2002 ML 270 BAS/ESP & ECP

[bazzo]

Ok guys, just bought this car, 98,000m been back to garage several times now, and been told the problem is fixed... but it keeps coming back.. getting a bit tedious now!! Any help or advice would be gratefully received.


Ordinary driving, any condition, after about 20min the BAS/ESP and ECP light comes on, the car wont kick down. No ABS errors


The car did have worn brake pads when I bought it so the garage fitted new pads and sensors all way round... But it hasn't cleared this issue...


I Have read on here that if the steering wheel is slightly off centre this can cause the yaw sensor to throw a code.... car thinking its going in a straight line but steering left/right? would explain the no kick down (limp mode?) could it be that simple?... the poor guy in the garage is pulling his hair out, as I am as the garage is a good 45min drive from me.


Also, the head unit occasionally says battery level low, start engine, or im gonna switch off ... engine running. No alternator light on, and its a new battery... I always thought battery Voltage when running should be 14.4v... Im getting 12.9v on meter... which is calibrated... Alternator on way out?... Please confirm the 14.4v before I go back and demand new alternator Could it be that the low voltage is causing the other errors?

Any help or advice?

 

[tony jr]

I would try getting the tracking fixed and line the steering wheel up first - this worked for me

Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

 

[television]

The running voltage over the battery should read 13.8 volt minimum

 

[busby20]

Ok guys, just bought this car, 98,000m been back to garage several times now, and been told the problem is fixed... but it keeps coming back.. getting a bit tedious now!! Any help or advice would be gratefully received.


Ordinary driving, any condition, after about 20min the BAS/ESP and ECP light comes on, the car wont kick down. No ABS errors


The car did have worn brake pads when I bought it so the garage fitted new pads and sensors all way round... But it hasn't cleared this issue...


I Have read on here that if the steering wheel is slightly off centre this can cause the yaw sensor to throw a code.... car thinking its going in a straight line but steering left/right? would explain the no kick down (limp mode?) could it be that simple?... the poor guy in the garage is pulling his hair out, as I am as the garage is a good 45min drive from me.


Also, the head unit occasionally says battery level low, start engine, or im gonna switch off ... engine running. No alternator light on, and its a new battery... I always thought battery Voltage when running should be 14.4v... Im getting 12.9v on meter... which is calibrated... Alternator on way out?... Please confirm the 14.4v before I go back and demand new alternator Could it be that the low voltage is causing the other errors?

Any help or advice?

My wife's CLK320 throws up BAS warnings etc. sometimes on start up, clears when moving steering lock from lock to lock. There isn't an actual problem, but, as she doesn't use the car a lot the voltage drop on the battery kicks the warning messages up. When she does use the car more often there are no messages or problems.

 

[Alex Crow]

So many things come to mind it is hard to know where to start, other than suggesting a STAR test.

Regarding the charging, it could indeed be an alternator, alternator regulator, pulley or loose contact somewhere. It is always worth checking the connections bolted to the live terminal at the battery on the w163, as well as the earth strap.
Note that we expect to see faults coming up when the charging voltage drops off, so it might well explain the ESP/BAS/EPC warnings too.

 

[bazzo]

Thanks for the advise, The battery terminals were loose, but the charging Voltage is still only 12.9v.. The manual says 10v is the point where errors occur, But im guessing that it could drop to that on crank...
But the fault appears during driving, not on start up.
I will get the steering wheel sorted, its only a small amount, but its annoying anyway!!
will keep you posted..

Ps
Which of these errors would prevent the car from kicking down on acceleration? could this be a clue?

 

[television]

If your car is not charging, and the battery is low, nothing on the car can set correctly, you need a running voltage of at least 13.8volt

 

[JML270]

Wiring loom damage near ABS plug, bad earth straps/connections, check 20Amp fuse at battery +pole.

 

[panason1c]

If your car is not charging, and the battery is low, nothing on the car can set correctly, you need a running voltage of at least 13.8volt

As above.... Sounds like alternator fault to me, the low voltage can bring up all sorts of errors and the first place to start is getting the battery charging rate sorted which should be around 14v +/- at engine idle speed.

My alternator failed recently, I was only showing 12v at the battery with the engine running, interestingly though, the battery warning light on the dash came on (as normal) when I turned on the ignition and went out (as normal) once the engine was started even though the alternator wasnt functioning!!........when I stripped it I found that the brushes had completely worn out, as had the slip ring which was badly worn/grooved.

A secondhand alternator put everything back to normal.

 

[bazzo]

Thanks...
looks lime the low voltage is definatly the culprit.
been out today and there is not obvious driving condition that causes.the fauly lights.
BAS/ESP was on most if time buy no real noticable effect, guess that woupd show under breaking. The ECP light came on a few times and power went down, but that seemed to keep clearing itself.

Thinks me got a faulty alternator, and steering needs alignment.?
All.agree?

 

[television]

wait till you have done the alternator to see about the rest.

 

[Stefan89BG]

Hello, I have read your post. I have the same issue. MY bas esp light came up and the transmission goes in limp mode...stuck in P, and when I drive it accelerate very slow and no go gear down....no kick down. My OEM multimedia shows me low battery voltage too. I'll be very happy if you tell me what was the problem and how you sloved it. Thank you

 

[Taffy7hfa]

Hi mate, you might have been better to start a fresh thread as this one's quite old anyway you need to have someone read the codes otherwise it's just guesswork which quite frankly is a complete waste of time and money, I will say this though, these cars really hate a weak battery and can go a bit mental if it's the way out, don't be fooled by the fact that it has enough power to start the car