W211 transmission/engine 'bang' no power

[cheshireE220]

Yesterday, my 2003 W211 auto (E220D) had an incident. I used the tiptronic box to shift down to gear 3 whilst in D (moving lever to the left) to overtake a car. I prefer this than using kick down.

The car accelerated, changed up to 4 and I moved the lever to the right to change to D.

After a few hundred yards, a slight jerky splutter followed by a 'bang' and black smoke out back from exhaust.

The car lost power (no acceleration) ran with a different sound, no kick down.
I turned back and limped home (10 miles). It changes up and down in D. It shifts down using the gear lever tip function. But no power or acceleration.

Revs rise slightly but little or no response. It picks up speed at its oen gentle pace.

No instrument warning messages or lights. The car is on 158k miles.

I'm wondering what has happened and is this the end of the car's life because a repair will not be viable against the residual value of the vehicle?

Any thoughts from experts before I ring the MB dealer to ask him if I can limp to them and put a diagnostic on it. I think it must be the auto box not the torque converter (it has Drive function). No idea what the bang and puff of black smoke was. I had just put £50 of diesel in it.

 

[Blobcat]

Bang and black smoke sounds like an engine / turbo issue rather than a gearbox.
Does it idle smoothly?

 

[cheshireE220]

Yes smooth idle. Turbo issue could be the lack of power. The sound at revving at idle is changed. More subdued. Struggles to get past 4k rpm. I'm guessing turbo issue would be very expensive (I have a 911 996 Turbo) making a repair/replacement non viable against the value of the car.

 

[Blobcat]

Yes smooth idle. Turbo issue could be the lack of power. The sound at revving at idle is changed. More subdued. Struggles to get past 4k rpm. I'm guessing turbo issue would be very expensive (I have a 911 996 Turbo) making a repair/replacement non viable against the value of the car.

Could be hose leaking - usually can hear it when turbo pipe is leaking - that can lead to black smoke due to incomplete combustion as the car doesn’t know it’s not getting enough air

 

[Bay Leaf]

The air/vacuum systems on modern diesel engines are ingenious but complicated. I had a S Type Jag with the 2.7 twin turbo engine and the MAP (manifold absolute pressure) failed which for some reason effected the auto gearbox changes as the op referred to.

 

[M80]

I would have the inter cooler checked.

 

[DSK]

Get it to an independent MB garage if you can.

Whilst I understand what mean about repair costs, if it’s just a turbo repair (or similar), yes they cost a few quid but, if your vehicle of little financial value is running well otherwise and will continue to do so, in my experience it’s far cheaper than buying someone else’s problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cheshireE220]

I took the car to my MB main dealer in Macclesfield. He confirmed that a Turbo boost hose had blown off. This is quite common, apparently, at this sort of age and mileage (21 years/158k). Some might say use an independent. Before they do, let me tell you, NONE of the local garages with a generic diagnostic NOR or any independent in Stockport that are MB specialists with STAR diagnostics could look at it for two weeks! My main dealer told me on Monday, he could look at it on Tuesday. If I came down and waited, he'd fit me in. Monday, same day, is usually possible, but as it was month-end, he said it was too much to promise he could get someone to look at it. I drove exceptionally carefully without demanding power. No CEL on the way there. But after diagnosis and on the way back, I had CEL come on.

The boost hose is on order, directly from Germany. Hopefully, it will be in for Thursday. He has no idea of the cost. He was going to check labour time, saying the boost hose is around £50. My guess is the total fitted cost will be around £300. I'm not sure if he will charge for the STAR diagnostic. I heard a service agent tell a customer the car he had brought in would require a STAR diagnostic, and there is a standard fixed price of £175.

I have seen a nice E300e (2019 with 40k) at the dealership group. I'm tempted to chop the car in, but I'll have to have it fixed in any case because they cannot send it to auction with a CEL. The Vehicle Health Check was all good. There's nothing that needs doing. The rubber on the ball joints is slightly split, but there is no play. I guess nothing is needed in 2025, possibly two of the ball joints in 2026.

I'll post separately on the car I'm considering - the E300e 9-Gtronic AMG line Premium Edition - to solicit views from some of the experts on this forum.
My car is fine once the boost hose is replaced, but I hanker for something more modern with a lot of gadgets and that lovely computer digital display cockpit—wow! Last year/18 months, I thought of a C63 AMG as a daily driver. But I decided prices are too high, and as I already have a Porsche Turbo and an Italian Maserati V8 weekend toys for the summer, I'd consider either a C or E class around 5 years old when the lion's share of the depreciation has been taken by someone else.

