ahem, what's a Cam Adjuster solenoid & why do i need a new one after 18 months?

AbbieCadabra · 27-03-2009, 05:34 PM

danger - female Merc owner!

the amber engine diagnostic light came on last friday on our way home from Cornwall. it went off again after the next short journey, but i booked it in at Merc Derby to be looked at anyway.

the cam adjuster solenoid shows a stored error, i was told it will more than likely happen again so it's going in next wednesday.

i'm assuming this is an electrical fault? perhaps i'm being a bit sensitive but i wouldn't expect anything like this with an 18mth old, low mileage car - especially a Merc.

we've already had the hinges replaced on the cabrio roof replaced as one was faulty. under warranty & no questions asked, BUT, this is the most expensive car we've ever owned & it's the only one that's ever needed any warranty work done!

ackee911 · 27-03-2009, 06:02 PM

Suppose its a case of luck. I bought a brand new Honda CBR600RR in 05, and rode it home, next day, it wouldn't start. They put in a new battery, again rode home. Next day, suprise suprise, wouldn't start-this is 2 days of owning it.
So I took it back and they messed about a bit more and put in a new starter motor or something, worked out fine.

You bought it new, so tell Merc's to sort it.

p.s. is that really you in ur avator?

MBK · 27-03-2009, 06:16 PM

p.s. is that really you in ur avator?

[/quote]

i was gonna ask the same thing, ur hott!

grober · 27-03-2009, 06:25 PM

Its an electro mechanical device that adjusts the camshaft timing- that's the bit of the engine that that controls when the engine valves open and shut. If you were to take off the front engine cover you would see it as small cylindrical object on the front of one of the cylinder heads with some electrical connections . Your engine has 2 cylinder heads because its a v6. There's also oil involved in its operation and sometimes this leaks into the electrical part and causes problems. You are right-- it has failed prematurely

---- but just be thankfull you are covered by the warranty.

I would post a picture but can't find one just now.

AbbieCadabra · 27-03-2009, 06:40 PM

very informative, thanks Grober

is this a common fault for CLK/Mercs? when would it usually need to be replaced, if at all. i've been told it will take 1-1.5 hours so i suppose it would be a bill of £200 out of warranty?

i suppose luck does always come into any purchase, we always have our fingers crossed we haven't been the unfortunate one to get the Lemon

erm, yeah - of course that's me in my avatar...

(she's not that far off, honest

. give me 18 months & a lot of sweaty sessions at the gym - hey presto! avatar bird i will be

)

ackee911 · 27-03-2009, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbbieCadabra

very informative, thanks Grober

is this a common fault for CLK/Mercs? when would it usually need to be replaced, if at all. i've been told it will take 1-1.5 hours so i suppose it would be a bill of £200 out of warranty?

i suppose luck does always come into any purchase, we always have our fingers crossed we haven't been the unfortunate one to get the Lemon

erm, yeah - of course that's me in my avatar...

(she's not that far off, honest

. give me 18 months & a lot of sweaty sessions at the gym - hey presto! avatar bird i will be

)

not necessarily at the gym

grober · 27-03-2009, 07:16 PM

I think I am correct in saying that you actually have 4 of these! One for each cam. They were certainly known to fail on earlier designs of Merc engines so I am not too surprised Usually its because they get gummed up from not having the oil changed regularly but failure for that reason is usually after high mileage. I expect a forum member with more experience of these engines will be able to comment.

jaymanek · 27-03-2009, 07:24 PM

If the actual solenoid is faulty get ready to remortgage the house.

However more than likely it is leaking oil into the wiring loom... There is a simple fix for this which costs about £10 from the parts counter.. basically an extenstion wire which stops the oil from travelling.

wxmclk · 27-03-2009, 07:31 PM

Exactly the same happended to me (car then 22 months old) MB Birmingham advised me that this is a known problem on the CLK and was simple enough to fix.
I was told it fine to drive car as the engine light was intermitently on/off.
Booked it into MB Chester 10 days later and all now fine.

