Now I really feel part of the MB club!

[D3Less]

Looks like I have the famous brake light switch fault.

Wife started the car this morning and after putting her foot on the brake the dash lit up with the usual warnings.
She called me over and I restarted the car and the faults cleared.
It happened again this afternoon but is clear again now.
So it looks like I will be changing the switch.

When this fault is on the dash does this also mean that the brake lights don't work?

Are all the switches the same part number ?

Sounds like it is a simple enough job, changed one on a MK3 Escort years ago.
On another MK3 I also changed the whole pedal box assembly, now that was hours of fun

 

[television]

What do you mean,"really feel part of" You have been a good part of it for ages.

Your switch only comes from a MB dealer,so just ask for your car.

Rgds Malcolm

 

[D3Less]

What do you mean,"really feel part of" You have been a good part of it for ages.

Your switch only comes from a MB dealer,so just ask for your car.

Rgds Malcolm

aaaaaaahhhhh thanks Malcolm

Just being a bit silly, more like the MB faults club. :lol: :lol:

 

[SteveCassidy]

have the battery tested while you are at it. The E55 had this trick fault when I first got it, and carried on through replacements of all sorts of bits under warranty: then it finally refused to start, half-way through a 2,000 mile european epic - not as if the alternator hadn't been running non-stop for the whole ****** week before it didn't turn over...

Anyway: it turned out that pretty much all MB's will start on a tiny trickle of power from a shagged batery - even though the battery is then causing all sorts of crap from the systems while the engine is running and the alternator is operational. My 55 was (accoring to the dealer in Pirmasens, on the german/french border) starting on 21A of current, from a battery rated at 100A!

Boshed in a replacement from KHS up on the Norf Circular: lights went out and never came back.

 

[jberks]

Anyway: it turned out that pretty much all MB's will start on a tiny trickle of power from a shagged batery .

Opposite of my experience. Lights all came on, dash lit up, even the headlights looked perky enough, but my '95 C220 wouldn't even try to turn over. Even jump leads didn't help. Put in a new battery and she was fine again.

In answer to the original question, the brake lights will be fine. There are 2 circuits in the switch and the computer is more sensitive to issues than the bulbs.

 

[D3Less]

Thanks for the possible heads up about the battery.
Trouble is that I will probably get the part sent to me, the 2 nearest dealers are both 15 miles away, not too far but a 30 mile round trip is out of the question work wise at the moment and I don't want to leave the problem too long as my wife uses the car and tends to panic about theses things.

I have a decent meter (used for boiler fault finding) would this be any good to do the test myself?
If it is can somebody talk my through testing a battery :Oops: I am fine on 240V but not a clue when it comes to 12V :Oops: and of course I don't want to spike any ecu's etc.

Cheers

Cliff

 

[television]

Your switch is like Jberks says,a two part one, what happens is when the parcial short circuit comes, it knocks out the speed signal, and thats why the ESP lamp comes on. This short clears on a re start,but will come back when the brake pedal is used.

If you want to check your battery,with engine off it should be from 12v to 12.5v. With the engine running it goes up to 13.8 the normal running voltage for the car.

Malcolm

 

[D3Less]

Thanks all, I will pop the switch on first and see how things go.

Thumbs up to MB Leicester who are popping one in the post to me today.

Not so good from MB Loughborough who looked on 2 different systems and said that my car does not have one

BTW the fault did not happen this morning

 

[D3Less]

mmmmmm part arrived this morning, hoping it is the right one as the total cost is £3.13
Part number is A0015458714

Interesting thing is the date stamp on it is 08/01 the exact same date as my car was made.

Top marks to MB Leicester again though (as long as it is the right part) as they made no charge for postage!

 

[D3Less]

Nope, been on the russian site and that is the parking brake switch, phoned MB and asked why they sent that one, they said that is the only switch that mine has! as mine was a slight update model and not exactly as the russian site as that does show a brake switch. (apologies to MB Loughborough at this point)

He is going to look into it further and have a word with a tech and ring me back.

Will let you know the result!!!

 

[D3Less]

Well funnily enough no call back from MB Leicester
Fault has just reoccured after not happening for 4 days.