My sincere thanks to Blobcat, who rightly diagnosed a turbo issue when I thought it was a catastrophic gearbox failure that would cost a four-figure sum to fix. I guess you are an MB mechanic because you seem to know so much about so many models. Unfortunately, I'll have to spend money to fix the turbo hose and then part-ex the car, and they will give me peanuts for it. I don't think anyone will buy it privately, will they? And if so, for how much? Full MB 21-years history, never been outside MB other than for tyres.

 

[Snake Charmer]

£175 for diagnostics? God's teeth!

 

[cheshireE220]

Well the Porsche main dealer for a diagnostic with PIWIS was quoted to me as £145 inc VAT last year when I had a "hydraulic spoiler failure warning light" on the Turbo.

Maserati (SD2/SD3) is £150 per diagnostic.

With SD2/SD3, Ferrari leases the diagnostic. The dealer (indy or main dealer) doesn't own it. Each time it is plugged in, an internal counter kicks in and the manufaturer charges the dealer per diagnostic plug-in. Every quarter or so, the diagnostic transmits how many tests and the dealer is billed on top of his monthly lease cost.

It is what it is. Generic diagnostics cannot cover everything - i know that for Ferrari SD2/SD3 diagnostics versus generic setup at indys.

 

[ajlsl600]

These days one shud but the diagnostics when one buys the car, and seriously consider the wisdom of a purchase where diagnostics are dealer only, unless one has deep pockets

 

[cheshireE220]

A generic diagnostic reader at independent non-marque garages can serve much of the needs. But they usually won't be able to look at the problem for days or weeks!

A STAR system used by main dealers covers more of the advanced electronics in MB cars that will not be picked up by a generic reader.

The Porsche and Maserati/Ferrari cars need main dealer diagnostics. A Porsche PIWIS machine tells far more about the car than a generic reader. Same with SD2/SD3 at Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini.

Even main dealers can't look at it for weeks, they are so busy!

 

[star]

Most indie merc specialist have star diagnostics and most should be connected to mb, we are only billed monthly to keep online with them, not per test.
Boost hoses split quite often but rarely come adrift unless for another reason, the Ali end cap fixing wears on the hose or the housing fails, so not securely holding the hose. If this is has broken the hose will come adrift again.

 

[cheshireE220]

Most indie merc specialist have star diagnostics and most should be connected to mb, we are only billed monthly to keep online with them, not per test.
Boost hoses split quite often but rarely come adrift unless for another reason, the Ali end cap fixing wears on the hose or the housing fails, so not securely holding the hose. If this is has broken the hose will come adrift again.

The car had the boost hose fitted on thursday. But it is going back monday because the housing at the 'air box' where it fits has cracked and only noticed when the hose was removed. Is this the part you are referring to?

The VHC was good with no advisories.
The MOT is later this month.

Once the boost hose is fixed, the car will be fine according to the service manager.

The other potential purchase of an E300e didn't stack up. A physical walk-around showed tge car was not to my high standard with orange peel on the paint on front bumper and lacquer runs, an area where machine polishing had cut through the lacquer on the edge of the panel.

I have told the dealer to look for a good example early in the New Year after U come back from Spain over the winter months. I'm hankering for a more modern machine, but acknowledge the newer stuff is nothing like the build quality of my w211 2003, built in Stuttgart.

 

[star]

Yes common failure.

 

[cheshireE220]

UPDATE: I had a new turbo boost hose fitted on Thursday last week. But they said the housing on which it attaches is cracked. So they ordered it, and I had it fitted this morning (Monday). BUT, whereas the CEL light has gone out, the car is in limp mode - it will not go above 3k rpm. No performance. The service guy (not my usual guy - he is on leave this week) said the technician said something about the EGR valve looking suspect and may be the cause of the blown hose pipe in the first place. But it needs to be booked in again for the diagnostic and trace the fault to fix it. Does anyone have any idea what is causing the turbo boost hose, though resolved, still not allowing the car to perform, and why it is in limp mode? I noticed smoke from the exhaust after leaving the dealer, but it stopped by the time I reached home (around 8 miles).