ML 270CDI Starting and Running Poorly

[mike2909]

Hi , 2005 ML 270CDI. The vehicle has been fully serviced less than a month ago. It has always started at the first click of the key regardless of the weather. I noticed a couple of weeks back that is wasn't starting on first click but still started well.
On Monday we had the first freeze and it started and died straight away. It then took 3-4 turn overs before it started and kept running. Driving to work 20 miles at (4.30am) and there was just no power and no kickdown. She stayed at speed once there but on hills you could feel her not pulling.
In the mornings it takes time to start but in the afternoons after work she starts better but still not like it was and no power.
I have no days off before Xmas to take the car in again and the garage can't help over the phone. Could anyone suggest what I could check myself please?
Thanks in advance.
I have access to an ICarsoft code reader with the Mercedes software, would it be worth trying that to see if that points me in the right direction?

 

[Botus]

Most servicing involves changing the oil and the air filter (for budget rubbish on the ragged lower edge of specification if lucky) and if the tyres look like they have air in them charge £250

Even if you did the same at a main Merc dealer for £600, (where u get £45 quid's worth of MB oil, a £10 air filter and they might throw a bucket of water on it), it can't cover many things that are currently functioning but may well be about to stop working

its sounds like you may have more than one fault and you should get fault codes checked out... I can imagine

all tractors have glow plugs, these are a service items (but very few look at them like this), each cyl effectively has a heater in the combustion chamber to make it warm enough to catch fire on a cold day. These (and these days the control unit) should be swapped out every 60k miles (but most put up with deteriorating running and killing more people, before total failure). Without these the car will always struggle to start, especially if its less then 5C. And these days they are in use at idle / low speed and generally come in and out as the control box deems needed - note later control units manage this better - a key reason they should be replaced alongside the glow plugs, to suit advances in the later designs of glow plugs. You might be able to see changes in the behaviour of yellow glow plug light, as you turn the key it takes much longer to go off, displays on occasions whilst driving, or maybe no longer illuminates ever?

That might explain poor starting. But the next point sounds like a limp mode or low boost condition. Do you have any odd whistling / whooshing noises ? Sometime a boost hose pops and you should hear it as you plant your foot. Or some of the control stuff gives up. Could be a cheap sensor on the exhaust side (£50) that gives up around 100k miles and it stops telling the car how to control the turbo. Or a silly set of flaps in the inlet manifold gum up with filth and the drive motor pops its clogs (officially called the inlet port shut off motor - or to every other manu, the swirl flap motor), this can pop a fuse that causes the same fault as above (re controlling the turbo). All three of these can occur without the engine management light coming on. Attempts to rev out and try to get it to run hard (where you tend to find some boost) will eventually get the EML to come on.

Going to further levels of fun. EGR faults (an emission and heater fix - that recycles some exhaust gasses to warm up incoming air), often gum up and thus may give up, Fuel Injector issues (these wear out and can be serviced / replaced), or the injector seals give up allowing combustion gases to leak past.

 

[M80]

To me it sounds like you have air ingress in the fuel line. That causes difficult starting /cutting out after an o/ night stand when colder.

You are probably better replacing all 'o' rings for continued reliability, they are cheap. But since this happened post service I would first look at the fuel line into the centre of the fuel filter.
With that you could get away with withdrawing some and wrapping some plumbers PTFE tape around before pushing back in. Be cautious the plastic clips go brittle with age, more so when cold. Pre heat the engine bay and you're 'less' likely to snap them.

It sounds like you're also in limp mode. If lucky it's low fuel pressure and might be resolved by above, but I doubt it. That's a need to have the fualt codes read.

Unless you're engine is in a bad way they aren't so dependant on glow plugs for starting. The glow plug light 'should' give a clue as to issue there but doesn't always if the controller is u/s.

It has been known for new fuel filters to be an issue.

 

[Taffy7hfa]

Could be a lot of things an you will likely need it diagnosing on star or similar (Icar soft is good)
It does sound like your turbo is not kicking in, have a look at the turbo actuator,the arm should move when the engine is revved (you will need a helper to check this unless you have arms like an Orangutan) if the arm isn't moving your turbo wont be doing anything. These engines don't rely too heavily on glow plugs to start unless its very cold outside.

 

[Rotorhead500]

Dodgy battery?

Went out to my old CLS one cold morning, had always started & run fine... soundedike a bag o'spanners.

Switched off, spoke to an Indie... restarted it and right as rain.

The battery, at 6yrs old, had just decided it was off to the great voltage farm in the sky!

 

[mike2909]

Service was done at a garage I have used for years. Not a Merc indy but he and his father do hundreds of Sprinters and Vitos.
Full service, oil, all 4 filters. Battery was replaced 11 months ago with a HD Yukon. Glow plug light functions as normal and does not come on once running. Turbo actuator moves and when not pulling the car engine revs freely and throughout rev range.
Only have 125k from new and it gets serviced every 6 months regardless of mileage.
I CarSoft gives only 1 fault code P1403 -032 Exhaust gas recirculation Positive control variation[ Exhaust gas recirculation is too low.
Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

 

[M80]

I would also remove the EGR valve, a clean up might be enough but you'll see if it's seized when out.

 

[mike2909]

As one of my pet hates is reading a thread that never gives the information if a problem is solved , I had better not do it myself. Before buying anything that would turn out unnecessary I went back to my garage on a day when I had finished early.
His code reader gave the same fault codes so he inspected the EGR valve.
Found 2 rubber pipes causing all the problems. 1 had perished and fallen off the vacuum and the other was close to doing the same - see photos. Problem solved , and cost zero. Took less than 15 minutes to find and fix. He wouldn't charge me anything , just said it was sods law that it happened so soon after being serviced. He said his mechanic (technician ) should have seen it.

 

[Taffy7hfa]

That's great, I had the same thing happen , that's why I suggested seeing if the actuator was working, it won't work without vacuum.