|
On the octane, i remember there were some issues like this on 94-95 or so E320's with the 104 engine, but not on the 103's. Good thought though. One thing that I remember mentioning just yesterday on a post, is possibly a plugged catalytic converter? Worth checking, but usually the performance will be bad also. You can just loosen the exhaust pipes from the exhaust manifold to check it. Also are you running the correct spark plugs? It's important on these to use the recommended plugs. With the low idle, this is usually some problem with the idle control system, but either of the previous 2 things I mentioned could cause that, especially the exhaust. I would recommend also to have the mechanic drive it with a fuel pressure gauge installed to see what it looks like when the problem occurs. I'm not sure if this is a single or dual pump. A dual pump system may act like this if one of the pumps is acting up. Also I remember having complaints of stalling being caused by failing fuel pump relays, they might want to think about that, especially if the pressure drops off just prior to the stall. Unsure if I recall a fuel pump relay causing a hard start though.
Gilly
|