- Engine / equipment
- OM646 2.1/2.2 CDI (C 200/220 CDI W203 and W204, E 200/220 CDI W211, Vito, Sprinter) and the 2.2 CRD in the Chrysler PT Cruiser
- Period mentioned
- 2002–2010
- Symptoms
- Puffing or “chuffing” at idle, a diesel smell under the engine cover and a hard black crust around the injectors; power loss from sooted intake flaps or turbo.
- Possible cause described
- The copper washer under each injector fails and combustion gases escape, carrying diesel and oil that harden into a black crust (“black death”). Soot also seizes the intake flaps and turbo mechanism. Otherwise it is a very robust engine.
- Check for the garage
- Remove the engine cover and look for black residue around the injectors, listen at idle and check the intake flaps.
- Cost cited in the source
- Injector washers: approx. €200–800 depending on how advanced the crust isA rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.
Mileage cited in the database: from 150,000 km. This is not a maintenance interval and does not predict a failure.