My E63 AMG Broke Down and Left Me STRANDED. What Is Wrong With It? 

Need to get Alex from Legit Street Cars in here! These are his forte...

Everybody wake up! Chris posted!

Put a fuel Gadge on it and make sure when you give it throttle it gets higher pressure .

I'm recently a former owner of C63 AMG with an M156, yes, this is definitely real life.

You need to get a hold of Alex at LSC in Chicago. Between the two of you, yall can figure this out

Haha..when I clicked play, i was wating for it: "IT JUST NEEDS A CLUTCH". I love it! This needs to live on and on!

You are a really smart guy and as an automotive engineer, I enjoy watching your builds and troubleshooting as it is highly educational for all interested in auto tech. Two thoughts and one that wasn't clear. I would have done a lot of things you did only out of your sequence. Your MAF's. If you have two MAFs...you touched on this...but I would switch MAF position however keep them connected...not disconnect one or the other or both and see if your code reader reflects bad lambda on opposite bank. Your engine PCM would be a second thought but to me, more remote. A positive note. Thank your lucky stars it isnt compression related or your bottom end. Be encouraged by that very important fact. This is fueling related. I wouldn't have bought new injectors because you switched them and same issue on pass side bank. I though you may get joy with your intake gaskets. Switching coil packs won't matter. To me, your pass side bank is getting the wrong AF and its all the things in that stream that may contribute are candidates. Any sensor specific to pass side bank needs to be scrutinized because driver side bank is fine. Lastly, consider this a great learning opportunity. Watching your videos, there isn't anything you can't do. Pull the engine PCM and reseat the harness connector to the PCM. Check your grounds. Moisture and short jaunts to work is likely your root cause over time. You may have a connector or harness glitch aka moisture ingression...or rusty ground. All the best.

Hi Chris. Mb tech here. I had something similar a while ago, same car e63 with m156 “my own car” I had bad fuel pressure, first thing I found was braided hose from supply to rail hole size had reduced by half at the rail end, That helped get better pressure but didn’t fix it, next I changed fuel filter “complete sender unit” again increased pressure more but did not fix, then I changed the fuel pump control unit! And like magic that was the end of my problems! Similar to you random missfire terrible performance coating and spluttering. Check for codes in fuel pump control. All the best buddy.

My first thought was crank sensor. They heat soak, cause misfires, can even cause it to not run. Once it cools off it will fire and run fine. Can be hit or miss too. The random cylinder to cylinder misfire is usually the biggest indicator of this.

those plugs look like you're running pretty lean with all that ashy white deposits on them maybe look into getting a more dialed tune on the car. also i would check the resistance/ ohms on all the plugs and see what they read and compare them to Mercedes spec. do the same with the coil packs. I'd also try to get in contact with Alex at Legit Street Cars, he was a head Mercedes Tech for a number of years when these car where out and has had multiple M156 cars in his life. he'll probably have about 5-10 different things you can try to help diagnose this issue.

You mentioned oil in one of the injector plugs. I just watched a video by Dave’s Auto where they discussed bad oil wicking in Mercedes cars. Check the cam position sensor for oil contamination in the plug/harness. Worth the look at least.

m278/GL550 owner here... check your harness and sensors for oil. its a common problem in early MB sensors for them to have a leak which caused oil to wick up into the harness and cause all kinds of weird problems. theres an updated set of cam position sensors and a cam cover plate reseal that fixes it for the m278's... perhaps similar for yours.

Chris you mentioned seeing oil in the fuel injector harness. That's a big red flag. Oil can wick into the craziest places and cause all sorts of issues with the ecm. I'm not sure if each bank has separate harnesses on that motor for coils/ injectors but that would be my first thing to inspect. Good luck

dude i have NO clue what a catch can even is - yet here i am watching an hour long video and fully invested

I haven't watched the whole video yet, but I'm going with the low key battery as the source of your problems. 🤭

Chris the ‘while you’re in there’ guy. You should try the coils. Mine went into limp mode bcuz of it at one point. Maybe this is the case with yours. Ur trying things out and ur trying things out bruv. Or even the sensor of the coils/plugs/injectors. I have a feeling it’s something so small that it’s the least you’d expect

You will make it run better. You always do. Love your knowledge of cars and patience to work on them properly.

