₦airaland Forum

kuntash:
Hello Trac.

please I need your assist here,  my car fuel consumption has greatly increased, infact I think I am doing about 13-15mpg,

really dont know where to start from, I now hear a knocking sound when I press the gas to accelerate - I understand when there is excessive fuel sprayed in the combustion chamber, it can give such sound ,

please kindly advice.

13-15 mpg is poor.  Since you have covered a lot, treating this inefficiency should be minor and shouldn't cost you much in cost and time.  You'll probably do it yourself.

I'll only give you what my opinion is.  I am not truly certain but it is what I can come up with by logic.  Oil may not be getting to the upper (top end) chamber of the crankcase.  In other words, low oil pressure or something to that effect.  Then again, I haven't asked the kind of noise you are hearing.  It might be the hydraulic lifters; varnish or dirt build-up in the lifters.  Spark plugs knock noise - i.e. bad ignition timing, hence the carbon buildup on the plugs.  Broken or worn out engine mount.  These are the possible areas that I can draw conclusion upon. 

Utmost, verify your oil pressure from the dashboard.  It should be 3 bars at initial startup.

Give feedback!

stiyke:
Thanks Trac for your  time and effort. I must say it  was educating

Right now i drive a mercedes 190 (1995?), it came with a turbo charged 6 cylinder engine. I love the car, it has been serving me for 4yrs now, my only issue with it is that when i use it intensely through the day, by evening the temperature would be close to 100 degrees. I was asked to change the radiator but i want to be sure changing it would keep the temperature low.

So i want  a newer model mercedes as a second car, i dont like e class cause it looks big. I want something sleek, like c clk. I cant afford recent c or clk models, even if i can afford it, i wouldnt buy it. Thanks for your educative reply.

Please what do you mean by HWA?? It will help me understand your post better.
How do i (a novice) know an AMG apart from the emblem on its body, do they all have the engineer's name on its engine?

Thanks

An AMG engine will have a plaque on the engine lock that tells states the name of the engineer that hand-built the vehicle.  The engine will have AMG forged on both banks of the engine block.  For the generation of Mercedes that I discussed, the seats are not Mercedes but AMG seats.  They are sport seats with AMG inscribed, the instrument cluster is different from the traditional Benz with AMG inscribed on them.  The interior is in two flavours.  It is either completely black or two-toned black and white.  The steering wheel is also sporty.  In the outer appearance, it is aggressive looking with wider wheels and the rear tail light is smoked with pronounced tail exhaust tubes.  I am not too sure but the exterior colours are either black or silver.  This is because the body shells were sandblasted, primed and painted by the engineer assigned to it.

HWA stands for Hans Werner Aufrecht (initials of the co-founder) and AMG part numbers will begin (prefix) with HWA as oppose to MB that uses just integers that Mercedes uses.

You have a rare Benz and I don't know who the stage-tuner is. 

It might sound silly to you but operating at 100degC is normal in MB's.  It is another situation if the conditions do not warrant the readings.  In some cases, the coolant might be bearing the heat as it is not intended to.  This is so if the thermostat is bad.  DOn't replace the radiator.  The engines are designed that way.  It's a hot engine and works best that way.  Ensure your cooling fluid, thermostat and auxillary fans are working.  When you get another Benz, keep both if you can.  The C/CLK is not better than what you have.

emmyz09:
@TRAC could u please help me on my question I actually want a Vboot but the E220 series is my target please could u give me insight into dis car I would be glad if u did. Thanks and look forward to hearing from u soon.thanks.

The 124 series generation are solid-built. At 16 years, the primary ppi (pre-purchase inspection) should be all mounts and rubber bushings. Some tend to rot (harden and break off) and some tend to still look good as though its fresh (german rubbers) but the integrity is lost.

Look out for rust in hidden areas. It is no where near as bad as the C CLass generation and the twin-light generation that succeeded it. It is still a good thing to look out for. Depending on the year that you are looking out for, some have wiring looms that are biodegradable. This biodegradable looms can only keep up with the heat of the engine for so long before they harden (insulation) and break-off, leaving all kinds of electrical problems and driveability issues. The insulation to these looms are time sensitive too.

Inspect the suspension. It should be very firm and yet comfortable over rough terrain. It is understandable the best of the state of the suspension should not be expected but there is a point where it becomes acceptable/understanding and just plain lousy.

Ask if the transmission has been replaced or overhauled. This is only applying to the automatics. They are designed to go for a certain period (roughly 155,000 miles) before you loose the reverse gear. It's just a warning.

When you put the ignition to the ON position, you should hear the fuel pump prime at the rear. It should be a steady electrical whining. Anything short of this indicates a fuel pump that is questionable.

This would have to be done at a garage.

The drive shafts would have to be inspected. The flexible couplings wear out and would eventually damage the centre support bearing of the driveshaft. This is often neglected but it is a practical service that should be done at certain intervals. One of the symptoms from 2 - 3 and wouild appear that your transmission is missing a mount. In some cases, the coupling actually is broken.

The motor mount is fluid based. This should be noted. If it's worn off, the transmission mounts would have to be replaced as well.

There is a false wall behind the battery (depending on the year of your model). The false wall will reveal a sensitive region that need not be attended to except the purpose calls for. There will be relay that has a transparent cylindrical top with a rubber seal to keep it air tight. This is the overlay voltage protector (OVP). This plays a very sensitive role in the vehicle. At this age, this should be replaced. If it fails, you'd have problems starting, stalling, stumbling and some issues that at this point cannot express. It is also the gate-keeper to protect the ECU. In otherwords, it'll sacrifice itself before the ECU messes up. It's also got a lot to do with the fuel pump and the priming to specified psi before permitting the engine to turn over. When OVP related issues occur, you'd have done lots of diagnosis, trials and made replacements to parts and sensors before frustration kicks in.


Suspension

The rear suspension is complicated but the benefits are tremedous. Worn out components would cause the rear to steer in motion. This is noticeable in freeway speeds or high speeds. It will also feel as though no weights are in the rear.


There is hardly any known issue with this model besides the wiring loom. The 260/300 were known for serious oil leaks from the valve covers and the 320/300CE were known for head gasket failures.


This is what I can come up with.

Airmatic failure!  The error you will get would be an extended central reservoir time taking too long and possible areas of leakage.  Very common and the lifecycles to this system is very short.  There are cases where the airmatic fails within 10,000 miles.  Airmatics are to be replaced every 40,000 miles (recommended service life).  Do not continue to drive the vehicle because you'll damage the compressor.  Currently, the compressor would be working tirelessly to make up for its "supposed" inefficiencies.  It won't stop till it breaks down because intended conditions are not returned.  You won't appreciate the cost to replace this.  The best thing to do at this point is to disconnect the battery.  The compressor is still active trying to replenish the lost air.  Don't take it with levity, the replacement you have currently is $1800 in just the part without labour for one airmatic strut.  That's warning that the rest would be needing attention.  It is best to reinstall with the battery off.  If you know your layout well, taking off a terminal from the battery isn't needed, you can just unplug the fuse to the compressor.

