Light on Dash

[vics1982]

Hi All,

I'm a newbie to this forum so please be gentle.
I brought a Merc E280 in may this year and have managed to loose the manual.
I've got an Orange Triangle light coming up every so often on the dash board and it has an exclamation mark in it (!). It seems to only happen first thing now it has got colder. I replaced all the tyres last week so i'm wondering wether it is to do with this.

Please help as i'm worried something may be wrong.

Thanks in advance
Vics
x

 

[clive williams]

Vics
You don't say what year or model the vehicle is but the light is probably the traction light. Basically, your wheels are spinning!!! The vehicle senses the difference between the speed of the front/back wheels or the L/R rear wheels via the ABS sensors. When the light comes on the traction control comes in to disconnect the throttle until the grip is restored. It's very difficult to be flash and keep the wheels spinning with the traction control kicking in and progress is always slower with the light on.
Whenever I see the traction light come on its an omen of doom as I know that all I doing is wasting (expensive) rubber.:cry:

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[vics1982]

Hi Clive

Thanks for your reply.
Its a 1998 model,
I am getting all the wheels re-alligned on Saturday and the cambre etc.

Hopefully that will fix it.
Thanks very much for your help.
Cheers
Vics

 

[996jimbo]

It's not a fault!

It means that the traction control is kicking in to stop your rear wheels spinning. The alternative is no traction control and your wheels keep spinning. Or ease off the throttle.

 

[jberks]

The light has 2 states. Flashing is fine as it is just telling you that the traction system is working and you should go a little steadier on the throttle. Solid is a warning however and would need checking out.
Is it on solidly or just flashing occasionally?

 

[clive williams]

Hi All,

It seems to only happen first thing now it has got colder. I replaced all the tyres last week so i'm wondering wether it is to do with this.
Vics,

My traction light does almost exactly the same in this cold weather and on the first bit of the drive and I can hear/feel the tyres (Goodyear F1 ZR's)slipping occasionally. Its the frost on the ground and when I first start off the car is slow to pick up (its cold!) so I press the throttle a little harder.......

You could of course test it quite crudely by finding a slippery patch - we have a polished manhole cover on a junction, and nailing the throttle. Just watch the light. My light also comes on when I try to rev the engine quickly using the throttle in the engine compartment and the engine won't rev more than once.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[djb]

new tyre no grip

dont forget new tyres have release silicon on the outside so they can get them out of the machine.

if you ever had a motor bike you would know new tyres equals next to no grip at first. frequently bikers fall off in the first miles.

full grip does not develop until the side walls have broken in usually 60 -100 miles,

equally check tyre pressures as tyre fitters frequently over inflate which will make things worse.

 

[vics1982]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all of your replies.
The light flashes for a couple of seconds and then goes off completly. Only when i've just started off to work in the morning.

Will let the tyres wear in a bit more and see how it goes. Will just have to stop charging about for a while.

Thanks so much for all of your replies. Appriciate them.

Thanks again

Vics

 

[996jimbo]

If you use the 'W' setting on the gearbox you will start off in 2nd gear and that will reduce wheelspin on pulling away.

If you want to test the traction control and properly observe it working then put two wheels on a muddy verge and hit the throttle - the yellow light will flash away and you will hear wheel spin initially which will reduce / stop after about 1/2 a second. The yellow triangle stops flashing after the system is happy that you've got traction back to both wheels.