Hey Chris, I'd like to see your wall of RockAuto magnets like we all have.

I had a similar incident happened to me when I was driving my Porsche Cayenne GTS, the vehicle started to run like crap as in misfiring all over the place. So I ran an ODB2 scan which indicated multiple misfires on 6 of 8 cylinders and bad fuel trim issues. The funny thing is, It had a heavy fuel smell coming for the exhaust and their was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust too which freaked me out because I was in the middle of nowhere in the state of Jalsico Mexico. The only thing that saved my bacon was that I kept the original Bosch upstream O2 sensor in my tool box I had with me at the time, so I managed to get home safely back to Lake Chapala, Jalisco Mexico. Needless to say, and it turned out be a faulty pre-cat O2 sensors, changed that and she is as good as new. WARNING: Do not put SH!TTY cheap eBay or Amazon Chinese O2 sensors in Mercedes, BMW, Jaguars, Porsche, VW or Audi. You will regret it to high Heaven if you do. This will F#$K your vehicle up. Besides, there is a reason why they are cheap. I stick to Bosch or similar parts only. Also, if you have one of these older German vehicles, ALWAYS travel with your tools and carry anything and everything you can think of that can go wrong in the area of parts. They are awesome vehicle but I would stay away from purchasing any of them if you are not mechanically inclined or not willing to learn basic repair on them and on the fly because if you do they will completely empty your bank account. NO JOKE! I avoided these problems by being proactive in maintenance and not afraid to watch several RU-vid, "HOW TO VIDEOS" even those I have a considerable background in BMW repair and service. By the way, if any of you have the opportunity to buy an GEN1 Porsche Cayenne, BUY IT, they are one of the most reliable SUVs every made PERIOD! Many of them are still running strong with over 300k miles on the clock. In my opinion, they are the best Porsche ever made in the area of reliability.

Commenting before finishing the video - I had a really similar problem on my mustang several years back. Car was shaky and ran like crap out of nowhere (also catless). Replaced O2's and several other items and the issue didnt go away. Found a random post somewhere about a fuse that had blown for a driver on a brand new car that was causing a very similar issue. Low and behold a $1 fuse was replaced, check engine light went away and the car ran fine from then on. I don't know how relevant this may be, but I thought it was interesting.

Dude, thanks for the graph and explanation. I watch your videos for fun but to actually learn something is like icing on the putting. Thanks man

I didn't have time to watch the rest of this, but from the initial descriptions of the trouble, Mercedes is renowned from having issues with that conductor plate, that doubles as the so-called valve body, renowned legendary headaches! Sounded like it might have been going into limp mode - I want to check the rest of the video, to see what actually transpired when I have a little bit more time later today.

Dude you the best for diagnosing everything! Even if it's just the little things you go through it and show it to us! It's something we'll missed but absolutely helps up in the long run! Good content man!!

Hey Mr.Sullivan, great content. I love how you got a lot of amazing cars to show to your community. I love how you work on them, and I appreciate your motivation on always finding a way to fix them when they break. I also love how you take on different brands and mix it up a bit. It’s interesting and very cool. All in all be safe and continue to work hard and to live your dream. Again thank you for the amazing content and videos and live it up 💯💯💯🫡

The wiring harness may have oil throughout

This one is a real test of your diagnostic skills. I'm betting money on you to find and repair the problem. Looking for the fix on the next video. Great video Chris.

I watched while I ran some errands in town in my 2003 sonic blue cobra, which is what brought me to your content! Im not a Mercedes technician, but I'm a senior master Ford tech, and oil inside a plug can definitely cause some issues if it has been wicked all the way to the PCM. I would take a look at the PCM connector and see if the oil has made its way to it.

Oil in injector harness connector is a flag. Oil can travel through out the harness and eventually fail that harness. Hopefully not but check each end of that injector branch for oil and fingers crossed it didn’t make it to the main harness.

I enjoy all your videos and the one shot in this one is when you opened the hood before you pulled the intake and your hand motions said so much without having to speak a word.

Did some more research and I agree with woodshed below, that conductor plate for the throttle bodies gets corroded and caused all kinds of problems. Check your Intake again and make sure all corrosion is taken care of. And check the wiring and connectors as well.