Though the struts are pricey, I'd recommend that you begin plans to replace the remaining three. 



There are no sensors anywhere to look out for. The compressor is ok. You have the compressor, the central reservoir and the central unit. The current state of failure is to get you home/dealer and put things in order. Anything worse than the current state would render the vehicle inoperable for motion. Reinstalling is about 10 minutes with shop tools and a lift (deducting tyre removal and misc).

stiyke:
Hey Trac, I read your posts on another thread https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-520025.384.html you adviced not to buy v6 MB. I would like to buy a c or clk MB. Please which year, model and engine type would you recommend starting from 1999? Thanks.

I have responded to you.

kuntash:
really?

How does a balance shaft ripping out of the engine sound to you on an engine that is designed not to be rebuilt?  How does balance shaft failure sound on a Mercedes Benz? It's not a cheap repair neither is it an easy one.  The 2012 C350 that rolled into production is the first v6 MB has made.  It is tremendous if you read the build strategy and how the engineers made to life what the professors envisioned.  As far as I'm know, the 272 will still be in production in the 300's and 4matics.

stiyke:
@Trac,
I would like to buy c or clk MB. Please which year, model and engine type would you recommend starting from 1999? Thanks.

To be square with you, the vehicles are quite old and lots of bushes will have to be changed.

For the C, I'll suggest the very last year and avoid the supercharged variants.

For the CLK, why 1999? No matter how much you save, it is not a wise decision over the 2000 - 2002, that is in engineering, aethesitcs and extras.

Both models are prone to catastrophic rusts and I won't recommend them to you for this reason and its age. Itis an issue when the sheet metal of the body begins to rust and areas too that are concealed. It is another issue when structural and structural supporting members are rusting. This is cognitively unacceptable. The pre-2000 of the CLK/E left a lot to be desired and it is not a well-thought-out compromise to the refreshed models. A lot of parts and components were upgraded.

To avoid being too detailed and prevent this post from being lengthy, I'll refrain from the pre-refreshed version of the C Class. The 230 variant is the least problematic and the choice of many of all the normal series in that class. This is because of the blend of power and agility for the engine range. The 180 should not be considered. It is underpowered.

For the CLK, I can't tell you much about the lower displaced engines. The engine generation is newer and I never got acquainted with them (for they are not sold where I am). It is true I said the V6's should be avoided on any Mercedes. That is true but to a "new" extent. A 60 degrees V is now into production and from the Mercedes design information that I have on that engine, it has been built from ground-up with innovations and grounds that haven't been covered ever in motoring has been conquered. This debuts currently on the 2012 C Classes. Besides this newer engine from the oven, the other V6's should be avoided. They were not built but concluded upon as an after-thought. The extent also to which the conclusions were engineered to only puts the burden upon the consumer as time elapses. It is not a best buy both in cost and and logic. One of the archilles heels is the balance shaft ripping out of the engine because it barely cancels out the rocking motions. Mercedes engines cannot be rebuilt on this generation due to its design and this occasion was never factored in. This kind of repair will never be as it would have been without this failure. This leaves you with the V8. This is the engine designed in its real actuality. The v6 incarnate is nothing but sectioned-off V8. A v6 in its inherent nature is a defective engine. Imagine adding one notch to the defect. There is nothing economical between the v6 and v8. The difference between the two engines is 1 mile to a gallon. The performance you get over the v8 is overwhelming to the asthmatic v6.

There are repairs homologous to the normal series. They can be overwhelming. The nature of these cars are a bit "discriminating" (-- for lack of a better choice of words). When a major problem occurs (i some cases, minor), the ECU in some cases would limp the vehicle or shut it down till the problem is fixed before normal operation begins. There are some electrical issues that are quite expensive to repair/replace (e.g. instrument cluster, A/C, climate controls, pneumatic related issues etc) and they go bad.

Maintaining a Mercedes will cost some money. Owning one also cost money to upkeep. Buying a Mercedes and considering mileage on gas is not acceptable. It is a different thing when you are using too much power (fuel) with little to no performance. If you needed such feat, a Mustang would offer that to you gracefully for a fraction of the cost. 'having said so, this leads me to the other phase.

The electrical gremlins are not found in the AMG series. They aren't prone to rust either. They are hand-built and some of the control-systems and electricals are HWA parts (not MB). These engines and transmissions are rock-solids and I would recommend it to anyone that I feel like talking "merc-y" to. You might be considering gasoline efficiency. The engine and transmission is adaptable and learns your driving style and detunes itself to match your pattern. Keep in mind that this is a car with a split personality and it will display its naughty side without warning if tempted. As long as it is not provoked, it will always remain in docile behaviour. The number of repairs per time period are seriously lower than the normal series. AMG's can take abuses and they are still loyal to you. Normal wear and tear should be expected. To tell you how rugged AMG-tuned MB's are, you can race all day on a race track without any modification to the vehicle and still drive the car home on its brakes and tyres (provided the tyres are not wornout) and still be going to work on Monday morning. Under time-trial, the chassis/suspension is taken a serious beating and under undue stresses. If you aren't swayed by the cost of replacing the tyres and track cost, you can return the following week or a few times a year but service life will be compromised. You'll be bunkers to take a regular Merc over an AMG-tuned Merc if you had the understanding and opportuned.

If a Benz has been neglected, don't buy it. It is not worth it. It'll be expensive to put it in order. HWA parts are significantly expensive than the regular Merc parts but you rarely replace them. It's just as the traditional ownership of a Mercedes; expensive parts - but twice or x-times the regular interval period. I'm not saying it is problem free but areas that might pose some issues are the inherent Mercedes parts that were unchanged at the Afaltebach plant. With the C Class, the C43 (if you opt for the AMG route) would be your engine choice. It is the closest car to the Porshe-built 500E in driving dynamics and feel. I won't recommend a c36. For the CLK, the CLK55. Be very careful of funny AMG's sold. Some people go through great lengths to make their vehicles AMG. You should look out for these kinds of phoney vehicles. Since the AMG's of this era were handbuilt, the interior are of two natures. They are either black or two-toned black and light-beige white. If I can recall, they were either black or silver in colour. Open the engine and look for the engineers name on the engine (though some are orphaned but the AMG is unmistakened). A 430 AMG is not AMG-tuned and warrants no cost beyond what its due. Some Mercedes were assembled with AMG trinkets and that is where the fun stops. Within the range you have asked, AMG's are more rare than today's.

