My former perfect E300D 1995 is in terrible condition after pick up at MB dealer

[db07974]

Went to pick up my car yesterday. Recall that 5 glo plugs were replaced (glo plug #4 is frozen), new belt installed, new disc installed.

Turned the car on and, in addition to the car shaking when 1st started in the cold, which it did before I brought it in, it now makes this HORRID clanking sound when it starts and as it keeps running.

Additionally, my coil light on the dash does not work, i.e., you turn the key half way until the coil light goes out and then you start the car. This feature worked perfectly prior to bringing it in to Millenium Mercedes, now it is dead. Asked this young mechanic why and he said because Glo Plug #4 does not work. We told him that is not true because 3 glo plugs were not working before and it worked just fine, now only 1 is not working and it is broken?

This is a nightmare. This is (was) a gem car. Ran so beautifully, everything working on it. Bring it in to a mercedes dealer and $920 later, it clanks and does not light up.

We left the car there and did not pay for the repair. It is Saturday, but Monday the manager will be in and we will complain to him.

Please advise as to what went wrong. I feel like my beautiful 9 year old car which was close to perfect a week ago is now ruined.

Dieseldihard has responded to a continuation thread and I thank him very much for it.

Must deal with this tomorrow, Monday. This is going to be an agonizing ordeal.

Thanks in advance,
Diane



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01-17-2004 12:12 PM

[Holson Adi]

Only one thing to say.. Good luck!

Those E300s W124s are really nice cars! I've always wanted one. In fact if I come across one as mint as my E420, i wanna trade it for the diesel.

Anywa,y

I test drove a 1999 e300 turbo once that had been sitting for so long. The car started up but made this HORRIBLE clanking sound from the passenger side of the engine (near the manifold)

I drove it out and it smoked so much but after some spirited runs (The Turbo is FAST!) the car idled perfectly.

[JimSmith]

db07974

Don't judge the effect of the repair based on the clanking in cold weather until the temperature runs up to the normal operating temperature. I have a 1998 E300D TurboDiesel and in the recent cold snap it started fine but it really made some unusual for it clanking no matter how long I let it warm up idling. The problem is that a Diesel never warms up in that kind of weather, and the temperature never got above about 40*C. Once I took it out on the road and drove it, the temperature rose to the normal (just below 80*C mark) operating temperature and the car idles smoothly, as it usually does. Left to idle for any length of time though, it would cool off and start clanking again. This engine normally hardly sounds like a Diesel.

The glow plug light problem is likely due to the fact that the one glow plug is disconnected (or it should be). If this really bothers you, buy another glow plug and make a container to screw it into and connect the wire and a ground to it so the relay thinks all 6 are working.

So, give the car a test drive to run it to normal engine coolant operating temperatures, then see if it still clanks really badly. In very cold weather I do not think it is necessarily good to let these engines idle for long periods of time just because they will operate at temperatures that are much below the design operating temperatures. Get it started and let it stablize, then drive it gently until it is warmed up. Good luck, Jim

[wolf_walker]

I imagine this kind of thing is why a lot of people get started working on there own vehicles. Good luck is the best I can tell you.


And it'd take a lot more than this to ruin that car..

[michakaveli]

My 97 E300 with the OM606 also makes strong clanking sounds. Don't be alarmed, unless when at operating temperature it makes the same loud clanking.

Anyone know exactly what this is. Is this referred to as injector knock, where due to the temperature of the combustion chamber the injector isn't spraying it's usual pattern due to the temperature?

[chez1701]

db07974 what ever happend to the dealer on your ride?

[turbodiesel]

Don't take your car to a MB dealership.. find an indipendant mechanic near you (I live near you and can reccomend a few). Millennium does not have the best service department.