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

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