I'm having a strange issue where my 98 e320 after idling an 1-2 hrs (cut that time in half every time if I have the interior or exterior lights on or I'm blasting my aftermarket stereo sound system) it begins to shake, idling roughly. Most cases I can turn the car off then back on and it's fine. With the case of the stereo and lights, it will idle rough then pretty quickly the engine will shut. After that it will start up but then almost immediately die or it will start up but will be idling a little rougher than before. The only way to get it out of what seems to be a 'mode' to me, is to drive it about a block, shut off the car and restart it, then everything is fine again. Both the alternator and battery are fine according to testing, and none of this happens while driving the vehicle with all lights on and system up to the max. Any possible clue to what may be causing this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Asked by Matrixreaver Jan 16, 2016 at 09:59 PM about the 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E 320

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

3 Answers

220,915

Sounds like your idle is having a problem keeping up with the load on the alternator. Probably need to give the throttle body a good cleaning, run a scan on it to make sure all the sensors are working, have a clean air filter, and check for vacuum leaks. The idle is set by the computer, the engine probably needs a little maintenance.

1 people found this helpful.

Thank you very much...that sounds about right. I bought the car used and the only maintenance that's been done on it is the A and B that's done at the dealership

20

YOUR NEW RADIO IS DRAWING MORE POWER THAN THE CAR CAN PRODUCE. TO RUN THE RADIO AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IT NEEDS TO. YOU NEED A BIGGER ENGINE OR YOU NEED TO REDUCE THE POWER CONSUMPTION. YOUR RUNNING A POWER DEFICIT AND THE ENGINE WILL SIMPLY SHUT DOWN.

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