I was jonesing for a Chris video yesterday over a good Sunday AM coffee. Was watching a 99 cobra video when this popped up. Attaboy Chris!

Whelp gotta drop what im doing for an hour 😅

Much respect for your analyses, knowledge and diagnosis. Don't give up, even though you probably won't ;-). This is super interesting content and instructive. An overseas fan. Greetings from Belgium. Many recurring hypothesis are the fuel pump, control unit of the fuel pump or cam position sensor. You are the first one for whom I click the notification bell. Good luck and keep going.

Much needed vid.. I'm also currently working on my E63 08.. So if I run into anything I keep watching all your vids

You mentioned oil in a harness. Not sure if this motor uses a similar harness as the M278 but in that motor the cam sensors let oil past the plug and into the harness causing all kinds if issues. It actually works it's way back to the ECU and fills the ECU with oil. I would check all harnesses. there should be no oil in any of them.

M156 owner here! Awesome video, I hope you figure it out soon. Love watching your videos!

Chris, just found your channel! Our 21 yo son just bought the same car and has been following your videos. He also shared you got a C8, we have one too and the boys love it but I prefer my Porsche 356 replica. Love your show, glad our son shared it with us! Can't wait for your next video! We know you'll figure out whats up!

Those header tubes🤩 looked sweet😊

I had a fuel pump going bad that did the same thing. Random Misfire on the cylinders closest to the fuel source. Just wasnt putting the pressure out under load that it needed to.

It’s so therapeutic watching your vids while at work to keep me entertained and motivated. Wanna post more?😂😂 literally waiting for the next vid the second I’m finished with the latest💀

"we will be 2500 into this thing and might be not running right" hit me hard... I have a 5.5BT E63.. was misfiring badly as yours.. bought coils, sparks, o2s... ended up being 1.. ONE spark plug had the inner ceramic loose.

Thanks for the video Chris! Hope you get this baby figured out!

Chris, you have the patience of Job! Hopefully others will have solid fix suggestions. Just think of how satisfying it will be when she is fixed!

New video from Chris on my day off LETS GOOOO 🔥

I feel lucky. Out west we have low humidity and dew points. My catch cans don't look any different in Winter. Damn, it might be Dealer time! I hate to think it!! Great video!

Hey Chris! a guy online with the 2010 E63 AMG had the same problem and the resolution for him was replacing the "Key Ignition"... Definately check that. Maybe something with that wigs out and thinks the key is turning off the car. Good luck brother!

I really enjoyed the video. Hopefully you get to the bottom of the issue. My '11 E63 is on 111k now and it just keeps putting a smile on my face. My water pump pulley seized and threw off the serpentine belt recently. I wish had more time and knowledge to try and repair these things myself but thankfully I've got a great Mercedes specialist nearby.

Just like you said don't throw parts at your car... You are 100% correct. I have a check engline light on my 07 grand Caravan 3.8L with 63K miles. Just changed the Charcole Canister. Had to change a egr valve too. I have a code saying the egr valve is stuck open for more than 3 seconds. I bought a dorman product. OEM Mopar is like 200 which is not worth it. Maybe I just got a bad unit, I still have 30 day return so i guess ill return and try again. I hope that problem with the Legendary M156 gets solved soon. With these cars... the littlest problem can cause another part of the car to have a huge problem... Guess thats what us car guys have to deal with lol.

Damn man!! Wish I was as Mechanically inclined as you are.. Would save me so much money!!

I’ve watched you for along time now your editing is pristine now.

😮Nice chris uploaded. Damn my break is only 15 minutes 😢..OK finally had time to watch the whole video. Good to see you have issues like all of us where you fix something thinking that was it and nope. I'm sure 100% of us have faith you will figure it out. I actually wanna see this more then the cobra videos now lol

Great video as always, thanks for taking the time to document and post up. I always enjoy the troubleshooting process and steps you always take to carefully document everything! The thing is, I mean, you're a fellow Sullivan, of course you'll figure it out! :) Could it be a fuel pump issue? Have you checked fuel pump pressure? I did a bit of googling and someone on one of the MB forums mentioned the same kind of steps (fuel injectors, coils, etc.) and someone asked the OP about checking the low pressure fuel pump? The OP never responded but I thought I'd throw it out there.

