CLK 320cdi loss of power - Engine Safe Mode?
CLK 320cdi loss of power - Engine Safe Mode?
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AriGold

Original Poster:

23 posts

168 months

Monday 3rd December 2012
quotequote all
Hi all,

My father has a 2005 CLK 320cdi which he has owned from new. The car has only covered 16k miles in its 7 years and has been properly maintained by Mercedes in line with the service schedule.

As of late, the car seems to go into "engine safe mode" whereby the car will not accelerate and idles along irrespective of how far you press down the accelerator. Once you stop, turn the engine off and restart the problem goes away but can come back some time later.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? I'm guessing my first port of call will be the Mercedes garage next week for them to plug it in and diagnose the problem - are they likely to charge for this diagnosis?

Thanks in advance.

[k]arl

963 posts

275 months

Monday 3rd December 2012
quotequote all
I experienced a similar issue on one occasion with my CLS 320 - loss of power and jerky gearchange but no engine warning light or error message. In my particular case the problem was traced to the exhaust gas recirculation system. It was initially thought the EGR pipe was blocked, but the problem recurred after it was cleaned out and it was necessary for a sensor to be replaced.

I suspect there's not much you can do aside from have the car diagnosed - I guess an indie would probably take an initial look gratis, but the dealerships definitely charge. From memory I was charged under £100 for the diagnosis and initial pipe unblocking by the dealer, which was then set off against the further work eventually found to be necessary.

HTH

[k]

anonymous-user

83 months

Monday 3rd December 2012
quotequote all
Possibly the dreaded inlet port shutoff motor. It sits in the V and is prone for getting covered in oil that finds it's way out of the turbo. Either that or the butterflies in the intake manifolds can partially seize due to carbon build-up, the motor then struggles to operate them and so the engine goes in to limp mode.

m996tt

407 posts

240 months

Monday 3rd December 2012
quotequote all
My s320 did this. it would reset when the ignition was turned off then on again.
It turned out to be the turbo. it was replaced under warranty.

AriGold

Original Poster:

23 posts

168 months

Monday 3rd December 2012
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies so far. It's looking like it could be an expensive job!

m996tt - presumably your car was less than 3 years old when the work was done?

Anyone had any experience of any sort of goodwill from Mercedes in knocking some money off for the repair? (As I said, it's 1 owner, low mileage and serviced at the same dealership it was purchased from).

m996tt

407 posts

240 months

Monday 3rd December 2012
quotequote all
Its worth getting the engine codes read, my problem is only one of many it could be.
It might be something inexpensive! hopefully.

mbtech01

174 posts

200 months

Monday 3rd December 2012
quotequote all
Rat_Fink_67 said:
Possibly the dreaded inlet port shutoff motor. It sits in the V and is prone for getting covered in oil that finds it's way out of the turbo. Either that or the butterflies in the intake manifolds can partially seize due to carbon build-up, the motor then struggles to operate them and so the engine goes in to limp mode.
Have to agree it's almost 90% guaranteed that the inlet port shut off motor has failed. A diagnostic test to check fault codes will confirm this. The turbo has to be removed to access the inlet port shut off motor & an experienced technician should be able to complete this job comfortably in about 3 hours provided nothing seizes or breaks. Make sure the red seal is replaced where the air intake pipe connects onto the turbo as this is the route cause of the inlet port shut of motor failing due to an oil mist escaping past the seal & then dropping down straight onto the inlet port shut of motor causing it to eventually fail.

AriGold

Original Poster:

23 posts

168 months

Tuesday 4th December 2012
quotequote all
Thanks MbTech. I take it that this is a common problem on these engines? Is it preventable or just a manufacturing glitch?

I can't say that he drives the car particularly hard or anything like that and also has only covered 16k in it. I'm going to call the main dealer and also a local speciailist today to get some quotes for diagnostics and also a ball park figure for repair if it is the inlet port shut off motor.

AriGold

Original Poster:

23 posts

168 months

Tuesday 4th December 2012
quotequote all
Just spoken to my local dealership - £126 + VAT per hour to diagnose (won't give any set prices). Mentioned the Inlet Port Shutoff Motor issue; he said he had seen a few of these and if it required the manifolds replacing then could be looking up to £2.5k (ouch!). Must admit that "valves" "manifolds" etc all sound a bit double Dutch to me, so not sure of accuracy of what he was saying.

I'm guesing that a reputable independent would be able to diagnose and do the work for roughly half of these prices..............will let you know how I get on.