Common Problems with Mercedes-Benz M278 Twin Turbo V8 | 603 MTech Autowerks®
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2022
- Own or looking to purchase a Mercedes-Benz with the M278 Twin Turbo V8 Engine? Watch this video to learn about the most common issues of this engine and the symptoms to look out for.
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Makes me appreciate my older M113 more, next to zero mechanical issues with well over 200K miles. I follow all service schedules religiously of course.
This is my actual vehicle the work was done on and after this work, the car drives like a dream again. Thank you Mike!!!!!!
What all did you have done and what did it cost you if you don't mind me asking?
How many miles did it have before having these issues?
@@searay260sundeckforsale4 101k miles
Where is he located
@@jaymex-ds7oy
Massachusetts?
I've been a dealership Benz tech for 22 years. I love the power delivery of this motor. These engines do have numerous issues unfortunately....well all Benz motors have lots of problems. These cars are just not what they used to be. Then what happens is the original owners get rid of them then people who really can't afford to maintain them buy them because it's cheap or a good price then they drive it into the ground. Such a shame. Just problems with every single part of the engine. That's why I drive japanese cars. I can drive the Japanese cars for 10 years without any problems....even the same damn light bulbs last for 10 years. German cars could only dream of having such reliability.
I have a 136000 mile GL450 2013 (Dealership maintained) all services done on time. I have only had to replace normal wear items. People that don't keep their engine maintained can expect any motor to fail. Also, if you have this motor just change out the items that MTech autowerks is pointing out, but more important is to due services on time!
Get a 2015 and up m278... many of those kinks were ironed out. Im a mercedes tech so i know about these engines and most of the problems he described were in the early model engines 2012-2014... much better engine after those years
My car is 2013 GL500 with M278 the engine was replaced by warranty in 2019 in about 2-3 days by the dealer do you think they swapped in the engine with nano-slide technology?
I am planning to buy a e500 2015 with 90.000km. so this should be better build ?
That little fitting at 1:34 snapped on me with incredible ease. I was going through replacing all the rubber hoses and when I went to remove that one, half the fitting came with it. Not the easiest part to find either.
Thanks for your very informative video!! Keep up the fine work maestro!!!
Thank you
M157 have almost same issues, and i m glad i got rid of mine long time ago....
Wow great video. Haven't seen anyone else go into detail like you did on youtube. How do you think this motor compares to the n54? is it more or less reliable? haha
I was thinking about getting a CLS550 2013 with 80K miles on it and after watching this video and scroll down to the comments section, now I'm so dissapointed. I thought these cars were bulletproof. I was excited about it b/c I was dreaming about driving my first V8 car.. the performance doesn't go in pair with reliability, even under warranty will be a very expensive car to mantain.
go for m273 yes it is slower but more reliable and better rumble.
Fun. I have 2 M276’s one with rough idle leaking valve and another with timing issues and new camshaft 😳
Great video, kinda puts me off a 278, but I’m glad I have a hoist etc so if the engine needs to drop out it can be done. A shame about the amount of plastic coolant lines in place too,
Thank you 🙏🏾
Wish there was an easy fix--metal replacement coolant hoses.
I put RTV gasket around the lowest passenger side cam magnetic so it doesn't leak oil on my 2009 M273 engine.
Was looking into a used 550. After a terrible BMW experience I wanted to do my homework on the other German car. Thank you for the information. I will avoid.
If you can get an extended warranty - that's what I did. I got a GLS 550 and it's a dream to ride. Best SUV ever.
I was looking into getting a 2014 CLS550. Now the decision is hard. Such a great car and a tune gives a ton of power
Check out our cylinder head video, it’s on a cls550
@@603benztech Will do. You said you had a 550, what car do you have now?
Just bought a 14 cls550 140k miles. Engine seems to run fine. Had it 3 months. Think it depends on previous owner how bad they ran it and maintained it
@@izaya_253hows it runnin now bro
This is a very good video and I have subscribed to your channel. I am considering buying a 2013 S550 4Matic about 50000 miles. Are your prices for maintenance more competitive than the dealership?