If you will be importing from the United States, some engine adjustments would have to be done (fuel timing). Do not listen to anyone that tells you otherwise. The engineers that designed the vehicle explicitly stated it in the owners manual that premium only and in situations were premium cannot be gotten, half tank of gas and no more than 3000rpm and less than full cargo capacity.

Avoid any MB with modified suspension or deduct the cost. You cannot improve a Mercedes. What you buy is what you get. If you can get a repair history, it's a plus. If you can't, have a mechanic inspect it.

Whatever your choice of flavour is, do not rush your purchase. It might take you months but it is better. If you find a well maintained early to mid-90's E Class (LH Jetronic/HFM), it's a good consideration. The normals series are excellent as well and better than the choices you originally asked for.

This is the best I can give to you in a nutshell. I believe it has been presented best considering age and possible maintenance possibilities.

All the best in your choice.





Edits:

I had written this before I realised that you stated from 1999 upwards. That's a bit harder for me because I am not really acquainted with the C Class (w203) and higher. The 2003 generation CLK class is not impressive and I would tell you to avoid them. The repairs are in excess and not the cheap kinds. I was told that 2007 - 2009 were pretty much worked out. I never ventured into the CLK's because I'm an E person and of recent, I developed a practical interest in coupes. I have my reserved comments about Mercedes these days.

emmatok:
LOL,

My analyst, you just love to argue.

How can Vista be faster than 7.LOL

Just shows you are not a heavy user.

Even hardcore games don't run well on Vista due to compatibility issue.

98 and XP are the must successful Windows OS till date.

Even Windows Vista and Windows 7 couldn't kill Window XP.

I have 8 on my petition and i tell you it will never be like Windows 7.

Go on tech blogs and forums. Do your research well.

Did I say Vista was faster than W7? I did not. You concluded on what I did not say, thus your epistle. They run at the same speed with one having better resource management. I still use XP till W8 will be released. I never said XP was inferior to Vista/7. I made that statement in another thread. I don't have to go on blogs and forums when I can analyse the core myself, comprehend released technical papers and see through the smokescreens. Hardcore games will run well if you have the right hardware for Vista. This is one area that I am certain MS got right in Vista, that is directX technology.

These things don't make a person better. They are designed to aid life and not improve them. Windows for me is for work and research/design and W8 fulfills that for me without the compatibility issues I am facing in W7. This isn't something we earn but buy; hence its worth. I don't waste my time tinkering with computers or keeping up with operating systems.

I totally disagree with you on Windows 98 being one of the most successful as oppose to Windows 2000. Win 98 is a complete joke to Win 2000. Besides it being primitive compared to 2000, it is not as stable.

You can be rest assured that there is nothing wrong with the ECU. It's a logic controller and it is mapped. It is not an operating system written to a hard drive, hence prone to crashes. The missing variable is knowledge/understanding not ECU swaps.

@Reflector,

I went through your link and the patents explains why it is off-limits to Microsoft. Years ago, I read somewhere that for every media device made, a fee has to be paid to the recording company and a serial is issued. This also included cable-boxes, CD players and so on. I cannot tell you the totality of what I understood from the article because it is spotty and I cannot vouch for the source as credible because I stumbled upon it.

This might buttress what I stated in the earlier post.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-pictures/does-vista-or-windows-7-play-blu-ray/79f6ba3c-dad6-43a8-b8f3-d058b54a0d07

Above all, the patents explains why the blueray playback is not native to Windows.

Reflector:
Trac this is false information.

There is no version of windows media player that plays Blu-Ray movies for now, you need 3rd party programs such as WinDVD, PowerDVD etc to watch Blu-Ray movies. I know because I tried it yesterday on my windows 7 home premium machine.

You might want to read this link http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-pictures/windows-7-media-player-will-not-play-back-bluray/36f826cd-db66-45e7-bfad-1ad7f37f42af

Those front-ends will not decode bluray for playback. According to Microsoft, the architecture was redone to support the use of bluray in SP2 of Vista. Natively, it will burn bluray disc. For playback, it is to the manufacturer of the bluray hardware. The playback of bluray is not native to the OS itself but dependent on the hardware, firmware and a decoder that is totally dependent on the drive itself. In otherwords, the playback is upon the burden of the manufacturer that designs the drive.

emmatok:
Good you mentioned Vista.

Is Windows Vista(NT6.0) as  successful as Windows 7(6.1).NO

Are Windows ME or Windows 2000(NT5.0) as successful as Windows XP (NT5.1)? NO

The-same thing will happen to Window 8(NT7.0) and its improved version will come in Windows 9(NT7.1).

All major OS release comes with issues which are resolved in subsequent Versions,

If you think Windows 2000 was not as successful as Windows XP, then that explains your a lot about you. Windows 7 is Vista. The kernel is the same and the true name is Windows Server 2008 Release 2 (Windows 7 Server). The marketing name is Windows 7. Vista failed for the most percentile and it wasn't a good marketing strategy to still push on with the OS for the remaining of its lifecycle under the term Vista. If you have ever used any Windows Server, the tremendous stability leaves nothing to be desired. Windows 2008 was just streamed down and ported over for consumer-general use. Windows 7 is not faster than Vista. From what I can conclude, the animations are less than Vista. Hardcore gamers and those of like-entertainment will take Vista over Windows 7. Personally, my best operating system is Windows 2000, then Windows 2003.

Why don't you try Windows 8 before you make certain conclusions. I will understand if you do not like it. I detested it initially but took time to understand the metro thing and how to get rid of it. My old engineering tools run very well on W8 and that's all that matters to me. Some ran partly on W7. As far as I am aware of (with my limited usage), it is stable and I have some of the perks I get from Lion and there are no lock-ups or freezing. What I don't like about it is that it is "geared" for cloud computing and social networking. I see it as a big tool for information harvesting (my opinion).

Truly, there isn't much difference between the two (from a fundamental point of view). Layouts are different but behind the "screen" a lot has been done. It is a huge improvement to the Windows that is traditionally known.

ABONY80:
please i need your advice, my Toyota RAV4 is having brain box engine which has affected the gear box, and they could not find solution,my mechanic advice me to change the engine to Camry engine (5 s Engine) please advice if it will work well. thanx

What you need is the effort to get a second (and maybe a third) opinion.  -- and that said with all due respect.  That will save you money, give you peace of mind (that the problem is known and steps to resolve is taken) and you will learn from it.  In addition to it, you can depend on the vehicle.  Another engine is another "bag of beans" that is uncertain.  There is nothing on that vehicle that cannot be fixed. It's a very basic engine.

ibes4ever:
base on the features listed out, it means it can't support 64bit? pls i need answer and is it so.

