Eco Stop, really does mean stop ! - won't start again

[poyntzj]

Pulled up at some lights this evening, the ECO stop kicked in, went to go as the lights changed and nothing, nada, just a set of dashboard lights.
I can lock the doors, remove the key, put it in, unlock the steering wheel, turn the key and get the stereo and AV on, but I do not get any cranking. when I try to start.

Just been towed home and from reading I am thinking it could be fuse or relay, so will look tomorrow in daylight at the fuses, but any pointers as to which ones to check ? (I have no fuses in the cabin, only the engine bay as far as I know)

Cheers

 

[Gazwould]

Amazing device it's saved you fuel and the environment .

 

[poyntzj]

Fuses all look OK. tried jump starting and nothing either.
When I turn the key I do hear a faint click from the EIS (read this mentioned else where).
Thinking it is starter relay or starter motor. Any easy ways to check the starter relay ?

 

[poyntzj]

AA came out and looks like it is the starter.
The relay you can feel switching, but the AA tech also bypassed the relay with nothing happening.
Starter from the local Merc dealer =£400, a Lucas from ECP =£306
Any thoughts on which I should go for. I assume the Merc is new and not a recon like ECP

 

[Gazwould]

What Eco Stop Strain killed your starter motor ?

I'm never going to be able to except that the saving in fuel was anywhere near £300 .

It's there to save us all , the planet and your money.....

 

[FiveAlive]

Mercedes do seem to have thrown caution to the wind over the last decade, riding unjustifiably on their previous reputation. My partner's W169 A-Class, a 2011 model hence developed a few years before that, has a specific 3-phase starter/generator for stop/start, independent of the normal starter motor, and the stop/start only kicks in after the engine has fully warmed up - all good. But more recently-developed cars seem to have the stop/start kicking in even whilst cold (I had a 2012 ML250CDI briefly, and the engine would be cut at the end of the street after a cold start) and appear to use the standard starter motor at all times.

Having said that, the A-Class's starter motor died at 45,000 miles/10 years old anyway....

 

[Misterdog]

My W169 A-Class weighs 20 Kg with the stop/start Blue Efficiency, more than the non BE version....

I switch it off.

Having said that, the A-Class's starter motor died at 45,000 miles/10 years old anyway....

Did they have to take the engine out to replace it ?

 

[EmilysDad]

I've never heard of a vehicle with a 'normal' starter & a further ECO stop/start starter motor. I know that some vehicles, like the mhd Smart, uses a combined alternator come starter to start & restart the engine, whether ECO is on or off. Some petrol engines squirt a little fuel into a cylinder to restart the engine.

 

[Mr Greedy]

AA came out and looks like it is the starter.
The relay you can feel switching, but the AA tech also bypassed the relay with nothing happening.
Starter from the local Merc dealer =£400, a Lucas from ECP =£306
Any thoughts on which I should go for. I assume the Merc is new and not a recon like ECP

Try a different dealer. Give MB Grangemouth a call and check for a price.

Does the MB price you state include the refund when you return your starter in exchange?

An older car a few years ago (about 5) but I bought a starter from Merc for about £250 once my old unit was exchanged. They were around the same price as the cheapest generic unit available from the large motor factors.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I’d buy the MB unit, as above ring around a few MB parts depts if they have one on the shelf you’ll probably get a good discount

 

[FiveAlive]

I've never heard of a vehicle with a 'normal' starter & a further ECO stop/start starter motor.

When the starter motor failed on the A-Class we were 2.5 hours from home. The recovery man (Green Flag) helped me to bump-start it rather than arrange a truck to carry us home, so off we set trying to avoid stalling it. But I forgot to disable the stop/start so when we came to a stop, so did the engine. I was quite relieved when it restarted, quietly and smoothly, using the starter/generator. Just a shame that it wasn't possible to rig it to start the car from cold whilst we were waiting for a slot at the garage to get the starter replaced.

Did they have to take the engine out to replace it ?

No, our local non-specialist but competent garage was able to replace it with just a bit of lowering and swearing. About £250 all in, if I remember right. And he showed us the original starter motor: it had stopped working because the cap at the pinion end had fractured into pieces!

 

[poyntzj]

So the part was replaced. I don't know with what brand, but I do know the mechanic would not put in a poor component.
The AA man who said it was the starter has said the stop/start is the cause for killing the starter early and his advice is to switch off each time I start the car. I doubt if the saving in fuel is worth the £300 odd for a starter. Pollution in town is a little different, though is Sidiq gets his way in London I would get rid the the car

The old starter when it was finally taken out of the car rattled when we shook it. Said he has not heard one do that before !

 

[sonic]

Someone on here had a fleet of Sprinters, the older non/stop start ones never had a starter fail.
The newer ones with stop/start did have starters replaced.
I have been driving for 55 years, & some quite old cars in the early days, never replaced a starter..

 

[NJS5]

I have been driving for some 65 years & done up to 280k miles in one Land Rover; I have never had to replace a starter motor. I have had stop/start in my last 2 Land Rovers & disable it immediately on delivery.

NJSS