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.
I've got a 2014 E63S Wagon with a Stage 2 ECU tune from Jerry at EC. I've been running it for a little while and have noticed that the car seems to go through multiple modes of behavior - I've searched to see if others have had similar issues and I cannot find any reports, so I'm getting the sense it is unique to my situation. I'm big into data (looks like I'll be at home on this forum) and excited that this presents the opportunity to get to know my vehicle a bit better. I've gone ahead and purchased the HPTuners MPVI2 and had my first go at pulling some long logs today. Following in the footsteps of 5Soko and Brutus I've taking the data and thrown it in datazap.me to make it a bit easier to manipulate. Note that the car is all stock minus the tune.
Key differences in behavior that I've noted on occasion:
Car will suddenly feel "bogged" and any throttle inputs elicit a sluggish response
The burble aspect of the tune will go crazy - nearly any closed throttle on a decline will make non-stop cracks and pops
The only way I've found to limit this is to keep the throttle partially open or to get on the brakes to slow things down (Leads me to believe this is related to vacuum and/or timing)
Shifting can be affected - either shifting too early or what I describe as a hesitation when shifting (notably when accelerating in 7th as it drops down to 5th)
RPMs can hunt on occasion at idle (I've not seen this in the stock profile otherwise I'd suggest this is potentially a sign of a vacuum leak)
Up to now learning HPTuners and collecting data has been fairly easy, but I could use some help with analysis and putting some of this data into context (i.e. normal or not). I'm throwing this out there to see if some of the resident experts have any initial insight or can identify anything worth of investigation.
As a note - I plan to do two other similar runs in the next week or so to get more data on how my vehicle behaves:
1) With the stock profile loaded back on the ECU
2) With the Stage 2 profile minus the "burble" aspect added (I guess burble comes normal with the Stage 2, but I've asked specifically to remove it)
Any feedback/tips/advice would be greatly appreciated!
When I first inquire with Jerry on this (mostly focusing on how crazy the burble could get) Jerry asked me to just remove and reload the file. Since it has persisted I wanted to jump on the data logging band wagon to see what I could dig into on my own before bugging him. If you think that it's something with the tune (rather than something I'm just missing like throwing new plugs on there) I'll go ahead and share with him.
I did not acquire the car with the tune, just did it over the summer when EC was running a sale.
When I first inquire with Jerry on this (mostly focusing on how crazy the burble could get) Jerry asked me to just remove and reload the file. Since it has persisted I wanted to jump on the data logging band wagon to see what I could dig into on my own before bugging him. If you think that it's something with the tune (rather than something I'm just missing like throwing new plugs on there) I'll go ahead and share with him.
I did not acquire the car with the tune, just did it over the summer when EC was running a sale.
I would also share with jerry he's very receptive you also paid into his customer service. I doubt it's the plugs or coils with no CEL's or codes being thrown. Also are you saying you like the burble tune? I hate the burble but totally respect it if you like it. Also, the throttle bogging could also be an issue that Benz would have to resolve with an ecu update as that was a thing in 2015 or 2016, which would then require you to re tune the ecu with jerry based on the new stock file
always a worthwhile endeavor to replace plugs and coils if they haven't been done within 20k miles ... and also what's the quality of your gas?
I've had my stock ecu be rock stable with old coils but then the tuned ecu was very erratic and threw codes until I replaced the coils
Last edited by PeterUbers; Nov 1, 2020 at 02:37 PM.
Really appreciate the feedback. It's a good point and I'll take this to Jerry and see what feedback he has. Personally, I'm also not totally into the burble. I like the snarl and crack when it happens after WOT, but when it happens all the time and for seemingly no reason it's far less enjoyable. I didn't even realize it came with the Stage 2 until after I had uploaded it and took the car for a spin. Jerry has since provided me with a Stage 2 tune without the burble which I'll have to try and upload.
I purchased the car with 19k and the vehicle has just shy of 30k at the moment. I've not changed plugs and the service history I'm aware of doesn't indicate they were ever changed, but that seems like a fairly easy thing to have a go at (I'll reference your coil changing video). As for gas, I'd say normal? It's just 93 from the location station here in NJ. I've noticed this happening regardless of where in the tri-state I fill up.
Remove burble ASAP, replace plugs and coils. I'm chasing down some "ignition gremlins" as the M157 seems to be hit or miss, pun intended with misfire and ignition issues.
Once hardware issues are resolved Jerry will set you straight.
Do you both suggest all 8 coils or starting with a couple at the front and working my way back? As a note - I have no CELs and no DTC history (using iCarsoft V2.0 Diagnostic tool). I've ordered plugs as that sounds worth it regardless of any issue.
As a note - I sent the CSV to Jerry and he is taking a closer look as well. Will report back if he finds anything of interest.
JGun... welcome to the fray! Myself and Senad are excited to see another purveyor of HP Tuner and Datazap.me
Use of these tools really does help nail down any potential issues, or at least highlight problem areas.
I'm sure Senad will jump into the thread, but I have a general comment.
When logging data, it's important to try and establish a baseline configuration... by that I mean we recommend logging data with TC OFF, in manual mode and logging a full pull in either 3rd or 4th gear. We like fourth just because of the volume of data your acquire, plus it really loads up the fuelling and coolant system, but understand that 130mph pulls can be hard to safely achieve in certain areas. 3rd is a good compromise and doesn't carry the "direct to jail" potential a 130 mph pull on a public highway would entail.
Whenever you are off throttle your timing will be out of whack and not realistic. By just logging a dedicated run, it helps filter out all the spurious data and background noise that gets collected while puttering around.
I suggest doing a run configured as above and then share that data... Jerry will like that a bunch more I promise you.
@PeterUbers Will do. Just ordered those and will plan to swap plugs and coils.
@brutus_tx Appreciate the welcome and looking forward to contributing. I'm an engineer as well so this sort of troubleshooting is where the goods are at. I'll look to perform the baseline runs and compare the performance of the different profiles as well.
@brutus_tx Here are a couple of 3rd Gear pulls - I believe you had this same issue with the throttle closing even when commanded full open, but I couldn't find the exact post to revisit the outcome.
Today's weather was quite fair here with an approximate DA of -370ft
Pull 1
Pull 2
I didn't get chance to run the other tunes so will have to aim to do that another time this week.
There's something odd going on there for sure... not only is there no reason why you would have the throttle closure at that point in the RPM range, but your boost seems to taper off over the course of the rev range.
What's your timing doing over the same range?
Thats a nice little boost spike at the end of the run as well.
My throttle closures were attributed to the TCU intervening to restrict torque during gear change by forcefully closing the throttle regardless of peddle input. Never during a pull after the gear change.
Look at all the other data points to see if anything looks amiss.. check fueling, timing, knock etc...
I suggest sending this log to Jerry to see what he thinks may be at issue.
Got it - and agreed. I can't say I felt it during the pulls, but it does seem strange. I've sent these files to Jerry as well to see what his thoughts are.
Timing doesn't shift at the moment the throttle closes, though obviously I don't know if the timing on a relative scale is normal at all. The only things that show similar dips around the same time are boost pressure and intake pressure.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
Analysis Help - HPTuners Data - Stage 2 Wagon
