PianoPaul
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2013
- Messages
- 31
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Leeds
- Your Mercedes
- CLK320 1999 W208 Petrol
Firstly a hi to everyone and to to say that I love the forum and have read mountains of info already. Wasted the first 40yrs of my life not owning a Merc but have rectified that and have a 99 Clk320 W208. I love it and will be owning more no doubt/with any luck!
BUT
Here are the niggles, this is my 1st post and i'll keep it updated with anything I do to hopefully sort the problem, you more knowledgeable people than me will no doubt have thoughts on some of this, so if i'm lucky I'll get tips if not it's some info for the mixing pot! I do 13 miles eachway to work on quiet roads with lots of 50mph cruising (5am there 1pm back)
1) It's been dire on fuel since I bought it approx 2 months ago. Filled the tank friday after work and went back sunday with 72 miles on the clock and put 5.41 gallons in it!! Ferrariesque drinking problem
2) Just squeezed through the emissions for MOT, it had been stood for a few months and done lots of trafficy driving on supermarket fuel so I ran a couple of tanks of premium and some fuel cleaner though her which I saw recommended on here, car did quite a bit of missing and limped home the last few miles of motorway. Clear on restart, no warning light.
3) MAF sensor has been taken out and cleaned at MOT place and was badly oil fouled, not missing since but still crap MPG, has cut out just the once on me nipping into traffic, slightly lumpy idle gone post MAF clean.
4) Has been on the star machine with gen merc software and numerous codes cleared and reset, was low on gear box oil, that was topped up. Indy said MAF and O2 sensors were ok, it showed a very slight misfire on 2 cylinders, HT lead a bit powdery but like I say no missing since MAF clean. Indy did exhaust analysis and said Lambda side OK but HC very high, smells rich idling and at startup
5) Sounds crisp and whooshy when cold but noisy (worse under load or uphill) when warm, so I suspected exhaust, sounds like cow mooing, sounds ill. Indy and another exhaust shop say it's ok, no leaks, I'd read about cracked manifolds but fine. I can floor this car from standing and it goes like hell but mid range from say 50 in top gear it's not good.
6) Terrible lag on kickdown and everyday coming home from work it does the following. I'm straight out onto a fast bypass going home, mile and a half to first roundabout, the faster I go on that 1st section of road and the harder I brake into the roundabout the more it holds onto gears on the next bypass section, I can be doing 5000 revs and take my foot off the pedal in 3rd another 3/4 of a miles down the road, won't change, then suddendly it'll shift 30 seconds later?
7) 13MPG is unfeasible long term, I'm not a Rothschild.
8) Decision made today at the exhaust shop today after he rewelded a bracket back on and checked for leaks that it could be a collapsed/blocked muffler so it's coming off on saturday and going custom@£180. If anyone thinks this is a bad idea pls feel free to tell me. Was at a loss of where to go after MOT shop, Merc Indy twice and Specialist exhaust man? And £180 not a huge gamble against an F1 fuel issue :-(
9) Long post but wanted to give as much info as poss, thanks in advance for any ideas anyone may have, I will update or give more info if necessary.
Cheers, Paul
BUT
Here are the niggles, this is my 1st post and i'll keep it updated with anything I do to hopefully sort the problem, you more knowledgeable people than me will no doubt have thoughts on some of this, so if i'm lucky I'll get tips if not it's some info for the mixing pot! I do 13 miles eachway to work on quiet roads with lots of 50mph cruising (5am there 1pm back)
1) It's been dire on fuel since I bought it approx 2 months ago. Filled the tank friday after work and went back sunday with 72 miles on the clock and put 5.41 gallons in it!! Ferrariesque drinking problem
2) Just squeezed through the emissions for MOT, it had been stood for a few months and done lots of trafficy driving on supermarket fuel so I ran a couple of tanks of premium and some fuel cleaner though her which I saw recommended on here, car did quite a bit of missing and limped home the last few miles of motorway. Clear on restart, no warning light.
3) MAF sensor has been taken out and cleaned at MOT place and was badly oil fouled, not missing since but still crap MPG, has cut out just the once on me nipping into traffic, slightly lumpy idle gone post MAF clean.
4) Has been on the star machine with gen merc software and numerous codes cleared and reset, was low on gear box oil, that was topped up. Indy said MAF and O2 sensors were ok, it showed a very slight misfire on 2 cylinders, HT lead a bit powdery but like I say no missing since MAF clean. Indy did exhaust analysis and said Lambda side OK but HC very high, smells rich idling and at startup
5) Sounds crisp and whooshy when cold but noisy (worse under load or uphill) when warm, so I suspected exhaust, sounds like cow mooing, sounds ill. Indy and another exhaust shop say it's ok, no leaks, I'd read about cracked manifolds but fine. I can floor this car from standing and it goes like hell but mid range from say 50 in top gear it's not good.
6) Terrible lag on kickdown and everyday coming home from work it does the following. I'm straight out onto a fast bypass going home, mile and a half to first roundabout, the faster I go on that 1st section of road and the harder I brake into the roundabout the more it holds onto gears on the next bypass section, I can be doing 5000 revs and take my foot off the pedal in 3rd another 3/4 of a miles down the road, won't change, then suddendly it'll shift 30 seconds later?
7) 13MPG is unfeasible long term, I'm not a Rothschild.
8) Decision made today at the exhaust shop today after he rewelded a bracket back on and checked for leaks that it could be a collapsed/blocked muffler so it's coming off on saturday and going custom@£180. If anyone thinks this is a bad idea pls feel free to tell me. Was at a loss of where to go after MOT shop, Merc Indy twice and Specialist exhaust man? And £180 not a huge gamble against an F1 fuel issue :-(
9) Long post but wanted to give as much info as poss, thanks in advance for any ideas anyone may have, I will update or give more info if necessary.
Cheers, Paul