[Spydogs]

Hello. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have a 2013 Smart Fortwo with 18,675 miles, bought used. Two days ago, I started having problems with the car hesitating when accelerating. Now it is dying when idling. It will start again but struggles. It will drive fine after a few minutes then acts up. No warning lights on the dash or anything. Any ideas on what it might be? Thanks for your input.

 

[wahi]

Fuel pump, possibly.

 

[Spydogs]

I guess it is a good start. Thanks for the help.

 

[smark]

Your car battery might be on its last leg. Modern cars will run rough, if a battery isn’t strong. Check out the voltage. When the cars not running. The battery output, should read around 12.4 volts. With the engine running, over 14.5 volts. If you can keep it running.

 

[Spydogs]

Ok. I will check it out. Thanks.

 

[jwight]

Have you checked for OBD codes?

 

[heraldhamster]

All good thoughts above. When we had a non-start issue last year on the '09, it was as simple as loose spark plugs. Now, before I get flamed, I've never touched the spark plugs as they were done by the Seattle dealer during a warranty issue back in 2010 or '11. Local MB mechanic is smart certified and he found the prob & fixed. I replaced the fuel pump/filter assembly, swapped the 'what's-it's position sensor with a known good one (off my '12), replaced the battery as it was the OEM with 140k miles and ten years on it. I did all I could thru recommendations from here. So, might be something to check...
The hesitation you're having was our warranty issue at the Seattle dealer. All they did was install new plugs.

 

[Spydogs]

Thank you all for your ideas. I checked the OBD codes & battery & nothing was wrong. It has the right amps for the battery & no current codes or pending. I will look at the spark plugs now. I hate to say it but I think it is the fuel pump. I saw online & they are over $300 plus. Rats.

 

[wahi]

Fuel pumps die prematurely when we drive the gas down to the fumes...I used to do that to see how long I could go on a full tank just to be able to brag about that 45 mpg etc.. haha lol

 

[smartiealbert]

The price of the fuel pump is the cheapest part of the repair cost. The fuel pump is located inside the
fuel tank. Have to remove car's belly pan, remove fuel tank, change pump, and reinstall it all. I had a
fuel pump replaced under warranty on my 2008 smart, back in 2011. The total bill was $1,300. Plus the
stealership had to pay for a rental car for 3 days.......................

 

[wahi]

Nooooo!

 

[smc60]

Hello. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have a 2013 Smart Fortwo with 18,675 miles, bought used. Two days ago, I started having problems with the car hesitating when accelerating. Now it is dying when idling. It will start again but struggles. It will drive fine after a few minutes then acts up. No warning lights on the dash or anything. Any ideas on what it might be? Thanks for your input.

 

[smc60]

Fuel pump

 

[Ety Bity]

Hello. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have a 2013 Smart Fortwo with 18,675 miles, bought used. Two days ago, I started having problems with the car hesitating when accelerating. Now it is dying when idling. It will start again but struggles. It will drive fine after a few minutes then acts up. No warning lights on the dash or anything. Any ideas on what it might be? Thanks for your input.

How odd as I am beginning to experience a similar issue. Mine is very subtle and as I am accelerating, it sort of feels like the transmission is shifting but ever so lightly. I have gone through all he possibilities, fuel pump, the plugs, maybe shoot some grease up in thing that helps the shifter. Now I am terrified of the major cost I'll be facing! I baby my car's engine in an effort to prolong big buck services. Now I am having to decide whether I should go to the rip-off dealer or the specialty shop where there is no gladness, but madness.

 

[Spydogs]

Unfortunately, these little cars are expensive to repair / parts but they don't hold the value. If you look around car ads you can find them hovering around $2k to 5k for a 451, miles vary. The cars were not popular in the USA since they are tiny & most cars on the road are big as houses. When you drive a Smart car we are stopped & asked questions about it. Once this older gentleman asked me if it was a real car. I told him yes & it is legal in to drive on the road. Not too many people have heard or much less seen them.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Last time my 451 exhibited these symptoms I completely changed the spark plugs. The issue went away and hadn't returned. It was running so bad it would completely stall at a red light.

 

[gradysam]

First and foremost, are you using 91 octane (premium fuel) as specified in the OM. DID the prior owner use 91 octane. We're the plugs etc. serviced per the OM. FUEL FILTER, is extremely important. I would run an OBD diagnostic to see if any anomalies in the ECM ever appeared, but were nuisances and discounted when returned to a normal parameter.

 

[Garry Anderson]

Hello. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have a 2013 Smart Fortwo with 18,675 miles, bought used. Two days ago, I started having problems with the car hesitating when accelerating. Now it is dying when idling. It will start again but struggles. It will drive fine after a few minutes then acts up. No warning lights on the dash or anything. Any ideas on what it might be? Thanks for your input.

My 2010 Smart ForTwo slowly developed rough idle then started to cut-out while driving. I have been trying to fix it over the last 12 months, and I have replaced every sensor in the car. The MAP sensor fixed the rough idle, but the engine cut-out still remains. The last thing to change is the Fuel Pump, which I have ordered and is being shipped to me now. All the current symptoms are related to loss of fuel pressure or volume, so in about 3 weeks I will know for sure. Your suspicion about Fuel Pump is probably accurate. My current diagnosis is that the Fuel Pump is getting old and overheating then cuts out when the internal thermal circuit opens up. Fuse #16 has not blown so the overheating in the fuel pump does not create excessive current to blow the fuse. After this happens, I simply wait 5 minute for things to cool down, and she starts right up again. Then after running for another 15 minutes, she cuts out again. Then I wait 5 minutes and repeat the cycle. I have even replaced the Engine Control Unit as well. The OBD2 port does not give any information about Fuel Pump, since there is no fuel pressure sensor in the fuel line or injector rail. The pressure regulator is inside the Fuel Pump assembly and cannot be easily checked since there is no pressure monitoring connector on the fuel rail. To measure pressure one has to disconnect the fuel line at the rail then install a pressure T tap from a pressure measuring kit. So, replacing the Fuel Pump unit sill give you a new pressure regulator, check valve, and pump motor. I suspect this may have to be repeated in another 10 years too.