My 1987 300E suddenly began hesitating and sluggish when accelerating
from a stop like it is too rich then after a few seconds sort of bursts
forth and runs fine. Does it in Drive (second gear start) or if started
in Low (first gear start) the same.
No vacuum leaks to shift modulator, changed fuel filter, ignition timing
is fine and swapping ignition module didn't cure, runs okay on road,
passed California smog despite this problem so catalytic converter must
be okay. Good long-time local independent shop getting frustrated.
Any ideas?
Pete Cowper
T.G. Lambach - 28 Mar 2005 00:29 GMT
I'd suspect three possibilities:
Dirty fuel injectors which can be fixed by adding a couple of cans of
fuel injector cleaner to the fuel.
or,
An engine manifold vacuum leak that allows a small quantity of air to
dilute the air / fuel mixture at idle causing the engine to run lean -
then, when you open the throttle, it runs too lean and stumbles until
the fuel injection catches up to the condition. The leak isn't noticed
above idle because it's small but constant and so becomes a smaller and
smaller % of the total mixture as engine speed rises. Such a small leak
can be found at idle by carefully applying some propane or carburetor
cleaner to suspected sites like the fuel injector seals, intake manifold
gaskets and vacuum hoses attached to the intake manifold.
or,
The engine's ignition "vacuum advance" is sticking. I put it in quotes
because this modern engine probably no longer has a "vacuum advance" as
in the bad old days of carburetors and ignition points etc., but it must
have SOMETHING like it to advance the spark for acceleration and as the
RPMs increase.
Pete Cowper - 28 Mar 2005 01:08 GMT
Thanks for the suggestions.
Over the past year the shop has added fuel injector cleaner three times,
and have replaced the valve seals to stop the plugs from oil fouling.
The prior slight miss at idle was not cured by the oil seals, leading me
to suspect some sort of lean miss. It has now moved from a slight miss
at idle to the several seconds of sluggishness in accelerating away from
a stop before the power seems to burst on.
The cars does feel like the "spark advance" is not working, which was
checked by swapping in a good "ignition module" to assure the
electrical/ignition system was not at fault.
We are trying to eliminate all possibilities before replacing the
injectors. The injector seals were replaced earlier in trying to
eliminate the slight miss at idle, as were several of the ignition cable
ends.
Pete Cowper
1987 300E
T.G. Lambach - 28 Mar 2005 03:13 GMT
Well, given the additional information I'd first say that you've covered
the usual bases and then some.
Fuel injectors can be professionally ultrasonically cleaned and tested
for not much money so if it comes to that I suggest cleaning rather than
replacement. A Google search for "fuel injector cleaning" will show
what's involved.
Back to the lean miss. An apt description of what's slowly getting
progressively worse.
I suggest a through check be made for a small vacuum leak; the most
obvious site(s) being the intake manifold gasket(s) since the injectors'
"o" rings were previously replaced. But EVERY intake air connection
between the intake air metering device and the block is a suspect. I
believe that's so because the whole engine bogs down, not just one cylinder.
An exhaust gas analyzer can be inserted into the tailpipe to monitor the
idling engine's emissions while propane is carefully applied to each
suspect site. A vacuum leak will suck the gas into the engine, correct
its lean mixture and reduce its emissions.
If nothing is found this way and everyone is convinced that the spark
plug wires are OK then I'd suggest a compression test to determine if
there's a burnt (probably intake) valve. Let's hope it doesn't come to
this $$ level.
91_300M/BENZ - 28 Mar 2005 16:45 GMT
Pete I had a problem with my 91 300e 245000miles It would start but was low
on power sometimes couldn't move the car before stalling but would always
start sometimes hardstarting. Anyway it was the ignition coil, the ohm
values were good but it wouldn't deliver enough spark.
> My 1987 300E suddenly began hesitating and sluggish when accelerating
> from a stop like it is too rich then after a few seconds sort of bursts
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Pete Cowper