Well it’s been a fun few months preparing the mighty Benz for it’s journey northwards, and it’s proving to be a bit of a challenge.
We knew it wasn’t running right, but the extent of that has only become apparent as we’ve taken things apart and started to put them back together again.
After making up a diagnostic unit (switch, three wires and a 12v LED!) I discovered several Bad Things wrong with the car. The O2 sensor was dead (actually it seems the wiring had wrapped itself around the propshaft at some point..) the coolant temp sensor was dodgy, there were issues with the crank position sensor (CPS).
Along the way of fixing those little problems, the ignition key stopped turning in the barrel so we couldn’t move the car (in park and steering lock on!). This turned out to be a simple matter of replacing the barrel, made even easier by half of it helpfully falling apart!
Taking the car for a little test drive, it suddenly dawned on me that I couldn’t see the dashboard anymore. This was because it was night-time, and all the instrument lights had decided to go on strike. Purchase of a 24mm socket and removal and refitting of the light switches later and both the dash lights (and fogs incidentally) started working once more.
However, upon my next visit to the beast, the drivers side indicators became possessed, turning on on and flasing as I got in the car, then stopping as I got out to investigate. After pulling the relevant flasher unit and fuse had no effect, I was convinced the Devil himself was manifest in my Merc. Fortunately, it turned out not to be the Prince of Darkness but an old and previously in-active immobiliser, which had decided to become active again. Once removed, and all the fuses replaced, we had peace again in the turn signal department.
However while she would now start first time and run, as soon as she got warm (10 minutes or so of driving) it stalls, misfires on acceleration, runs rough and just cuts out (usually while I’m trying to cross a junction and there’s cars coming towards me). And this is where we find ourselves today – only a few weeks to go, the car still to be tested and taxed and it still not running right. I’m pinning my hopes on the arrival of a new CPS this week, but I’m wondering what else will go wrong….
Replaced so far:
- Air filter
- Oil filter
- 6 x spark plugs
- Camshaft position sensor (oh yes, I’d forgotten this had cracked in two)
- Lamda sensor
- Coolant temperature sensor
- Distributor cap
- Rotor
- CPS (When it arrives!)