It supports the 64 bits.

Reflector:
Does it now play Blu-Ray disc?

The media player which came with windows 7 does not support Blu-Ray instead you need 3rd party software for that. Has this changed with windows 8?

BluRay has been supported since Vista SP2.  This supports everything including the 1155 socket and 2011 socket processors. 

Htman:
I havent yet tried it, but from  what i see, it seems to be cool

It is not amazingly cool but it is a huge step from the type of computing we have become accustomed to with Windows.  If you have ever been on any unix-like OS, a lot of the similarities are found in W8.  The power users or those that understand computing beyond browsing and disgrace-booking (facebooking) will understand in depth the grounds MS has covered.  To the average user, it is just another OS.  I skipped Vista and W7 due to the theme and lack of agility and performance, stuck to XP and adopted OS X.  The unimpressions you get from the Vista/W7 is not in this to-be release.  My old programs work on it and when I click a button, the response is almost immediate (as it is in XP and other OS's - no green-blue spinning circle). Couple this with its hybrid-like multitasking; numerous programs opened, including the intensive ones in the background and there is no hangups or noticeable loss in performance. Why shouldn't credit be given?!  The only sacrifice to make is to get use to the UI which is a bit clumsy and biased for social networking - that itself can be fixed. The start button is basically useless.  It uses far less resource than its predecessor. 

Overall, in my honest opinion, it is carefully thought-out.  Those of us that have the pleasure of working with Fedora, Ubuntu, Mac's and so on may not impressed.  They might find the eye-candies a joke but PC's are for the workplace and the professionally minded have to be satisfied above all.  That is where the chunk of MS's revenue comes from.

emmatok:
If you follow Microsoft OS trend you will notice that.

Window 8 is just an experiment, like Windows Vista.

Windows 7 is the standard Version of Vista.

I will not advice anyone to buy Windows 8 OS.

Just wait for windows 9!!!

You are wrong. Windows 8 is a major release, i.e. NT7.0 and it is in no way experimental. The last major release was Vista, which was NT6.0 with codename "Longhorn" (if I am not wrong).

W8 is good and "athletic." The metro can get clumsy because it's not completely mouse-friendly. Turning off metro suppresses all W8 improvements. It's also plenty faster than W7. This is still the developers preview and not beta yet it has managed to keep a lot of people happy and a lot frustrated as well. There is still going to be more improvements.

Per your advice, it is plenty better than W7 (which is nothing but reformulated version of Vista). It is very stable and does a lot of "hybrid" things well without lock-up. This is the first time ever in my history of Windows that I am able to do extreme variable multi-tasking and it is not locking up. It is not as refined as Fedora or slippery as the Mac's but it is good. Try it and conclude. A note of caution though, it will "flush" your current bootloader and deprive you access to the current configuration (especially if Linux is present).

You cannot delete anything from a PC.  Yo only loose the "pointers" associated with the file attributes.  On the other hand, you can securely wipe files and its attributes by some processes (erasure method).  This erasure method processes is done on the sectors of the hard drive itself.  At this point, I can only remember two and that is DoD and Gutmann.   Any of these coupled with Isaacson Random Generating Algor makes it even more secure.  Basically, what these erasure methods do is to overwrite the information in a way by physically altering the information per sector on the hard drive, thus leaving unreadable data.  It then scrambles the whole thing.  When you use a data-recovery software/hardware, you cannot retrieve anything.  Think about shredding a paper axially and laterally and then with all the bits, you throw it up in the air like a rice bouquet and you give it to your colleague to put the pieces together.  Gutmann is the best but slower.  No hardware would recover the information.  DoD (Department of Defense standard for permanent erasure) is also good but not as rock solid as Gutmann's approach.  Both of these cannot be recovered via hardware.  There are a few more secure delete approaches but they offer only software protection.

whizkid10:
« #371 on: October 26, 2011, 10:31 AM »

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Quote from: pimpJay11 on October 17, 2011, 04:39 PM
Guys i just got a 2000 model CLK320 Kompressor(coupe) with a V6 Engine for the past 3months i've been replacing the airmast(airflow meter) after every replacement, the car wud come to nomalcy but jst after 2 to 3weeks i'd start noticing the black carbon on the exhuast pipe as usaul. The technicians aren't even helping maters, I've changed the fuel pump as well, and now, i'm just getting tireed of the whole thing. I buy each of these air flow meter for 25k, the parts are too expensive, each time i start noticing the black carbon (smoke), i also notice the car wud be vibrating while steaming. The car is a real german machine, but the parts are absolutely too expensive here, My only headache now, is how to get an original airflow meter, i remember spending N102,000.00 last 3weeks trying to fix the car but still the problem persit. i'll need your honest advice please, expecially from some of you who really have broad expirience on Benz. thank ya'll and God bless


Jay,


The "cars" are good when they work. On the contrary - - - (I leave you to finish the sentence). I don't know who to blame on this; this is not the nature of this vehicle. I hope I am not reading too deep into what you have stated but this is a heap of a mess.

What made this even worse besides the fact that it is in a serious mess is that the setup is forced induced (supercharged). I avoid turbos and superchargers. Unlike atmospherically aspirated engines, the state of health of the engine must always be excellent or near excellent. There are also additional issues associated with them (including one that ought not to be working on them).

I'll state my opinion, though very I'm very limited in your case. You ought not to have replaced the MAF (mass air flow metre) more than once. An experienced mechanic should not have replaced it at all. It ought to have been cleaned and that would be it. I doubt if it needed to have been replaced in the first place. All the MAF does is to convert air into current. Bosch should be the only brand to be used. Check all six plugs and ensure they are gapped right and still have some life in them. If one or two are bad, you need to replace all. This would be a host of a lot of problems. The plugs have to be +1 or +2 hot range plugs. If you cannot find (which I doubt), the standard 0 should be used but should be the last resort. If you use cold plugs, you will have poor fuel economy. Engine will misfire when you stop after a high-speed coasting. I believe this has/had nothing to do with your case. The MAF should not have been disturbed in the first place.

You are actually dumping fuel. Fuel is being unburnt, thus causing you to run rich. Your Air/Fuel ratio is out of proportion. This is where the case becomes awry and difficult. Your "fuel-duty" has been compromised. What ever was done is serious advance adjustments. At this point, the ECU has shut down your catalytic converter to prevent it from damage. There was absolutely no reason to have replaced the fuel pump. If it was bad, engine wouldn't crank because pump will fail to prime and conditions within the ECU require that pressure has to be at 50psi before engine will crank over. When replacing the "fuel pump," both pumps have to be replaced.