you are well though of in the spirited automobile community I really enjoy your builds and continue to learn from them

Check timing on both banks at the same time also use the tool to lock the back of the cams in place. When changing my head bolts and putting everything back together. When i was tightening the cam bolts i noticed the other side moved a bit. I had to buy another timing kit to make sure nothing moved. Also on your diag tool there's a relearn cam feature you can try running if you haven't already. Use a bore scope or remove the pully above the crank to make sure your 100% at top dead center. Good Luck if you need more help try mbworld or Alex

Need an update on the daily driver. Great content keep up the work. Really enjoy watching. Thanks

I get snow here in Ohio, and I have OCD like you. 😅 What I do when it snows (especially in lighter snow) is use my leaf blower to clear the snow. It works fantastic and my OCD is happy because there aren’t and scratches from the snow brush. Great video as usual. -Eli

Chris, don't let it whip ya! You'll get to the bottom of the problem. Like others have mentioned, this is being for a collab with Alex Palmeri, from Legit Street Cars!

Hi Chris, love your content and I can see how you can lose yourself in the diagnosis process. The only thing that was not checked was fuel pressure, It can be slightly low enough to cause the random misfires. So hook up a fuel pressure gauge and monitor it at idle and under load. I think you have a fuel pump not supplying enough fuel pressure. Keep up the great content 😎

Great content as always chris! This is why I buy all parts for my BMWs from FCP Euro with the lifetime warranty. Too bad they don't work for my non Euro cars!

That’s crazy with all the work and you put into it and it did that

Having been born and raised in Detroit, I used to like driving through freshly fallen snow. However, after living in California for 45 years, and now currently in South America, I don’t miss the snow and that salt. I haven’t had a car or truck of mine rust in 50 years. 🗣️I love the rustless Caribbean!😊 🏝️

60k subs now. Been here since 25. Keep the vids coming man

The straw nozzle vac is masterful... " I am not worthy" ........ LOL

Damn chris I didn't know it was down like that for this long, I have 💯 percent confidence you will get it👍🏼 Can't wait for next week great content!

I had 2 M156 C63s and a weird fix that worked for the 15k miles I drove was replacing the gas pedal. It would go into limp mode at certain travel and throw random misfire codes. Got a cheap used pedal and it fixed my issue. Hope you figure it out! Hearing yours makes me want another.

I had a w211 e55. Last of the reliable hand built beauties. Sold it to my nephew. Waiting on him to sell it back to me lol. I daily a w211 e320. I also have a 2013 Boss 302. She doesn't get driven much lately due to getting into off roading and having other rigs. Great series!

BRO an hour long video heck yes thanks chris! ill be watching it at work later

You ever figure this out brother? Top notch vids and I can really feel your frustration.

Mis-fire is usually spark plugs and/or coils. Dealt with that before (Subaru), not fun with a Boxer engine. I actually keep the same OBD Scanner in that car just for those occasions.

Awesome video..I would definitely change cam position sensors and fuel pressure and maybe even crank position sensor

You know your ocd is top tier when your straw vacuuming the valley. As always, another dope video Chris !

I had a moisture problem with my 5.4 f150, same issue just driving short distances, I ran sea foam (oil additive) through it just before oil change, and changed oil early for a couple changes. After wards started letting it get up to temp before driving as much as possible Also might be worth changing the cam solenoid it’s not getting proper oil pressure for the phasers

What a frustration! Had similar on my 5.7 hemi charger which was my daily. Started with replacing the downstream 02 on bank 1 with an ebay one. Still had check engine light. Checked everything else and ended up after much diagnosis buying 2 OEM 02 downstrem sensors at triple the price as I was running out of ideas. That fixed it! I couldn’t quite tell what you had done with the rear 02 sensors though due to the exhaust mods. Plus my charger was pretty much stock and probably much simpler than the merc. Anyway I’m sure you will get it eventually and may have done so already if any Merc guys have made suggestions. Look forward to the next vid Chris.

Always waiting for the new video.

