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Comments
I had a similar problem. It was the EGR valve. Otherwise my CDI has been great.
As someone investigating a diesel myself. I would suggest an EGT (exhaust gass tempature) gauge (if on is not present) as well as looking for the whole package, versus a cheap fix. By that I mean something that not only increases fuel flow but also air flow as well.
Some chips are just expanding the time the injectors dump fuel in and not increasing air flow to match (you will get black smoke - which is un burned diesel fuel out the exhaust) and I believe this aproach also raises tempature more (a bad thing) although I am not 100% sure on the latter. Other chips are more holistic in their approach.
IMHO chips alone are probably okay for small gains, but I would be wary of more than 10%-15%. Problems? For example if more fuel is required, and your fuel pump ends up running at too low of presure then what? Was it worth a couple thousand to fix all the pumps and maybe the injectors?
If it were me, and I wanted more than 10% or so... I would look for something that had better air flow, bigger injectors, a chip to go with it and was under the fuel pump limit and so on. Maybe have something with built in safety monitoring that would cut back if temp got too high despite all that - for example? Of course once you start adding power, then how about tranny and so forth right?
Also AFAIK any part you mod is out of warranty at the companies descretion. Anything that change breaks is also out of warranty as well. So, I would suggest doing something your dealer will support, as fighting both of them if something goes boom is not going to be fun.
Anyway YMMV, good luck.
Please keep me/us posted if you get any chip info- sounds intriguing. Although, from the few cdis I've test driven, the car has plenty of power at all RPM.
I hear those Jetta TDIs are sweet rides, and they don't cost an arm and a leg either. I know of a dealer in Gilford, N.H., expecting a silver TDI with 6-speed automatic in late December.
I've heard the world demand for diesel is up... does that mean we can expect to pay alot more for diesel from now on? I don't remember price hikes like this last winter when the refineres were making heating oil. Why is this year different, and why the big price difference?
I am considering going back to gas but now it might be difficult to sell the CDI without losing alot of money. I was at my Mercedes dealer today and they told me they are starting to discount the new 06 CDI to get rid of them. My timing seems to be off, I hope this is only temporary. I like the CDI but I'd like it more if diesel was more in line with gas.
However, most diesel is used by folks who have to drive -- trucking companies can't decide to drive less. Also, this is harvest time in the midwest. The farmer can't decide not to run his combine...
thanks!
Still...
blissful
A couple days before the scheduled EGR replacement, I had a spell like you describe. I was coasting off a highway off ramp, asked for power, got none, and suspected I'd run out of fuel. Acceleration was limited and engine noise was distinctly louder. I drove straight to the dealer, left it running, and had the technician drive a couple miles with me. The computer did show an EGR error code that day (dumb programmers don't timestamp the error codes, so it's not clear when it happened.) After I left it, they found that stopping it and restarting it restored power.
They told me this was the computer putting the car in "Limp Home Mode." Limp Home Mode is when the computer gets some error code that leads it to believe continued use of full power might damage the engine, so it restricts output to half throttle and transmission to lower gears. If you google Limp Home Mode, you'll find postings on other forums.
With the EGR valve replaced, car is back to its delightful self. If you've had no success, push the dealer or MB to guide to you a senior service tech with the most current training on this engine.
I'm surprised at this since the E320 CDI 4Matic is and will be just like any other "V6" E-Class because of the "V6" engine design being compatible with the 4Matic hardware. MBUSA would be dumb not to bring over that combination in both the sedan and a wagon too imo. I suspect there will be a R320 CDI sometime next year too.
M
Very true, very true.
M
Mp3 Cd will hold about 10 hours of music without a loss of music quality.
I have no real basis for saying this except to suggest the right hand turn may be less significant unless you are also noticing it with city stop 'n' go driving.
Is it only balking after freeway speeds? If so, I'd go with the earlier suggestion of EGR. Less expensive and easier to try than transmission.
Thanks!
Cheers,
and Happy New Year!
Diesels for Sale in the U.S.
The following cars, pickups and SUVs are currently sold throughout the United States with diesel-powered engines.
