SLK engine chugs when left for a few days

[cordless crazy]

I have an SLK which I dont use that often and am planning to sell but I have a problem if I dont use it for a few days:

When you start it from cold after leaving it unused for say a week, it just about catches and then idles and chugs just around the 300-400 rpm mark. Stick you foot on the gas and the revs slowly increase but splutters well bad. It sounds like its firing on only a few cylinders and that it has oil in the engine which it is trying to burn off, however there is no black crud coming out of the exhaust.

Leave the car to warm up for 15 minutes and it slowly gets better and idles correctly, but again, put your foot on the gas and it reaches about 5000rpm and wont go any further. Starts to cough and judder.

Take the car for a good run and boot it and eventually it sorts itself out.

Tis driving me crazy as I have to leaving to warm up/sort itself slowly out for half an hour before using it without it cutting out when putting my foot on the gas.

Help!. Any ideas without taking it to the MB garage for them to charge a fortune 'investigating' it?

 

[mlc]

You have a few options:

If the problem only shows if you dont use the car everyday, then use it everyday until you have sold it.

Make sure its well warmed up before a potential buyers comes to see it.

Get it into youyr local indy and get it fixed, i have never heard of a similar problem on an SLK, but youre describing what sounds like damp effecting the electrics, plug leads for example. Also worth checking the air filter isnt dirty / blocked.


The problem of the revs been limited even after its cleared isnt a problem, the revs will be limited to a little of 4000 when in neutral, this is to protect the gearbox / clutch from abuse. Put your foot to the floor and it splutters as it hits this rev limit.

Hope that helps.

Mark.