E280 Battery Power Loss! & curious faults.

[jons086]

Firstly apologies for the lengthy e-mither but this is my first visit to the site and I need to get this off my chest!
I have a 1999 E280 that has developed an intermittent electrical fault which has become a real pain!! :evil:

On three occasions over the past couple of months the battery has gone flat - although tests have shown that the battery & alternator are fine.

Are there any tests I can easily carry out to identify the cause/reason for the battery drain? I get no advanced warning lights/indicators & I use the car daily to/from work (30 miles each way); and the fault is intermittent - the car was recently parked up for 8 days and started with no problems .... but failed again a couple of days ago when parked up overnight.

I have two other curious faults which are also driving me insane! - Which my local MB dealer was unable to rectify during the last service! :roll: The Defective Lamp Warning light comes on - but only when the engine is running & lights are switched to on position. It does not illuminate when the engine is off - even if you put on all the lights, open doors, hazards on etc

Secondly/thirdly?? The parking sensors illuminate (red/fail) on the dash but fail to sense in either the forward or reverse direction.

Before I submit and take it back to the MB dealership :cry: I would appreciate any assistance that anyone can provide.

Does anybody know of a reliable independant MB service provider in the North Yorks or Middlesbrough area?

Many thanks (in great anticipation!)

Ian

 

[thekeeper24]

it might just be a bad connection onto the battery that caused your battery not to recharge on those few occasions.
-just curious, but do you notice any signs of your battery going dead while you are driving it (like the lights get dimmer or radio shuts off?)

 

[jons086]

Thanks for your reply, I checked the battery connections which appear to be tight & clean.
I have not had any signs/indications of the battery going dead or not charging - but if you do have any suggestions I would appreciate your ideas.

Again, many thanks

Ian

 

[thekeeper24]

"On three occasions over the past couple of months the battery has gone flat"
what do you mean, "has gone flat" as in there was no juice @all, just one day your battery went dead?

 

[jons086]

Yes, on two of the occasions the battery was too low to turn the starter and on one occasion the battery was dead - too low to operate the central locking or internal light.
The battery has been tested (several times now) and is Good. The alternator is charging (+14v) and the problem has gone away (for now!) although I have only left the car parked up overnight as I use it daily.


Many thanks for your replies so far

Ian

 

[Benzman]

I have recently had a similar problem with my CLK - intermittent starting difficulties, failure of remote locking etc. etc. Testing showed the battery to be OK but the problem remained. I became an expert beggar for jump starts!
I eventually bit the bullet and purchased a new battery and have had no problems since then.
Battery testing is a very inexact science. It may show a battery to be good at a given moment in time but will not be able to tell if the battery will retain its charge as a result of internal cell damage.
Try borrowing a battery for a short time - that should prove the point one way or another.

 

[Tinyflier]

My wife's C180 had exactly the same problem! Would be OK for weeks then without warning total drain of battery and really quickly too! One specific instance she arrived home from shopping, parked at house and two hours later car was totally and utterly dead, not even enough juice to operate the central unlocking!

Battery and charging system were fully benched checked OK, no apparent open circuits found. Tried two MB dealers and neither of them could find a problem.

Solved the problem by selling the car and buying her a Jaguar S Type! Drastic but effective!

David

 

[thekeeper24]

funny, i just had the same exact problem & no one could answer it (even though the car is in its thrid decade) it was the same exact problem you described, after my mechanic gave up and i put a new battery in (even though the one i had was only a year old) and replace a few old fuses (since they cost nothing) and i havent had that problem since.
try a new battery and just look under the fuse panel. best of luck

 

[thekeeper24]

check that, i spoke too soon,
ive been fine for the last week or so and thought the problem was fixed, until i had to get jumped again last night and drove home about 1/2 hour with no heat in freezing temperture.
since no one seems to have any answer now, and the only m-b garage around here doesnt now, i think i may, unfortunatly have to follow David's advice to solve the problem (too bad it isnt gonna be a jag or anything close with what ill have to get to replace it with)....
-best of luck to the rest of you

 

[jons086]

Ok, I have not given up yet! I have taken your sound advice (many thanks John) and disconnected the car's battery (positive) lead; and with everything switched off, doors closed checked with a multimeter - between the disconnected battery post and the disconnected lead. There is more than 2-3 mA current draw.
After removing each fuse in the car's fuseholders (in the engine compartment, under the rear seat & adjacent to the main lightswitch), the reading did not drop from the 20mA position - even with all of these fuses removed and relays pulled.
I also removed the smaller cables which were bolted to the main positive lead (about 10mm dia) and still had a 20mA reading from this main cable to the battery terminal. Do you know where this cable goes to? Is it direct to the Starter motor or does it also go somewhere else? I intend to look further tomorrow to try and pinpoint the 'short'. Does anyone out there have access to any wiring diagrams? - the one's for the power distribution and charging systems would be really useful.
Any more info or advice would be greatly appreciated (and if you can get your hands on wiring diagrams please could you fax them to me on 01642 546966).

Cheers

Ian

 

[markku]

Wiring diagrams, try here:

http://www.autolib.diakom.ru:8001/CAR/Mercedes-Benz/1997/S320/SYSTEM WIRING DIAGRAMS/

 

[sat_p]

Starting problems on 1998 E280

Hi,
Could I just get some advice - although these posts seem to suggest that I have the same problem...

When I go to start the car sometimes, it turns over for a second and then just cuts out. After a couple of retries it starts fine. Other times it just starts up fine. Is this a battery problem??? When I do get in the situation where it does not start, the interior lights do seem to fade away as I start as if there is not enough battery power.

Do I need a new battery or do you people think there maybe something else that is draining the battery?

I have this starting problem about 40% of the time and it is annoying!!

Any help would be appreciated...

Thx.

 

[guydewdney]

sounds like a dying starter motor to me - as the motor gets to a dead 'section' it takes current, but doesnt turn..

pull it / recon it / pull it and open it up to see any distinct fault?

guy