
Mercedes-Benz M272 / M273 Family
All Vehicles
- Plastic actuator cam in the variable intake manifold is susceptible to failure
- Can result in rough idle, loss of power, check engine lights, and numerous diagnostic codes
- The official repair procedure is to replace the entire intake manifold as Mercedes does not sell replacement cams; however, you can buy metal replacement actuator cams from suppliers like eEuroparts.com
- Cleaning of the manifold is strongly recommended as part of any repair
Certain Vehicles
- M272 engine serial numbers below “2729..30 468993” and M273 serial numbers below “2739..30 088611” (generally, produced prior to Sept 2006):
- M272 engines are susceptible to wear in the balance shaft gear, which can cause the right camshaft to go out of time and cause catastrophic engine damage. Preventative repairs are ~$4000. Symptoms include a CEL with diagnostic trouble codes 1200 and/or 1208 and often rough running.
- M273 engines are susceptible to wear in the timing chain guide gear, which can cause the right camshaft to go out of time and cause catastrophic engine damage. Symptoms include a CEL with diagnostic trouble codes 1200 and/or 1208.
- You can look up a vehicle’s engine serial number through https://www.datamb.com
- Mercedes-Benz produced balance shaft gears and timing chain guide gears using a stronger material beginning October 2006.
- Engines produced prior to June 2008: May experience oil leaks from the cam plugs on the back of the cylinder heads