98 E300 Turbodiesel "hiccuping"
 

I am going to have a hard time describing this, so I wouldn't have any idea how to search previous threads. I re-claimed the MB from my wife in January, after she beat on it for a year. I spent 2K on parts, including a third! front valance and fog lights, front section of the unipanel underneath, second mirror adjustment module, seat position regulator, new floor mats, ect.....(sorry fastlane, I wasn't able to log on at the time I purchased;)) and I had my service brought up to date by my very competent indy.

For the past two weeks, I have noticed that the car seems to be "hiccuping" every few minutes at idle and underway. For a split second, it seems to stutter (and I do mean for only a portion of a second), and the tach needle barely drops when this happens. It runs as strong as ever, isn't smoking and is getting mileage consitent with past performance.

On full disclosure, I had the oil changed last week, but didn't have time to wait for him to do the fuel filter(s) and brought it home to do this week meself. The car has 110K on the clock and new glow plugs.

The stutter, or hiccup is almost imperceptible, but yesterday I drove 200 mi and I noticed it as I usually drive in silence when on certain missions. Could it be a dirty/clogged injector? Dirty fuel filter (I usually replace when I change the oil, but this one doesn't have more than 15K on it)? Air in a fuel line? (all these replaced recently). I haven't put any additives in the fuel in a while and was thinking of running some power service or diesel purge though it to try and help.

Any suggestions appreciated.

might be air getting into the fuel lines. They are notorious for said issue.

Always look for a leak first.

If occurs during decel in low rpm stop and go traffic its normal; is the IP leaning out the fuel mixture.

Ditto what The Don and Terry said. The biggest cuprit with this vehicle is the fuel delivery and filter system. You had already replaced the clear fuel lines.......how about the "O" ring on the little primary filter and the one behind the Shut Off Valve? Any leaking from the six delivery valves on the top of the Injection Pump?....those "O" rings would be due for a change after 10 years if they have not already been done. ;)

I put butcher paper under neath it for a couple of days in the garage and nothing leaked out (yes, running and not).

As to the IP doing its thing--I didn't know that was the case, but the car has never done this before (I have owned it since 27K). Also, it was doing it when I was cruising at 80 yesterday, if that helps.

to the Don--the fuel lines are very new and clear and I have spent quite a bit of time watching them for bubbles and haven't seen any, but is there another way to check this?

Thanks for the responses--I took two years off of trying to deal with this thing myself out of frustration and my wife's abuse of the car, but I am tinkering with an old Army truck right now and am kind of getting the itch to wrench on the benz again. May even get my dipstick pump I made with the advice of this forum out of the basement and start changing my own oil again:D

I always replace the primary filter and its o ring when I change out the fuel filter. I replaced the shut off valve......about a year and a half ago iirc. I let some half ass that owed me money change the oil last year and he took that little o ring off and didn't put it back on the screen filter, and it leaked like a tanker that had hit an iceburg!!

I know the frustration......with the vehicle......with the sub-quality work provided by others.:rolleyes:

FWIW - Like most of us I've had fuel leaks more than once; I've never had one that actually dripped and made a spot on the floor......

From the description it sure sounds like air drawn into the fuel lines, albeit a very mild case. It will hiccup more frequently with more air drawn in. When things get really bad it will require a longer cranking time to start. Is there any smell of diesel fuel under the hood?

- JimY

No smell. Gotcha on the dripping situation. What I have also done is tried to run down all of the fuel lines (that my waaaaaaaaaaay less experienced brain than you guys) I could identify and they all seem to be 'jammed' on the fittings tightly and I haven't noticed any fuel leaking out any where around the injectors either.

It 'feels' like air is in the lines, but as I mentioned before, when I have had that problem, I could always see it as bubbles in the clear lines. If I take it in, I know he will want to replace all the lines again and I think twice in three years is already enough....

Not to hijack my own thread, but have any of you guys replaced steering wheel covers? What do you do, just order one and have an upholstery shop stitch it on? Baby will be near new looking if I get that done!!

On my previous 2000 E430, I installed a new wood leather steering wheel from www.************************. They are a little pricey at $700, but they are original wheels and look and feel like they cost a million bucks.

Performance Products warehouse and showroom is in Van Nuys or North Hollywood, which is pretty close to your buddy's property near the Sunset Strip. Might be worth a trip.

On my old 1993 300E (3.2) "E320", I had my original equipment steering wheel rewrapped in black leather. I forgot how much it cost, but their work was perfect. They were in Pasadena, and are a shop that does a lot of business with GAHH, which makes original seat leather, convertible tops, etc. for Mercedes vehicles of all types and years.

Thanks Sug. I probably won't go the new wheel route, but just want to get it back to stock, as it just looks kind of nasty and since the car is mbtex, the rest of it looks new.

Darnit, I have been searching these posts trying to find someone with the same probelm as mine for such a long time. Tell me if yours does what mine does. Driving at highway speeds, let off the gas, then ever so slightly roll into the throttle and it hiccups. If you roll quickly into throttle, no problem. Now, if you find a straihgt flat road, put the trans in "2" and bring it up and hold at about 2200 RPM, the car surges and surges and surges. That is what mine is doing. I changed all the plastic fuel lines and it apears ever so marginally better, but still there. Mine has been doing it for at least a year now. Can't find a local indy and local MB service apears to know nothing at all about diesels.

As far as the wheel is concerned, pretty straight forward and easy, however, VERY IMPORTANT, disconnect the battery before you unplug the airbag and then make sure the airbag is plugged back in before you put the battery back on or you will get and SRS light on the dash which only dealer can shut off. You will also very more than likely need a good strong air hammer (air powered lug wrench) to remove the 10mm bolt holding the wheel on. Don't even bother trying to kill yourself doing it without one. It will pop right off with the air hammer, but it has to be a pretty powerful one. Did not work with the average one I use to change my tires, had to use a friends that had more a** to it.

Is yours a turbo or a NA 606?

I had a similar hiccuping problem on my 1998 E300D Turbodiesel. In the end it turned out to be a failing bit of the alternator that caused a torque transient load on the engine that eventually broke the belt tensioning feature. That cost me a new alternator and a new serpentine belt tensioner. But it was a weird problem - very much like a hiccup and at times it would do several jerks in a row and then just calmly go about its business. Eventually the alternator stopped keeping the battery charged and a big nasty red warning appeared on the dashboard and that was the way I discovered the problem. Before that I wrote it off as air in the lines that I could not identify a source for, and since it never stopped running or starting, I just kept driving.

Jim