service it for any major issues apart from the regular service A and service B maintanence.
However, the car somehow seems to neglected after 2020 by another owner. Here are the issues with the car
- The AC light blinks 3 times and shuts when turned on(went through mb forums and I'm guessing it low on freon gas).
- Takes a while for the car to start. Its not immediate. Even after warmup(or cold start) it takes good 8-10 cranks before it can start.
- The engine runs rough, shakes a lot and also has a CEL on. Had it scanned with a OBD tool and found all these codes : P0301, P0304, P0302, P0300, P0308.
- In park(did not drive it since it was throwing all red flags.), when you floor it, it blows black smoke as if there was oil burning inside.
I understand the first thought would be to get away from the car as all these signs are definitely a red flag but I'm no expert on Mercedes or any other car and wanted to see if anyone of you guys had these similar problems. Or what would be causing these issues. I'm willing to put down some money if its a tune up or cats issue. Just wanted to avoid a engine teardown.
Thanks in advance!!!
I'm a new member to this community. I see there are many experts here who provide guidance and suggestion and I'm really loving that. I'm planning to buy a 2012 E550 in next few days. The car is very clean inside and out, up until 2020 it was a one owner. I have checked its vehicle history and see that it was regularly serviced at Mercedes dealership and mostly highway driven. I spoke to the dealership it was serviced at and they never had to service it for any major issues apart from the regular service A and service B maintanence.
However, the car somehow seems to neglected after 2020 by another owner. Here are the issues with the car
- The AC light blinks 3 times and shuts when turned on(went through mb forums and I'm guessing it low on freon gas).
- Takes a while for the car to start. Its not immediate. Even after warmup(or cold start) it takes good 8-10 cranks before it can start.
- The engine runs rough, shakes a lot and also has a CEL on. Had it scanned with a OBD tool and found all these codes : P0301, P0304, P0302, P0300, P0308.
- In park(did not drive it since it was throwing all red flags.), when you floor it, it blows black smoke as if there was oil burning inside.
I understand the first thought would be to get away from the car as all these signs are definitely a red flag but I'm no expert on Mercedes or any other car and wanted to see if anyone of you guys had these similar problems. Or what would be causing these issues. I'm willing to put down some money if its a tune up or cats issue. Just wanted to avoid a engine teardown.
Thanks in advance!!!
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 11,964
Likes: 6,806
From: Silicon Valley
W212 MY'14 M276-3.5NA @75kMi
resurrecting neglected bargain... or not ?
it does sound like this money pit needs attention.
You can almost fix anything on budget except cylinders scoring - No way to tell exactly about the tranny wear... they too need timely maintenance.
This project car is a gamble or a donor chassis - Perhaps all it needs is a fuel filter, plugs and a bit of luck
You can almost fix anything on budget except cylinders scoring - No way to tell exactly about the tranny wear... they too need timely maintenance.
This project car is a gamble or a donor chassis - Perhaps all it needs is a fuel filter, plugs and a bit of luck
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Oct 21, 2022 at 04:39 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 4,376
Likes: 948
W212 FL
I was also told by the mechanics to buy a high mileage W221 S Class with M278 because turbos are alone would cost $$$$ to replace. In this case, if replacing engine would cost more than the value of S Class worth then in an E Class it would be . I didn't like what OP said about the car, I think it will need a major overhauling to fix everything
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Dallas-Ft.Worth,TX
2016 E350 Sport
I'm NOT convinced that a second owner can mess-up a car through "neglect" in less than two years.
That said, you don't need to buy a car with known issues that you think are serious enough to question the car. So I would skip on this car, too.
That said, you don't need to buy a car with known issues that you think are serious enough to question the car. So I would skip on this car, too.
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2022
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e 550
One more thing to add. I was digging a little deeper and found that the engine actually had 175k miles (mostly highway)back in 2021 and then it was sold to someone else. But the odometer currently says it's at 75k. I'm not certain if a digital odometer could be rolled back easily, so I was guessing that the owner changed the ECU and thus leading to poor ignition and what not. Because like you guys expressed, even I feel it to be strange for someone to abuse an engine that it messes with the internal components.
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Sep 2018
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From: unbegrenzt
2017 GLE350 4MATIC
One more thing to add. I was digging a little deeper and found that the engine actually had 175k miles (mostly highway)back in 2021 and then it was sold to someone else. But the odometer currently says it's at 75k. I'm not certain if a digital odometer could be rolled back easily, so I was guessing that the owner changed the ECU and thus leading to poor ignition and what not. Because like you guys expressed, even I feel it to be strange for someone to abuse an engine that it messes with the internal components.
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,957
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One more thing to add. I was digging a little deeper and found that the engine actually had 175k miles (mostly highway)back in 2021 and then it was sold to someone else. But the odometer currently says it's at 75k. I'm not certain if a digital odometer could be rolled back easily, so I was guessing that the owner changed the ECU and thus leading to poor ignition and what not. Because like you guys expressed, even I feel it to be strange for someone to abuse an engine that it messes with the internal components.
Member
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 224
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From: NE
S212 E350 Estate