Yes we are lower than a dealer and all of our maintenance parts comes from the dealer
Don't forget the cylinder scoring and the oil intrusion from the cam magnets!
Yes, those are a couple big ones that I hear the most about
Does the 5.5T AMG version of this engine have the same issues? Or are they upgraded with higher quality parts? Because you don’t hear many problems with those engines except for weak connecting rods when people turn the boost up with mods
Oil going into the ECU too
Just did my turbo coolant lines a couple days ago , it was pretty easy to change
How'd you do it and how easy? Can a beginner do it?
@@jmhellison u need the right tools, but I recommend take it to a trusted shop
@@jmhellison u have to pull the fan, the both driver side charge pipes
@@jmhellison also u need to remove some of the pulleys
124th! I own a 2015 S550 4Matic. It’s got 59,000 miles on it. Have the oil changed every 2000 miles. Have had it in the dealership for every maintenance service. Haven’t had any problems from the inspections. It is garaged in a heated garage. When should I expect it to have some of these problems? Roger in Pierre South Dakota
Great video. Seriously entertaining a E550 w 80k on Car & Bids but I’m a going to pass now. Thanks so much.
Get an extended warranty, if feasible. Those are great cars and it's a hit or miss.. but a dream to ride
Damn it i was looking at ml550 2013 now am really confused. Is it true that most of those problems esp the valve issue was for the earlier engines?? And when they say earlier what exactly are the years of production
Where in New England are you located
What was the extended warranty on those engines?
Damn. On to a 63 then. I know people who never complain about those
Have you serviced many M113 v8s are they good engines?
I have a 278 with 180K on it and have misfiring it also shudders when you hard accelerates,the strange thin if I shift all gears there is no misfiring and no shuddering
E550a. Scared the hell out of me.
@00:18 Did anyone else catch that? 😂😂😂 What happened?
Yes…looked like he touched something hot or got shocked….??
fyi, this applies to all m276, 278, 157 cars. biggest flaw are the cylinder heads, and to this day, merc still hasn't fixed it. new 4 cyl 260 and 264 get cylinder heads all the time and ive even seen the new 206 c class w the 254 need a head
Hey Mike, I was just looking into purchasing a 2015 E550 coupe with 56k miles. Would you say the newer M278's have more solutions to all these issues built in from the factory relative to older (2012-2013) motors? Thx!!
Good clip, but next time please use a lapel mic. It lets us more clearly understand what you're saying, above background noise.
Hello, thanks for the video and information, I find it very useful. I am in the market for CLS 218 with 278 engine, I am looking for cars around 2014, is there a chance the engine block to be with nanoslide cylinder coating or it starts later in production? Thanks in advance!
Mine has the nanoslide. Mercedes claims improvements on new nanoslide model years but I don't know the basis for that claim. Mine seemed OK when one cylinder head was off a few weeks ago.
I have quoted several entire 278 /157 engines for severe cylinder wall scoring causing low compression... also have seen lots of bad cam lobes... M-B oil with factory intervals on most of them.. I have only seen 2 or 3 of them make it past 150,000 miles.
I'm at 142,000 miles on my E550 (278) and so far no leaks or problems. Fingers crossed.
Hard to believe a Mercedes engine won't pass 150k miles, especially the V8.
@@luckylinkletter1271 what year? And how much maintenance?
I'm at 193k on my 2012 CLS 550. Still going strong. Bought it at 153k, and have done all my own maintenance and repairs since. Except for the mechanic I hired for the 'purchase inspection', no mechanic has seen my car in my 4+ years of ownership. Your 'sampling' is probably skewed towards problem engines. The well-running ones won't be in the shop!
@jurgeenhandazola3006 all these mechanic youtubers are doom and gloom all they see are broken cars. Mercedes V8s are solid just maintain them. I've got a 2012 S63 AMG and previously a 2006 E55
Where are you located.. shop etc
When you have an engine this complex you're going to have problems and some of them serious. This is the result of reinventing the wheel too many times. Likewise, BMW and Audi do the same thing.
