Hey guys,
Been a while since I've been here. Wife's car been great until tonight. Just suddenly quit. But cranks right back up, runs for 1 or 2 minutes or sometimes longer, then quits again. "Battery" and "Check Engine Electronics" is on.

But it acts like fuel problem. When cranked and left to idle it will rev up before quitting again.

Bad fuel? Water? Clogged fuel filter? Bad fuel pump? or maybe elec problem? I dunno . . .

Can someone send advise tonight. Tomorrow is the only day I have to work on it. MB Autowerks is only 1+ hr drive away ( a long and expensive tow)

1996 (inline 6) E320 (w210)

Help?

Well, I replaced the fuel filter, all the coils, wires and plugs.
(by the way . . . use caution while working with the plug wires, the vacuum lines are brittle!). And, so . . . No change.

Battery voltage is 12.6+ and 13.8+ while car is running. I don't think it's the battery or alternator. (By the way, the OBDII scan tool I bought will not clear the codes either. I read that somewhere here. It says reading 1 of 1 and erasing, but then says 1 code remaining??!!)

Car cranks right up, idles at 1000 then cuts off. If I crank it and don't touch the throttle it bounces from 1000 to 500 and back and forth, but when I push the throttle it goes dead. However, once tonight it ran fine for several hundred hards . . . never missed a lick . . . but then died.

Seems that touching the throttle kills it. Is it possible there is a throttle actuator problem. Code is P0300 (multiple engine misfire) and "Check Engine Electronics" is displayed on dash.

I've been told that I may have a OVP problem, but the symptoms are not the same. It always starts right up with only a couple of revolutions.

Need some advice if possible, what else is there to look for. Tried to get in touch with MB Autoworks but no answer there today. I'm fixing to search here for a while to see if I can come up with something.

Fuel filter, fuel accumulator, and finally fuel pump and fuel pump relay. That's where I'd start looking first. Let's assume the gas is OK, i.e. no water or sediment. I'd also have a look at the fuel pressure regulator. Can you hear the fuel pump running?

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Resistance is Futile.

Just read a post that was related to idle problems, surging, no response, etc. and he mentioned a "hissing" noise coming from rear of the motor. I also notice that noise when the key is on, but not cranked. Does that help anyone?

(96 E320; M104 inline6)

First it surged hard while the wife was in traffic and then quit. She said if she hadn't had her foot on the brake she would have hit the car in front of her! Then it started cutting out when she would press the accelerator like it wasn't getting fuel. She continued to crank and go for several miles to try to get it home. Eventually, it wouldn't idle at all. When I got there it did idle and I started to move it home but only got several hundred feet. Called a wrecker.

Code P0300 (multiple engine misfire). Yesterday I replaced all coils, plugs, plug wires and fuel filter. No help. It cranks fine and if I don't touch the accelerator it pulsates from 500 to 1500 or so. A few times it eventually leveled out around 700. Usually, when I press the accelerator it dies, but I was able to drive it about a 1/4 mile last night just fine. But, then it died again. I cranked it and easied it home.

There are posts about OVP, but that usually has something to do with NOT starting. The only other thing was the wiring harness and Throttle Actuator. I was hoping the '96 models didn't have the wiring problem. It has 170+ miles on it.

Oh, well. Told the wife she's getting a new car . . . one piece at a time! :-)

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

How many of you say 'Throttle Actuator"?
How many say "Wiring Harness"?
How many say "go back to diesels"?

This is our first gas burner since 1989, I'm not impressed.

Wiring harnesses weren't a problem after 1995.

I put my money on the throttle actuator.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Mine had the surging and it was the mass air sensor (at 110k miles or so). That's what I'm guessing and if it isn't bad yet it will be soon. Easy install and $200 or so if I remember correctly. I had the battery and CEL too, and the stalling. Do a search on MAss air sensor.

Only thing is there is a code for the MAS and you ain't got it

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RIP "Betsy" (Oo=*=oO)
'96 E 3 2 0 (W 2 1 0) M 1 0 4 (Totalled)
Spaces in sig so as not to screw up the SEARCH; every time someone searches for that MB they don't want my sig!

2004 Audi A8L
'98 VW Passat 1.8T 5M
'87 Alfa Romeo Milano 2.5L 5M
'67 Impala convertible, 327cid

Now that I recall, my car had similar surging, and the culprit was a vacum leak at the intake manifold.

Sooooooo, the three things mentioned are almost always the things to look at for a hunting up and down idle or a surging problem.

1. vacum leak
2. mass air meter
3. throtte actuator

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Thanks guys,
Hey - I read something here about rebuilding and/or cleaning the throttle actuator. I never did find anything else about it. Has anybody really done this with success?

My guess is the throttle actuator. Replaced mine at 60k miles. Solved my idle problem and CELs. Car ran like new after replacement. Apparently my throttle actuator failed open, rendering the car unable to keep idle at the stop light. Upon inspection, the plastic flap was broken loose.

By the way, my car is a 97 E320 with inline 6 engine

Delta

throttle actuators cannot be rebuilt.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

AND THE ANSWER IS . . .

Well, I did all that I could do with a $150 OBDII reader (by the way, it wouldn't clear the codes either). So I finally got it to a Professional and . . .

How many say Throttle Body Actuator?

How many say Mass Air Sensor?

How many say Wiring Harness?

The answer, right after this station break . . stay with us!

I'm game, I say: Throttle Body Actuator

Come on, tell us!

Haasman

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'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

AND THE ANSWER IS . . . . .

MASS AIR SENSOR ! ! !
Yea-a-a-a-a-a! Rah-h-h-h-h!
(and the crowd goes wild!)

Wouldn't it be nice if we all could have $3000 diagnostic equipment at our disposal!!!

Thank You Ken.

Hey hey! Glad you got the problem solved! At leasts it's not too expensive! Happy for ya....

Thanks for posting too because it's sure to help somebody else one day.

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Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.