Check Engine/Engine Electronics W210
 

Hi Guys,

Need your help with my 1996 E300D. The check engine light just came on and it says to check engine electronics. The car runs fine and has had the glow plugs changed @ 57,300 miles. The car currently has 68,300. It also had the RCL control unit replaced @68,284 miles. Any idea what it could be? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Alex

You need a code
 

http://www.autolib.diakom.ru:8000/CA.../cs1000_mb.pdf

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforu...ighlight=turbo

http://pages.prodigy.net/jforgione/MB_S500.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforu...ad.php?t=71814

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforu...d.php?t=144545

You can have the code read for free at places like Pep Boys, Autozone and other auto retailers. I always wanted to ask, do a large percentage of drivers believe that these check engine lights are the end of the story and can't be easily read for more detail?
Paul
_________
98 E300

Our van has had that light on for the last 8000+ miles and we've done nothing about it, still drives where it needs to go no problem (so far)......we did the code lookup, and there were four different ones, so we decided to pretend its not on. :eek: :D

You can easily do a resistance test on your glow plugs to make sure they all work. More likely than not it's a false warning. I've had this warning come up a few times, but lately it's been fine. Instead I get the low engine oil warning every now and then even though the oil level on the dipstick is about 1/3 above the minimum.:rolleyes: My best advice it to press the reset button and keep on driving unless the warning is persistent.

How do you reset the CEL?

Regards,

Alex

There should be an R button on the right side of the instrument panel. This doesn't really clear the code from memory, but it does clear the display.

Okay,

I went to Autozone and got the code read. They said that it was P0120, the throttle position sensor. I tried to price the part on line and was unsuccessful. Is there anything else that could be causing this code to appear?

Thanks,

Alex

I did a search in the Tech Forum and found this thread to be the most detailed discussion of a P0120 CEL. Not the most simple problem to tackle I suspect.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/20972-diagnostic-code.html?highlight=p0120
Paul
________
98 E300

That's a good thread there, Superlite17. Remember I said that I used to get this message as well but not anymore? Now that I think of it, the message seems to have stopped popping up after I cleaned and lubed all the intake flaps.

Thanks Guys,

I will get started on cleaning and lubing the flaps. Can you guys recommend what to use to clean the flaps and how to take the intake off. Lastly, are they all located on the intake tubes and will I have to replace the intake gasket or gasketsl?

Thanks Again,

Alex

Diesel fuel works as a great cleaner - also, now is the time to perform the CCV mod, EGR mod or both - I suspect the CCV mod would have the most impact as far as keeping the intact clean - the CCV gases combined w/ the EGR gases create this nasty black paste that coats the walls of the intake and the openings into the head - Many here have done both mods w/ great success - also after cleaning the flaps I added a few drops of oil at the pivot points to keep thins moving freely. Hope this helps!

I used carb cleaner and one type of lube gel that I got from Wal-mart. Only the crossover pipe needs to come off. Remove all the bolts and give it a whack from the front with a rubber mallet if you have trouble removing it.

Michakaveli and DieselAddict,

Thanks alot for the help. How do I do the MODS for the EGR and the CCV? What parts to I have to buy and or gaskets to replace when I do the MODS?
I really want to fix this problem. Today the idle started to surge while I was driving.

Thanks again,

Alex

I'm sure you can find the answers by using the search on this board. Before you do it though, you may want to make sure you won't get into trouble while doing a smog test. The EGR is something the inspector will check if you have to do smog testing in your state. Also it's there for a good reason, to reduce NOx and other emissions. As long as you don't mind the occasional cleaning, there really is no other reason to do this mod. Using a clean-burning additive like StarTron and doing the occasion Italian tune-up will keep the intake fairly clean so you shouldn't have to do this cleaning very often even if you decide not to do the mod.