Hi Everyone,
Well this is my first post on the forum and am thankfull for the information gathered in the past and thought it would be worth giving something back which may be of interest...
Hard to start E280CDI SPORT W211
I recently had a problem where the my W211 E-Class 280CDI Sport (2006) would struggle to start but for the rest of the day, once started would be absolutely fine, unless the engine completely cooled in which case it would turn over a few times before firing, blowing out white smoke from the exhaust (unburnt fuel). The problem seemed to be worse the colder it was! Just before I had the car 2 years ago the glow plugs were replaced so I know they should be OK. After some research I discovered that the glow plug control unit (or relay as it is sometimes referred) can go bad and start to fail.
Having located the relay at the top of the engine it was easily removed and part number taken. Checking on Ebay and other sources only found one place which had it and they were out of stock? Seemed strange but all became clear when I contacted Mercedes main dealer in Peterborough as when they put it into their system it was replaced by a new unit (MA642 900 5801) C5 GLOW PLUG CONTROL UNIT which has to be said looks quite different. Having purchased for £135.00 and now fitted, it starts like a dream, result. I have attached a photo of both the new unit LEFT and the original unit RIGHT (A642 153 0379).
Apparently it is quite common for this unit to fail, the fact the dealer had it on the shelf says it all. Hope this helps... let me know.
Well this is my first post on the forum and am thankfull for the information gathered in the past and thought it would be worth giving something back which may be of interest...
Hard to start E280CDI SPORT W211
I recently had a problem where the my W211 E-Class 280CDI Sport (2006) would struggle to start but for the rest of the day, once started would be absolutely fine, unless the engine completely cooled in which case it would turn over a few times before firing, blowing out white smoke from the exhaust (unburnt fuel). The problem seemed to be worse the colder it was! Just before I had the car 2 years ago the glow plugs were replaced so I know they should be OK. After some research I discovered that the glow plug control unit (or relay as it is sometimes referred) can go bad and start to fail.
Having located the relay at the top of the engine it was easily removed and part number taken. Checking on Ebay and other sources only found one place which had it and they were out of stock? Seemed strange but all became clear when I contacted Mercedes main dealer in Peterborough as when they put it into their system it was replaced by a new unit (MA642 900 5801) C5 GLOW PLUG CONTROL UNIT which has to be said looks quite different. Having purchased for £135.00 and now fitted, it starts like a dream, result. I have attached a photo of both the new unit LEFT and the original unit RIGHT (A642 153 0379).
Apparently it is quite common for this unit to fail, the fact the dealer had it on the shelf says it all. Hope this helps... let me know.