brookside

I have a 2007 GL 320 that had trouble starting the other day. It started, then by itself (still parked) turned off after about 5 minutes. Then, it would not start. I left it for about 15 minutes and then it started, but ran rough. The check engine light came on, but it seemed to run fine.

The dealer said it had a misfire code (misfired 2 times) but they found no problem. What is a misfire?

Any thought on this? It was a cold morning, but that did not seem to be the issue, then next morning was colder but no trouble starting up.

StevethePilot

It is a failure for the fuel/air mixture to detonate. There could be a lot of causes but in a modern truck like these it should really be checked out. It might be a true misfire, it might be that fuel and/or air didn't actually get in to that cylinder, it could be a dozen or more things. But to just say, "Gee, it looks okay now, must've been nothing" sounds a bit lazy to me. (Though, without being any kind of mechanic, I could be absolutely wrong on all counts!)

tmukherjee

my wife's gl 320 has failed to start on two separate occasions. she engaged the starter button, the engine cranked but did not start (almost as if there were no fuel-however tank was half filled) mercedes roadside assistance responded and the car started immediately (to my wife's annoyance)

this occured again several weeks later, and the car spontaneously started after several hours (this time it was in my driveway)

took the benz in and left the car until MB could determine the malfunction. the computer detected no fault, but ultimately MB replaced the fuel pump.

several days after picking up the car, it once again failed to start. this time the battery was dead. this failure was most likely the result of the mb technicians taking my electrical system apart during the previous service call.


needless to say i am now driving the gl. so far i have not had any problems (going on two months)

my wife is driving my land cruiser and is quite happy.
the irony of course is that my wife has given up a car she could not start for a car she may not be able to stop.

Fourdiesel

Sounds like a fuel issue (NOT the fuel filter since the car later started and ran fine with normal power). You said 'cold' but didn't say how cold. At abt 10 deg F normal number 2 diesel may start to precipitate paraffin wax that can temporarily clog things up until the local temp at the filter or other cold point warms up. Different batches of fuel can start this at different temps. Biodiesel is even worse - if there is any bio in the fuel it may start to thicken much earlier.

brookside

It was about 0-5 degrees, so perhaps that was it. However, I had added the fuel additive to keep it from gelling and it was a full tank. Seems to be fine now. I am starting to think that the name brands of diesel fuel (mobile…) are better than some of the off brands that are cheaper (Pride in the north east). Where I live in Fairfield County CT the difference in price can be $.25 or more a gallon. Thanks.

Fourdiesel

The big names (Chevron owns Mobil and Texaco), Shell, etc generally pay more attention to quality issues than others forced to cut a few corners to make a buck. Since most fuel in a given area usually comes from just one or two refineries, most quality issues concern keeping the fuel clean and fresh. In my experience, a truck stop that pumps thousands of gallons a week will almost always more trouble free fuel than diesel from the rural locally owned station that only gets deliveries of diesel every 3-4 weeks.
The fuel anti gel additives you can buy are of limited effectiveness in lowering the gel point. RARELY do they publish, on the bottle, anything other than the most general statements such as "reduces fuel gelling" etc. This usually means fairly large amounts are needed to have any more than minimal effects. They are a step in the right direction, but only a tiny step.

MDGL320

Had similar problem of no-start after shut down. Dealer replaced fuel pump and control electronics, no problem since.