cls w208 convertable roof problems

johnobrien

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clk 430 avantguarde convertable w208 2000 plate
hi all, new member be gentle with me :)
i have owned my clk convertable 430 avantguarde for about 5yrs now and rarely use it these days and recently decided to give it some TLC. new suspension coil springs dampers, refub front wheels and brakes..with the recent sunny weather its been too good to not have the top down, and heres the problem..its never ever let me down until now..

the problem being as follow.
after releasing the hood from the front screen and pushing it up slightly, when using the center console switch to activate the hood, the front & rear windows drop as expected, but theres no movement from the rear rollover headrests. and are now in the down position & work using dash switch( dont ever think they did in-fact move when openong the hood ) )the switch then flashes continuously whilst pressed or pulled and thats as far as the hood mechanism goes..

so far i have uncovered the hydraulic pump and control unit ( thanks to youtube vidoes..absolute boon that site ) all looks good, no leaks resevoir correct level etc.all catches locks and cables in good condition and working well, have given all a good dose of WD40.
i have checked all fuses and the relay changed out for a known working unit.

still no movement from the roof.
so basically im asking for any suggestions before i go down the route of swapping the control unit and or pump unit ( expensive even second hand )

would getting the ecu read tell me which component has failed ? i have an OBD11 scanner but its not reading any faults, does it have to be STAR as i have been reading other posts and as i have one or two unrelated faults now showing on the dash maybe this is what i need,,( again very expensive bit of kit, too much to warrant me buying my own )

the micro switch in the boot works as well, so i know thats not the problem, so im now stumped...are there any methods of testing the pump unit without spending thousands on a testing kit.

over to you guys and girls..any suggestions greatly appreciated.

p.s. my blower motor runs non stop and ive had to take the relevant fuse out to stop it, any one able to tell me where the relays are hiding so i can swap it out...no mention in any of the handbooks that are original and came with the vehicle.

thanks everyone for reading and hopefully coming up with some whizzard way to fix my roof !!
 

Wearsafoxhat

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Hi and welcome,

Have you reset all four windows. Am presuming that if it has been standing a while the battery will have gone flat and things will need to be re learned.
There are many micro switches in the roof mechanism including the boot and load cover. Maybe worth while working them a few times.
As for the headrests, they remain down when the roof is being operated.
Sorry but not much help from there on.


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towat

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W208 CLK 320
Make sure the battery is fully charged and in good condition, then try disconnecting it and leaving it for 1/2 hour or so then reconnecting and trying again. The headrests won't move unless they were in the raised position to start with then they will lower before the hood opens then return to original position.
 
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johnobrien

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clk 430 avantguarde convertable w208 2000 plate
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Thanks to all who replied..and yes the battery was fully charged and refitted and i have tried resetting the windows.
when i release the hood from the front screen the windows all lower as they should and thats as far as things go.
the roof refuses to start folding back and the control switch on the center console just flashes which i believe indicates theres a fault.
the micro switch in the boot luggage cover has been tested and is servicable so too the relay attached to the hydraulic pump.
theres a switch fixed to the boot lid itself which seems to be in a servicable condition so if anyone knows anything further to check please point me in the right direction.
the car although getting on for 20yrs old is in great condition and has less than 60k on the clock and as we dont get graet sunshine & opportunity to drive hood down much, think its a bit unlikely the hydraulic pump and or control unit has given up the ghost.

im wondering , as the car is and has been parked for long periods with the battery disconected, would the hood control unit, somehow loose any memory ,ie, its programming ? i find such a scenario hard to believe , but just going down every avenue for a possible solution.
 

towat

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W208 CLK 320
Personally while you have the bulkhead removed I would take the hit and get a second hand ECU £200-300, if it still doesn't work you can always resell it later.
 

Uncle Benz

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The meat of it is on the last page. There is a sliding limit switch on the left hand roof ram. It often buckles and falls off. The fault you describe fits with this limit switch having failed. If you can see the pictures it should be easy to compare yours.
I'm sorry for disjointed replies this week, I've been very busy.
 

LostKiwi

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When it flashes does it flash continuously or in a pattern of X flashes, pause, repeat?
If it's a pattern the number of flashes will be an error code (129s do this but not sure about other models).
 
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