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1999 e320 keeps shutting down while driving

4K views 15 replies 3 participants last post by  mrboca 
#1 ·
Hi folks,
My wife's 1999 e320 kept shutting down this morning while she was driving and had to be put in neutral to be able to be restarted. My wife eventually made it to work but the car shutted down several timez on the way. I am thinking crankshaft position sensor, what do you folks think? If that is what it is then is a complex job to do?
The car has 155kmiles but cranshatf sensor was replaced already 55kmiles and 4 years ago.
Thanks
 
#2 ·
needed is a fault codes lookup from the ECU.

i have been having similar issues in the past and the only thing we could do was read the Fault codes from the 38 pin port under the hood (fusebox socket) do the repairs and reset the fault codes again on the ECU.

i have been looking to do this myself but haven't been able to pickup the C3/C4 software anywhere and what i could gather the stuff you buy on Ebay and Amazon is pretty dodgy....
i got a cable($10) for it just need the software.

anybody got the software somewhere?

i'm stuck out in the colonies in Africa(South africa) and the dealers here rip me about $300 just to read and reset the fault codes for me

Theuns
'98 w210 E230
broerkie@gmail.com
 
#3 ·
I will check this evening when I am back home if there is a code but I understand that sometime a crankshaft sensor issue does not always trigger a code. Based on what my wife told me over the phone it really sounds like the infamous crankshaft sensor issue. Shutting off randomly with no warning. Would not restart right away but ok after 5/10mns and do it again a bit later.
I have found few videos on youtube and it looks like it is a pretty tricky place to reach.
 
#4 ·
Typically the cps problems are heat related, and once the engine is stalled you need to wait for a while before the car can start again. Is this the case ? If it starts immediately after the stall, then it may be related to loose / degraded shifter link bushing. Ned more information on the re-start conditions. Does it not start in Park at all ?

For cps replacement there are stickies at the top of this page that you can search for the procedure and the correct part.
 
#5 ·
I still need to read the codes if there are some. I will this evening. My wife was telling me that 10 days ago the gas light flashed several times although the gas was far to be empty. Probably totaly independant issue but just thought I would mention that.
 
#6 ·
This evening I switched car with my wife and drove the e320 back home. The engine kept shutting on me all the time on the way back home. The engine stopped on mutiple occasions. When I restarted the car it would often sputter. I noticed that the temperature gauge would go crazy oscillating between 40 and 80 several times when the car sputtered. There was no engine light but once at home I read the codes and there was a pending p0455. I put the car in my garage, unplug the CPS and plugged it back. I restarted the car and it would sputter like crazy. The engine light came on. I read the codes again and this time I got a bunch like P0301, P0305, P0300, P1115, P0450. So a combination of cylinder missfires, emission system pressure sensor fault, engine coolant temperature fault . Like if the electric system was going crazy. Then I wait 5mns, cleared the code and started the car again. The engine would run very well. It would idle very well, it would rev very well too and that for a good 15mns until it started sputtering and stopping again. Same thing with the temperature gauge going crazy when the car sputtered. Then I read the codes again and got P0301, P0300, P0405. I have no idea what the issue is. At that stage I am open to any suggestion.
 
#7 ·
Your scanner should give you the reading of the coolant sensor in real time. If the sensor or sensor connection are bad, you could have problems with the sputtering. The engine computer will not interpret the fluctuating coolant sensor well, and it uses this information regarding the mixture levels required. If the mixture levels are not right, your car can run rich or lean which would cause surging and sputtering and stalls. Locate the sensor and make sure it is properly connected.
 
#8 ·
That would make sense indeed because now sometime I get the message 'Engine coolant fan' on the dash although the fan runs fine and when I get the message the car starts surging and sputtering. I may have a temperature sensor issue then. Where is the temperature sensor located on the e320?
 
#11 ·
If you unplug and run car when cold. It should run normally with high rpm at start up. When the coolant temp reaches 80 degrees C, the sensor resistance should be around 300 to 400 ohms (with the connector disconnected and measured at the sensor connector).

P0115 points to the ECT sensor. After the engine is warmed up you could simulate the sensor with a 320 ohm resistor, and if the sensor is the issue, all should be fine.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Ok thanks. My next move will be to change the ect sensor then and see. It is cheap part and easy to change. I noticed that the air pump was running fast when the sputtering happened although it was hot which would be consistent with a wrong temperature reading since i believe the air pump should only be running when cold, correct?
 
#13 ·
The issue initially started with the car shutting down with no warning and no sputtering. Now i am thinking that is also consistent with a bad temp sensor. I mean if the ecu gets a very high temperature reading from a defective ect would it not shut down the engine to preserve it?
 
#14 ·
For some reason, I cannot display the second page here (desktop) but I can see it in my smartphone.

Yes the airpump only runs for up to 2 minutes when the coolant is cool, and also very briefly when driving to test the system. If the engine is hot and the airpump runs, it will cause the air mixture to be changed in closed loop condition (with the O2 sensor information is monitored) and it could cause sputtering.

It is more likely you have an intermittent disconnect either in the connector / wiring or within the sensor itself, which can happen as the sensor ages too much. I would first remove the connector carefully, clean the contacts with an electronic contact cleaner or maf cleaner spray, and re-connect. It may solve your problem. It not, change the sensor, and you will lose some coolant, so have some coolant available but make sure it is an approved coolant.
 
#15 · (Edited)
mrboca you were right on the ECT sensor being bad.
I took out the ECT sensor and inspected it and found out that the plastic was broken as you can see on the picture, creating bad connection which explains the erratic temp reading I got. By the way taking the ect sensor out is very easy on the e320. You need first to take out the air pump which takes about 5mns max and then you have full access to the ECT sensor. There is a clip that holds the sensor that you need to take out and then sensor comes easily.
So I went to the near by autozone and bought a new sensor, put it on, warmed up the engine for 10mns during which ones the engine shutted of on me twice again. After this warm up the temp gauge had not moved at all, I had absolutely no temp reading at all with the new sensor.... Damned! So I decided to go get an ect sensor from Mercedes on the other side of town. I put this one on and now I have a good temp reading and it looks like it may actually have fixed the all issue. I have been driven the car for about 60miles yesterday evening in town and highway and everything works perfectly.
Price of the sensor at Mercedes was only $26.
mrboca, I owe you a beer at least!
 

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#16 ·
Thank you for the update.. You have already contributed to the forum by taking time and effort in updating the status, which no doubt will help many others who have the similar problems like yours.

You had the upper hand by investing in / borrowing a code scanner and posting the scan results, rather than trial and error method.

The engine coolant sensor is a maintenance item, just like a thermostat, or a spark plug. It can go bad over time, so it is a good idea to replace it, as part of preventive maintenance for high mileage vehicles. If it goes bad like yours did, it can cause all sorts of maintenance headaches, and shorten the life of other components like the air pump, engine, CATs, etc..


Happy driving :)
 
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