is changing spark plugs for 2001 cl600 DIY?

[apprentice]

got a 2001 CL600 check engine light this afternoon. car is sluggish and has rough idling. OBD II showed p0300, p0303,P0304, P0305,P0306. Car is still starmarked till this december but i really don't trust the only dealer in town after my last service. that P0300 really worries me. i guess it's not simply the plugs. i don't know any good MB mechanic that would service V12's locally (Reading, Pa-one hour west of philly, 2 hr north of Baltimore, 2.5 hrs southwest of NYC). Is plugs diy in these engines? i just changed the plugs and wires for my wife's 02 ML320. could this be O2 sensor or cat converter?

[mbdoc]

Due to the coil design...I wouldn't try to replace the spark plugs on that car w/o HELP.

If you do decide to replace them MB suggests that ALL of the coil connectors be replaced at the same time!

[apprentice]

are they covered by starkmark warranty? if not, just parts alone would cost more than $1500 right? what i worry about is that the dealer would just start changing spark plugs, wires, coil packs follow by oxygen censors, MAF, cat converters... without knowing what's causing it. what does the starmark cover anyway?

[mbdoc]

starmark covers most items that are NOT maintenance related.
Doesn't cover spark plugs...would cover coil, catalyst, & maf.

[ILUVMILS]

Check out this thread. All of the common M137 mis-fire scenarios are covered. Misfiring/shaking '02 CL600.

[jhodg5ck]

A friend of mine just did this service today DIY...he's planning on putting together a write up.. I'll email him this thread

Jonathan

[Johnhef]

Spark plugs on that engine aren't too hard to do- the difficult part is getting the coils off. Like mentioned above, you should change the red boots when you do this.

I'm betting the spark plugs aren't the cause of your problem. Read over that thread ILUVMILS posted and rethink about taking it in to have it looked at while you still have MB warranty!

[Star500E]

Everything that you all say about this car is spot-on (big surprise ) but sparks plugs are a royal PITA. IF you're good, budget about 2 hours. If you're like me, budget more like 3-4. I think the WIS recommends 4.
1- pull the air intake snorkels - these just pop off. There are 4 screws that hold that air intake on - one is just in front of the star on the smaller cover, one is under that small cover, and the other two are near the windshield. These are Torx T30 screws. Once the screws are undone, you need to pull the air cleaner forward, towards you about 2", then it'll pop off.
2- Start on the passenger's side. The Ignition coils are like nothing you have seen - there are two, one on each side. They are long, and have a connector on the front side (towards the nose of the car). Each of these is held in by 6 screws, which have a star-like head. You can use an 8mm hexagonal screw head to remove them. Five of these screws aren't bad - they're easily accessed. The last is underneath the black air intake hose by the false wall. Don't forget about this one. Disconnect the molex from the coil pack using a small screwdriver. you have to pry the lock-release up, and then it just pulls off.
3- here's the fun part: grab either end of the ignition coils, and pull HARD. Pull evenly, but you'll need to put your back into it. When it does pop off, the spark plug boots are likely around the plugs themselves. Use a pair of needlenose pliers to pull them out and reinsert them into the ignition coil.
4- replace the spark plugs as with any other car.
5- in mine, I had some oil around the boots on the cylinders near the false wall. I simply cleaned them up.
6- reverse the process to get the whole thing together.

The driver's side is done the same way. Only additional step is to disconnect the small lead to what looks like a plug in the cylinder head: that's the cylinder cut-off valve. Now, there is a major complicating factor: the shape of the false wall is different to accommodate the braking system on that side. There is a small pneumatic motor, and there is a fuel line that obstruct your ability to get enough leverage to pull the ignition coils off. The fuel line is held together with two screws, so that is easily removed, but I am at a loss about the vacuum motor.

I got about 50%, Someone help me out with this?

thanks!
-dan

2001 CL
1997 S500 w/ 4-place

[Star500E]

john

BTW - that 560SEL Carat car - is that the one that was sold from Florida on ebay, a few years back?

-dan
01 CL
97 S