[richrom2]

Hi guys, i have doing a lot of reading on the site about the problem I have been having. My 03 CLK55 has been running a little rough. Just the other day I was driving and it all of a sudden shut off on me and it said visit workshop. I waited a minute and it came back on. Its been laggy when I accelerate and also when I start it up it would just crank and then start up after a few tries. I read that it can either be the MAF or the Crank Position Sensor. I read that a way you can check if it's the MAF is to unplug and start it up, if it still runs the same then its not it. Well, I did that and it still ran the same and still had the starting issue. Can it be a crank position sensor? Also I located it and it's in the front of the engine on the passenger side. It doesn't look hard to replace but if I replace it would any fluids come out and is there a way to check if it is the crank pos sensor?

Thanks for any replies

 

[richrom2]

is this the camshaft position sensor?

 

[richrom2]

does anybody have any idea:crybaby2: if not please just lie to me as long as someone says something:crybaby2:

 

[rudeney]

Man, you've got to be patient! Some of the best armchair diagnosticians around here don't get fired up until late night after the wife goes to bed an they've had a few beers.

Seriously, that does not sound like a crankshaft position sensor problem. The CPS doesn't do much other than let the ECU know that the crankshaft is still rotating. It isn't used for any timing controls or other fuel mixture calculations. The primary symptom is that it fails when the engine is hot, and it will either shut down cleanly when driving with no error codes, or when starting, you'll have rotation, but no ignition (thus no start) and again, no error codes.

Yes, that part in your photo is the connector for the camshaft position (a.k.a. Camshaft Hall) sensor. Have you pulled the ECU error codes?

 

[richrom2]

i havent pulled any codes even though the check enigine light is on. yet it says no malfunction. so that is the crank shaft sensor? its been said thats its in the back. so if thats it in the front on the passenger side would any oil come if i pull it? yes im a newbie to mercedes and i have never a cam shaft pos sensor problem before. i looked in the back of the enigine and if its back there i have no clue how to get to it cause theres absolutely no room back there and i didnt see anything that resembled it.

 

[Check Codes]

Whoa. Too much emotion and confusion.

First things first.

CEL and "no malfunction" is *meaningless*. The latter is for specific MB stuff, like oil volume or a lamp or brake warning, etc. The CEL relates to OBD codes. ALL CARS have OBD...most don't have the self-check MB system.

Thus, thinking that there aren't problems because the console says no malfunction is complete folly.

Second, unplugging the maf is usually a waste of time. When you unplug it and then start the engine, the ECU sets pretty much everything to defaults. So say you had a marginal O2 sensor, when it goes to default things smooth out. If you replace the maf because it smoothed out you just flushed your money. And in your case it didn't change, so you didn't learn anything anyway.

However, you now have stored maf codes, and you don't know if they're from before or from your test.

The place to start, then, is to check codes. Even now, if the only codes you have are for the maf. If you have the crank sensor code, then absolutely change it, but 90+% of the time these engines won't throw a code for a bad crank sensor. So the lack of that code doesn't mean the sensor is good.

If you really want to eliminate the maf, you need to scan the thing and get some live data from it.

As to the crank sensor, it's in the back of the engine. If you want to find it, check the diy I posted in the 210 forum, it's in the same location on your engine.

The one on the front is the cam sensor, it rarely -- if ever -- causes a problem.

As to your issue, there are a few possibilities. Dirty fuel filter, failing fuel pump, maf, crank sensor, O2 sensor, clogging cats...etc.

So if codes don't help you out, you either make an educated guess, pay for diagnostics, or just start replacing things.

If I owned your car, based solely on what you have described, I would change the crank sensor. It is a known weak link and is in the realm of probability for your symptoms. It's also inexpensive and not the worst diy. You could spend 4-6 times the cost of the crank sensor on diagnostics.

So I hope that helps; at least there's some things to think about.

Good luck.

 

[richrom2]

Amen:bowdown:

that maf test that i did was from this site. ill check the 210 to find the pictures of the sensor in the back although it would be extremely tight if its between the engine and the firewall. the pics that i have seen seems like people have a lot more room to work with. thats why im confused on the location of it on the clk55.

 

[rnettleship]

If you find it is the CPS you can refer to my post on how to change the CPS on a CLK55. You are right, it is in the back, drivers side and very difficult to reach or even see. Mine was really bad as it swelled and got stuck in the block. If you have over 75k I would suggest changing anyway as it will fail.
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w209-clk-class/1614785-crankshaft-sensor-maybe.html

 

[richrom2]

mettleship,

hahaha funny how you say how it would fail around 75k because mine is just under 75k.

where is your post on the crank position sensor? how would i go about looking for it? also where in jersey are you from? im also from jersey

 

[keyhole]

where is your post on the crank position sensor? how would i go about looking for it? also where in jersey are you from?

rich - that link was an error. However, if you are going to enjoy this site, you will have to master the use of the Search facility above ^^^.