I have a feeling that the supercharger (blower) is bad and would need replacement. This is synonymous to the fact that you are lacking boost pressure from the blower itself. If it is all good, then adjustments have been altered somewhere. I will not be surprised if the wrong ECU was fitted into your vehicle.

You will need a professional on this. Don't buy another part or major part. This needs readjustments. I am surprised that you are able to drive it. The vehicle should have been in limp-mode. As I said, this left to the professionals and not just the professionals but experienced of them. There are nairalanders that can advice you on this.


Cheers - give your feedback as you make progress.


Hello Trac,

Sorry, I'm using my friend accounts now cos i can't sign into mine. (Pimpjay11)

I'm actually in deep poo now cos they changed another air flow metter today and replaced some prssure pipes too. Inittiallty the technician said the plugs were not working n needs to be replaced. And now, all are replaced the Engine steams/sounds like a Lister Engine now + the tempreture rising above 90oC when the aircon is turned on.

I am very sorry to hear this. Frankly I cannot explain what has gone wrong because many things are not adding up. This is because there are too many changes made to the intended mode of operation. I have some conclusions but I don't have the vehicle to spend time on. The people you have taken it to should not be working on your vehicle. As a matter of fact, if they don't own one or haven't owned one in the past, they are not qualified to work on one (my opinion). The cars are very different from other cars on the road. There are some parts or services that you don't just remove and replace without resetting. At this point, your vehicle should be hooked to an MB terminal to pin-point possible areas of malfunction. This does not lock-in your areas of interests but an idea. Hand-diagnostics which is the true troubleshooting (which relies on knowledge and experience) is were the service begins. The terminal is not needed but it does shave time out of the total troubleshooting period.

Right now, your engine layout has been compromised. I don't even know what a lister engine is but I don't think you meant it as a compliment. 90degC is about right for the engine but that is under certain conditions. I person with poor working knowledge/understanding of pneumatics should not work on any Mercedes Benz for a fee for Mercedes Benz uses pneumatics extensively with control-systems and everything must be right unless otherwise.

For now, do not move the vehicle (if you do not have to). If you trace steps back on this thread to post number 320, I put two numbers of an engineer that works on Benzes and BMWs and he is a purist. He is not an automotive engineer and his prices are a bit higher but you do not have remedial services after the final service has been done and the keys handed to you. The job is thorough and the parts he uses are genuine and he is honest. Prepare yourself to learn something about your car because you will be "schooled" indeed on how it should work from how your car is working. I hope your ECU was never replaced; you may not even know.

oyb:
Whats the diff btw a 1999 camry and a 2012 camry?

anyone who is still on xp is just a . . .

anyway, if want to use a dead os, np

There is no difference in both cars with the exception that the 2012 is a cheaper model with more "appliances" than its 1999 ancestor. Both cars yield poor car-to-driver communication and unemotional.

Anyone who is still on XP is a what? You should've completed it and the rebuttal would have been more streamlined

Fact is that you are not a better person because you use a Microsoft product. You don't climb the social ladder by virtue of what you can buy. Critically and analytically examine a product or principle and draw your conclusions based on what it is not what emotions yield. I use XP x64. Recently, I frequently use the 32 bit version. I have Vista and upgraded to W7. No difference, same kernel and more compatibility for the latter. It picks up dust where it is seated and it is seldom used. I have OS X Lion (Macintosh) as well. A total of 7 computers are in my possession and also a power user. For menial browsing and listening to my music or DVD-authoring, I use OS X. For engineering research and product design, I use XP. Some of my simulations run for days and I need every computing power available. Computers for me has never been a social thing. It always meant work or a tool to get things done. Besides professional edification, I have no business with Windows. Besides enterprise or enterprise-like software and computing, it offers no real benefit. To those using their systems for facebook and other disgrace networking site, W7 is the best thing to be offered to them. W7 is just a bloated XP and it is also not properly done. If anyone needs eye-candies and other bells and whistles that work, get a Mac or Linux. They work well and not the crappy performance Windows offers.

iice:
[color=#9900ff]Seeing a dentist doesn't work?
Imagine the multitude that are have 'serious' problems with them.  Hope the hospitals are ready for them.[/color]

As I stated, you are illogical in your approach to resolve the issue.  To break it down even further, you'd be lucky to make motion, how much more moving forward.

To break it down:

When you belch, where does the expellant come from?  The human body is simple yet rootly complicated if you take the time to understand what you are encapsulated in.  7/10th of your immune system is in your mid-section. 

In the case of the original poster, his digestive system has been compromised and the ratio of good to bad bacteria out of balance and total immune system compromised.  As he eats, the bacteria to break down the food has been out-numbered by bad bacteria and so the food process cannot be completed.  Thus, things begin to decay.  This will also lead to a host of other things like a slow or no bowel movements and also a clogged colon and so on.  Things would also get worse when alcohol is consumed or there is a continuous consumption of processed foods. 

The overflow of the compromised system is what you are smelling in the mouth (mouth breath).  No mouth-wash would fix this.  Depending on the type of toothpaste used, it will make the matter worse because it is a contributing cause to the matter.  You cannot convince me that the original poster is unaware that he should be brushing.  You also cannot convince me that the poster fails to do the brushing ritual every morning.  Yet having understood this as a fulfilled duty, why does the problem still exist!  I do believe that if he lacked his duty in that area, he wouldn't have initiated this thread.

mimima:
None of these would work because the odour itself is not sourced from that "environment."  That is popular thinking, illogical and kitchen-sink problem solving.  The occur comes from his digestive system and the overflow is what his wife is warning him about.  These are warnings the body gives to tell something is wrong and this is ample warning to get "things" in order before the immune system is compromised beyond what is tolerably accepted.  Don't be surprised that if you probe further, the paste itself might have contribute to the current problem

@ WHAT IS THE SOLUTION NA

A change of life style above all.  He is going to rid himself of the toxins and parasites that are in his system.  Toxins as in metals, pharmaceutical drugs taken in the past, processed foods and other man-made substance from the modern kitchen.  For parasites, there are a lists of them, taenia solium worms, candida and so on.  The two mentioned are the main culprits and a serious nuisance in gastrointestinal problems.  A detox is a good start but it isn't a one-month job.

I will not go into explaining how to come about this.  There are many ways to the conclusion in this case and to restore the body to normalcy.  I believe NL has a wealth of health care tips.

C++ with object oriented programming (C++ OOP). You have a wider surface area to cover in application of your know-how in this area. Wouldn't take much to adapt to Objective C and Java wouldn't be of much stress if you decide to opt to it.

