W116, BENZ AID - COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Hi- my 240d (manual transmission) has occasional fits of very poor acceleration. I can run 70mph easily on the highway, but at times when I move away from a stop sign, or start out up a hill, I can barely get the car to move away from a stop. I changed the pre -filter and main filter elements under the hood, have not changed the filter in the tank yet. Also, at times, maybe 5 to 10 seconds after startup, the engine will stall, even with the idle adjuster speed high. When this happens it seems I have to give additional throttle more than usual to increase engine speed.

'98 300 E TD. Engine hesitation occurs intermittently. Can be very frustrating, leading to total loss of power. Happens at any speed and any RPM, but only happens under load. Burns perfectly clean & smooth, but hesitation is a big problem. Comes & goes w/o reason - might hesitate badly for 5 miles or for 1,000. Might happen every drive & repeatedly for 2 or 3 weeks, and then might run perfectly for next 2,000 miles. WTF?! Have checked for codes, good fuel flow, mass air, etc. Is confounding to all mechanics I've brought it to.