jpniner

well I scheduled maintaince at local dealer next wed.....this past weekend on interestate I lost power again and CEL started flashing, then was fine on restart.

anyone got any tips, obviously if its only the fuel filter or pump I will have them replace but if its something I could fix myself it would be great. I just hate to take it in and they give me a 1k bill afterwards.

Gabe

I would honestly recommend that you replace your own spark plugs. Even if you get the top-of-the-line Bosch Platinum it will cost you less than $20 and take less than an hour if you have the tools. One more thing that comes to mind is the seat of those spark plugs. It is critical for the connection between the plug and the engine to be free of corrosion and oil. Sometimes, just taking the plugs out and screwing them back on is enough to create a better connection but you may even try cleaning the threads with a long QTip and alcohol making sure you don't drop anything in the cylinder! That's just something they won't try at the shop and could fix your problem.

jpniner

well they replaced an Ignition Coil and a couple cables, milked me for 580 bucks although I got to drive a nice car of theirs for the day.

bgillj220

I had a similar experience. Misfired on 5 cylinders with multiple codes on #5. Replaced the spark plugs and spark plug wires. My 98 ML320 has2 183K miles on it so it was way overdue. This did not solve the problem.

I am having the Oxygen Mass Sensor replaced ($180). This is a common problem I have found out from an independent Mercedes shop. On the coils, the engine will still idle rough after a restart which my car is not doing. The coils can be purchased for $60 (six required). Installation at the shop was $50 so this might help as well if you have a high mileage car like mine.

I'll keep you posted on the end result. Best wishes

bgillj220

Follow up on my '98 ML320 with 183K miles. It was the CATS. Replaced both for $1500. I bought the whole units that require the torsion bar to be removed. Of the $1500, $400 was for labor at the shop. The CATS are warranted for a year. I just put in $2500 in this car. Need to get 250K miles out of it. I also replaced belts and hoses and the muffler may be next. Other than that she purrs like a cat and keeps trucking .