My 1996 e320 question.

[mr benz]

I just purchased a 1996 e 320 and and it had an egr valve problem, which i got fixed. What i noticed is that after getting the egr valve,the spark plugs, and the air filter replace by my mechanic, the idle on the car cjanged some what. You see prior to getting all this work done, the car when first started in the morning would idle about 1000 rpm and then within 30 seconds it would drop to the normal mayde 600-700 rpm. Now that i did the repair on the car, when i start the car the rpm stays at about 1000 for 2 minutes, afterwards it drop to about 850-900 and it stays there, it will only go down if the car is is driven. My mechanic said that is normal, i'm not sure if he is correct. I thought i'd ask for your opinion.
Should my cars idle go down right after its started. Your opinion please?

Thanks

[ccmbduong]

I have the same model '96 E320. In the morning (when cold), it revs at 1000-1100 rpm them after that (more than 30 secs) it would drop to 600-700 rpm, so I think it's normal for your car. Not sure when was the last time that you have your spring perches checked, if you have not done so, please have them checked. Mine were rusted out, almost departed from the chassis, MB fixed them at no cost. This is a safety issue and there is no recall, MB will fix it case by case. Good luck

[mr benz]

Since the egr valve was replaced the engine stays revved at 1000 rpm and wont go down, i've seen it stay revved for over 5 minutes. Only when the car is put in gear does the rpm drop and even then it only drop to about 850 rpm. Is there an adjustment that is needed, and is this a problem?

[benz1gal]

I read your comment and I am confused. Bare with me - - female and dont know too much about cars.

All weekend I've posted questions about my car driving like truck or feeling like i have all flat tires. Well, I had the car towed to the dealership and I was told that its the "SPRING PERCHES" The estimate is $1600 how does this relate to revs, rpms??? could this have been avoided?? I have a 97' E320.

Originally Posted by ccmbduong

I have the same model '96 E320. In the morning (when cold), it revs at 1000-1100 rpm them after that (more than 30 secs) it would drop to 600-700 rpm, so I think it's normal for your car. Not sure when was the last time that you have your spring perches checked, if you have not done so, please have them checked. Mine were rusted out, almost departed from the chassis, MB fixed them at no cost. This is a safety issue and there is no recall, MB will fix it case by case. Good luck

[skiier3_9]

See this thread:
W210 Diesel owners: Spring Perch Failure - Please read

I know that it is in the diesel section but it applies to pretty much all of the w210 (e-class from 96 - 02)

The spring perch problem has nothing to do with revs/rpms it is a problem of rust where the spring sits. There are some pretty good pictures in the thread.

If I were you I'd want a meeting with the regional service representative and bring as much information from this forum about the spring perch as possible (its a very common problem). Many people have had the work done free or discounted, however, it is a case by case basis that MB is doing this (there was never a recall).

[ccmbduong]

Ben1gal... I posted this problem at another site. Please read

http://forums.mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=124171

As you can see with my attached pictures, it was a very unsafe situation. This should have been a recall from MB because it's safety related AND it's more common than you might think.

Please do not work directly with MB dealer. CALL MB directly... 1-800---, and tell MB your problem. In my case, MB representative worked with my MB dealer , it was fixed for free (in my case) and I think MB would do the same too. Take pictures of your rusty spring perches for your record. This IS a well known manufacturing defect for that model year.

Good Luck

[mr benz]

What im asking is what should my car idle at after its has been started and how long should it take to idle at a normal rmp.
See,when i start my car the rpm stays at about 1000 rpm for 5 minutes or longer. Is that normal for a 1996 e 320?

[ccmbduong]

In my opinion, if it took more than 5 minutes before rpm drops then I think it's a little bit too long. You may want to time it again. During cold season, I think less than 2 minutes is more reasonable

[mr benz]

Lets say the rpm still takes a while to drop,(longer than 5 minutes) what do you think i should do then?

[Mino Erhan]

My 2 cents,
How many miles does the car have? If over 60K or more, you may have a misreading temp sensor, or slow to react O2 sensor, now that the mixture is different due to the egr. Of course, the vacuum line is always suspect on a newly replaced egr valve. 104 Engine?

[mr benz]

I asked the mechanic about the oxygen sensor and and vacum leaks he said that there was no problems with those items.
My car actually has 88k on the odometer. Also the problem with the rpm just started right after my mechanic changed the egr valve.