You cannot conclude on OS's by mere emotions, eye-candies and marketing.

To those who claim W7 is faster than XP are nothing far from wrong. You have to examine from the kernel itself. The footprint XP requires is a lot smaller to the large footprint Vista requires. How would Vista be faster than the other that requires less resource to completely operate? Look at the kernel and come up with an explanation; there isn't. The reason why it boots quicker than XP is because part of the kernel is loaded and in use, the rests of the required are loaded. Overall, it is slower. You will have to match like-for-like. To get Vista to mask its hog, we need an 1155 socket or 2011 to get something comparable to what XP would do far lower sockets.

Vista and W7 are one of a kind, "flesh of flesh." Vista is NT6.0 and W7 is NT6.1; same kernel - same stroke. One isn't faster than the other but with different resource handling. Though the technology W7 offers over XP is tremendous, very few are keen to that area (gaming).

Anybody planning to upgrade at this point should place it on hold because Windows 8 would be released in about a year from now. I currently run the Windows 8 Developers Preview and it is a justifiable upgrade from XP. I do not like the metro, the Explorer UI from W7 and the integration of social networking but it is a good compromise. It's footprint is a lot smaller than NT6 and it is the only operating system besides XP that runs with agility and does not need the huge resource that Vista/7 requires. It is stable resource managements and priorities are handled the way OS X 10.7 does (just not as good, no where as refined and lacks the finesse). This is the first of Windows that is newer and did not require more computing power to run.

iice:
[color=#9900ff]Brush your tongue, floss, drink lots of water and most especially see a dentist. . .especially if nothing seems to work[/color]

None of these would work because the odour itself is not sourced from that "environment." That is popular thinking, illogical and kitchen-sink problem solving. The occur comes from his digestive system and the overflow is what his wife is warning him about. These are warnings the body gives to tell something is wrong and this is ample warning to get "things" in order before the immune system is compromised beyond what is tolerably accepted. Don't be surprised that if you probe further, the paste itself might have contribute to the current problem.

I was actually going to start a thread of this nature but I guess I was beaten to it.

pablomoore:
I noticed recently that I have started having mouth odour and my wife is complaining about it. It was not like this before. Could the house advise me on how to fix this. I have used several paste but to no avail.

Why don't you start from how the problem came to "function" or (for lack of a better term) how the equation became "balanced." Your last sentence says it all [but in the wrong direction].

In addition to all that has been said, consider the weight of oil used. If intended denotes 20 or 30 weight oil and you fit in 20w-50 or something in that order, you re going to have parasitic drag in your chamber. The oil is too heavy and driveability suffers. Consider fuel treatment/stabiliser also and your source of fuel purchase. You can control and slowly eliminate port fuel deposits by using these treatments every month. If the gasoline sold where you are contains ethanol, in the long run, your vehicle will trap in moisture in the gas chamber that might eventually lead to water. You can figure what might happen over an extended period of time.

Siena:
^^^ Brillian writ-up, Trac. But not put in laymans terms. I understand where you're coming from, but many here would simply be bamboozled by the over-technical analysis.

I understand where you are coming from, Siena. I did write this two or three hours ago on a sheet of paper and then made some edits when I was settled for easy absorption. When I had to type this to text-pad to avoid the spam-bot problems I face, I made edits and simplified this as far as I could. It was as simple as I could and I was very purposeful to appeal to "both parties" without it loosing its effect. The challenge here is how you can explain to a person a journal, rocker-arms and so on when they haven't seen or heard of them; let alone components of the upper engine end and lower engine end. There isn't much that can be done via words (I agree) to convey some of "these" but I'll give them the honour that they deserve it regardless.

Don’t forget to look at the plugs.  One might be fouled or broken.  If you continue driving in this situation, what’s next to go is your catalytic converter.  It is not designed for this manner of abuse. 

The over-filling concept is not credible, same as the cold-start-and-go where the ECU does your own responsibilities.

You cannot overfill that vehicle with gasoline by virtue of design.  The gas tank in this Camry will be one of two kinds; the very first I am inclined to believe.  That is an expansion tank that resides above the gas tank in itself as unison to accommodate excessive fuel or a sub-tank inside the main gasoline tank.  If the owner still insists to fill to the brim of the orifice after repeated cut-offs from the nozzle, a certain condition has been met.  The cap that is commonly known is not a cap but quasi in nature.  It is a valve and it is called a pressure vacuum valve.  There is a difference with the idea that exited in favour of this concept.  It will vent the gasoline when the psi in the tank is greater than one psi before the pump primes.  This is done in conjunction with the charcoal canister, where it is securely amassed till it can be safely burnt by the engine. 

The ECU does not compensate for your idle warm-up.  It will only match your rev and limit your rev as you progress in your cycle.  It has nothing to do with hydrodynamics (that is the co-existing relationship between solid mechanics/dynamics and fluid) beyond what has just been mentioned. 

90% of engine wear is at start-up.  This is due to poor hydrodynamic lubrication from thick oil & fluid flow.  The load at idle is the minimum amount of wear for the surface-to-surface contact present within the IC engine.

There is a breakdown of lubrication when the engine is started in the morning.  The crankshaft rests against the bearing until a lodge of oil has been created after the pressurised oil reaches the bearing.  The main agent for this process is the oil pump.  It takes roughly about half a minute for the oil pump to distribute oil to the entire engine (keep in mind that the oil for a few of the seconds is cold, making it harder, so the pump works at its hardest).  The layer of oil lifts the shaft off the bearing as it flows through the oil passage and fills the oil clearance within the assembly.  It doesn’t take much to figure out that damage to the crankshaft bearing (including excessive wear) will be anywhere within the engine’s lifecycle when there is continuous starvation of intended distributed oil in a dry-start.  When the shaft wears out, abnormal oil consumption begins.  This is where the some will switch to heavier oil rather than mechanical repairs.  Throughout the life of an engine, engine oil weight should never increase.  A worn shaft does not equate to tight engine crevices.  Another point to note is that cold oil does not flow as well as oil that has been warmed up for a sixth of a minute.  A spark is approx 4500degF per plug.  One of the concepts of dry-starting is that the amount of wear that can happen during this period equates to numerous hundreds of miles of high speed driving (300 to 400 miles and up, depending on how the person throttles).

On the second phase, exhaust gases that have been cooled also contribute to the wear in an engine.  The gas at cold temperature is abrasive to the walls except for normal operating temperature or acceptable level of temperature.  This is so by some laws in chemistry.  The gases should flow out of the tube with the least pressure possible.  This is where some of the etching comes from couples with the surface-to-surface contact.  In normal operation, some of these slip through (blow by) the crankcase via piston leak.  Oils and gases are not good companions under various conditions.  The PCV does not work when the engine is turned off, thus it cannot remove these hydrocarbons, so there is cohabitation till the engine is turned.  The soot itself is what is responsible for the wear in this case at cold start-up. 