• Audi Q7 Diesel SUV (Coming in 2007)
• Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and 3500 trucks
• Chevrolet Express
• Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks
• Dodge Ram Hybrid (Coming in 2006)
• Dodge Sprinter passenger vans
• Ford F-250 and F-350 trucks
• GMC Sierra 2500 HD
• GMC Sierra 3500
• GMC Savana G2500
• GMC Savana G3500
• H1 Alpha
• Hummer H1
• Jeep Liberty CRD
• Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class diesel sedan (Coming Soon)
• Mercedes-Benz ML350 (Coming in 2006)
• Mercedes-Benz ML500 (Coming in 2006)
• Volkswagen Beetle, Golf and Jetta
• Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI
3,222-CC turbocharged 24-valve inline-6 27/37 mph 201 @ 4,200 RPM 369 lb-ft @ 1800 – 2600 RPM
Mercedes-Benz C-Class diesel sedan (Coming Soon) V-6 diesel engine N/A 224 376 lb-ft @ 1600-2800 RPM
Mercedes-Benz ML350 (Coming in 2006) 3.7-liter V-6 N/A 245
Mercedes-Benz ML500 (Coming in 2006) V-8 N/A 292
Volkswagen Beetle
1.9 Liter I-4 Turbo-charged Diesel - Automatic 36/42 mph 100 177 lb.-ft
1.9 Liter I-4 Turbo-charged Diesel - Manual 38/46 mph 100 177 lb.-ft
Volkswagen Golf
1.9 Liter I-4 Turbo-charged Diesel - Automatic 33/44 mph 100 177 lb.-ft
1.9 Liter I-4 Turbo-charged Diesel - Manual 38/46 100 177 lb.-ft
Sort of confused on some of those listings. The engines you give for the ML350 is the previous generation 3-valve V6 and the ML500 has been upped to 302hp. Soon though the ML500 will change to the ML550 with the new 5.5L DOHC 32V V8. All of these are "petrol" engins though.
M
V8 CDI Engine
New V6 CDI Engine
It would be nice, but I doubt we'll see the V8 CDI here in anything other than maybe a 2008 model S-Class.
M
I do love my '06 320 CDI!!
All this talk about bringing different diesel models into the US is interesting, if not confusing. To the best of my knowledge all MB diesels to date in the US have been in-line configurations of 4-, 5-, or 6-cylinders. Do they have a "V" configuration for the European market? I would be concerned about NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) problems with a "V" as well - particularly a "6" as it is inherently an "unbalanced" configuration. The additional cost & complexity of internal balance shafts would likely be necessary. Europe isn't as "horsepower crazy" as we are here in the US so I can't imagine they have more powerful engines then what they're sending us already. And besides, while people ask for (and brag about) horsepower what they are really looking for in an engine is torque and the current E320CDI engine has it in spades!!!!
It's an interesting marketing challenge with where to go next with a diesel engine. The C-Class market segment is very price competitve so they may have to remove some vehicle content (power accessories, stereo features, etc.) to maintain the price. The S-Class I think is a better next step. In the past they have tried a 6-cylinder "S" to get the price down & fuel economy up but performance has suffered too much to make the vehicle attractive in the marketplace. The diesel option may be the solution.
As much as I would like to see a diesel M-Class (I also own an '02 ML500 so I know firsthand how fuel-thirsty they are!) I think there are too many Engineering hurdles to overcome. The present 4-Matic hardware probably dictates a "V" configuration engine but the "Diesel 4-Matic" market is probably too small to justify the cost to re-design the diesel engine to a "V" configuration or to re-design the 4-Matic hardware to accept an "in-line" engine. Maybe the new GL-Class is a possibility.
I am interested to here the thoughts of other owners.
Loyal Owner
dave
http://autoblog.com/2006/01/08/detroit-auto-show-mercedes-benz-launches-clean-di- esels-for-the/
There is also a new (well revised) V8 CDI in Europe also. It is a 4.0L with 311hp. The only way I can see the U.S. getting this engine in the S-Class (S420 CDI) or possibly a GL420 CDI.
E320 CDI V6 Durability Testing - Article
New V6 CDI engine in detail - Article
New V8 CDI engine in detail - Article
M
I would be surprised if a lot of diesel 4matics sell, butas I think more about it, I would have considered the 4matic in diesel had it been available. May be a great seller in the NE and NW US.
Loyal Owner
You are obviously much better informed than I am regarding MB products. Thank you for setting the record straight. Looks like there could be several diesel models to choose from in the future when I have to replace either my '02 ML500 or '05 E320 CDI. It's nice to have choices!
Loyal Owner
Here
They also mention the R320, GL320 and ML320. Of course the E320 is a given.
M
11/17/2005 Worst Car ever by MIke M
Style: E320 CDI 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl Turbodiesel 5A) Rating
4.3
Review: This is the worst car I have ever had and the dealership has not helped me one bit. Problems I have had are as follows: Brakes, Transmission, Air Conditioning. 3 times I was driving the car it actually just turned off while I was on the highway. Bottom line this car stinks.
Favorite Features: 4 matic
Suggested Improvements: Get rid of this whole series of cars and start from scratch.
4 of 10 People found this review helpful.
I couldn’t believe my eyes as I was reading the post on Edmund’s E320 CDI rating. How in the world people could fool the other people by just lying something or anything just like the most politicians (even to the highest one). Is a 4matic installed in any E320 CDI so far? I wouldn’t miss the chance to buy such a car, especially in a wagon form! Does anybody out there know this person’s short statement in his rating? According to his favorite features: 4 matic, so how he got an E320 CDI equipped such feature? There are good, bad and ugly people out there!
Let us know what happens.