These motors chew through motor mounts because of all the power. Also the turbo coolant lines are all made of plastic and they get brittle and break and will leak. Also they have camshaft adjuster issues. Also have valve seat issues. And the turbos will end up going out at around 100,000 miles. They do tend to seep oil from pretty much every possible place. But as a Mercedes-Benz dealership technician for 22 years I really do love the power delivery of this motor but that's really about it.
Is all you're saying true for the later model m278's. I have a (2017) e550 (a207) cabriolet, with the premium package, night package and sport package. A somewhat rare combination I hear. Any pointers from a real technician on what to do in terms of preventive maintenance?
There's really not much you can do to prevent the usual issues with that motor. Using premium fuel is definitely the first thing. Preferably top-tier fuel not just premium fuel. Change your oil every 5,000 miles I don't recommend going to 10,000 between oil changes. Do your transmission serviced every 60,000 miles. I have seen the water pumps pulley actually work their way out of the water pump and cause the belt to come off. Also the lower radiator hose comes apart it's a pressed fit fitting. Looks like it has clamps on it but it doesn't. Just be aware when you do have to do work on the front of the engine those turbo coolant lines are in the way and will probably need to be replaced. When you remove them they break there's no saving them .The turbo coolant lines are like an eight-hour job. the oil filter housing is probably leaking oil in which case the turbo coolant lines will have to be replaced. That's a pretty decent ride you have there the newer cars are just getting shittier and shittier. Stay far away from the 2.0 four cylinders turbo they are fucking garbage. Like I said before I like the power delivery of that motor, wish I could put that in my Nissan lol. When you get up to 100,000 miles you're definitely going to be spending some money when it breaks. . good luck!
@@ymmij1973 Yes. I actually did have the motor mounts and transmission mount replaced at about 65k under extended warranty. Right now the steering wheel articulation (up an down) gets stuck. I took it in and they reprogrammed it. It worked for a couple of months and is now acting up again.
Some of the stuff you mentioned is correct. I just purchased 2015 GL550 60k miles Fucking think was pissing oil all over the place. Front engine valve covers resealed front cam magnets replaced all four cam shaft sensors replaced. Added adapter harnesses on cam shaft sensors to prevent oil going inside engine harness. You said if you end up with oil inside engine harness just replace cam shaft sensors and you good. Well not tru if oil reaches your ecu you are fucked. You have to drop engine replace ecu/ computer whole engine harness. You forgot to mention driver side engine mount will blow out every 30-40k miles On my car engine mount was replaced at 28k miles and I just did it at 60k miles. Now I have 2014 BMW 550i with 70k miles I purchase this car in California with 10k miles. Most people will tell you N63 engines are junk not tru some of the engines before 2013 did have more issues than engines after 2013. I can tell you with confidence it’s one of the best cars I ever owned. Trust me I owned a lots of cars. I did few repairs on it big one was valve seals replacement. After repair was done car still drives just like it did when I purchased 8 years ago. Now conclusion on M278 engine I have family trip coming up after I come back I will be selling my GL 550. Due to crap is failing a part Front suspension is squeaking top of the steering wheel I can tell inside it’s loos No space to work on anything I forgot to mention radiator was replaced when I purchase the car. So yes M278 is crap
Have 2014 ML550,so far,65k miles so good.Thinking some proactive "service" re do the coolant lines fittings, and the cam covers to get me another year or two. Love the sound and power.
I own 2016 S500 with M278 engine. So far the car is at 118k km or 73k miles and the only things I have changed are spark plugs and the usual oil, filters etc. Just now I noticed leaks from both camshaft solenoids. I change the oil every 5000 miles. I heard that those engines have issues with cylinder scoring due to weak aluminum/silicon low-friction cylinder liners called Silitec. I don't know if it's a major issue or not.
Own a CLS 500 as well. RUclips is full of videos M278/M157 engines getting boreoscoped (Motoren Zimmer, Tasos Moachatos etc.) with messed up cylinder walls, mostly cylinder nr 5 (left front). Then again, there are peolple getting over 200kkm out of these things as well no problems. Haven't figured out what is going on.
@@gjgeurts9372there’s couple hundred thousand of these motor driving around . There’s probably 50 case as I search far and wide on this . I’m not sure what’s going on .
CLS55 better looking than this? They must be smoking dope. The CLS generation before this was ugly, the headlights were terrible and so were the taillights
i absolutely love these motors. you can tune these up to 600hp depending on the chip, but you’ll likely blow out the transmission at that point. my fear with these cars is the air suspension which inevitably gives out before 100k miles. also, engine mounts are common failure in these. overall a reliable engine though
Mine needs mounts I can feel the vibration and I have had to do a calibration to the suspension but so far not major issues. Hopefully stays that way lol
If you replace the brittle coolant lines, is there an aftermarket better version? Or, can the coolant lines be wrapped to prevent the heat from making the brittle?
the o rings on the camshaft sensor has nothing to do with it leaking inside the wire that's to prevented it from leaking outside , the leak you are talking about is internal has nothing to do with the o rings .