I am some issues with coolant leak and suddenly I have oil dripping from the driver side front end it’s a nightmare i have to ship it to the dealer
Question: for the intake cam adjustor, can it be done without removing the valve cover? If so where should the timing be when doing the cam adjustor and the tensioner. I was thinking of holding the crank and opening the cam adjustor on right intake. Any thoughts?
You Need to remove the valve cover
how old is this engine and when can these issues come up? By the sounds of the video, it looks like I should sell my E550 sooner than later!! Super Scary video!! Mine is 90k miles and I am scared now!
Just curious - a lot of engines can handle some amount of coolant and oil mixing without permanent damage. Are the cars in your shop being driven extensively with the forbidden milkshake before the owners swallow their pride and drag them in?
Thoughts on owning a lower mileage m278 (say under 50k)? I was under the impression a lot of these common issues are associated with higher mileage, like above 80k. Very informative video!
I don’t see many problems with lower mileage M278 we just actually got CLS550 in the shop with 100 K it needs a cylinder head plan on doing a video on that
If you are on a budget, walk away from MB's with these M278 engines. Between 60k Miles and 75k miles I have spent nearly $12,000 at the dealership for several of the issues this gentleman has brought up in the video. The M278 hit the scene in 2012/13 but all the issues are rising to the top about now.
@@damienhealy6850 Wikipedia says that Mercedes introduced the M278 in 2010 until 2020.
@@damienhealy6850 what about facelift m278 e550 i thought those were bulletproof
@@JonathanHernandez-mq5zy Hi Jonathan. My car is a 2014 facelifted E550 with the M278 engine. I would have thought the same a few years ago but with only 75k highway miles on the clock I would say these engines are not bulletproof. I have spent $12k on major repairs on mine in the past 10k miles. 1st was the notorious wiring loom that fills with oil and destroys the ECU and more recently I had to have the water pump replaced and that requires a ton of labor. The engine is very complex and it is really packed into the e-class engine bay. So there is not much room to work on it. Mine is a daily driver so I need to have it running. I pay the mercedes dealership maintenance costs which are huge but most good Indy’s that are able to work on these have a massive lead time. Also I believe that mercedes have it sewn up so that it makes it impractical for some indy shops to buy the software to work on things like the ECU. I have always loved mercedes since my dad had them in the early 90’s but I’m sick of giving Mercedes my hard earned because of some of their built in cost cutting measures. I’m now looking at Lexus. I will take a hit on performance but I’m at a point in life where reliability is more important to me.
M276 engine Boris Mospan
Boris Mospan
1 second ago
today a check valve only came partially (inner sleeve) when I used the extractor, how can I remove the rest of the check valve??? HELP
Thanks for posting this. I am considering buying a car with this engine and 200K miles. Do you think all these things would have been fixed by now for it to have lasted that long?
All that really matters is the maintenance history I did a deep dive into the reliability of these engines before I bought my Cls550 with 131k it’s in better shape than my c300 was with 90k miles and other CLS with 70k their very solid if you take care of them they say oil change every 10k miles I’d say 5k MAX personally I’m doing it every 3500 miles from fellow long term owners I’ve talked to on forums they’ve done this and one guy has had it since brand new to 110k and hasn’t had major issues like this another guy said he went from 150k to 190 with stage 2 tune and only had to replace a coolant hose!! Take your time when looking into the condition of the car have it inspected at a shop and check the maintenance history and you’ll be just fine!
200K it's a proven road warrior. If it's nice do it
@@samspace81 My comment is 4 months old LOL
Hi i got a question..What year is BEST for M278?? Im looking to buy S500 from 2015....Thank you for your time and answer...
2015 and up are the good ones
What about m276 ? , same problems ?
These are just the common maintenance issues when over 150,000km. I have my toyota and theres oil leaks and coolant leaks as well. Gaskets dont last forever. If you can do it yourself, it'll save you a lot of money. I've had my w218 at mercedes plenty of times and their labor rates are crazy but that's what happens when you buy any high end European car. I would try to find a cheaper shop who knows European cars. One thing that is very true is that theres barely any working room with the v8 crammed in the engine bay
We have shops that work on “European vehicles” that bring us these cars all the time . Not a very easy DIY engine for most of the repairs. Get these towed in all the time from people attempting to replace there coolant lines .
