Urgent: Electrical solution required W124

[John Turner]

If any one can help asap - preferably before dark, it would help!!
Car is W124 300TD. Following flat battery, charged up and replaced but nothing will work - not even lights. Battery reading good. I cannot find anything wrong except the short lead from positive terminal is not attached to anything. This lead is about 20 cm long and ends in a metal eye, which I assume should be go over a bolt. I did NOT undo this lead from anything, and yet cannot believe that a positive cable should be lying loose. There appears to be nothing within 20cm of battery that is obviously missing a lead!! The electrical connections to the connection unit sitting on the suspension strut top are all intact. Is this why the electrics are totally dead? Where does this lead go? Can anyone help, otherwise I cannot get to work tomorrow!!!
Many many thanks

 

[guydewdney]

there will be a big fat lead for the starter motor... and a thin wire with a ring on the end which is connected to the battery terminal as a feed to the rest of the car.

undo the nut/bolt holding the terminal on, and put the wire onto the bolt....rather like this:-

http://www.btinternet.com/~psx10/cavalier/battery_connection.jpg

or

http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/DRL_battery_connection.jpg

 

[John Turner]

Thanks Guy. Smaller lead comes off terminal with main lead to starter motor, but problem is I do not know where it goes from here ie where it connects to rest of car? Car is 1995 W124 300TD with the 606 engine.
Thanks

 

[Andy Cottrell]

Hi John,

My smaller lead goes to a black terminal block mounted on the top of the strut. It has a total of three leads one of which goes to the battery.
Hope this helps.

 

[John Turner]

Thanks Andy and Guy,
The lead was the positive feed to the car as you identified, and I have connected it to the terminal under the plastic flip lid that sits on the upper suspension strut top. When I removed the battery I did not undo this lead though! I needed a socket spanner to undo the bolt to refit the lead. I can only assume that it had been lodged against the bolt and terminal, and when I removed the battery, it pulled the cable away from the terminal. Odd that anyone would leave it like that. Anyway all works now....except the blower!!! This worked before, and fuse looks OK, so I now have another problem to sort for tommorow evening. Seems rather never ending! Thanks for your help.
If anyone knows why blower might not work, please let me know!
John

 

[John Turner]

Fault was a loose plug connector at the heater element under the bonnet and up under the windscreen ledge just to right of the fuse & relay box. Plugged in and all works fine.
Thanks for all the assistance.
John