27-03-2009, 05:34 PM	#1
AbbieCadabra Hardcore MB Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: in the Middle... Car: CLK 280 Posts: 147	ahem, what's a Cam Adjuster solenoid & why do i need a new one after 18 months? danger - female Merc owner! the amber engine diagnostic light came on last friday on our way home from Cornwall. it went off again after the next short journey, but i booked it in at Merc Derby to be looked at anyway. the cam adjuster solenoid shows a stored error, i was told it will more than likely happen again so it's going in next wednesday. i'm assuming this is an electrical fault? perhaps i'm being a bit sensitive but i wouldn't expect anything like this with an 18mth old, low mileage car - especially a Merc. we've already had the hinges replaced on the cabrio roof replaced as one was faulty. under warranty & no questions asked, BUT, this is the most expensive car we've ever owned & it's the only one that's ever needed any warranty work done!

27-03-2009, 06:16 PM	#3
MBK Hardcore MB Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 718	p.s. is that really you in ur avator?[/quote] i was gonna ask the same thing, ur hott!

27-03-2009, 06:25 PM	#4
grober Hardcore MB Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Perth SCOTLAND Car: E220 COUPE Posts: 8,968	Its an electro mechanical device that adjusts the camshaft timing- that's the bit of the engine that that controls when the engine valves open and shut. If you were to take off the front engine cover you would see it as small cylindrical object on the front of one of the cylinder heads with some electrical connections . Your engine has 2 cylinder heads because its a v6. There's also oil involved in its operation and sometimes this leaks into the electrical part and causes problems. You are right-- it has failed prematurely ---- but just be thankfull you are covered by the warranty. I would post a picture but can't find one just now. __________________ Cheers Graeme E220 COUPE auto 96 Last of the Ol 124s Last edited by grober; 27-03-2009 at 06:38 PM.

27-03-2009, 06:40 PM	#5
AbbieCadabra Hardcore MB Enthusiast Threadstarter Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: in the Middle... Car: CLK 280 Posts: 147	very informative, thanks Grober is this a common fault for CLK/Mercs? when would it usually need to be replaced, if at all. i've been told it will take 1-1.5 hours so i suppose it would be a bill of £200 out of warranty? i suppose luck does always come into any purchase, we always have our fingers crossed we haven't been the unfortunate one to get the Lemon erm, yeah - of course that's me in my avatar... (she's not that far off, honest . give me 18 months & a lot of sweaty sessions at the gym - hey presto! avatar bird i will be)

27-03-2009, 07:24 PM	#8
jaymanek Hardcore MB Enthusiast Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Nuneaton Warwickshire Car: 560 SEC AMG Widebody, 560 SEC AMG, W124 500E, W123 280CE, W123 200, R107-500SL Posts: 10,210	If the actual solenoid is faulty get ready to remortgage the house. However more than likely it is leaking oil into the wiring loom... There is a simple fix for this which costs about £10 from the parts counter.. basically an extenstion wire which stops the oil from travelling. __________________ Mercland is listed here on MBClub please click to see services and discounts available. 1969 280SL Pagoda in Met Light Blue 1980 123-200 in Sahara Yellow 1985 123-280CE in Champagne 1988 500SL in Met Light Blue Now with Leather 1988 560SEC AMG in Midnight Blue 1989 560SEC AMG Widebody 1989 190E 2.5 Cosworth Dogleg Manual 1993 E500 Brabus in Silver with lots of toys! 1 of 29 UK Supplied Cars Gallery Link

27-03-2009, 06:02 PM	#2
ackee911 Hardcore MB Enthusiast Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: London Car: Mercedes-Benz S500L Posts: 320	Suppose its a case of luck. I bought a brand new Honda CBR600RR in 05, and rode it home, next day, it wouldn't start. They put in a new battery, again rode home. Next day, suprise suprise, wouldn't start-this is 2 days of owning it. So I took it back and they messed about a bit more and put in a new starter motor or something, worked out fine. You bought it new, so tell Merc's to sort it. p.s. is that really you in ur avator?

27-03-2009, 07:16 PM	#7
grober Hardcore MB Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Perth SCOTLAND Car: E220 COUPE Posts: 8,968	I think I am correct in saying that you actually have 4 of these! One for each cam. They were certainly known to fail on earlier designs of Merc engines so I am not too surprised Usually its because they get gummed up from not having the oil changed regularly but failure for that reason is usually after high mileage. I expect a forum member with more experience of these engines will be able to comment.

27-03-2009, 07:31 PM	#9
wxmclk Hardcore MB Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North Wales Border Car: CLK280 Posts: 223	Exactly the same happended to me (car then 22 months old) MB Birmingham advised me that this is a known problem on the CLK and was simple enough to fix. I was told it fine to drive car as the engine light was intermitently on/off. Booked it into MB Chester 10 days later and all now fine.

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