C180 Running Issues

[dbanbery]

Ok,

its had it since i bought it in November, and i've had enough after being embarrassed by a vectra on the way home tonight. i know that it never set the world on fire even from new, but i can live with that. what i'm finding increasingly difficult to live with is the fact its not running right. it hesitates when you stick your foot to the floor, and when going up steep hills the loss of power is aparrent. it doesnt seem to do it if you push your foot 2/3rds of the way. if it was an auto it would be extremely annoying, but its a manual.

so, whats wrong with it? its had a good history, 145k, W202.118 sport manual, standard trim, 16 inch e class wheels, new plugs, could do with a service soon. never fails to start on the button even when it was below zero.

ECU?
Coil Pack?
do i need to give Mercedes a fortune to diagnose the problem? i'm not even sure they will, there are no warning lights.

as you can tell by the tone of the message, i'm a bit fed up... but then again i have just been stuck behind some d!ck that spent ages at roundabouts, while making sure i lost my momentum so every time i went to try and overtake them they speed up just enough so i have to pull in. i'm not an idiot but i felt like turning into one. i found myself not being happy with the car. i cant really afford to "buy one with a bigger engine" yet. and anyways, i'd like this to be running properly before i think that i need something with a bit more poke.

any advice or rhetoric appreciated.

 

[Orb the Impaler]

MAF sensor?

 

[dbanbery]

lol. I forgot to add that. i checked it, and sprayed a can of injector cleaner into the housing through both sides and it made no difference whatsoever.

i dont want to buy another one for it to do nothing, but it looks as i might have to start doing that. an expensive way to fix a car.

 

[Cole@MBS]

It would be cheaper to have any faults codes/live data read!!

 

[dbanbery]

yeah, me thinks so. its frustrating that i cant diagnose whats wrong with it without a computer. i like using computers but this is one of those things that attracted me to cars built in the 1980s. lol.

going to try and clean the AFM again at the weekend and see what difference that makes - there is a guide i read and i might have missed something. otherwise what else could it be? could it just be the culmination of a dirty MAF sensor, and needing good service?

 

[television]

Unplug the thing and try the car, it may stall at idle, but ignore that and try the car with it unplugged on the open road.

Cleaning petrol versions seldom works, they get out of spec

 

[dbanbery]

will try that. will it record a fault code?

i have put about 2 bottles of redex and 2 bottles of stp injector cleaner along with 2 bottles of wynns injector cleaner since i've had it! annoying!

 

[television]

will try that. will it record a fault code?

i have put about 2 bottles of redex and 2 bottles of stp injector cleaner along with 2 bottles of wynns injector cleaner since i've had it! annoying!

The MAF never leaves a fault code, so no problems there

 

[dbanbery]

COOL. mind you i should have thought of that, as if its is knakcered it would be chuckign out a code already.

i hate these niggling trivial things, ****** annoying.

 

[Cole@MBS]

The MAF never leaves a fault code, so no problems there

Not correct young man, seen engine light on many times due to a air mass sensor, even more if you unplug it, it will show open circuit on temp sensor and air mass, on some models!!!

 

[television]

COOL. mind you i should have thought of that, as if its is knakcered it would be chuckign out a code already.

i hate these niggling trivial things, ****** annoying.

The MAF went down on my V70R last Summer, and its been unplugged ever since

 

[dbanbery]

right,

on a 1996 car is this going to happen? or are you referring to more recent models.

 

[dbanbery]

LOL @ last post about volvo.