Nitrogen Oxide: After a high speed drive, if you suddenly stop and kill the engine without allowing a few seconds or a minute to cool, the combustion chamber becomes exceeding hot and nitrogen will react with oxygen to give NOx.  Some cars will not allow you to kill the engine when the key is in position.  In most cases, the fan keeps rolling till the temperature drops to a predetermined phase.  On the flip side, on a cold day, you crank the engine and you take up, building heat progressively, the same process to which NOx occurs is initiated.  This is also easier to achieve when the engine is also under full load.  In a Mercedes, your power band is pegged and gears are held longer till engine comes to operating temperature.   

This is not a case of carburettor engines or injection engines.  This is an inherent limitation of the internal combustion engine.  This can be greatly reduced but not eliminated via a by-pass filtration system and oil with certain base stock.  Most people will not spend such money for that kind of oil.

aminatusaf:
Hi peeps
A friend needs original brain box and fuse for c class 320 2004model
Its needed urgently
Pls ping 260616d8 if you have it
Cheers

Your friend does not need an ECU. A couple of fuses and relays would have to have been blown and shut down before the ECU comes to place. In other words, you will have to deliberately sabotage the ECU by reinstating the aforementioned without dealing with the cause (and that still isn't easy). At this stage, you can't even move the car more than a few miles without the problem coming up again. Look for the root cause. Deferring the actual problem is not helping the situation. Something valuable too will be lost; your time and rest of mind (productivity). Advise your friend accordingly.

Stylz69:
Hey Trac,
I need your expertise or any other persons opinion and advice. I came across a guy who had hit bad times. He has a 2008 C- 300 which i have offered to buy off him for 1 million; the catch is that the engine has knocked. Do you have a clue as to how much i'd be looking at to get it fixed or is it a bad deal?

The short answer is "no."

That's me talking, if you met me in person and I wouldn't listen to another word after that.

To answer your question as asked:

You weren't specific about the kind of knock - knock when the engine warms up, knock when motion initiates after a sudden stop or the knock at idle.  Truth is none of these occur in the m272 due to the biased engineering.  The engines were built never to be rebuilt.  You cannot rebuild an MB engine.  It is extremely difficult for the newer ones.  It is difficult and the engine becomes compromised.  It may sound like a joke but those that hod-rod their Benzes and eventually compromise their engines will attest to that. 

I believe you have a balance shaft problem.  This is known.  The Achilles heels a chain sprocket to the balance shafts.  The repairs in not a simple one and it is pricey in $10 - $20,000 range.  When the problem starts, there is a quick-fix.  This quick-fix gives about a year before the entire shaft fails completely.  What is ironic is that the same defective component is replaced with the same part number.  There is a campaign going on.  Many part with their cars after this issue.  Many for sale currently are at the warning point.  What is not encouraging is that this happens at low miles as well as no history of spirited driving.  I won't talk about the quick-fix.  In your case, it is already too late for that.  This is why I have stated in the previous posts never to buy a v6 Mercedes Benz (no matter the price).  The 210 series also  has a similar issue, though worse without warning.  The entire shaft rip through the engine and oil pan. 

Find something else, Stylez.  It's not worth your time.  This is not a problem that will be going away anytime soon.  The 212 also has been fitted with the same part component and some are showing signs of these as well.  Don't buy a v6 Mercedes.  It is pointless and senseless.  Some may argue with me on this but chopped-off v8 offers almost no merit.  Even MB in all their knowledge and subsidiary principles could not engineer a sectioned v8 that worked in a long term.  This is because you cannot change its inherent nature for the laws of physics cannot be repealed.

sultaan:
you should never have to touch your ECU, damage is done on your jeep, anyone who says they can get your jeep working by switching out computers is lying, because if they know what is wrong they won't change the ECU in the first place.

Jeep is not bad its the uneducated people poking around causing all the problem.

You need a DRB Scantool to get into chryslers/jeep system cheapest I have seen is ~$2k.Goes for ~$6k
Best option now is to re-install original box an disconnect battery overnite and hope things work I think ecu is tied to vin in jeep(not sure on this)

I don't know the original problem of your car, but pulling computer is not a good thing.

You're right on this; VIN is tied to the ECU. Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler, Audi/ Porsche/Seat and the high performance exclusive cars (640, Reventon and a few others). You will get a VIN mis-match error code and in some cases, engine won't turn. This will become mainstream once OBD III becomes standard. The ECU's never go bad. It is a logic controller and not a PC with a hard drive. I have never understood this kind of swap as a means to curing existing issues.

Tobi,

I hope you kept your original ECU. You are going to need it. Part of a mechanic's job is to diagnose and isolate to effective conclude on a solution to a problem. The service you got is "a pig in a poke" or "cat in a bag."

labamba:
I'm sorry for being late on response (I also did not get an e-mail notification).

A lot of things can initial a warning for ESP failure.  The simplest of the culprit could be a burnt tail bulb.  The ESP is a complex service to diagnose and I would not recommend you warning but a thorough diagnosis.  It isn't uncommon for brake failures to occur without warning when you have an ESP malfunction warning on.  The E's, SL and other variants with SBC are known to fail without warning or error codes and you have nothing but the engines safely downshifting to one.


Lambamba, take the vehicle for repairs.  A complete inspection and replacement of all wear component would have to be done.  It will not profit you to delete the error warning.  Inspect all bulbs as well

Hello Trac ,

Thanks for the feedback.
I'm still at a cross road.
I'll copy down all the various errors being displayed and have them posted soon.
You recommend complete diagnosis but where would you suggest ?
The earlier advice i got from a Benz clinic in surulere was dat i should change the wheel speed sensor after using a scanner to check.
Should i go ahead and do that ?
I've hardly used the car or even driven 2km.
I also noted it was crying of faulty brake light indicator which was replaced but its now back again.
Honestly, i'm trying not to panic.
What would you advice ?
eagerly await your response

No!!!!

You are not to change the wheel speed sensor.  You are to reset it. 

You reset it by:
*  Crank the engine and apply no throttle
*  Roll the steering wheel to the extreme left till it comes to a complete lock and the same to the extreme right
*  Centre the wheel
*  Kill the engine. 

Somebody had a similar case. 
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-520025.288.html

Don't replace any wheel sensor.  You will make a lot of replacements (that's a guarantee for sure).

Anyone that knows about the brakes on an MB will know where to start. I listed a few on the prior post-reply. Everything associated to it must be inspected and replaced if needed. The post is #320 on https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-520025.320.html. The very first on that page. To an MB expert, it should be a moderate job with some brain-storming. the culprit(s) will need to be identified.

