There are several other additives to look at besides Power Service. Stanadyne is the only additive supplier who also manufactures fuel injection equipment. It was suggested to me by a friend who owns an injection shop. I run Stanadyne Performance Formula in both of my vehicles and have never had a clatter problem. Another additive which will help the clatter is Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant. Ed B
I have an 05 E320 CDI but it is the older cast iron inline six because I had doubts about the long term life of a diesel with an alloy block. I call Hayward home so I am just North of you.
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Potato Chip, custom canuter valve, low-friction muffler bearings, synthetic turn signal fluid, Hi-Definition Progressive Scan Wiper Blades.
Law-makers are supposed to regulate in the interest of the public as opposed to regulating in the interest of the regulated party.
If it says Pratt and Whitney on the outside it better say Martin Baker on the inside.
Just like to add i had this clatter noise for over a year, being told it was normal by Merc dealer, bad fuel by my indi, Injectors by another Merc dealer... turned out to be the inlet manifold mechanics all seized. it messed up the fueling
I second the intake manifold being all messed up. We have two of these cars, both 2005 and with approximately 100,000 miles. One of them would make loud clatter and intermittently there was no boost. The diagnoses were from EGR ($500) to M55 (inlet port shutoff motor $200) diagnoses to intake manifold replacement ($1,000 plus labor).
Over the weekend, I pulled the manifold (huge job and not for the faint of heart) and the flaps were so coated with soot that they creeked when they were opened and closed. At a certain position close to being closed, they actually got stuck and had to be pried open. Anyway, I cleaned all with POR-15 and old toothbrush and the car is quiet and very steady. Hope I do not have to replace the manifold in the future. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news as I really like these cars!
So, what would cause such a build up of soot on one car? Bad fuel, short trips without proper warm up, running on a bad glow plug?
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John
05 E320 CDI Silver
05 E320 CDI White
99 SLK Sport
So, what would cause such a build up of soot on one car? Bad fuel, short trips without proper warm up, running on a bad glow plug?
The only source of soot in the intake manifold would be from the EGR system, correct? I've read the car recirculates a relatively high volume of exhaust gas to reduce NOx. Somebody recommended in another thread full-throttle acceleration at least once per day to keep the intake system clean. Indeed, my EGR valve stuck and set a code/limp home mode after I had been driving gently for a few days and then parked it for few more (replaced under warranty). If I go a couple of days without heavy acceleration and then punch it, there's a large gray cloud behind the car - but only the first time, so it's not smoke. Most of the soot is undoubtedly coming from the exhaust plumbing, but higher flow rate in the intake side probably clears out something. So I'm curious - how do you drive your cars? Incidentally, it seems like aggressive driving doesn't lower fuel economy much, if at all, as long as it doesn't result in using the brakes - unlike every gasoline car I've had.
Also, the "excessive clatter" I originally commented on about is still there, but worse ever since the EGR valve was replaced. I think it has something to do with the injector calibration values programmed into the ECU. They put in new values when the EGR valve was replaced. Sometimes after stopping the car and restarting it, the clatter is really bad (ECU grabs a new set of values from sensors?). Once in a while, after restarting the car it will be really quiet - almost as if it's not a diesel, but that only lasts until the engine is shut off. I am guessing some cars are noisier than others depending on the injector calibration values / ECU component tolerances / sensor inputs. Maybe excessive soot in the intake manifold affects a sensor output and therefore a value input to the ECU.
also I am thinking for some time maybe these vehicles ran on regular diesel, instead of ULSD which it needed
not everyone in USA had the ULSD in 2005, I think it was mandated by 2006 I beleive but that leaves plenty of time for you guys to have been running on the old stuff potentially
On another point...
ao2ml500
what part of the intake manifold was caked in soot and would not move???
what may be causing the clatter is the position of the inlet port opening. I hope I am wrong though as it is a big job
blackopalCDI
if the old fuel caused it then I am home free on one car. I will try to post pictures so that this makes sense. It only occurred to me to take photos after I cleaned. It was basically like removing paint or varnish. POR-15 made it easy. (Disclamer: I have no interest in the product other than to say it worked for me) You will notice a bar connecting all of the six openings and the M55 motor works with the EGR and circulates the soot
The M55 motor is the electrical motor under the manifold and can be seen in the photos. It is the black plastic thing under the manifold. There is a easy way to check if the manifold flaps are binding. I took off the engine cover over the intake manifold and in between the openings (third and fourth cylinders if I recall correctly) you can see the M55 and the strut to the flaps. With the engine off and with a long screw driver, I pushed the M55 and strut towards the front of the car to simulate its operation and closing. The strut would not return to its starting position but would get stuck and had to be pried back to its position. Initially, we suspected the M55 inlet motor but once we removed the motor (this can be done from under the car and without removing anything else) it was clear that the flaps had resistance and were not smooth in operation. That led to the cleaning. Alternative is to simply replace the manifold, which comes with a new M55 motor.
Over the weekend, I pulled the manifold (huge job and not for the faint of heart) and the flaps were so coated with soot that they creeked when they were opened and closed. At a certain position close to being closed, they actually got stuck and had to be pried open. Anyway, I cleaned all with POR-15 and old toothbrush and the car is quiet and very steady. Hope I do not have to replace the manifold in the future. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news as I really like these cars!
Man you have some balls do that. Good job
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1982 240d Light Ivory-623.
190,000 miles (as of September 15, 2008)
188,000 miles (as of March 18, 2008)
185,000 miles (as of February 21, 2008)
183,000 miles (as of October 29, 2007)
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