That d*amn ed 230E again - Just being iffy

[Russel Weston]

Well gents, I do promise that I am not only here to pick your brains.However you seem to be a good source of reliable and cheap information so here goes. 1981 230 223, when starting, will fire immeadatly then die, this will happen for 3 tries, on the 3rd it will run all be it with a missfire. After a minute or so, it will settle down and run fine. Pulling off will be fine but with a bit of acceleration it will just die. It will then restart first time and will not give a single problem for the rest of the day. This has been going on for about 2 weeks now. I have used Nitrox Injector cleaner. Checked and cleand Dist cap and Rotor, replaced on advise less than a 6 months ago. As the fuel regulator gave trouble, I have bypassed that, fuel pump has been stripped and cleaned, but I didnt replace the filter, it looked quite new(and I did the work Sunday afternoon). Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have been doing loads of work on her, replaced front right wing, T-cut the engine bay and underside of the bonnet and replaced both bumpers and am now working on the rust on the doors. Thanks in advance.

 

[Jim_C180]

That d*amn
ed 230E again

Are the HT leads OK? Sounds like one or more could be breaking down and shorting out when engine is cold and damp. As soon as there is some heat in the engine bay it dries it out and is OK.

You cannot always tell by looking if an HT lead is faulty but ideally they should be replaced every three years.

 

[Andy]

That d*amn
ed 230E again

Hi Jimmy,

I don't agree with your statement. The plug leads or the original ones any way will last for years. With no problem. They are made so that the individual components can be replaced individually. The worst thing you can do is just change all the leads for no good reason and put the cheap ones on. All you are doing is buying trouble for later.

Regards

Andy @ www.mercedesservicing.com

 

[Russel Weston]

That d*amn
ed 230E again

Thanks for the idea Jimmy, I will have a look at the leads. A replacement set is not that expensive, but I will try getting my wife to start the car late tonight while I have a look and see if there is any arching. The leads may well not have been replaced since 1996 as that is when the car was given a thorough service before shipping to the UK.
Regards

 

[Jim_C180]

That d*amn
ed 230E again

Andy,

All HT leads start to deteriorate from the moment they are first used. It does not matter if they are expensive OE or cheaper aftermarket sets, they are all basically the same. The high voltage and harsh environment under the bonnet will break down the copper or carbon core and silicone insulation, you cant do anything about it.

Most, (but not all) car manufacturers recommend that HT leads are replaced every three years. Faulty HT leads can cause lots of problems and as the fault is usually intermittent it is sometimes difficult to diagnose.

Admittedly you can buy the individual parts and replace them, but quite often you are just stabbing in the dark and it could cost you more in time and effort than just replacing the whole set. If one lead is breaking down, it is quite likely the others will soon be on their way out so just replace them all.

The HT leads may not be the cause of Russel's problems, but from my experience HT leads are the source of more problems than you might think, poor starting, intermittent mis-fires, poor economy and loss of performance are common symptons.