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Couple of questions from a newbie

2K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Tolak 
#1 ·
Alright, so I have had my 2001 SLK230 (R170) for a little less than a week now. I have to say that I am LOVING it. :bannana:

Alright, on to the issues:

1 - I've started the thing probably 30 or so times since owning it. It has started perfectly all but 3 of those times. On those 3 occasions when I have turned the ignition key the engine will turn over but the car will not start. After a couple of seconds I have disengaged the key and tried again with it starting immediately. What does this sound like a symptom of? Is this a common issue, and if so, what is the diagnosis?

2 - I have some very small areas of rust (the main spot is on the hood along the edge closest to the steering wheel (right up by the windshield wiper blades). What is the best way to take care of this issue? Is it best to sand it down and then primer and paint over it? Or, given its a small area and not extremely noticeable, am I better to leave it as is for now?

3 - At idle, the hood seems to shake. Not bad and it's probably nothing, but should I be at all concerned? Does this mean it is idling too rough or anything, or is it pretty normal?
 
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#2 ·
1. I'll let the boys diagnose.. not my forte
2. Never leave the rust.. oxidation only gets worse.. especially in high humidity
3. shaking is not normal... again.. ill leave this to the boys...[let me rephrse.. my hood does not shake..so that does not seem normal to me]

you're loving it right? lol.. we all do.. /thread on
 
#3 ·
Since the car is "new" to you, I would find a good Indy Mercedes mechanic and have the codes read and have him give it a once over, A trained eye can spot lots of things and you need to know about stored codes. My car had 4 pages of stored codes and my cheapo reader was indicating "no stored codes" since it will only read engine and transmission codes.. As far as the rust goes, repair it or have it repaired as soon as finances dictate.
 
#10 ·
Absolutely agreed.
Best 60 GBP I spent, to get a review of the whole car; I have then worked through the problems in an order of priority, and have reached a stage tat I am happy with. The next stages will take a bit longer, and are not important to either MOT or enjoyment, so will get done over the winter.
They also cleared the drains above the dashboard, as part of the bundle.
But it also allows you to establish a rapport with your Indy; good starting point, I reckon.
 
#5 ·
Couple ideas:
1. Try checking the battery. Do you know how old it is? It might not hold the charge long enough.
Also, might be the starter solenoid...
2. I'm not an expert in painting and only wash and wax my vehicle. The painting job is left to a professional. Visit your local indy and just ask for a quote. But it should be addressed promptly. Also inspect other areas, such as bottom part of the fenders, etc.
3. You might need new engine mounts. These are age dependent and yours are probably due. Do you have any unusual vibration at certain rpms too? Try increasing speed slowly and notice if you get any resonance that's hard to your ears at certain rpms. Mine did that at 1700-1900 rpms. And at speeds over 70 miles the noise in the cabin became strangely loud. As soon as I changed the mounts it purrs like a kitten! I'd advise changing the tranny mount too. It's just around $40.
Or maybe you have some oil in your MAF that's causing rough idle.
 
#7 ·
Once the car has started and turned off you need to remove the key before you can start it again.
Hmmm... I've never heard of it. I know that on mine if you keep key in position 2 (ignition on) so when all the lights come up on the dashboard for a couple minutes then I can't start the car. I have to turn it back to position 0 and the it will let me start the car. Still don't know why SLK has this feature...
But I don't have to remove the key for restarting the car.
Can anyone confirm or explain? :)
 
#9 ·
1 - I've started the thing probably 30 or so times since owning it. It has started perfectly all but 3 of those times. On those 3 occasions when I have turned the ignition key the engine will turn over but the car will not start. After a couple of seconds I have disengaged the key and tried again with it starting immediately. What does this sound like a symptom of? Is this a common issue, and if so, what is the diagnosis?

2 - I have some very small areas of rust (the main spot is on the hood along the edge closest to the steering wheel (right up by the windshield wiper blades). What is the best way to take care of this issue? Is it best to sand it down and then primer and paint over it? Or, given its a small area and not extremely noticeable, am I better to leave it as is for now?

3 - At idle, the hood seems to shake. Not bad and it's probably nothing, but should I be at all concerned? Does this mean it is idling too rough or anything, or is it pretty normal?
1. Starting; since the starter turns the engine over, then the battery would seem to be OK, and the problem is actually starting the engine. You have not reported that you have any problems with the engine running (and stopping randomly) so it doesn't seem that you have a fuel pump problem (or associated K40 relay). The fuel enrichment is done by scheduling (ie plan) rather than misleading the controller (air leak paths decreasing air, so increasing relative fuel). So the lack of start is an absolute "lack" of fuel or spark. I wonder if the starter controller is a different controller to the ECU?

2. Rust; the bane of older vehicles. But somehow the SLK seems to be quite robust, excluding the edges of the wheel-arches, so it is a minor inconvenience. I used a paint that is also seals against rust (HammerRite/SmoothRite) for the inconvenient blisters that show and annoy, rather than prime, mid-panel scratches. And, as mentioned above, once funds and need come together, I will get the rust issues dealt with properly.

3. Hood shaking: Three parts to the problem;
3a. Is the engine bucking about with a bad tick-over? Check that with the bonnet open.
3b. Is the whole car bucking about, even if the engine is not moving too much? Then the engine mounts need changing.
3c. If only the bonnet is moving, then chances are some of the supports for the bonnet are not in place, so the bonnet is "rattling". Try pushing the corners of the bonnet down, and see if they move; if the front ones do, then the latch and two corner rubbers need to be set up to establish the shut-line.

HTH,
Anon
 
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