My mother's '94 Bnez E320 seems to be having a idling problem. When the car just sits in either park or drive, the rpm gauge just goes up and down over and over, from about .5 rpm to 1-1.5 rpm. Then when you step on the gas to go, it chokes for a bit, the power lags, and finally it just bursts out and drives off. Any ideas what could be causing this problem?

 

Have you gotten any information on your question ? I have a '90 300SEL which does exactly as you described...

 

Nope, nothing yet. A dude at a local certifed Mercedes dealership said it might be a vacuum problem but that just doesn't sound right to me.

 

had the same problem with my previous car(e220 124 series)...it was soved by fitting a new AIR FLOW METER but part was expensive here in u.k...hope this helps

 

Hi ajh28, my C180 is giving me the exact same problem. Any luck on gettingthe problem fixed?

 

Remove MAF. Spray insert LIBERALLY with MAF or contact cleaner, Shake dry.

Bazzle

 

As Bazzle said,
You have hunting idle, a prime indicater of a dirty MAF.
Either replace or clean it and you should be OK.
Best,
Ron