This engine actually has AMG parts, i was replacing oil filter housing and it had AMG stamps. Then i did research and it is real baby AMG engine. To install downpipes - engine out, lots of vacuum hoses or small coolant hoses are brittle due to “hot engine” design. At the time i owned it the lead time for those hoses was 5 months from Germany. Be careful when u service the engine it is very brittle.
Crank Pulley decided it doesn't like being a pulley anymore lol. Mistake on my end not buying a new one earlier but it should be here next week and hopefully I can drive it again. Trust me I miss it a lot lmao
I ended up selling my cls, and bought a 2015 GL550, needed a larger family car. Just did my oil change this week, and had some shaving in my fikter as well. From my previous experience, do the oil change at the next 5k miles and see if there are same amount or less. Sometimes when tye tensioner on the chain is not adjusted correctly, on the cold start in the morning when the oil is cold the chain might hit the cover and that is were the shavings are coming from. Also, go to your mechanic and ask to open the cover check your interior of the engine and the pistons. It’s going to tell you immediately were are they coming from. It cost me 5k Canadian last time to do all the repairs and get my engine working flawlessly. Let me know what you found out
M273 was rated at 382hp, I had an 07 S550 as well, lost compression on cylinder 2 and had the infamous idler gear pulley issue. I am now looking to go 2013 S550 or 2013 Cls550.
My 2014 w212 E550 has been gaining problems day by day it’s at this point it’s a money pit had 2 coolant leaks in the past 2 months and the water pump went out at 87k Kms
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These motors chew through motor mounts because of all the power. Also the turbo coolant lines are all made of plastic and they get brittle and break and will leak. Also they have camshaft adjuster issues. Also have valve seat issues. And the turbos will end up going out at around 100,000 miles. They do tend to seep oil from pretty much every possible place. But as a Mercedes-Benz dealership technician for 22 years I really do love the power delivery of this motor but that's really about it.
Is all you're saying true for the later model m278's. I have a (2017) e550 (a207) cabriolet, with the premium package, night package and sport package. A somewhat rare combination I hear. Any pointers from a real technician on what to do in terms of preventive maintenance?
There's really not much you can do to prevent the usual issues with that motor. Using premium fuel is definitely the first thing. Preferably top-tier fuel not just premium fuel. Change your oil every 5,000 miles I don't recommend going to 10,000 between oil changes. Do your transmission serviced every 60,000 miles. I have seen the water pumps pulley actually work their way out of the water pump and cause the belt to come off. Also the lower radiator hose comes apart it's a pressed fit fitting. Looks like it has clamps on it but it doesn't. Just be aware when you do have to do work on the front of the engine those turbo coolant lines are in the way and will probably need to be replaced. When you remove them they break there's no saving them .The turbo coolant lines are like an eight-hour job. the oil filter housing is probably leaking oil in which case the turbo coolant lines will have to be replaced. That's a pretty decent ride you have there the newer cars are just getting shittier and shittier. Stay far away from the 2.0 four cylinders turbo they are fucking garbage.
Like I said before I like the power delivery of that motor, wish I could put that in my Nissan lol. When you get up to 100,000 miles you're definitely going to be spending some money when it breaks. . good luck!
Also get it serviced at the dealership they know your Mercedes better than anybody.
@@ymmij1973 Thanks for the insight. Much appreciated!
@@ymmij1973 Yes. I actually did have the motor mounts and transmission mount replaced at about 65k under extended warranty. Right now the steering wheel articulation (up an down) gets stuck. I took it in and they reprogrammed it. It worked for a couple of months and is now acting up again.
Some of the stuff you mentioned is correct.
I just purchased 2015 GL550 60k miles
Fucking think was pissing oil all over the place.
Front engine valve covers resealed front cam magnets replaced all four cam shaft sensors replaced. Added adapter harnesses on cam shaft sensors to prevent oil going inside engine harness.
You said if you end up with oil inside engine harness just replace cam shaft sensors and you good. Well not tru if oil reaches your ecu you are fucked. You have to drop engine replace ecu/ computer whole engine harness.
You forgot to mention driver side engine mount will blow out every 30-40k miles
On my car engine mount was replaced at 28k miles and I just did it at 60k miles.
Now I have 2014 BMW 550i with 70k miles
I purchase this car in California with 10k miles. Most people will tell you N63 engines are junk not tru some of the engines before 2013 did have more issues than engines after 2013. I can tell you with confidence it’s one of the best cars I ever owned. Trust me I owned a lots of cars.
I did few repairs on it big one was valve seals replacement.
After repair was done car still drives just like it did when I purchased 8 years ago.
Now conclusion on M278 engine I have family trip coming up after I come back I will be selling my GL 550.
Due to crap is failing a part
Front suspension is squeaking top of the steering wheel I can tell inside it’s loos
No space to work on anything
I forgot to mention radiator was replaced when I purchase the car.
