Father's new diesel - 96 300D w/ a few ???s - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JHZR2 · #1 04-25-2004, 05:51 PM

Hi,

My brother bought an immaculate 94 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, and while at the dealer, my father saw a 1996 E300D with 144k, that we really liked, and since we were already buying a car, we got a really great deal.

The car is really nice, black on black, but has a few flaws. There are a couple of scratches across the hood. Unfortunately black paint scratches to a white undercoat. Either one or two of the tires are either out of balance, or the tire/wheel is out of round. There is a shimmy of the whole car at about 25 mph (steering wheel doesnt shimmy), and then the steering wheel shimmies, but the car as a whole is smooth at about 45. I assume that this is just because of bad tires (the two rears need replacement),a nd we will get a new set all around and an alignment.

The issue that we need to address, and which I am hoping to get assistance on is the fact that a check engine light popped up. It was unknown what the code was, but the car ran great, so we figured it to not be much of an issue. I took it to autozone to have them read the OBD code, and found the problem to be with the throttle positioning sensor or switch.

I have done a search on here and havent been able to find much of anything, except a reference to a gasser that had an issue. they had to replace the whole throttle body, to the tune of about $450.

The car runs great, the drivetrain is smooth, the engine runs excelently, and I can already tell that it is very efficient. But I want to get this code off. There is no issue with the throttle of the car, it accelerates properly, etc., and when I floor it and hit the switch under the pedal, I get the trans to shift down and get a real surge of power (I cant believe this car only has 16 more hp, and probably 15 lb-ft less torque than my 300D!).

So, Any info would be great. Is the throttle position sensor and switch a user-replacable part? Where can I find one (fastlane, etc dont seem to have them)? How do I go about replacing it? That engine compartment looks complex.

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks so much!

JMH

turbodiesel · #2 04-25-2004, 07:32 PM

If you don't mind me asking.. what'd you pay?

JHZR2 · #3 04-25-2004, 08:54 PM

13k
beautiful... loaded to the max... and excellent once I get rid of these problems

JMH