Chris, wonderful video showing how we all can be stumped...especially our Mercedes. You do a great job trouble shooting where it would drive me to the nut house LOL. One of my MB's has the M278 where I added the sacrificial harnesses to the cam shaft position sensors and the cam shaft magnets to the oil seepage doesn't damage the ECU via the wiring harness. May not be the case as the M156 ECU isn't located on the top of the engine but worth looking at. Hate to say it but I had an issue with another MB of mine where the OEM MAS wouldn't read correctly after I upgraded the throttle body. Had to combine a larger MAF housing with the OEM MAS and boom, stopped the limp mode and runs great. May Alex from LegitStreetCars can provide some ideas.

Check the maf’s and fuel pressure/pump/lines.

Hey Chris, don’t be disheartened brother! If these cars weren’t worth it they sometimes would make us earn them, lol Seriously Bro, I have learned so much from watching your videos. I have a 2012 CLS550, and watching you have literally given me the courage/confidence to get into my ride! Thanks again and I have complete confidence that you’ll discover what lies in Your way brother!

I was only a few minutes in and when I saw your codes immediately thought about it being a harness. Now that I watched more and you changed injectors from one side to the other, it's definitely the harness somewhere, either a connector or a nick or something in the harness.

I agree with everybody, Funny the whole time I was watching your video I was thinking you need to talk to Alex. He worked at a Mercedes service center for quite a while. Oh, and don't forget to change your battery key. 🙂

I remember years ago working on an Infiniti g35 and after three days of chasing the same type of issue i found a pin in one of the o2 sensor plugs that was just barely backed out. Almost like it was a specific harmonic that would cause it to wiggle back enough to cut the connection. I don’t remember it being fine at higher rpm. But i just remember test driving that thing over and over again.

Just a heads up, those O2 sensors heat up when you turn the vehicle on. It will melt those plastic caps. Love the content.

I think it's something electrical, possibly the ECU or some other computer or module. Great video ⚡⚡

Hey Chris it's Chris! I keep a set of primary o2s in my trunk of my w211 E63. Its tuned as well and known issue with them tuned!

The problem is you need to replace key battery lol! Thanks for vid Chris….I really enjoy all your vids!

My favorite channel!

Had a very similar issue on my BMW which ended up being coil packs. $1200 all said and done from FCPEuro. I did o2's, injectors basically started throwing parts at it.

If u still don’t know The filter is right their n the front so watch the video n go to 48:50 n where u hav your light it’s the black thing right in front of it n if u haven’t checked the fuses, maybe but I also thought it was a fueling issue hope u get her right soon

I've seen in other videos with similar issues it was a tuning issue. I could be wrong, but I seem to remember you mentioning you did a tune when you put the long tube headers on. Not sure how to check for that, but just a thought.

Chris I had the same codes on my CT’s v2 your gon have to check your lifters , I got a rebuilt kit for mine, you should check them out ! Keep us posted , I enjoy watching your videos you’ve helped me out !! Best of luck !!

I got similar problems, fixed it with changed out the spark plugs and colis. Air filters and temperatures sensors

The first person that came to mind was Alex at LSC. He seems like a really good guy and I'm sure he would help you out!

This is my second favorite four-door sports sedan. The E55 is my all-time greatest!

Get a fuel pressure gauge hooked up and get readings at WOT and the range where the light comes on.

Funny I had a similar issue on a 5.7 hemi, I had one instance where I had a flashing check engine and the truck started running horrible. It happened as I was kinda getting into it so at first I was scared shitless. Put it on the scanner and it was 1 misfire on cylinder 7. Did plugs, wires and coil packs and I’ve never had any issues

Can't say I've ever worked on a Mercedes but, this definitely seems to be a wiring issue. You made mention that there was oil in the harness for some reason and that can cause connection issues. I'd go over the wiring harness for the injectors, ignition coils, and see if there's any loose ground cables that possibly connect to the cylinder head? Thats my 2 cents as a diesel mechanic that works on semis. Best of luck

Sounds like cam position sensor getting oil up the harness to the ecu. Check the resistance on the harness from the ecu to the bank 1 side of the harness.

I can feel your frustration.

Maybe the crankshaft position sensor. This can cause all kinds of strange issues. Keep faith ✌🏼👊🏼

"While you're in there!" needs to be your first merch release lol

Check your alternator bro and also replace your auxiliary battery too and see if those two things do anything for you. I seen someone else say to check a fuse which is a smart idea. If those options don’t work the only thing I can think of is to check your timing chain.