Thanks for the heads up video. I have a high mileage M276 with the camshaft adjuster problem. Could you recommend a good shop for that job in the metropolitan Boston area? TIA
603 MTech Autowerks
I just had the same problem, I’m located in NJ. A local Mercedes specialist charged $2500 for the job. The OEM part around $1k the labor $1500 . Just to inform you what to expect the job was done in 2 days.
What would you estimate it would cost to fix all of these problems you mention on the M278.
Wondering too
The reason why I prefer the v12 m275/m279. If I am going to need the engine dropped then I would rather have the better motor. Them valve seats go on those m157/m278 because folks don't do the carbon cleaning service.
The V12 has a plastic hose in the middle of the V which breaks and requires massive tear down to replace.
We have super high compression on #5 (like 100psi higher than other cylinders on Xentry test). Can the valve problem cause high compression, or possibly something else going on?
100 is low
2:45 It can lead to the engine to struggle to start.
The music in your video makes it harder to hear you talk.
Is the M273 a more reliable engine? I've decided (so far) not to go any newer than that due to the complexity of later M-B engines.
Yes it's a solid engine and much easier and cheaper to work on. Easy to get 200k+ miles out of one
Welp I think I will be buying a Lexus LC500 Convertible to replace my R230 SL550. Couldn't care less if an SL can out accelerate me.
The M278 also has the cylinder wall scoring issue, correct?
Any way you cut it, these feel like big boat anchors to me. Lots of new engineering practices that lead to engine out services at 100k miles or before.
Yeah it’s a big luxury performance car.. but it ain’t a Ferrari. Id expect a bit better from the same company that cranked out the seemingly invincible 3.2L V6 in the W210 and other hits.
Man and I was thinking the m278 was bulletproof. And it’s not like Mercedes sold that many of them, they probably sold 8 times more 350 than the 550. So basically all m278s will eventually have problems?
Yeah wondering the same and i thought they were bulletproof
The timing cover on my 2014 S550 m278 engine was leaking and it only had 65,000 miles. I traded it in for a Mercedes SUV with a hopefully more reliable m276 v6.
If not maintained then yeah they will.
I have a v8 twin turbo 2014 GL I had misfire on cylinder four, took plugs out and 1 of the 8 was caked in oil, changed plugs and oil and in a few weeks same thing oil leaking internally another misfire. What does that sound like in your experience?
Sounds to me like a scored cylinder or broken rings. Maybe both.
That sounds like a problem 😅
I found a 2016 S550 with 8k miles on it. What concerns should I have?
Not much with only 8k
get an extended warranty..
Are these issues also on the m157?
Yes basically the same engine , just has bigger turbos
@@603benztech appreciate it! Looking for a newer body style S63 with the m157 what mileage should I stick under?
Man, the way he described all the common problems make it seems like this engine is garbage. I understand every car has its own problems but for this engine to have that many common problem is a bit much.
That’s why I don’t drive one anymore
When they solve this problem
The m177 engine
Change cam shaft sensor as routine maintenance ... Problem solved
אתה בטוח?
175,000 miles on a GL450 V8
- FOUR sets of turbo coolant hoses
- Cam chain tensioners
- Cam solenoids (twice-they leak into the wiring and fill the ECU)
- entire intercooler piping replacement
- now it needs a Cam phaser…. Just gotta figure out which.
After coming out of an M113K car that ran great for 250,000 miles, this thing is built of cheese and plastic.
Mercedes needs to quit selling $100,000 cars built like $25,000 cars or enthusiasts are going to give up on them.
and those little lines cost $70 each
Rehearse ….Release
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Wow what a pile
I HAVE THAT CAR, I GOT IT CHANGE THE MOTOR MOUNTS, IS A NIGHTMARE.. FU.. MERCEDES.!!!