Engine cutting out (1996 MB C220 petrol)

Xiter

Xiter

Member
Trying to solve a problem with one of my other cars, the 1996 MB C220 petrol. It cuts out and looses power completely. Like you turn the ignition off. The loss of power lasts about half a second to a second approximately. It then runs completely normal until it happens again.

Can occur in idle (which causes the revs to drop to almost 0 before it picks up again) and whilst driving. The intervals are sometimes half an hour, sometimes minutes, sometimes just a few seconds apart. It seems to come randomly. The car has a full service history and has done 85000 miles / 136000 kms. Any ideas where to start?
 
just a quick post -- to the best of my knowledge i think that there is only one sensor that shuts an engine down that being crank sensor. so possibly get that swaped or checked out.
hope that helps mike
 
Thanks, googled a few results of the seemingly common problem with the crank sensor on these cars. The major difference between my car and the rest of them is that I do not need to coast to a halt and wait for it to cool down before restarting the car. It's just a quick cut off and before I know it, it runs again.
 
Air mass sensor? You can unplug the air mass sensor and run the car without it to see if this cures your problem. Of course with the air mass sensor unplugged your car will not run at its optimal performance.
 
Disconnected the air mass sensor and it ran fine during the 30 minute test drive which was indeed good news. A little nervous in idle though but it never died on me like it does with the air mass sensor connected. Is it just a replacement job or can the sensor be repaired/cleaned?
 
I'll try some electronics contact cleaner.

Just learned that CRC makes a specifically designed mass air flow sensor cleaner.
Sounds like it should be up to the job.
 
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The CRC mass air flow sensor cleaner did not work. However a new one did :)
It now runs perfectly but still got problems with a rough idle
so the car is going in to a Mercedes dealer for a diagnose.
 
Does the Merc have a distributor with vacuum advance? If so, its possible the diaphragm in the distributor has split, allowing un-metered air into the intake system via the vacuum pipe. This is usually enough to cause a weak mixture and erratic running at idle.

Cheers Spike
 
No, it is equipped with the Bosch HFM sequential closed loop fuel injection/ignition system. It's a self-contained engine management system, which controls both the fuel injection and ignition. Main components are the spark plugs, ignition coils, HT leads and an ECU together with associated sensors and wires. The spark plugs have been changed recently and I've checked for vacuum leaks and loose electrical connections, but the rest of the Bosch HFM is more than I can handle.
 
A friend of mine had a look at the Mercedes and found the lambda sensor to be faulty. I replaced it but it didn't cure the rough idle. He couldn't find anything else obviously wrong with the car so I took it to a Mercedes dealer last week. They picked up a fault code (lambda sensor) which they cleared. The ECU was reset and now the car runs perfectly again. Easy money for them since I had already done the oily bits.
 
Thought I would update. The problems came back and eventually the engine was impossible to start. In the end the engine control unit was found faulty and after a very expensive repair it is now back on the road again, however in the hands of a new owner.
 
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