Okd1:
When your talking of a Cars i don't think any car Beat Mercedes Benz , i drive an Ml 430 2004 model , V8 engine Auto Manual . once when driving to Gwagwalada alone the road police escorting some politician up there decides we all stop for them , neither did i agree . They use their Hilux to try block me when i shift the gear to 2 Waking up the V8 beast of an Engine You wan try before i return it to 3 then 4 they no see my break light , i give them like 3 kilometer distance . Mercedes For Life yeah .

The designs are good and nothing can compare to them for the generation in which it is released.  By design, I mean the application of "acceptable" engineering practices and principles to yield an expected conclusion.  I don't mean fashion or aesthetics.  In some cases, I don't believe that they use conventional principles/theories/laws (I just can't prove that).  The production builds are just far beyond standards due to costs to keep the vehicle within price ranges and to support their research costs.  So you have a good design and a cheap build with questionable tolerances.  This is where the reliability issues come in.  

I am not sure if your downshift was safe or illegal (depending on the gear you were in before the shift).  If you were coasting at the fourth or the fifth and you force-selected 2 for the purpose of picking up more speed, you will compromise your clutch-pack in the transmission case.  It isn't designed for that feat but slowing down not picking up speed.  There aren't too many clutches in the pack to handle such torque for the purpose of picking up speed.

tedanne:
Hi Trac,
a comendable effort on your part to many MB users;just like Siena is to Audi users.am new on MB.just got a 2002 ML 500 and would want to know what to expect in all ramification.(the good and the bad)
tanx and do keep up the good work

The least trouble-free of all M's are the 2005 models. Many of the gremlins were worked out. It would be unfair to conclude on the new model line-up's for it hasn't ended. I do not know where to start from but the electrical is where the mountain of the problems are and it could be for several reasons (fuel nannies, electromechanical, mostly sensors). In some cases, it may not start. To have the vehicle trouble-free, you will be proactive on all your preventive maintenance.

Transmission - the fluid will have to be drained and refilled often. This isn't just the M's but all MB's (722.6x and higher). I believe it is fitted with the 722.6 transmission. The design originally was meant to be sealed for life with the "sheet 236.3" (if I'm correct) fluid. Later, the lifetime requirement standard dropped from decades to 7 years and from 7 years to the unwritten rule of common sense. The MB transmission fluid is what you should use. If you know why, you would not compromise on this. As of today, the fluid that would be sold to you is of sheet 236.10 and it is backward compatible with other sheets constituents.
- On the other hand, there is an alternative. It is the same fluid and cost $16 cheaper than the branded one which is $20. In other words, $4. It is called Fuch Titan. It is the same fluid by Shell and you should be able to find it. The deference between the two is that one has MB's quality control associated to their design and the other does not but it is the same thing. It is just like OEM/OES and genuine certified part components. This is also for all Mercedes.

I would love to tell people to stick to the genuine parts for their vehicle. The ML is one of them that I will make a serious exception to. It will be unwise to replace brakes, suspension and some powertrain with non-genuine but certain aspects like crankshaft positioning sensors, camshaft positioning sensors and other sensors that fail without warning and in some cases, more than once need not be replaced with the same brand. Get the OEM or OES for that component.

Enjoy your vehicle.

pimpJay11:
Guys i just got a 2000 model CLK320 Kompressor(coupe) with a V6 Engine for the past 3months i've been replacing the airmast(airflow meter) after every replacement, the car wud come to nomalcy but jst after 2 to 3weeks i'd start noticing the black carbon on the exhuast pipe as usaul. The technicians aren't even helping maters, I've changed the fuel pump as well, and now, i'm just getting tireed of the whole thing. I buy each of these air flow meter for 25k, the parts are too expensive, each time i start noticing the black carbon (smoke), i also notice the car wud be vibrating while steaming. The car is a real german machine, but the parts are absolutely too expensive here,  My only headache now, is how to get an original airflow meter, i remember spending N102,000.00 last 3weeks trying to fix the car but still the problem persit. i'll need your honest advice please,  expecially from some of you who really have broad expirience on Benz. thank ya'll and God bless

Jay,


The "cars" are good when they work.  On the contrary - - - (I leave you to finish the sentence).  I don't know who to blame on this; this is not the nature of this vehicle.  I hope I am not reading too deep into what you have stated but this is a heap of a mess.

What made this even worse besides the fact that it is in a serious mess is that the setup is forced induced (supercharged).  I avoid turbos and superchargers.  Unlike atmospherically aspirated engines, the state of health of the engine must always be excellent or near excellent.  There are also additional issues associated with them (including one that ought not to be working on them).

I'll state my opinion, though very I'm very limited in your case.  You ought not to have replaced the MAF (mass air flow metre) more than once.  An experienced mechanic should not have replaced it at all.  It ought to have been cleaned and that would be it.  I doubt if it needed to have been replaced in the first place.  All the MAF does is to convert air into current.  Bosch should be the only brand to be used.  Check all six plugs and ensure they are gapped right and still have some life in them.  If one or two are bad, you need to replace all.  This would be a host of a lot of problems.  The plugs have to be +1 or +2 hot range plugs.  If you cannot find (which I doubt), the standard 0 should be used but should be the last resort.  If you use cold plugs, you will have poor fuel economy.  Engine will misfire when you stop after a high-speed coasting.  I believe this has/had nothing to do with your case.  The MAF should not have been disturbed in the first place.

You are actually dumping fuel.  Fuel is being unburnt, thus causing you to run rich.  Your Air/Fuel ratio is out of proportion.  This is where the case becomes awry and difficult.  Your "fuel-duty" has been compromised.  What ever was done is serious advance adjustments.  At this point, the ECU has shut down your catalytic converter to prevent it from damage.  There was absolutely no reason to have replaced the fuel pump.  If it was bad, engine wouldn't crank because pump will fail to prime and conditions within the ECU require that pressure has to be at 50psi before engine will crank over.  When replacing the "fuel pump," both pumps have to be replaced.

I have a feeling that the supercharger (blower) is bad and would need replacement.  This is synonymous to the fact that you are lacking boost pressure from the blower itself.  If it is all good, then adjustments have been altered somewhere.  I will not be surprised if the wrong ECU was fitted into your vehicle. 

You will need a professional on this.  Don't buy another part or major part.  This needs readjustments.  I am surprised that you are able to drive it.  The vehicle should have been in limp-mode.  As I said, this left to the professionals and not just the professionals but experienced of them.  There are nairalanders that can advice you on this. 


Cheers - give your feedback as you make progress.