W203 widespread electrical death!

[Westheath]

I would get it on Star before doing any thing else.

 

[JSeaman]

Why's that? Is there more to the P020x codes than open circuit? Any ideas on what causes it - ECU?

 

[alex cnwell]

hi, strange that the car ran before the sam unit change? is that correct?.

 

[M80]

hi, strange that the car ran before the sam unit change? is that correct?.

Missed that,
air in the fuel lines due to the works / being stood??

Basic, but did you check the battery voltage when it was first throwing up the codes?

 

[umblecumbuz]

Just wondering ... when you say the car dumped the coolant, I wonder what got wet as a result?
Cos wet and electric don't make good bedfellows.
Are there any other connections/sensors that got hit with coolant as a result of the dump?

 

[JSeaman]

Hiya, yes the car did fire up before the SAM change

I thought fuel too but cracked all the injectors and got fuel at each, only stood a couple of days

Battery voltage is +12V

The alternator would have gotten wet but was still kicking out 14.8V when it did run

 

[M80]

Battery voltage is +12V

The alternator would have gotten wet but was still kicking out 14.8V when it did run

Is or was 12V. 12V is a vague reading, it could mean anything from 11.6 to 12 .5 volts, the lower figure could cause some fault codes.

 

[JSeaman]

Is and was 12.1-12.3, can 11.6V cause p020x to repeatedly occur?

 

[alex cnwell]

A cheap way would be to fit the original sam and see if she fires, without throwing more money about, and maybe give the battery a good overnight charge. just seems odd that although before the sam change there were faults present but atlas the car still ran ?. if you were closer i could lend you my code reader as i run the same car but it would be a trek.

 

[JSeaman]

Battery has been on charge overnight, plenty of juice in there

Appreciate the feedback and thanks Alex, shame we're not closer!

The old SAM is a good call, I might put all the fuses and relays back in and have a go!

 

[JSeaman]

Replacing the old SAM was indeed a good call - I put the old one back on and the weird fan spinning up problem resumed but it kept the P020x codes so something else has broken!

It also did give me a fault for the glow plug controller (I thought it was 0407 but that seems to be EGR related so I may have misremembered the number, the description was glow plug controller which makes sense)

 

[alex cnwell]

Hi, the burning question is did the car fire up ?

 

[JSeaman]

Nope!

 

[alex cnwell]

hi, its going to need an mb scan or star as trying to pinpoint an open circuit is going to be difficult, something has gone wrong somewhere as the car started off in the beginning of the thread a runner and now unable to fire, it needs diagnosing and would go from there.

 

[JSeaman]

Ho hum, thanks.

 

[alex cnwell]

hi, i know they are suppose to be plug and play but i think it would have started if that was the case.. or your new sam is faulty?

 

[M80]

Could be off her but isn't the engine looked after by the ECU?
Unless the alarm is immobilising.

 

[JSeaman]

Alarm doesn't appear to be immobilising, I did check it could lock/unlock, all lights extinguish, can hear the fuel pump and cranks so don't think so

The ECU is indeed a common link in the chain here but it sounds like that does need to be coded, does anyone know if this is fact?

 

[Westheath]

As I already mentioned earlier in the thread they are not just plug n play 100% of the time.

If there's been a problem on the canbus and/or in the DAS it may need a session on Star to reconfigure the modules.

 

[JSeaman]

What sort of time is typical to do this ie how much work?