Anyone know what this might be ?

[Bubble]

So does that mean a new engine if that is the problem or is it fixable do you know? Thanks

It needs a proper and thorough investigation as to what is causing the missfire (if indeed that is what it is) but if the engine is shaking, that sounds likely.

If there is a loss of compression (which can be checked with a compression test) the cylinder head would need to be removed and the damaged valves replaced. If the pistons, or cylinder bores have been damaged, then it's game over for the engine.

 

[Kev555]

As above compression test sounds like the first thing should be done after a star diagnostic

 

[LostKiwi]

Personally i would say the solution to engine problems like this on a 2007 common rail diesel Mercedes is to accept it is at it's end of life and is probably uneconomic to repair. A set of injectors alone is going to be £400 fitted so may be time to call it quits and buy another cheap Mercedes diesel with a good working engine.
I would also avoid the mechanics you have used already as they sound pretty feckless. A simple compression test would not take much labour time and would tell the mechanic straight away if your engine was usable.

The problem with that approach is that you don't know the condition of a used engine. Diagnosis first. Then decision.
Once you have the facts you can make an informed judgement based on costs and how long you want to keep it after repair.

 

[Rappey69]

So does that mean a new engine

It could be something simple and not so expensive. Anyone can plug a star system in, but understanding what the readout really means is where the skill lies. That's why people on here recommend a Mercedes specialist

 

[Elaine Ross]

Again thank you all for the replies . It’s very much appreciated . Won’t get to see a mechanic until after the weekend . So we shall see what that holds for us then !!

I’ll update when I know anything else.

 

[Botus]

is the post above the guy that worked on the car, realised its a good one and made it run funny so he can get a new car on the cheap?


I don't know if glow plugs can fall to bits and get inside a cylinder ( I guess dependant upon design or the animal doing the job its possible) or if they dropped something in there doing an injector. Either way it needs investigation. If its just a bad injector or wrongly coded it could be a 20 min fix.

part of the story would be why suddenly are we throwing glow plugs and injectors at a car.... how was it running when it went in for work? and what work in what sequence and what issues arose as each step was undertaken?

is the real story in for routine service (having been running OK), new glow plugs required, cocked this simple job up... ended getting some debris in a cylinder trying to rectify, trashed the engine but didn't realise, thought it would fix it with new injectors, fitted these still wrong.... didn't want to pull the head off to reveal the damage they did

I wouldn't be surprised if it was that paragraph above.... may as well diagnose on STAR it can probably do a each cyl check … other wise do a conventional compression check and from that make a choice

 

[Elaine Ross]

It’s been a while but thought I’d update you all.

we have changed the engine And the ECU since my last post on here a while ago.
It’s not made a blind bit of difference . It’s still shaking . when it’s on the open road it’s fine, no shaking or anything . It’s when it’s sitting idle that’s the problem .
we have put so much money into it now at this stage that we would really like to get to the bottom of it .
Any other suggestion of what it might be would be appreciated . We thought with the engine being replaced that that would be it .
Thanks in advance for any replies .

 

[Naraic]

So...it's not the engines. And the mechanics could not tell this before exchanging them? Wow!

 

[McDonald]

It’s been a while but thought I’d update you all.

we have changed the engine And the ECU since my last post on here a while ago.
It’s not made a blind bit of difference . It’s still shaking . when it’s on the open road it’s fine, no shaking or anything . It’s when it’s sitting idle that’s the problem .
we have put so much money into it now at this stage that we would really like to get to the bottom of it .
Any other suggestion of what it might be would be appreciated . We thought with the engine being replaced that that would be it .
Thanks in advance for any replies .

Elaine, I just hate reading stories like this one. You seem to be dealing with completely disreputable mechanics. Lostkiwi gave some simple advice. Get it to a Mercedes specialist Indy. They put it on Star and diagnose the problem. They cost it and you decide if the car is worth the expense.

Your path seems quite different. People are taking a stab at guessing the fault, installing expensive parts, then returning your car still running badly. You end up paying a series of bills and the problem never gets fixed.

You haven't indicated which part of the country you're in. When you do, someone on the forum will recommend a specialist Mercedes indy in your area.
These people are your only hope. Please don't pay any more rip-off artists for unnecessary parts & labour.

 

[Chrishazle]

We are based in CO.wicklow .

Post number 4. Not heard of a proper MB Indie in Republic of Ireland either on here or t'other side! Co. Wicklow is an area just south of Dublin so quite a long hike from NI if there's a decent indie somewhere there - or an expensive ferry ride to Holyhead and North Wales!

However, my niece in Dublin has an MB so I'd guess there's an MB main agent in Dublin who will have Star.

 

[vincentfishing]

1. It’s been a while but thought I’d update you all.
   
   we have changed the engine And the ECU since my last post on here a while ago.
   It’s not made a blind bit of difference . It’s still shaking . when it’s on the open road it’s fine, no shaking or anything . It’s when it’s sitting idle that’s the problem .
   we have put so much money into it now at this stage that we would really like to get to the bottom of it .
   Any other suggestion of what it might be would be appreciated . We thought with the engine being replaced that that would be it .
   Thanks in advance for any replies .

   
   

 

[vincentfishing]

Hi,
Thought I wold throw one in here,
you said no3 injector was diagnosed as faulty, changed all of them car still running rough,
did anyone disconnect no3 injector after supposedly fixed to see if engine note /shaking got worse or stayed the same,
possibly no 3 injector was always good and the fault was in wiring /plug,
the reason I say this is you have described above a car that ticks over badly(an injector not firing /not operating correctly) when you speed up on open rd the engine spinning faster and under less load will smooth out and seem better
If no one has already done it i would disconnect no3 and see the difference,
if no change ,its your problem area , if it does change or stall plug it back on and do the same on every cylinder
it will cost you nothing ,take a few minutes, its easy ,and you may or may not pin the problem to a specific area and go from there,

 

[Botus]

wow, sorry state of affairs

new engine (sounds like nothing wrong with the old one)
new ecu (sounds like nothing wrong with the old one)
new injectors (did it even need them?)

I expect one or more of the replacement injectors was probably faulty, not sure how they are going to give you back the 4k they have stolen so far? I guess focus on the postives - still got your health and worse things have happened at sea...

 

[Kev555]

Sorry to hear you have landed yourself with a bunch of cowboy mechanics Elaine. If I were you I would ask around friends who would recommend a good auto electrics guy if you cant find a reputable Mercedes independent and get it booked in as Vincentfishing said above electrics need a thorough going over. Personally I wouldn't go back to your current mechanic again so try and find a new more reputable one again based on word of mouth

 

[steveq]

Hi,

There are over 15 main MB dealers in Ireland (excluding NI).
There is one in Carlow -- depending on where you are in Wicklow they might be close. They will all be expensive though. A diagnosis will be relatively cheap -- and definitely cheaper than replacing an engine !!

There are a number of independent specialists -- I don't know them all.
One that I have been using for many years are great. They are Dublin based though. I can give you their name if you are interested.