Click Search, then Advanced Search. Put mettleship in the Username box, and something suitable (crank position sensor) in the key word box - and then Search. The required thread should appear on a list of others on the topic. If you omit the key word, you will see ALL of mettleship's posts. :thumbsup:

 

[rnettleship]

Sorry about that. Somehow I just pasted your link instead of mine.
If you change your CPS, hopefully you will have a better experience than I did.

Just search for "The Dance" in this forum. You'll understand after you read it.

I live in Whitehouse Station and work in Parsippany. Don't see too many CLK55's and even more rare to see a coupe. Most of my commute is Rt78 and 287.

I've out almost 35k on mine and it will hit 100k on may way home from work today. The car is a blast to drive and the CPS was the only emergency repair I've had to do on it.

Good luck.

 

[richrom2]

Whitehouse station near sewell nj? Isn't that mantua? Wow that's a commute. I'm originally from dover, nj and now live in west deptford, nj. I'll check your post. Sounds familiar. How much would you charge to lend a hand?

 

[rnettleship]

Nope. I am more Central/Northern NJ. It's between Clinton and Bridgewater.

I don't think you could pay me enough to do that job again I'm glad I should not need to do it again for at least 3 or 4 years.

 

[richrom2]

hahaha gotcha... thanks for the help ill keep you guys posted let you know how it turned out.

 

[Check Codes]

I have not done this job on a CLK V8 and would imagine that it is indeed tight. (I remember mettleship's tale of woe...and his ultimate victory!) In fact it makes me wonder if perhaps taking the time to remove the motor mounts and dropping the engine in the frame some (a couple hours work) would then make the CPS swap itself easier. If I was in Jersey I'd offer to come take a look and maybe lend a hand...thankfully, I'm not.

Good luck...and I hope you don't need it.

 

[rnettleship]

To be honest if my CPS had not swelled and got stuck in the block it would have been just a tight and uncomfortable job. If you have a very long pair of pliers / channel locks and it is not stuck, the whole job would take about an hour.

This assumes you are ok working on something you can't see.

 

[richrom2]

so i havent started the car in like a week. i went to start it up yesterday and the battery was dead. i put jumper cables on it and when i turn the key all the instruments lit up. i turned it to start it up and all i got was a click and no start. if i take the cables off everything goes dead. what the hell shouldnt it start if i have cables to it?

 

[keyhole]

i turned it to start it up and all i got was a click and no start. if i take the cables off everything goes dead. what the hell shouldnt it start if i have cables to it?

Provided that the battery is in good condition (and charged) there should be 2 solenoids clicking, but it might be tricky to be sure which one is not working.

1. Start relay. Relay N10/1 kS, located on SAM control module, with fuse & relay module. Located in the engine bay, up at the bulkhead under a plastic cover.

2. Starter solenoid. Located on the the starter motor assembly under the car.. That clicks when you start.

3. Or, it could be that your 'Bendix' gear has frozen (rusted) in place, and the starter motor has jammed. Sometimes a well-aimed blow with a medium-sized mallet (not a 14 lb sledge-hammer!) will get it free & moving again.

4. Or the starter motor might be toast...

If you put a voltmeter (set to 20v dc range) across on the battery terminals when you try to start - do you see the voltage drop significantly? If so, it appears that the battery is trying to start the motor, but failing because it is jammed.

If nothing much happens, it would suggest an electrical problem, ie, 1, 2, or 4.

 

[richrom2]

1. i figured out the reason it wanst started. i took the terminals off the battery and with steel wool cleaned the hell out of them. they were really corroted. i put them back on and started up. drrr...

2. i dont know how the hell you changed that sensor rnettleship. i spent 2 hours today trying to get to it and get it out but the car won. i gave up. i need motivation guys and best way to taclke this thing. also what size is the screw thats holding it in?

 

[rnettleship]

Never let the car win :surrender:

I believe that was 8mm e-torx. If you are new to Mercedes you will need to buy a set of e-torx sockets. You won't find a lot of standard bolt heads.

The biggest hassle besides it being so close to the firewall and you can't see without mirrors is that the wiring harness is right there as well. I found the best way to reach this was to lean over the opposite side fender and blindly reach around the back of the intake manifold. You need to remove the air cleaner and MAF but those are simple. You can use a long extension and ratchet to loosen the bolt. If the CPS is not stuck you should be able to wiggle it out with two fingers. (Which is all you can get back there anyway).

Did you read my story? It tells you all you need to know in a worst case scenario. Or you could just bring it to the dealer. I'm sure they would be happy to help you for a small charge. As for me, I'm much too stubborn.