So yes M278 is crap
Having come from a 1st generation BMW N63, I’m loving my 2nd generation (2014) M278.
I have R231 SL500 loving it too.
Have 2014 ML550,so far,65k miles so good.Thinking some proactive "service" re do the coolant lines fittings, and the cam covers to get me another year or two. Love the sound and power.
I own 2016 S500 with M278 engine. So far the car is at 118k km or 73k miles and the only things I have changed are spark plugs and the usual oil, filters etc. Just now I noticed leaks from both camshaft solenoids. I change the oil every 5000 miles. I heard that those engines have issues with cylinder scoring due to weak aluminum/silicon low-friction cylinder liners called Silitec. I don't know if it's a major issue or not.
Own a CLS 500 as well. RUclips is full of videos M278/M157 engines getting boreoscoped (Motoren Zimmer, Tasos Moachatos etc.) with messed up cylinder walls, mostly cylinder nr 5 (left front). Then again, there are peolple getting over 200kkm out of these things as well no problems. Haven't figured out what is going on.
Yes it's a major issue if oil was not changed on time.
@@hashim_iraq I think it’s caused by the direct injection.
At 2015 the cylinder Lines was changed at nanoslide
So you dont have issues With These anymore
@@gjgeurts9372there’s couple hundred thousand of these motor driving around . There’s probably 50 case as I search far and wide on this . I’m not sure what’s going on .
My dream car had always been my Love the W218 cls one day I will get one☝🏾💯🤲🏾
They ditched 5.5 na bcus of lower emissions on biturbo engine not bcus it wasnt powerfull enough😁
CLS55 better looking than this? They must be smoking dope. The CLS generation before this was ugly, the headlights were terrible and so were the taillights
i absolutely love these motors. you can tune these up to 600hp depending on the chip, but you’ll likely blow out the transmission at that point. my fear with these cars is the air suspension which inevitably gives out before 100k miles. also, engine mounts are common failure in these. overall a reliable engine though
Mine needs mounts I can feel the vibration and I have had to do a calibration to the suspension but so far not major issues. Hopefully stays that way lol
If you replace the brittle coolant lines, is there an aftermarket better version? Or, can the coolant lines be wrapped to prevent the heat from making the brittle?
I too had to 07 S550 now a 2012 S550 with M278
the o rings on the camshaft sensor has nothing to do with it leaking inside the wire that's to prevented it from leaking outside , the leak you are talking about is internal has nothing to do with the o rings .
This engine actually has AMG parts, i was replacing oil filter housing and it had AMG stamps.
Then i did research and it is real baby AMG engine.
To install downpipes - engine out, lots of vacuum hoses or small coolant hoses are brittle due to “hot engine” design. At the time i owned it the lead time for those hoses was 5 months from Germany. Be careful when u service the engine it is very brittle.
amg is mercedes now.
I have an amg package
Just had intake passenger cam
and adjuster changed.. $6500
Wow! Did you get the work done by an independent shop or dealership?
independant shop.@@evogt8702
Sounds like the dealership to me! I hate the dealerships. Wanted $1,000 to change two ball joints and do an alignment! I laughed in the managers face!
Patiently waiting for the E55 update lol
Crank Pulley decided it doesn't like being a pulley anymore lol. Mistake on my end not buying a new one earlier but it should be here next week and hopefully I can drive it again. Trust me I miss it a lot lmao
M278 cam sensor oil wicking problem
5.5 na is about 280g emissions and 4.7t is about 215g
430 bhp & 516 ft lb torque
Anyone with a CLS 550, 2013 and up, metal shavings in the oil filter and oil pan?
I just bought a 2013 gl550 and it had aluminum shavings in the oil filter housing.
I ended up selling my cls, and bought a 2015 GL550, needed a larger family car. Just did my oil change this week, and had some shaving in my fikter as well. From my previous experience, do the oil change at the next 5k miles and see if there are same amount or less. Sometimes when tye tensioner on the chain is not adjusted correctly, on the cold start in the morning when the oil is cold the chain might hit the cover and that is were the shavings are coming from. Also, go to your mechanic and ask to open the cover check your interior of the engine and the pistons. It’s going to tell you immediately were are they coming from. It cost me 5k Canadian last time to do all the repairs and get my engine working flawlessly.
Let me know what you found out
M273 was rated at 382hp, I had an 07 S550 as well, lost compression on cylinder 2 and had the infamous idler gear pulley issue. I am now looking to go 2013 S550 or 2013 Cls550.
I love the CLS it’s styled so well and it’s got good get up. I also do love the S class tho it’s the ultimate luxury sedan.
My 2014 w212 E550 has been gaining problems day by day it’s at this point it’s a money pit had 2 coolant leaks in the past 2 months and the water pump went out at 87k Kms
Ooof that sounds like a headache, so far I have been pretty lucky with the CLS all I've done is spark plugs and its been good.
That sucks. Usually happens if the prior owner(s) treated the car badly